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SHANGHAI TO SHANGRI-LA

A venture to South China for alumni and friends of St. Mary’s College of Maryland
March 11 – April 6, 2009

This three-week educational trip will introduce a small group to the special features of South China, from its most modern city to its alternate capital, from its lush vegetation to its various ethnic groups.

Highlights include:

• The spectacular scenery of Huang Shan (Yellow Mountain) and Guilin;
• The Emperor’s Porcelain factory, still producing;
• Nanjing, the Nationalists’ southern Capital;
• A concert by the famous Naxi Orchestra;
• The Buddhist Monastery at Shangrila.

Professor Frank van Aalst will accompany the group and provide background lectures along the way.  

The comprehensive cost of the trip (for a minimum of 12 and maximum of 17 persons) will be about $6000 for double occupancy (single supplement is $860) and includes: transportation from Washington DC, in China, and return; admission to all scheduled attractions and all meals in China expect two dinners and two lunches.  Not included are passport and visa costs, insurance, drinks, tips and personal items. A confirmation deposit of $500 will be due on October 1, 2008; full payment on December 10. Additional details including recommended readings, departure time, what to pack, etc., will be sent to those who register. Persons seeking someone to share a room should register early.

ITINERARY

Week One 
We arrive at ultra modern Shanghai and have time to stroll along the Bund and through the impressive classic Yu Yuan gardens.  Our trip to Nanjing, the southern capital, will be by train.  Our day there will focus on the Nationalist rule under Sun Yat Sen and the conquest of the city by the Japanese at the beginning of World War II.  From here we take a coach south to the dramatic mountain Huang Shan, which the Chinese say is the last word in scenic beauty.  A cable car takes us to the top.  In the morning we rise early to see the sun rise and do some walking before returning to our coach and driving to Jingdezhen, the premier porcelain producing city of China for more than 500 years.  In addition to seeing the production process, we will scout the night market for bargains.  We then drive to the nearest airport to catch a flight to Kunming, capital of Yunnan Province.

 

 

Week Two
This week we spend in the southernmost province of China, historically more closely linked with southeast Asia than traditional China, home to more than half of the many minority groups recognized in the constitution. We spend time in Dali, capital of an ancient kingdom, and visit Lijiang where we will hear a performance of the world famous Naxi orchestra, We will have a full day at leisure to enjoy the ancient streets and mountain meadows.  The next day we will stop at the Tiger Leaping Gorge, deepest in the world, as we ascend to Zhongdian, recently renamed Shangrila because it had been popularly called that for some time after the fictional village and monastery in “Lost Horizon”.  In a remote Himalayan valley near the Tibetan border, the village and monastery match the story. The culture is Tibetan.

 
 

Week Three
We fly back to Kunming and see the famous Stone Forest; the next day we fly to Guilin, the place where the mountains look like paintings; this is where painters come for inspiration.  We will have a cruise on the river and spend time in a village.  From here the main group will proceed to Hong Kong.  If there are those who have not been to China before and prefer to see the terracotta soldiers in Xian and Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City and Great Wall in Beijing, we will be able to arrange at an extra cost.  In Hong Kong we will see highlights of the city and have a dinner cruise.