China
China’s Southwest: Culture, Society, and Environment
June 5-17, 2006

Rationale
China’s southwestern provinces of Sichuan and Yunnan have been relatively unexplored compared to China’s coastal areas. However, these provinces have often been described as the “real China” for their rich indigenous customs, colorful ethnic minority cultures, charming small towns and villages, and stunning landscapes. Sichuan is one of China’s most populous provinces—more than 100 million people living in a land area equal to that of France. Long protected from the outside by a ring of mountains, the province has not been easily accessible and thus its rich traditions have been preserved: religious practices of Buddhism and Daoism, world-renowned cuisine, refuge for the Panda, and the popular teahouse culture. Yunnan, geographically positioned at the crossroads between Southeast Asia, Tibet, and the rest of China, is ethnically the richest and most varied of all of China’s provinces. Historically, Yunnan was an outpost of Chinese empire until relatively modern times, and so many of its unique and colorful indigenous traditions have survived intact. This seminar is designed to access this fascinating region of China, focusing on the issues of cultural diversity, social change, and environmental conservation.

Host Institutions
Sichuan University was established in 1896 and is located in the provincial capital of Chengdu. It is one of China’s oldest and largest public universities. Sichuan University has exchange relations with many higher institutions in the world. Some 400 foreign students are now studying there.

Founded in 1922 and situated in the regional capital of Kunming, Yunnan University is a comprehensive university serving the southwestern region of China and beyond. Because of its geographical proximity, Yunnan University has developed close ties with universities of Southeast Asian countries.

Seminar Leadership
Dr. Mingzheng Shi has a Ph.D. in modern Chinese history from Columbia University. He taught at the University of Houston and at the University of Hawaii. For the past five years, Dr. Shi has been the Resident Director of the CIEE Study Center and Teach in China program based in Shanghai, China. Dr. Shi’s academic research interest focuses on the history of Chinese cities and he has published a number of works exploring the dynamics of culture and modernity in Chinese urban history and society. This will be the eighth seminar in China that Dr. Shi has developed and led with CIEE.

Academic Content

Following are the tentative lectures, site visits and study tours for this seminar:

Lectures

• Buddhism and Daoism as Represented in China’s Sacred Mountains
• The Past and Present of the Bai Ethnic Minority
• The Practice of Ethnic Autonomy in Yunnan Province
• Sustainable Development and Environmental Protection in China
• Current Reforms of Chinese Higher Education
• Regionalism, Ethnic Cultures, and Globalization: The Case of China’s Southwest
• Naxi Ideographic Writing System and Ethnic Culture
• Face to Face with the Chinese: Tips on Verbal, Non-Verbal, and Cross-Cultural Communication

Site Visits/Study Tours

• Buddhist Emei & Daoist mountain at Qingcheng, Sichuan Province
• Ancient irrigation project of Du Jiang Yan, Sichuan Province
• Meet with Consul General at the U.S. Consulate, Chengdu
• Giant Panda Research Institute, Chengdu
• World’s largest Buddha statue at Leshan, Sichuan Province
• Sichuan opera at local teahouse in Chengdu
• The old town of Dali, once an important trading stop on the Southern Silk Road nestled between the Cangshan Mountain and Erhai Lake, Yunnan Province
• Site visit to ethnic Bai village near Erhai Lake, Yunnan Province
• The old Town of Lijing, the home of Naxi (descendents of Tibet) ethnic minority group, Yunnan Province
• Visit university and college campuses in Sichuan and Yunnan
  
  

Itinerary
This 13-day seminar begins with a day of orientation in Shanghai, 4 days in Sichuan Province, 6 days in Yunnan Province, and ends in Shanghai.

Seminar Fee
$2,900

Optional Site Visit Extension: Tibet
June 18-22, 2006

Tibet – the “Rooftop of the World”. Travel with the faculty leader and explore this remote land that for centuries has captured the imagination of travelers. Upon arrival you’ll meet with a scholar from the University of Tibet whose extensive research will provide insight into Tibet’s past as well as the realities of modern-day life in this highly disputed region of Asia.

You’ll have a guided tour of Lhasa, Tibet’s traditional capital and capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China. Literally meaning “Place of the Gods”, it is home to the Potala Palace, the primary residence of His Holiness the Dalai Lama until he was forced to flee to India in 1959. Join the many pilgrims that flock to Jokhang Monastery, Tibet’s spiritual center. Constructed in 647 A.D., the monastery houses the Jowo Shakyamuni Buddha statue, perhaps the single most venerated object in Tibetan Buddhism.

Visit Shigatse, Tibet’s second largest city and site of Tashihunpo Monastery, the traditional home of the Panchen Lama. You’ll also travel to Gyantse, Tibet’s third largest city. Located on the Friendship Highway that connects Kathmandu to Lhasa, Gyantse is notable for the Kumbum Stupa of the Pelkor Chode Monastery. Kumbum consists of 8 levels and contains a total of 75 chapels that have been illustrated with over 10,000 murals.

This five day/four night trip begins in Chengdu, Sichuan and ends in Shanghai. Extension participants will not return to Shanghai at the end of the regular seminar. They will travel from Lijing, the last destination for the regular seminar, to Chengdu for the start of the Essential Tibet program. The fee of $1,475 includes roundtrip airfare from Chengdu to Lhasa, airfare from Chengdu to Shanghai, three-star hotel accommodation in Chengdu and Tibet, meals, local transportation, English-speaking tour guides, pass for entering Tibet, and admissions.

Health Advisory: Given Tibet’s high altitude, all visitors risk Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS). The most serious AMS symptoms can be fatal. It is important to be fit and healthy for this trip, which will also include much walking. Participants who have a record of heart, lungs, other organ problems, or anemia should consult their doctor before making the decision to participate on this program.