International Studies Program

China

Faculty and Staff Development Program
The Roof of the World
1. Duration: 12 Days: Beijing 3, Xi'an 2, Lhasa 3 and Shanghai 2 (the numbers refer to overnight stays)

2. Departure: May 28 (Monday) 2007 (Sacramento International Airport)
                               Map of China
3. Highlights of Our Tour

In Beijing, our visits will include the Forbidden City, the residence of Ming and Qing Emperors, the Temple of Heaven, the Great Wall of China, the Ming Tombs, the Summer Palace. As the capital city, Beijing is the political, economic and cultural center of China. Today you will see buildings in construction everywhere for Beijing is gearing up for the 2008 Olympia. Beijing has restaurants of all major Chinese cuisines. However, Beijing is known for its own special flavor--that is the one we are going to taste--Beijing Roast Duck.
Tiananmen Square
Tiananmen Square is the largest square in the world. It is located in the south of the Forbidden City, close to the best known shopping center Wangfujing, and to two popular parks where you will see young people at play and elders doing taijiquan. It will be very nice for us to have a stroll after dinner around the square.
Great Wall of China"
Temple of Heaven

Alex H. Xiao at Ming Tomb

In Xi’an, our visits will include the life-size terra cottas unearthed from the tomb of Qin Shihuang, the emperor who unified China for the first time in 221 BC. Qin Shihunag was more than an empire-builder. He, by sheer force, standardized the Chinese characters, the measurement system, and so on and so forth. He was also the person who ordered to link all the walls of the kingdoms he had conquered and built new ones—all of them are collectively known today as the Great Wall of China. Xi’an, meaning the western peace, is a much older city than Beijing. In history, Xi’an was the capital city for 11 dynasties. The newly renovated city wall that we are going to see is a replica of the Tang Dynasty, which is the heyday of Chinese civilization. Have you heard about Tang Poems? Yes, they are the products by the literati such as Li Bai of the Tang Dynasty. Have you been to the China Town in SF? I bet all of you have. Today many Chinese people still call it Tang Ren Jie, meaning the street of the Tang people. We will also pay a visit to the Big Wild Goose Tower and the Shaanxi Provincial Museum that houses real exhibits such as bronze wares unearthed from various dynasties including from the Xia, Shang and Zhou of four thousand years ago.
Terra Cottas

In Lhasa, our visits include the Potala Palace—the residence of the Dai Lai Lamas. Built in 637 by the legendary King Songtsen Gampo, this spectacular palace on the hill has lasted over 13 hundred years. One thing worth mentioning is that Tibetans became very strong and once sacked the capital city of Tang China—Chang’an (today’s Xi’an). Once in Lhasa, you will find that kind of “Shangri-la” myth is still there. Architecturally we can barely find an original Tang building in Xi’an. But in Lhasa, the Jokhang Monastery was built in 647AD and is now still standing. King Songtsen Gampo built Jokhang Monastery for his two wives, one from China and the other Nepal. By now have you done enough shopping? Save some bucks for Barkhon, the oldest street in Lhasa. You have to learn how to bargain. We will also pay a visit to Norbulinka, the summer palace for Dai Lai Lama, today a People’s Park.
Potala Palace

Tibetan Dance

Shanghai will be our last stop. As the largest city of China, Shanghai today is known as the “Dragon Head” of China’s economic development. The skyscrapers, the new airport and the maglev still in construction in Pudong showcase the economic growth of China. But Shanghai also has its own unique traditions. In the old part of Shanghai, you will find there are many western-style buildings (such as in the Bund and along the Nanjing Road). This is because after the Opium War, Shanghai, literally meaning “going out to the ocean,” became the legations of the foreign powers, which were soon to be known as the “Paradise of the Adventurers.” Shanghai is the birthplace of the Chinese Communist Party (1921) and the “January Thunderstorm”—the start of the Cultural Revolution (1966-76). In addition to the Bund and the Nanjing Road, we will also visit the Yu Yuang Garden, where you will see how local people take leisure time. Sea food is a delicacy of Shanghai cuisine. By the way, in 2010, Shanghai will host the World Expo.
Pudong
Pudong at Night

Contact Information:
Riad Bahhur, Coordinator, International Studies Program. Tel: 650-2738 Email: bahhurr@scc.losrios.edu
Alex H. Xiao, Instructor, Political Science. Tel: 558-2534 Email: xiaoa@scc.losrios.edu

Enroll Online:
Go to the website for American Council for International Studies at http://www.acis.com/web.asp?site=Xiao80978. Our group number is “80978” and our group leader’s last name is “Xiao.”

Sacramento City College
3835 Freeport Blvd * Sacramento * CA * 95822
This page was last updated: Thursday, August 31, 2006 at 2:13:41 PM