Tour of China designed just for Blue Hens
ALUMNI | The eighth annual special trip to China for alumni, faculty, staff and friends of UD will take place in June, with an application deadline of Feb. 1, 2014.
The trip has been planned and will be led by violinist Xiang Gao, UD Trustees Distinguished Professor of Music, and his wife, Renee Dong, instructor in Chinese in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures. Both are natives of China, which Gao says allows them to provide special insights to the tour group.
“Because we are both bilingual and bicultural we know what is most valuable to the travelers,” he says. “Plus we have directed the UD study-abroad China program seven times and the alumni China trip seven times, so we are able to make the trip a better experience than any travel agent can provide.”
Participants will visit Beijing, where the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace and the Temple of Heaven are located; Xi’An, site of the 2,000-year-old Terracotta Warriors; Shanghai, the largest port in the world and the “Pearl of the East”; and Suzhou, the city of traditional Chinese gardens and birthplace of Chinese silk.
The tour group will learn about the Chinese people as well as their lives, history, philosophy, religion and society. Gao says the food is another highlight of the trip, as he will personally select the menu for almost every meal to avoid the kind of “tourist food” travel agents often provide.
For more information, including the 2014 trip brochure and an application form, visit www.udconnection.com, click on “Get Involved” and select “UD Alumni Special Trip to China.”
