Explore China 2009

TRIP CANCELED

2009-02-09T17:42:00.000-08:00

Susan and I would like to thank all of you who had placed your trust in us and signed on for what would have been a terrific 20 days in China. It is with a sad heart that we have to announce that the trip will not be this year, (we fell one person short!!) but we wish all of you the very best of summer travels, wherever you may go.

Trip Date Set

2009-01-12T07:54:00.000-08:00

Hi All-

Hope you had a pleasant holiday season! As 2009 begins, Susan and I look forward with excitement towards our summer journey to the People's Republic of China.

Some of you had expressed a desire to know the exact dates of the trip. As of right now (and this is subject to change) we will be departing July 6, 2009.

Also, just a reminder to send your check in as soon as possible to confirm a spot on what I know will be a fabulous twenty day journey around China! The deadline for the first $300 deposit is due by January 31st, 2009.

Thanks Again, Maria & Susan

Reservations

2008-11-15T15:04:00.000-08:00

Hi All!

Thanks to all who have expressed an interest in our Explore China 2009 trip. Checks are starting to arrive, securing your spot for this amazing study tour. You can reserve your spot in the group by sending a $300 (non-refundable) deposit to Maria Avery. Checks will be held until a minimum of 15 participants have responded. Once this number is filled, checks will be mailed to our travel agent in NY.

The payment can be made to Sunlight International Travel in Flushing, NY. Put the remark as: for China & Tibet Tour 2009.

Send payment to:

Maria R. Avery
489 Wolcott Street, Unit 112
Bristol, CT 06010

Susan and I are planning our first informational meeting in February. We will be sharing photos of our previous journeys to China and answering common questions regarding travel to East Asia. In March we anticipate having a 2nd meeting to discuss VISA, passport, and other issues and in June we will have a third and final pre-departure meeting.

In the meantime, become a "Follower" of this blogsite to keep updated with all current posts. Also, please don't hesitate to email either Susan or me with any questions...Thanks, Susan and Maria :-)

Books & Movies on China!

2008-11-15T09:08:00.000-08:00

Prior to traveling to a new destination I love to rent foreign films to help me prepare for the journey, enabling me to become accustomed to the people, culture and history. Netflix, an online movie rental agency, has a wonderful selection of foreign films. Once you are a member you can search for foreign films by country. Chinese films often leave you with a beautiful message with an insight into the hearts of the people. Here are some Chinese films I have watched and enjoyed, all found on Netflix.

MOVIES

The Road Home , Hero,
Eat Drink Man Woman
The King of Masks (one of my favorites)
Raise the Red Lanterns
Shower
Balzac and the Little Seamstress
The Blue Kite, The Painted Veil (Yangtze River village-beautiful )

**Please feel free to add to this list by posting a comment.
FAVORITE NOVELS
Daughter of the River: An Autobiograpy: Hong Ying

River Town Two Years on the Yangtze: Peter Hessler
Single Pebble: John Hersey
Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China: Jung Chang
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan: Lisa See
Becoming Madame Mao: Anchee Min
HISTORICAL BOOKS**
Understanding China: A Guide to China’s Economy, History and Political Culture by John Bryan Starr, Hill and Wang
Genghis Khan by Jack Weatherford
The Great Wall by Julia Lovell
China by Damian Harper
Mandarin Phrasebook, Justin Ben-Adam Rudelson, Charles Qinhave
The Diary of Ma Yen: The Struggles and Hopes of a Chinese Schoolgirl by Ma Yan
Oracle Bones by Peter Hessler
The Changing Face of China, One Billion Customers and Power Shift
The State of China Atlas
The Chinese Negotiator
The World is Flat by Thomas L. Friedman, Farrar, Straus and Giroux
China Shakes the World by James Kynge
The Changing Face of China: From Mao to Market by John Gittings
One Billion Customers: Lessons from the Front Lines of Doing Business in China by James McGregor
Power Shift: China and Asia’s New Dynamics by David Shambaugh
The State of China Atlas: Mapping the World’s Fastest Growing Economy by Stephanie Hemelryk Donald and Robert Benewick
The Chinese Negotiator by Robert M. March and Su-Hua Wu
China's Great Train by Abrahm Lustgarten, New York: Henry Holt
China Road: A Journey Into the Future of a Rising Power by Rob Gifford
Beijing: From Imperial Capital to Olympic City by Lillian M. Li, Alison J. Dray-Novey, and Haili Kong

GUIDE BOOKS

The Lonely Planet China is an excellent guide book.

China: Eyewitness Travel Guide by DK Publishing

There are also many books, documentaries and travel videos on China available at your public library. Again, an excellent way to get to know China.
Susan and Maria

P.S. Check out your local Adult Ed offerings for a beginning or conversational Chinese language class. Many towns are now offering them.

Explore China!

2008-10-25T09:46:00.001-07:00

Did the Beijing Summer Olympics spark your interest in traveling to China?

An educational tour of China is being planned for mid-July 2009 for anyone interested in an amazing travel experience!

Group Leaders: Susan Kopecki and Maria Avery

Susan is a Wethersfield Art Teacher and has traveled extensively on two study tours in 2006 to China, as a participant with the CT-Shandong Sister School Exchange and the National Consortium for Teaching About Asia.

Maria is a Region 16 Social Studies Teacher and has traveled to China in 2005, as a participant with the CT-Shandong Sister School Exchange and to Korea through a Korea Society Fellowship in the summer of 2007.

Cost and Itinerary are listed below.

Please email either Susan or Maria if interested or for further information.

skopecki@wethersfield.k12.ct.us

mavery@region16.ct.org

Chinese Travel Liaison:

Peng Zheng, China Education Association for International Exchange
Peng has coordinated over 80 CT travel groups to China since 2002.

Explore China! Itinerary

2008-10-10T11:34:00.002-07:00

EXPLORE CHINA 2009

July 6-28th, 2009 (Subject To Change)

Group Leaders:

Susan Kopecki skopecki@wethersfield.k12.ct.us
Maria Avery mavery@region16ct.org

China Tavel Liason:

Peng Zheng: China Education Association for International Exchange

Itinerary

Day One (July 6th):Hartford-Beijing, China
(Meals: In-flight Meals)
Depart from Harford, CT to Beijing, China

Day Two (July 7th):Arrive Beijing
(Meals: In-flight Meals/D)
Arrive in Beijing in late afternoon
Transfer to the hotel
Dinner

Hotel in Beijing

Day Three(July 8th):Beijing
(Meals: AB/L/D)
City tour in Beijing: Tian’an’men Square, Forbidden City, and Temple of Heaven

Stroll across Tian’anmen Square, the largest public square in the world, capable of holding one million people. Stroll across its vast expanse. An assortment of historical buildings, Communist monuments and huge museums, including Chairman Mao’s Mausoleum, the Monument to the People’s Heroes, and the Great Hall of the People – home of the National People’s Congress, flank the Square.
Walk through the Gate of Heavenly Peace, under the famed portrait of Chairman Mao.
Enter the Forbidden City, a 9,999-room compound, where the 24 emperors of the Ming and the Qing Dynasties ruled the Middle Kingdom for nearly 500 years (1420-1911). Experience the architectural splendor of the palaces, ceremonial courtyards and private quarters.
Temple of Heaven; this remarkable building is considered the supreme achievement of traditional Chinese architecture. During each winter solstice, the Ming and Qing emperors would perform rites and make sacrifices to Heaven praying for good harvest for their empire. The most striking edifice is the “Hall of Prayer of Good Harvests”, which according to the emperor’s Fengshui masters, is the exact point where heaven and Earth met. Built in 1420, this masterpiece of Ming architecture, features triple eaves, dramatically carved marble balustrades, and gorgeous glazed azure roof that symbolizes the color of heaven. Built without a single nails, this 120-foot-high structure is fixed by four inner pillars represent the seasons, and two sets of 12 columns denote the months and the traditional Chinese division of a day.
In the evening, savor a specially prepared meal of Beijing Duck, cooked to crispy perfection.

Hotel in Beijing

Day Four (July 9th):Beijing
(Meals: AB/L/D)
Excursion to the Great Wall and Summer Palace

Take a scenic drive through the countryside to reach China’s most renowned monument – the Great Wall. The ’original’ wall was begun in the 5th century BC to keep out foreign invaders. Construction continued for centuries, eventually linking up the walls of the former independent kingdoms. The Great Wall meanders through China’s northern mountain ranges from the Yellow Sea to the Gobi Desert – a distance of over 3500 miles! Chairman Mao once said “You haven’t walked on the Wall, you haven’t been a good Chinese”. Today you will have ample time to climb a section of the Great Wall and to get a sense of the enormity of this ancient edifice.
Tour the idyllic Summer Palace, with its sprawling encampment of temples, pavilions, the marble boat, and the 728-yard Long Corridor.

Hotel in Beijing

Day Five (July 10th):Beijing/Beijing-Xi’an via train
(Meals: AB, D)
Free time in Beijing during day
Evening sleeping train to Xi’an at about 9:00 p.m.
Sleep on the train

Day Six (July 11th):Xi’an
(Meals: B/L/D)
8:00 a.m. Arrive in Xi’an
Train Station Pick up and Breakfast
Excursion to the Terra-cotta Warriors Museum
Chinese Dumpling Dinner with Cultural Show in Tang Dynasty Style

China’s greatest archaeological discovery – The Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses, which silently guarded the tomb of China’s First Emperor for over 2,200 years. In 1974, a local farmer uncovered the first of three massive earth and timber vaults, while digging a well. The extensive excavation, still in progress, has yielded over 6000 life-sized terra cotta warriors, each individually sculpted, with the physical characteristics of the humans they were modeled after. Archers, infantrymen, horses and bronze chariots have also been unearthed.
Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) traditionally regarded as the golden age of China, was a time of patricians and intellectuals, Buddhist monks and Taoist priests, poetry and music, song and dance – a period of peace and exceptional creativity lasting 300 years. This evening, you attend a feast of culinary and cultural delights with a special Dumpling (dim sum) banquet followed by a fascinating Tang Dynasty stage show. Indulge yourself in this remarkable show and reinvent your China dream with a travel back in time to the world of China’s Golden Age, then come back to the present with a greater understanding of this amazing time.

Hotel in Xi’an

Day Seven (July 12th):Xi’an
(Meals: AB/L/D)
City tour: Wild Goose Pogoda, Ancient City Wall and History Museum

Wild Goose Pagoda, a Tang Dynasty landmark. This seven-story pagoda was initially constructed in 652 AD to house the Buddhist sutras brought back from India by the monk, Xuan Zang, who later translated them into Chinese. His pilgrimage to India is immortalized in the Chinese classic – The Journey to the West.

Free time in the Old Town
Hotel in Xi’an

Day Eight (July 13th):Xi’an-Lhasa (Flight)
(Meals: AB/L/D)
Fly to Lhasa
Rest and adjust to the high altitude

Hotel in Lhasa

Day Nine (July 14th):Lhasa
(Meals: AB/L/D)
Visit the Potala Palace

Potala Palace-once the residence of the Dalai Lama, and seat of the Tibetan government, the 13-story structure has been a museum since the spiritual leader and head of state of Tibet went into exile in 1959. Initially built in the 7th century, the buildings were restored and expanded upon in the 17th century. There are two main sections. The Red Palace, completed in 1693, which dealt with spiritual matters, and the White Palace, completed in 1645, which housed administrative offices that ran the government.

Hotel in Lhasa

Day Ten (July 14th):Lhasa
(Meals: AB/L/D)
Sera Monastery, Jokang Monastery and Barkhor Street

Sera Monastery, one of the most important centers of the Yellow Hat sect and also a pillar of the theocratic state. During its most active period nearly 5,000 monks lived in this monastery. The debating session held between monks in the afternoon attracts pilgrims and visitors alike.

Jokhang Temple, Tibet’s holiest temple was built in 647 AD. The Jokhang Temple attracts pilgrims throughout the day and night. They will often be seen in full prostration on the flagstones leading up to the temple or in prayer. Surrounding Jokhang is the Barkhor, the Pilgrim’s Circuit. This area is full of activity with monks chanting, vendors selling their wares, yak butter wafting in the air and hundreds of people moving in a clockwise direction. Take time to browse this bustling bazaar.

Hotel in Lhasa

Day Eleven (July 15th):Lhasa-Shigatse (Charted Bus)
(Meals: AB/L/D)
Drive to Shigatse, sightseeing of lakes and glacier mountains along the way

Hotel in Shigaste

Day Twelve (July 16th) :Shigatse-Lhasa (Charted Bus)
(Meals: B/L/D)
Morning: visit Tashilhunpo Monastery
Drive back to Lhasa from another road
Visit local Tibetan people’s home on the way

Hotel in Lhasa

Day Thirteen (July 17th):Lhasa-Chongqing (Flight)
(Meals: AB/L/D)
Fly to Chongqing, the city for Yangtze River Boat Cruise
Evening: Check in to the Cruise Boat

The Yangtze River originates on the Tibetan Plateau and traverses a distance of 3900 miles before flowing into the East China Sea, near Shanghai. It is the third longest river in the world, after the Amazon and the Nile. With over 700 tributaries, the Yangtze River has been the lifeline and major commercial thoroughfare in China for millennia. The ship stays in port at night and sets sail early in the morning.

Hotel on Boat

Day Fourteen (July 18th):Chongqing-Fengdu (Boat)
(Meals: AB, L, D)
8:00 a.m. Leaves Chonqqing
Safety, Orientation & River Briefing
Afternoon: disembark at Fengdu, the “Ghost City” for an excursion

Fengdu – China’s “City of Ghosts”, where you visit temples and shrines dedicated to the gods of the underworld. This is the place of final judgment in the Yangtze basin. Landmarks in the town bore horrific names – Ghost Torturing Pass, Last Glance at Home Tower, Nothing-to-be-done Bridge etc.

Evening: Chinese folk dancing and music performance on boat

Hotel on Boat

Day Fifteen (July 19th):Badong (Shennong Stream)-Xiling Gorge-Sandouping (Boat)
(Meals: AB, L, D)
Pass Qutang Gorge, Wu Gorge
Disembark at Badong for an excursion to the Sehnnong Stream
Continue to sail into the western section of Xiling George.
Pass the five-step ship lock

Wu Gorge, celebrated for its twelve misty peaks soaring above, has been the inspiration of Chinese painters and poets throughout the centuries.
Excursion to the Shennong Stream-The trip features natural beauty and an exciting boat ride drifting along the crystal stream.
Xiling Gorge – the first of the magnificent Three Gorges – for the next 150 miles, the Yangtze forces its way through a spectacular barrier of solid limestone ridges known as the Three Gorges.

Dock overnight at Sandouping, close to the Three Gorges Dam

Day Sixteen (July 2oth):Sandouping-Yichang-Shanghai (Boat & Flight)
(Meals: AB, L)
Morning: Visit the under constructed Three Gorges Dam
Three Gorges Dam and its hydroelectric power plant. View the current phase of this 17-year project. When completed in 2009, the dam will be 610 feet high and over a mile wide. The hydroelectrical power plant will be driven by the world’s largest turbines and have the generating capacity of 18 nuclear power plants. A reservoir 372-mile long will be created, with the end result of displacing 1.5 million people, submerging 1000s of their towns and villages and wiping out numerous archaeological sites. Whole cities have been relocated, precious topsoil brought to higher elevations and centuries-old lifestyles altered forever.

Disembark at Yichang City
Late Afternoon Flight to Shanghai
Transfer to the hotel

Hotel in Shanghai

Day Seventeen (July 21st):Shanghai
(Meals: AB, L, D)
City Tour in Shanghai: Old Town, Yu Garden, Shanghai Museum
Shanghai Bund and Nanjing Commercial Road
Night boat cruise on the Huangpu River

Shanghai Museum-a unique and inspiring piece of architecture, home to more than 120,000 cultural relics of ancient China, including a priceless collection of jade, bronze, ceramics, paintings, furniture, etc.
The Shanghai Bund-the elegant riverside promenade which symbolized European and foreign influence and affluence in the 1930s. See the ships and barges on the Huangpu River, en route to the sea or going upstream to the interior of China. The modernistic Oriental Pearl TV tower looms in the background redefining the skyline.

Hotel in Shanghai

Day Eighteen (July 22nd):Shanghai-Suzhou-Shanghai (Charted Bus)
(Meals: AB/L/D)
Excursion to Suzhou, a old garden city nearby Shanghai:

Suzhou-reminiscent of scenes from traditional Chinese paintings, it is complete with canals, arched stone bridges, cobbled lanes, and tile-roofed wooden houses. Visit Liu Yuan Garden, Boat Cruise on Grand Canal, Silk Factory, and Old Town.
Return to Shanghai in the afternoon

Hotel in Suzhou or Shanghai

Day Nineteen (July 23rd):Shanghai
(Meals: AB)
Free day in Shanghai, exploring the city on your own

Hotel in Shanghai

Day Twenty(July 24th):Shanghai-Harford, CT
(Meals: AB/L)
Depart from Shanghai to the US in the late afternoon
Arrive Hartford in the late evening on the same day

Cost Estimate: $3984 per person

Price Includes:
1) Economy-class flight from Hartford to Beijing and Return from Shanghai to Hartford, CT
2) All economy-class flights and trains within China as specified in the itinerary;
3) One Charted bus for the group through the tour except on “free days”;
4) Four-star double occupancy hotels in all cities as specified in the itinerary;
5) Five-star double occupancy Cruise Boat from Chongqing to Yichang;
6) Meals as specified in the itinerary. Breakfast will be American buffet style in hotels. Lunches/dinners will be Chinese style.
7) All entrance fees as specified in the itinerary;
8) All tour guide services and car service within China except on “free days”.
9) One national tour operator accompanies the group if the group is larger than 20 people

Price Does not include:
1) China Visa application fees ($150 per person);
2) Travel Insurance and Emergency Evacuation Insurance (strongly suggested);
3) Personal Expenses such as laundry, mini-bar and telephone calls etc.
4) Programs that are not listed on the itinerary.

*Meals:
AB= American Buffet Breakfast included
L = Lunch included
D = Dinner included