Explorica Summer Academy - Chinese Immersion Program

  China

• Beijing: 
Beijing
• Hong Kong: 
Hong Kong
• Shanghai: 
Shanghai
• Xi'an: 
Xi'an

Duration of Program: 2-4 weeks

Description: A summer program for teens seeking travel, enrichment, and immersion in a fascinating culture. Tour China, from Beijing for all the major sightseeing, to Xi'an for a look at ancient burial practices, to Shanghai for an introduction to colonial China. Then spend a week taking classes on traditional Chinese literature, art, culture, and language in Shanghai. Finish with two days in Hong Kong, an almost surreal mix of Chinese traditionalism and Western capitalism.

Highlights:
Beijing guided sightseeing tour
Explore the landmark sights of ancient and modern China with a licensed local guide. Covering the area of 90 football fields, Tiananmen Square can hold over 300,000 people and has always been the site for public proclamations and demonstrations. Mao Tse Tung announced the founding of Communist China here in 1949, and 40 years later student protests against the excesses of that government led to the massacres that unfortunately remain the square's foremost association in the minds of most visitors. The gate at the southern end of the square marks the old city walls, not removed until 1958. See the nerve center of modern China in the adjoining People's Hall, the legislative building, where each of the 32 reception rooms is lavishly decorated in the style of a different province or city. In the main hall, 500 light bulbs illuminate the enormous red star on the ceiling. Move into ancient China in the Forbidden City, the formidable 9,000-room palace complex -- protected by a 170ft.-wide moat -- that housed China's emperors from 1421 until 1923. Think that's grand? The 700 acres of the Summer Palace, a seasonal retreat for the emperors, include a half-mile hallway painted with scenes from China's history, the most beautiful gardens in the country, and a 118ft. carved marble boat decked out with stained-glass windows so that the empress could enjoy her palace lakes in private.

Travel to Great Wall of China
Stretching from Korea to the Gobi Desert, the Great Wall of China reaches 1,500 miles along old imperial borders. The wall was built mainly by millions of slaves, repairing and lengthening existing defensive walls throughout the centuries (the oldest dating back to the 5th century BC), until the massive structure was complete. Sentries posted at the stone watchtowers along its length could use smoke to signal an imminent attack.

Xi'an guided sightseeing tour
Digging beneath Xi'an can be a rewarding task. Well-diggers in the 1970s stumbled onto an amazing site -- an underground cavern filled with thousands and thousands of life-size terra cotta soldiers and horses. Each soldier is unique, with facial expressions that may have been modelled after a real imperial soldier, and was designed to guard the tomb of Qin Shi Huang. In 1953 workers digging a factory foundation just outside the city in Banpo found the remains of the most complete Neolithic settlement in the world; the artifacts indicate that the settlement was matriarchal, with women controlling food production and the family lineage. Emperors did their own digging at Huaqing, creating an imperial hot spring resort and palace. Dig into history yourself with a local licensed guide.

Shanghai guided sightseeing tour
Shanghai combines European elegance with Asian flair, transforming its colonial history with a unique modern outlook. See the highlights with a local licensed guide. Surrounded by a busy bazaar, the Yu Yuan Garden offers an amazingly peaceful escape into a sixteenth-century garden with fountains, bridges, and tile dragons undulating along the walls. More peace reigns at the temple of the Jade Buddha, where two exquisitely carved Buddha statues, each carved from a single piece of jade, keep watch over a community of monks.

Cultural and Language lessons in Shanghai
Time for your immersion in Chinese language and culture. You'll take Chinese language classes in the morning then work with local students on cultural projects in the afternoons. Learn Chinese calligraphy and painting to make greeting cards and traditional opera masks, practice folk songs and dances, and play football, tug-of-war, and other games with the Chinese students. Almost all classes and lectures will be conducted in Chinese.

Hong Kong guided sightseeing tour
Shopping, shopping, shopping. Hong Kong's history as Britain's Asian economic center means that the city has always buzzed with sellers and buyers. Get a taste at Stanely Market, where clothing and souvenirs are offered, and Kowloon, a district jam-packed with shops, restaurants, and apartment buildings that offers an amazing view across the harbor to the islands of Hong Kong. Take a spiritual break at the Tai Po Man Mo Temple. Named after the Taoist gods of literature ("Man") and martial arts ("Mo"), the small 150-year-old temple is noted for the coils of incense that hang from the ceiling, perfuming the entire building. Find even more sanctuary, and a better view, on Victoria Peak, once the enclave of wealthy Westerners and now a refreshing break from the energetic pace of the city below.

Cost in US$: Starting at $3960

This Program is open to American and Canadian Participants.

Participants Travel to China Independently Or in Groups

Typically Participants Work in Groups of up to 30 students

Application Process Involves:

• Letters of Reference
• Written Application

Explorica Summer Academy's Mission Statement: Explorica Summer Academy stemmed from the idea that students should have opportunities for in-depth cultural exploration outside the classroom. So with a management team that boasts 150 years of combined industry experience, Explorica offers high-quality, road-tested tours for adventurous students and teachers. Our three-week programs let high-school students from across the country, ages 14 to 18 years old, combine international travel, study, and adventure as they learn about the world from teachers and from each other. And each three-week tour presents unique learning opportunities with accredited institutions, from French schools on the Cote d' Azur to conservation organizations in Costa Rica or South Africa.