depart for china day 1
greet your fellow ambassadors in your departure city before boarding your international flight to beijing, china.
en route day 2
cross the international date line en route to beijing.
beijing day 3
begin your introduction to beijing with a guided orientation around tiananmen square, the largest open public square in the world (covering 100 acres), the entry to the imperial city, and the old forbidden city. attend a vocational school and learn hands-on skills in preparing chinese cuisine.
beijing day 4
discover the forbidden city, the world抯 largest and best preserved imperial palace. this evening抯 activities include a performance at the peking acrobatic show, where you will witness an intricate display of traditional chinese music, pantomime, dance and acrobatics.
beijing day 5
share a rickshaw with one of your fellow ambassadors and navigate through the narrow residential streets of old beijing, also known as hutong. get to know a local family as they tell you about their urban life. have a rockin?and rollin?good time at the hard rock caf?
beijing day 6
take an excursion to the great wall, juyongguan section. en route to the great wall, explore a nearby cloisonn?factory. learn chinese kung fu at a training school and meet with the local students. your delegation will be honored at a banquet featuring peking duck, a traditional northern chinese delicacy.
beijing/overnight train to xian day 7
journey to the summer palace, an immense imperial garden dotted with qing architecture located on the outskirts of beijing. explore the largest zoo in china, the beijing zoo. participate in a clay and ceramic crafts workshop and try pottery making and other clay works.
xian day 8
attend a welcome ceremony presented in the ancient tang dynasty style. see the city wall of xian, built in the ming dynasty 600 years ago. visit the big wild goose pagoda and a coca cola plant. enjoy a tang dynasty show and dumpling banquet.
xian day 9
experience the museum of the famous terracotta warriors, a memorial to unified china抯 first emperor, qin shihuang ti. explore the stone steles forest, the former confucius temple.
donghan village day 10
a village official will welcome and introduce you to donghan through a guided orientation. your delegation will be divided into several small groups and taken to the farmers?homes to enjoy lunch with a host family. learn about chinese painting and paper cutting at a local artist's workshop. enjoy friendly sports contests with local students, if time permits. socialize with local students at a gathering in the village.
shanghai days 11-12
sit down in the meeting hall of donghan with local students and help them practice their english. start with the jade buddha temple, built in the beginning of the 20th century and one of the few buddhist temples in shanghai. walk into a local silk reeling factory and see the works of local artisans. spend this afternoon with the 揘eighborhood committee,?an organization that overlooks all local activities within the local neighborhoods, and learn about local government, various residential activities and programs, childcare issues, retirement and kindergarten programs in the community. have a little fun in the local market; use some pocket money to buy a small gift for the host family. after sunset, appreciate beautiful views of the city from an evening cruise on the huangpu river.
suzhou day 13
depart for suzhou, known as the venice of the east and also famous for its traditional gardens. explore the net master抯 garden before lunch, and then go to a local gym and learn another popular pastime in china: badminton. share a dinner of zongzi, a very popular pyramid杝haped dumpling made of glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves.
shanghai day 14
take a cruise in the grand canal, a busy water way for 1,500 years. the cruise will also take you to the narrow canals that spread around the city, offering a chance to see the city抯 life from a different angle. discover the silk embroidery institute, where you will find some of the most accomplished silk embroideries in china. meet with local students and have an opportunity to make new friends at the he suzhou foreign language school.
hong kong days 15-16
stroll along the star boulevard and see the stunning night views of the city. start your exploration of hong kong with a morning cruise in the victoria harbor. get a panoramic view of the city from victoria peak and a look into the westernized style of stanley market. a short cruise in a junk boat at the aberdeen fishing village will show you another side of people's lives in the bustling city.
depart for the u.s. day 17
board the coach to the airport for your return flight to the united states.
