China: The Golden Triangle – Beijing, Xian and Shanghai
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Master of Fishing Nets, Suzhou, China
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Mutianyu, Great Wall, Beijing China
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Beijing Summer Palace
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Shanghai Museum, China
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Yuyuan Garden. Shanghai, China
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Xian City Wall, China
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Terracotta Warriors, China
“He who returns from a journey is not the same as he who left.” — Chinese proverb
China is reputed as the oldest continuous civilisation in the world. Its unique culture and customs make it a charming place for visiting. To experience the wonders of China you will need to immerse yourself in a culture so far removed from anything you have ever known. For a first trip, your students will be introduced to Beijing, Xi’an, and Shanghai. These three destinations will give your students an overall view of the nation of China, from its history and culture to its development and prosperity today.
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Xian was once the terminus of the Silk Road and a melting pot of cultures and religions, as well as home to emperors, courtesans, poets, monks, merchants and warriors, the glory days of Xian may have ended in the early 10th century, but a considerable amount of the ancient former city, survives behind the roaring, modern city. Students will be astounded to see the Terracotta Warriors as well as the pagodas and museums.
Shanghai is a city that evokes so much history, excess, glamour, mystique and exotic promise and that’s just with its name. It is home to the world’s second-tallest tower and a host of other neck-craning buildings but it’s not all sky-scraping razzmatazz. Beyond the crisply cool veneer of a modern city students will see pristine examples of art deco buildings, Jesuit cathedrals, Jewish synagogues and Buddhist temples as well as home-grown lòngtáng laneway and shíkùmén housing, Shanghai’s architectural heritage is like nowhere else and students of Art, Engineering, Design Technology, Business and Tourism will thoroughly enjoy all aspects of their time in Shanghai.
A visit to China is a cultural treat and will leave students with marvellous memories and a love of the country and its people.
Dates
2017 and 2018 dates available on request
Suggested itinerary
Day 1+2
Fly to Beijing
Fly from the UK to Beijing International Airport. On arrival you will be met by an English speaking guide and transferred to your hotel. You will have the rest of the day at leisure to relax. Being is the nation’s political, economic, cultural, educational and international trade and communication centre. As one of the six ancient cities in China, there is an unparalleled wealth of discovery to delight and intrigue you as you explore the city’s ancient past and exciting modern development.
Day 3
Beijing
Stroll through Tiananmen Square, China’s historic heart of celebration and turbulence for almost a century. Continue to the resplendent Forbidden City/Palace Museum (UNESCO site), home for Chinese Emperors since 1420. Walk through the world’s largest royal compound that was off-limits to commoners and learn about important treasures of the Imperial collection on display in the vast inner courts. Stop for lunch at a local restaurant. In the afternoon, take a ride on a two seat pedicab/trishaw. Pass through the charming Hutong lanes of quickly disappearing old Beijing. Later you will spend some time with a local family residing in a typical quadrangle home and drum tower. Learn to write Chinese Calligraphy followed by a visit to the Capital Museum.
Day 4
Great Wall of China
Today, you will climb the awe-inspiring Great Wall of China (UNESCO World Heritage site). Visit the Badaling section. All sections of the wall ever made would be enough to go around the equator one and one-half times! The Badaling section is one of the most impressive parts. Enjoy majestic views and maybe bargain with the local vendors. Visit Beijing Jade Carving Factory before stopping for lunch at the Friendship Restaurant. In the afternoon, visit the Summer Palace, a beautifully-maintained royal garden in Beijing. It includes a complex of pavilions, temples, and galleries set among beautifully landscaped grounds, situated on Kunming Lake.
Day 5
Beijing to Xian
This morning, you will visit the vast Temple of Heaven complex (Tiantan Park, a UNESCO site) that was once a sacred area used only by the emperors of China for important ceremonies to honour Heaven, the supreme power. The main structure is the Grand Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest, an impressive architectural feat. Today this park is a favourite gathering spot for locals. Visit the Lama Temple, the largest Buddhist temple of the Yellow-sect in Beijing and has been completely preserved. Built in 1694 as the residence of Count Yin Zhen, the fourth son of the Emperor Kangxi, it was called “the Palace of Count Yong.” Yonghegong is the most renowned Tibetan Buddhist temple in China outside Tibet and holds treasures of both the Han and Tibetan cultures. Enjoy lunch before transferring to the airport for your flight to Xian. On arrival you will be met by an English speaking guide and transferred to your hotel.
Day 6
Xian
Marvel at the impressive Terracotta Warriors and Horses underground army pits of the 1st Qin Emperor (3rd century BCE, UNESCO site). Understand the magnitude of this portion of the entire mausoleum project. Their solemn assignment was to protect the Emperor Qin Shihuangdi in the afterlife. Visit the Xian Ceramic and Art Workshop to learn how to make Terra Cotta replica. Continue to a local restaurant where you will get involved in noodle-making before enjoying lunch. In the afternoon, visit the Banpo Museum. The Banpo Site is a typical Neolithic matriarchal community of the Yangshao Culture dating back about 6,000 years. Later visit the Shaanxi Provincial Historical Museum, considered one of the birth places of Chinese culture and regarded as the pearl of ancient dynasties and house of Chinese treasures.
Day 7
Xian to Shanghai
This morning visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. Regarded by many as a symbol of the city, the pagoda was built in 652 A.D in Tang Dynasty to house the sutras brought back from India by the famous monk Xuan-zang. Next you will visit the Ancient City Wall, built during the 14th century on Tang Dynasty foundations. The walls are the largest and best-preserved ancient fortress in the world. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before transferring to the airport for your flight to Shanghai. On arrival you will be met by an English speaking guide and transferred to your hotel. Enjoy the rest of the day at leisure to relax or explore Shanghai.
Day 8
Shanghai
Today, visit the 400 year old Yu Garden and Old Town. Yu in Chinese means pleasing and satisfying, and this garden was built for Pan’s parents as a place for them to enjoy a tranquil and happy time in their old age. In the afternoon, spend time at the Bund/Waterfront area on the Huangpu River where historical landmarks of yesteryear proudly stand across the river from the contemporary skyscrapers of the newly developed Pudong area. Later visit the world-famous Shanghai Museum. From Neolithic to contemporary, pottery to porcelain, bronze to jade, sculpture to furniture, this museum houses a distinguished art collection.
Day 9
Suzhou
Travel to Suzhou. Visit the Garden of the Master of Fishing Nets and No. 1 Silk Spinning Factory. The Garden of the Master of Fishing Nets is recognized, along with other classical Suzhou gardens, as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The garden demonstrates Chinese garden designers’ adept skills for synthesising art, nature, and architecture to create unique metaphysical masterpieces. The Master of the Nets is particularly regarded among garden connoisseurs for the techniques of relative dimension, contrast, foil, sequence and depth, and borrowed scenery. Later enjoy a cruise on the world-famous Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, the oldest and longest manmade canal in the world. With an overall length of 1794 km, the ancient Grand Canal starts in Beijing in the north and runs to Hangzhou in the south, flowing through 4 provinces and 2 cities.
Day 10
Return to the UK
This morning you will be transferred to the airport for your return flight to the UK.
