Successful China trip sparks repeat tour

The trip to China for University alumni and friends—arranged by Xiang Gao, associate professor of music and internationally renowned violinist, and his wife, Renee Dong, instructor in Chinese language--was so successful that plans are in the works for another journey next spring.

Gao says the idea for the tour was a direct result of both his past and present, as well as the hopes he has for the future.

“I was born and raised in Beijing, China, a fantastic country with such brilliant history and culture that will always hold a special place in my heart,” Gao says. “I am proud to call the U.S. my home now. It is also the home of my wife and 2-year-old daughter, Samantha Rae. This country means so much to me, not only for the great education it offered me in the 1990s, when I went to the University of Michigan with a full scholarship, but also a wonderful teaching job at the University of Delaware and a concert career that I dreamed of.

“I also have two American parents, Richard and Susan Rogel, residents of Vail, Colo., who adopted me when I was a freshman and since have supported me and my career endlessly,” Gao says.

The modern world requires “a very good relationship between the U.S. and China, not just for the benefit of the two countries but much more importantly, peace for the entire world,” he says. “The people of the two great nations have such chemistry and a long history of friendship; I have always wanted to be not just an international concert violinist but also a cultural ambassador between the two world powers.”

Gao says UD has provided him wonderful opportunities, including the purchase of the Ceruti violin and support of the Master Players Chamber Series that he directs, and he saw the China trip as a way to “pay back” the institutional support.

“Renee and I travel to China often for my concerts, and we also spend time there on our family vacation, so we thought summer would be a good opportunity to bring UD’s friends, alumni, faculty and staff to China,” Gao says.

Gao says he and Dong have directed the UD study abroad programs in China many times, which prepared them to lead a special tour such as this. “We know China very well and have good connections to set up a world-class tour to treat friends from the U.S. We hope the participants will have an experience that no other tourists would be able to get and that it would help them remember the University of Delaware in their lives,” he says.

That was the case, according to Peter Ellsworth, AS ’57, and wife Marjorie, who say the “very, very capable” tour leaders did a “superb job of introducing us to China from a Chinese perspective.”

Both Gao and Dong “were enthusiastic and passionate to share this experience with us, which is what made it special,” Peter Ellsworth says. The couple says that because Gao is a gourmet cook, they ate at the best restaurants throughout the journey.

The couple enjoyed the trip to the Great Wall and found Shanghai Museum “out of this world,” with impressive collections of bronze, jade and calligraphy.

Don Overton, professor emeritus at Temple University, and wife M. Kathleen Gordon, AS ’96, ’01PhD, agree that “China’s antiquities were impressive, on par with those in Egypt and Greece, and we are really glad to have had an opportunity to see them.”

“The most important component of the trip was, in fact, the trip leaders Xiang and Renee,” the couple says. “They put what we saw in a historical and cultural context, which made it much more meaningful than it otherwise would have been. Their familiarity with and enthusiasm about Chinese culture allowed them to be the best trip leaders we could imagine or hope for.

“We simply cannot overstate the central role and importance of the trip leaders. They are well educated, grew up in China, and hence are articulate and fully informed about the culture. They worked constantly in our interests. They diplomatically represented both China and UD in a consistently positive way. They were ‘professors’ in the best sense of the word, helping us learn as much as was possible from our trip.”

Betsy Kent, supplemental faculty in UD’s Department of Music, says the itinerary was carefully crafted “to share with us a wonderful balance of Chinese historical sights, cultural events, museums and opportunities for shopping.”

She says she enjoyed an opportunity to view a Tang Dynasty dance and music program and, like the other participants, was struck by the wonders of the Shanghai Museum.

Gao and Dong are planning another trip to China departing on June 9, 2008, before the Summer Olympics. Space is limited and the deadline for reservation is Dec. 20. For a brochure or additional information, visit [www.udel.edu/alumni/travel.html].

Gao says he was touched by the fact that both Ellsworth and Overton announced on behalf of the participants that they will establish a scholarship fund for UD students to honor this trip and the leaders.

The trip had extra meaning for Gao, as he was invited as a featured soloist to perform during a state dinner in Beijing hosted by Chinese President Hu JinTao for the visiting King Carlos I of Spain. Also, he traveled to several cities to recruit a top graduate student for the acclaimed UD string quartet violin assistantship position, announcing that he has accepted Ying Jin from the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing.

He says the participants also deeply appreciated the support of the UD Office of Alumni and University Relations and the Center for International Studies.