Day 1 Mar 15, 2008 Saturday: Depart LAX
Day 2 Mar 16 Sunday: Arrive in Beijing
Morning: Meet local guides at the Beijing International Airport. Global LAB leaders will lead the group in orientation activities including familiarization with Chinese history and culture as well as reminders of group and individual behavioral guidelines for health and safety.
Afternoon: Visit the Lama Temple, the largest Tibetan Buddhist temple outside of Tibet and see Olympic sites.
The Lama Temple also known as the "Palace of Peace and Harmony Lama Temple", or the "Yonghe Lamasery”, is a temple and monastery of the Geluk School of Tibetan Buddhism located in the northeastern part of Beijing. It is one of the largest Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in the world, though many of the monks are Inner Mongolian and ethnicities other than Tibetan. The building and the artworks of the temple combine Han Chinese and Tibetan styles. Students will be encouraged to meet and talk with monks at the temple.
The students will see some of the venues for this summer’s Olympic Games including the new National Stadium (commonly referred to as the Bird’s Nest) and National Aquatics Center.
Day 3 March 17 Monday: Beijing
Beijing City
Morning: Visit Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City.
Tian'anmen Square, is located in the heart of urban Beijing just south of the Forbidden City. Historic events with great impact on Chinese history and Chinese people have occurred in the Square and will be discussed with students both before and during the visit. Mao’s Mausoleum is located at the south section of the Square. The mausoleum is the largest of its type in China and one of the largest in the world.
Afternoon: Visit the Forbidden City and a unique art gallery on the edge of Tiananmen Square.
As the world's largest royal palace complex, the Forbidden City covers 74 hectares. Built between 1406 and 1420, the Forbidden City was the home to the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties, a period extending over 500 years.
Day 4 March 18 Tuesday: Beijing
Morning: Learn the history of the Great Wall and the emperors who had it built.
The portion of the Wall that the Westridge group will visit is Mutianyu. (As one of the best-preserved parts of the Great Wall, the Mutianyu section of Great Wall used to serve as the northern barrier defending the capital and the imperial tombs).
Afternoon: Visit Ming Tombs where 13 emperors were buried.
The Ming Tombs site at Dingling was chosen by the third Ming Dynasty emperor Yongle (1402–1424).
The Ming Dynasty Imperial Tombs are located at the foot of the Jundu Mountains north of Beijing. This 40 square kilometer area - enclosed by the mountains in a quiet valley served as the necropolis of the Ming Dynasty.
Along both sides of Sacred Road are stone animals and stone human figures. The big statues are each carved from a single piece of white marble. All these stone carvings were the works of the early Ming Dynasty.
Go to Peking Opera.
Day 5 March 19 Wednesday: Beijing
Morning: A Taichi class will be offered in the Temple of Heaven.
Taichi is an internal Chinese martial art practiced with the aim of promoting health and longevity. Tai chi training forms are well known as the slow motion routines that groups of people practice together every morning in parks. The Temple of Heaven is one of most popular places for Beijing residents to do morning exercises.
The Temple of Heaven, literally “the Altar of Heaven” is a complex of Taoist buildings situated in southeastern urban Beijing. Construction of the complex began in 1420, and was thereafter visited by all subsequent Emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties.
Afternoon: Meet with Wildlife specialist to present introduction to the challenges facing wildlife in China. Visit to the Beijing Zoo with our Guest host to see giant pandas, red pandas, and other wildlife native to China and learn more about them and the attempts to preserve their habitat.
Evening: Supper of Beijing Duck
Late Afternoon/Early Evening: Attend a performance of the Beijing Acrobatic Show.
Day 6 March 20 Thursday: Beijing
Morning: Visit the Zhenhua Tourism School in southwest Beijing. The group will attend classes about the Beijing Olympics and Chinese Culture with Chinese students who are studying to be tour guides. (The class will be taught in English). There will also be opportunities for discussion between the local students and the Westridge students.
Evening: Enjoy a Chinese movie in a downtown cinema.
Day 7 March 21 Friday: Beijing / Xian
Morning: Take a walk through Beijing’s historic hutongs. These centuries old neighborhoods are the last remaining examples of life in “Old Beijing”. See what life was like for Beijing residents in the late Ming and Qing Dynasties, and take a stroll on historic Back Lake. Enjoy lunch in a traditional courtyard home.
Afternoon: Visit Beijing Shishahai Sports Academy, where a number of World Champions and Olympic Gold Medal winners graduated. Meet and observe the training of some of China’s (and the world’s) best athletes. Speak with some of the athletes and officials and perhaps receive some instruction in gymnastics.
Evening: Board the train to Xian and stay overnight on the soft-sleeper compartments.
Day 8 March 22 Saturday: Arrive in Xian
Explore Xian, one of China’s ancient cities and have an introduction to Islam in China and to the history of the region.
Morning: Arrive in Xian .Check into hotel. Visit the Bell Tower, the Ancient City Wall and the Wild Goose Pagoda.
Standing at the crossing of the East, West, South, and North avenues in the city proper, the Bell Tower is an important symbol of Xi’an.
The tower was originally built in 1348, but was moved to its present site in 1552, and rebuilt and enlarged during the Qing Dynasty. There used to be a huge iron bell hung in the tower, which would strike each hour, hence the name “Bell Tower”.
The original base of the City Wall was established in Tang Dynasty. It is the most complete and the largest ancient city wall in China.
The Wild Goose Pagoda was first built in 652 in the Tang Dynasty. It is located in the southern part of present day Xi'an, in what used to be Chang'an city during the Tang Dynasty.
The square, multi-storied, brick structure is sixty-four meters high.
Afternoon: Visit the Great Mosque of Xian and learn how to make Chinese dumplings.
The Great Mosque of Xi'an, located near the Drum Tower (Gu Lou) is one of the oldest and most renowned mosques in the country.
It was first built in the Tang Dynasty (reign of Emperor Xuanzong, 685-762) at the eastern end of the Silk Road, and renovated in later periods. It is still used by Muslims in China (mainly the Hui people) as a place of worship.
Unlike most mosques, the Great Mosque of Xi'an is Chinese in its construction and architectural style, though it does contain Arabic scripture and other Muslim-style carvings, the mosque has neither domes nor minarets.
Later in the afternoon students will participate in a session to learn how to make Chinese dumplings with a local chef.
Day 9 March 23 Sunday: Xian
Morning: Learn more about China’s first emperor through a visit to his final resting place.
The Terracotta Army was buried with the Emperor of Qin (Qin Shi Huangdi) in 210-209 BC. The purpose was to help him rule another empire in the afterlife. Construction of this mausoleum began in 246 BC and is believed to have taken 700,000 workers and craftsmen 38 years to complete. The Terracotta army was hidden for many centuries but in the last few decades was re-discovered and has become one of the great archeological wonders of the world.
Afternoon: Visit the Shaanxi Historical Museum
Shaanxi Historical Museum contains over 300,000 items (murals, paintings, pottery, coins; bronze, gold, and silver objects). The modern museum was built between 1983 and 2001 and its architectural style is reminiscent of the Tang dynasty.
Evening: Enjoy a colorful Tang Dynasty Show and Dumpling Dinner in Shaanxi Grand Theater.
Day 10 March 24 Monday: Xian / Shanghai
Morning: Fly to Shanghai and check into hotel.
Afternoon: Visit the Bund to see the modern side of the city and also the Yu Garden to get a sense of the ancient flavor of Old Shanghai
The Bund, located by the bank of the Huangpu River, contains a rich collection of early 20th century architecture, ranging in style from neo-classical to art deco. A number of areas in the former foreign concessions are also well preserved and are interesting places to explore.
The Yu Garden located in the center of the Old City in Shanghai is considered one of the four finest Chinese gardens.
The garden was established in 1559 as a private garden created by Pan Yunduan, who spent almost 20 years building a garden to please his father, a high-ranking official in the Ming Dynasty.
Day 11 March 25 Tuesday: Shanghai
Morning: A chance to explore the city. Split into groups and explore the Shanghai Museum, which houses one of the world’s finest collections of Chinese art and artifacts, or get up close and personal with Shanghai’s stunning skyline on a boat tour of the Huangpu River.
Afternoon: Get in some last minute souvenir shopping at one of Shanghai’s many historic antique markets.
Day 12 March 26 Wednesday: Shanghai / Los Angeles
Fly back to California and arrive in LAX on Day 12.
