Program Directed by
Sylvie Littledale
If you have questions or would like to talk further about this program, please get in touch!
China
Cultural Immersion and Conservation
Travel abroad to China this summer to immerse yourself in the Mandarin language and explore China’s diverse ecological and cultural landscapes. Take experiential Mandarin classes in Beijing and dive into community life in a homestay with local families. Then travel west to Chengdu, shadow park rangers in the Giant Panda National Park, and learn about ecological conservation from farmers in a Tibetan community. End your program in the diverse metropolis of Shanghai and return home with stronger Mandarin skills, cultural insight, and global perspective.
- Highlights
• Practice Mandarin in a homestay with local families outside of Beijing
• Shadow a park ranger and support conservation in Giant Panda National Park
• Learn about traditional arts and agriculture from experts in a Tibetan village
• Explore the diversity of Chinese cuisine, tasting dishes from over six regions
• Shadow a park ranger and support conservation in Giant Panda National Park
• Learn about traditional arts and agriculture from experts in a Tibetan village
• Explore the diversity of Chinese cuisine, tasting dishes from over six regions
“The planning, design, and execution of the program exceeded our expectations. I think our daughter will remain lifelong friends with her homestay siblings. We are greatly appreciative of that.”
—Alyssa & David C., Allison Park, PA
Itinerary
This itinerary represents our best projection of the group’s schedule. However, we may implement changes designed to improve the quality of the program.
Departure — Travel Day
Meet your fellow high school student travelers and one or more of your leaders in Los Angeles, and fly together to Beijing, China. To learn more about how we organize travel, click here.
Beijing — 3 days
Begin your program in Beijing with an in-depth group orientation, then explore the capital city, from ancient hutong alleyways to the iconic Temple of Heaven. Practice Mandarin during hands-on excursions and workshops like dumpling making and kung fu lessons, and learn about Chinese history as you hike along a restored section of the Great Wall of China.
Homestay — 5 days
Travel outside of the city of Beijing to your homestay host community and learn about community life with a local family. Share meals together, strengthen your language skills, and get to know the rhythms of family life in China. During the day, go on excursions with your group, participate in hands-on workshops to learn incense making or Traditional Chinese Medicine. Participate in trail maintenance and learn about the cultural significance of the historic trail networks surrounding Beijing. Celebrate the connection you’ve made with your host family with a final dinner before heading to the next stop.
Chengdu & Western Sichuan — 10 days
Fly from Beijing to Chengdu, and get to know this beautiful and laidback city in Southwestern China. Practice your Mandarin in the city’s famous teahouses and explore Sichuan cuisine’s signature spicy dishes. Get to know the young students, musicians, and artists who make Chengdu a major hub of contemporary Chinese youth culture. Head from the city to the Giant Panda National Park and shadow a park ranger to learn firsthand and participate in the wildlife habitat conservation. Drive west into the foothills of the Tibetan Plateau. Learn about sustainable agriculture from local farmers harvesting roses and Sichuan peppercorn. Explore the iconic stone towers of Danba dating back centuries and learn about traditional Tibetan community life among the craggy mountain peaks.
Shanghai — 4 days
Fly to Shanghai for the last leg of the program. Head to the ancient water towns of Suzhou, explore the curated gardens and a local opera performance, participate in a hands-on embroidery workshop at the Silk Museum, and search for the best bite in the night market alongside the lit-up canals. Transfer to the main city of Shanghai and explore iconic neighborhoods, from the Bund to the former French Concession to the ultra-modern district of Pudong. Learn about the international character of the city and end the program with a celebratory dinner before preparing for the flight home.
Return — Travel Day
Fly from Shanghai to Los Angeles with your group and a leader, then continue on to your final destination. To learn more about how we organize travel, click here.
Itinerary
This itinerary represents our best projection of the group’s schedule. However, we may implement changes designed to improve the quality of the program.
Departure — Travel Day
Meet your fellow high school student travelers and one or more of your leaders in Los Angeles, and fly together to Beijing, China. To learn more about how we organize travel, click here.
Beijing — 3 days
Begin your program in Beijing with an in-depth group orientation, then explore the capital city, from ancient hutong alleyways to the iconic Temple of Heaven. Practice Mandarin during hands-on excursions and workshops like dumpling making and kung fu lessons, and learn about Chinese history as you hike along a restored section of the Great Wall of China.
Homestay — 5 days
Travel outside of the city of Beijing to your homestay host community and learn about community life with a local family. Share meals together, strengthen your language skills, and get to know the rhythms of family life in China. During the day, go on excursions with your group, participate in hands-on workshops to learn incense making or Traditional Chinese Medicine. Participate in trail maintenance and learn about the cultural significance of the historic trail networks surrounding Beijing. Celebrate the connection you’ve made with your host family with a final dinner before heading to the next stop.
Chengdu & Western Sichuan — 10 days
Fly from Beijing to Chengdu, and get to know this beautiful and laidback city in Southwestern China. Practice your Mandarin in the city’s famous teahouses and explore Sichuan cuisine’s signature spicy dishes. Get to know the young students, musicians, and artists who make Chengdu a major hub of contemporary Chinese youth culture. Head from the city to the Giant Panda National Park and shadow a park ranger to learn firsthand and participate in the wildlife habitat conservation. Drive west into the foothills of the Tibetan Plateau. Learn about sustainable agriculture from local farmers harvesting roses and Sichuan peppercorn. Explore the iconic stone towers of Danba dating back centuries and learn about traditional Tibetan community life among the craggy mountain peaks.
Shanghai — 4 days
Fly to Shanghai for the last leg of the program. Head to the ancient water towns of Suzhou, explore the curated gardens and a local opera performance, participate in a hands-on embroidery workshop at the Silk Museum, and search for the best bite in the night market alongside the lit-up canals. Transfer to the main city of Shanghai and explore iconic neighborhoods, from the Bund to the former French Concession to the ultra-modern district of Pudong. Learn about the international character of the city and end the program with a celebratory dinner before preparing for the flight home.
Return — Travel Day
Fly from Shanghai to Los Angeles with your group and a leader, then continue on to your final destination. To learn more about how we organize travel, click here.
Featured
Leaders
Meet some of our featured leaders. Please note that these may not be your leaders for the program.
Featured
Leaders
Meet some of our featured leaders. Please note that these may not be your leaders for the program.
What to Expect
Review specific program expectations here. For more general information:
Language Learning
The goals of this language program are to improve your fluency in Mandarin by building your vocabulary and confidence in speaking, while exploring China’s culture through outdoor activities and interactions with locals. Each day, leaders hold dynamic conversational language lessons designed to help you let go of your inhibitions and communicate more easily. Language lessons are fun and interactive, and incorporate active, hands-on elements such as scavenger hunts, games, and informal interviews.
Language Pledge
Two years of language study are required for this program. Each student signs a language pledge to speak only Mandarin during all program meals, with all local contacts and community members, and during all program activities. To learn more about our Language programs click here.
Homestay
Homestays during the program are organized in the Beijing region by a local coordinator who has been working in experiential education for years. He is a respected and well-connected member of the host community and works to identify local host families, interviewing and vetting them to find the best fits for our students. Our host families are incredibly enthusiastic about sharing their culture, customs, and language with our students. Host families typically have at least one student around the same age as our Putney students and our homestay coordinator works with the family and host sibling to identify shared interests, so that he can best pair them with our Putney students. Our alumni typically report that the homestay portion was one of the most impactful portions of their experience and led to measurable progress toward fluency.
Independent Project
Pursue an independent project and explore an aspect of local culture of particular interest to you— study different styles of Chinese calligraphy, make a photo journal about Tibetan architecture, or learn several cooking recipes from your host family.
Technology
To encourage full engagement and immersion in the Putney travel experience, we limit the use of cell phones and other devices on our High School programs. Students are allowed to use their phones in transit to the program, and keep their devices throughout. During in-country orientation, leaders will lock phones with a code, unlocking them for the second half of the program. During the tech-free portion of the program, students have the opportunity for a weekly call home according to a pre-arranged schedule. For more details, please see our FAQ.
Physical Activity
This is a physically active travel program that involves hiking, light outdoor work, and city walking. You do not need to be at peak fitness to participate, but it is important that you have a desire to be physically active, and that you are excited about trying all activities.
Accommodations
We stay in a range of different accommodations throughout the program, including hotels, hostels, rustic guesthouses, and private homes.
Altitude
This program visits high altitude destinations. At certain points during the excursion into Western Sichuan, the group travels through areas over 8,000 feet (~2450 meters) in altitude, and some moderate hikes reach elevations as high as 10,000 feet (~3000 meters).
Meals
Meals will be taken in restaurants or family homes.
What to Expect
Review specific program expectations here. For more general information:
Language Learning
The goals of this language program are to improve your fluency in Mandarin by building your vocabulary and confidence in speaking, while exploring China’s culture through outdoor activities and interactions with locals. Each day, leaders hold dynamic conversational language lessons designed to help you let go of your inhibitions and communicate more easily. Language lessons are fun and interactive, and incorporate active, hands-on elements such as scavenger hunts, games, and informal interviews.
Language Pledge
Two years of language study are required for this program. Each student signs a language pledge to speak only Mandarin during all program meals, with all local contacts and community members, and during all program activities. To learn more about our Language programs click here.
Homestay
Homestays during the program are organized in the Beijing region by a local coordinator who has been working in experiential education for years. He is a respected and well-connected member of the host community and works to identify local host families, interviewing and vetting them to find the best fits for our students. Our host families are incredibly enthusiastic about sharing their culture, customs, and language with our students. Host families typically have at least one student around the same age as our Putney students and our homestay coordinator works with the family and host sibling to identify shared interests, so that he can best pair them with our Putney students. Our alumni typically report that the homestay portion was one of the most impactful portions of their experience and led to measurable progress toward fluency.
Independent Project
Pursue an independent project and explore an aspect of local culture of particular interest to you— study different styles of Chinese calligraphy, make a photo journal about Tibetan architecture, or learn several cooking recipes from your host family.
Technology
To encourage full engagement and immersion in the Putney travel experience, we limit the use of cell phones and other devices on our High School programs. Students are allowed to use their phones in transit to the program, and keep their devices throughout. During in-country orientation, leaders will lock phones with a code, unlocking them for the second half of the program. During the tech-free portion of the program, students have the opportunity for a weekly call home according to a pre-arranged schedule. For more details, please see our FAQ.
Physical Activity
This is a physically active travel program that involves hiking, light outdoor work, and city walking. You do not need to be at peak fitness to participate, but it is important that you have a desire to be physically active, and that you are excited about trying all activities.
Accommodations
We stay in a range of different accommodations throughout the program, including hotels, hostels, rustic guesthouses, and private homes.
Altitude
This program visits high altitude destinations. At certain points during the excursion into Western Sichuan, the group travels through areas over 8,000 feet (~2450 meters) in altitude, and some moderate hikes reach elevations as high as 10,000 feet (~3000 meters).
Meals
Meals will be taken in restaurants or family homes.
A Day in the Life: Western Sichuan
Due to the traveling nature of this summer program abroad, each day is different. Here is a snapshot of a day in Western Sichuan.
- Morning
8:00am
Enjoy a family-style breakfast at your guest house
9:00am
Join your group for a language lesson to practice agricultural terms
10:00am
Travel up to the rose fields with local farmers and learn the harvesting process
- Afternoon
12:00pm
Eat lunch at a traditional restaurant serving Tibetan cuisine
1:00pm
Visit a local family home and learn how to dry the roses you collected
4:00pm
Participate in a traditional rose ceremony with the local community
- Evening
6:00pm
Try Sichuanese Hot Pot for dinner with your group
9:00pm
End the day with nightly group meeting
A Day in the Life:
Western Sichuan
Due to the traveling nature of this summer program abroad, each day is different. Here is a snapshot of a day in Western Sichuan.
- Morning
8:00am
Enjoy a family-style breakfast at your guest house
9:00am
Join your group for a language lesson to practice agricultural terms
10:00am
Travel up to the rose fields with local farmers and learn the harvesting process
- Afternoon
12:00pm
Eat lunch at a traditional restaurant serving Tibetan cuisine
1:00pm
Visit a local family home and learn how to dry the roses you collected
4:00pm
Participate in a traditional rose ceremony with the local community
- Evening
6:00pm
Try Sichuanese Hot Pot for dinner with your group
9:00pm
End the day with nightly group meeting
“She gained more confidence in herself, gained very close friendships, became less nervous about speaking a second language, and learned so much about traveling in a group. The program gave her a great sense of accomplishment.”
—Shaun & Alexandra A., Boston, MA
Program Directed by
Sylvie Littledale
If you have questions or would like to talk further about this program, please get in touch!
