China
From the Forbidden City to the Tibetan Plateau
Travel abroad to China this summer and immerse yourself in the Mandarin language and China’s diverse cultural landscapes. On this language program for high school students, take out-of-the-classroom Mandarin classes in Beijing and explore the historic hutong neighborhoods. Immerse yourself in community life with local families at the foot of the Great Wall and travel west to learn about panda and ecological conservation directly from park rangers in Chengdu. Explore the Tibetan Plateau and end your program learning about sustainable urban design in the diverse metropolis of Shanghai.
- Highlights
• Shadow a park ranger and support conservation in Giant Panda National Park
• Learn about efforts in sustainable economics from a Tibetan village to Shanghai
• Explore the diversity of Chinese cuisine, tasting dishes from over six regions
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.
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.
Explore Beijing’s ancient hutong alleyways and modern skyscrapers. Venture out into the city on foot to take in Beijing’s history, from its founding by Kublai Khan 800 years ago to its role as host of the 2008 Olympics. Each morning, take immersive Chinese classes and during afternoons use your Mandarin to connect with local people in different parts of the city. Study calligraphy or learn how to cook classic Beijing dishes. See an acrobatic show or listen to musicians play traditional tunes in the city’s numerous parks. Venture into the surrounding area of the capital city and connect with local families. Spend days immersed in community life and engage with local high school students to learn what a day in the life of a Chinese student is like.
Catch a plane to Chengdu, and get to know this fascinating, beautiful, and laidback city in Southwestern China. Practice your Mandarin in the city’s famous teahouses, and learn from a local chef how to recreate some of 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. Travel 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. Hike along craggy mountain peaks and into majestic Tibetan villages nestled into green valleys. Stand on suspension bridges and admire the rushing Dadu River below. Explore the stone towers of Danba dating back centuries. Participate in a design course to learn about sustainable economics and how local communities are developing trades that utilize local resources and markets.
Head to Shanghai for the last leg of the program. Explore the city’s iconic neighborhoods, from the Bund to th