Travel Itinerary

Day 1 Arrive at school and get settled in.

Day 2 Meet the instructors then start training. That evening we will begin our Chinese shopping experience, a first in a long line of fabulous shopping sprees.

Day 3 Morning training session. From 12 - 3 we will visit a Yonghegong. Yonghegong is the largest Buddhist temple in Beijing. Built in 1694, it was the residence of Count Yin Zhen. When he became Emperor, he continued to use it as an imperial palace for short stays away from the capital. In 1744, it was converted into a lamasery. Yonghegong is a treasure trove of both and Tibetan and Han cultural artifacts, as it is a very well-respected Tibetan Buddhist temple. At 3:30, we will resume our training. That evening, you will have to do your own thing!

Day 4 Morning training session. From 12-3 we will visit the White Peacock Art Shopping Center, which features beautiful Chinese art, carvings, and crafts. At 3:30, we will resume our training. That evening we will have off or we can plan something together.

Day 5 Morning training session. From 12-3 we will have a break. At 3:30, we will resume our training. That evening we will watch the Chinese acrobats. Chinese acrobats perform mind-bending stunts that make them appear to work outside the laws of gravity. They are truly amazing to watch!

Kite-flying in Tiananmen Square

Day 6 Morning training session. From 12-3 we will visit Tiananmen Square. Tiananmen Square is like a bull's eye on a map of Beijing. It is the political center of Beijing, but also has great historical and cultural significance to the Chinese. We will have tea traditional Chinese-style. At 3:30, we will resume our training. That evening is free for you to enjoy on your own!

The Great Wall of China in the Autumn

Day 7 No classes. First, we will visit the Great Wall of China. The Great Wall is a structure of superlative proportions. One of the seven wonders of the world, it was the largest construction project ever done. It was built to protect China from invaders from the north. Countless tens of thousands of people over centuries labored on the wall, giving rise to legends that give us clues about the conditions of the laborers who built the Wall. Next, we will visit the Summer Palace. The playground of the Emperors, this huge landscaping endeavor was a place to escape Beijing's fiercely hot summers.

Day 8 Morning training session. From 12-3 we will visit a very interesting ancient Chinese social living structure, the hutong. At 3:30, we will resume our training. That evening we will visit Wangfujing. Wangfujing represents modern Chinese shopping at its best, selling electronics, clothing, jewelry, and books among other items of interest.

Throne at the Forbidden City

Day 9 Morning training session. From 12-3 we will visit the Forbidden City. The Forbidden City or the Palace Museum, is just that, a palace. As you approach the palace buildings, you are flooded by a sense of awe - the buildings stand together in an architectural simplicity that is massive, austere and visually unified. As you approach closer still, they take on a life of their own. Your first impression of austerity and unity belies the ornate complexity and individuality of each structure. Each building was designed for a specific purpose - from important life events like marriages and coronations to more daily activities like banquets and sleeping quarters. In its day, the Forbidden City would hold up to a million people. At 3:30, we will resume our training. That evening is free for you to enjoy on your own!

The Beijing Train Station (Main)

Day 10 Today is designed to be very flexible, so you can do the things you want. Anything goes!

Day 11 Morning training session. From 12-3 we will visit White Cloud Temple. This temple is a Daoist temple. Like Buddhism, Daoism is another major religion in China. Like Yonghegong, the White Cloud Temple is the oldest temple for Daoists in China and holds great significance and respect of practitioners of Daoism. At 3:30, we will resume our training. That evening we will visit Yaxiu market.

Day 12 Morning training session. From 12-3 we will have a break. At 3 we will have an abbreviated training session. Then we will board the express train (K179) that evening to Zhengzhou.

Day 13 We will get settled into our hotel, rest a bit, then after eating, we will tour the Yellow River on a Hovercraft. We will then visit the ancient city of Kaifeng and see Long Ting, Steel Tower, and Song Duyu Street. We will then head back to Zhengzhou for dinner.

Day 14 After breakfast, we will go to Deng Feng. We will enter a Shaolin Temple and witness a performance by the monks who practice this ancient form of martial arts. After which you will have the opportunity to have your fortune told. We will visit the Pagoda Forest, under which each tower is buried a headmaster. We will then visit the city of Luoyang, one of the seven ancient capitals of China. We will visit the Longmen Grottoes, an amazing contrast of polished carvings of Buddha out of the jagged, rocky landscape. We then head to the city of Xi'an by train. Xi' an, also once know as Changan or "Everlasting Peace, was capital to 13 dynasties.

Temple of Heaven

Day 15 We get to our hotel early the next morning. That afternoon, we will visit Wild Goose Pagoda. Built in 652, Big Wild Goose Pagoda contains sutras, or sayings of Buddhism. It is an active shrine and holds great religious historical significance. Next, we will visit the Shaanxi Historical Museum. It houses 113,000 artifacts of Shaanxi province. The museum itself is a physical representation of architecture from the Tang dynasty. The museum is massive and helps paint a picture of Shaanxi's glorious history. For dinner we will have dim sum.

Day 16 That morning, we will visit the world-famous Terra Cotta Soldiers.The Terra Cotta soldiers, statues created during the Qin dynasty, were to accompany the emperor to his afterlife. Discovered in 1974, the site is one of the most significant archeological finds in recent history. Constructed from the earth and the fires of a craftsman's kiln, these figures are now so delicate than even exposure to air can cause damage, making them a challenge to preserve. About 8100 figures have been unearthed so far. Next we will visit a famous garden, watch a traditional Tang dynasty dance.

Day 17 We will fly back to Beijing, arriving just in time for lunch. We will enjoy traditional Beijing noodles, then head out that afternoon to the Liuli Chang shopping center. That evening we will dine on Beijing Duck and watch Beijing Opera. Beijing Duck is a Chinese delicacy originating several hundred years ago on the tables of emperors. Now it is available to royalty and tourists alike. Beijing Opera is an art that is a national treasure. It involves beautiful costumes and brilliantly-colored masks that represent different characters in the play.

Day 18 Lunch will feature traditional spring roll. After we get settled back in Beijing, we will visit the Temple of Heaven. The Temple of Heaven features symmetrically round structures in harmony with a rectangular enclosure. As the emperor is the human conduit between Heaven and Earth, so does the Temple of Heaven represent the relationship between heaven and earth. We will then visit the Red Bridge Market. The Red Bridge Market, another modern Chinese shopping center, is a massive building housing several hundred small shops selling anything from silks to electronics. At night we will exchange gifts with instructors, and have an emperor's style 108-dish meal for our farewell banquet.

Day 19 We get in some last minute shopping and make preparations go home. After which we will depart back to the U.S.