The University of Delaware has announced the 11th annual Special Trip to China, planned and led by UD faculty members for friends, alumni, students, faculty and staff of the University and its Master Players Concert Series to visit China, the Middle Kingdom, from June 15 to 28, 2020.

The trip will include visits to Beijing, where the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace and the Temple of Heaven are located; Xi'An, the 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 journey will be led by volunteer directors Xiang Gao, UD Trustees Distinguished Professor of Music, and his wife Renee Dong, assistant professor of Chinese in the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures.

Those interested in participating in the trip should save the date and contact Dong at rdong@udel.edu as soon as possible since space is limited. More application and trip information will be shared soon on the Master Players Concert Series website.

Over the past 10 years, the success of these China trips has been based not only on the world famous sites seen by the group, but also the highly educational element and cross-cultural experience provided by the two trip directors.

“This is a personalized VIP tour we designed for the alumni, students, friends and employees at the University of Delaware, as well as friends of the UD Master Players Concert Series, which I am the director of and passionate about,” Gao said.

“In 2020, we will continue to try our best to make this trip the most wonderful way to visit China for all people who are connected to our great University,” Gao said.

The participants will learn about the Chinese people as well as their cultures, history, philosophy, religions and society with the two professors. The food in China will be another highlight of the trip, as the menu of almost every meal is selected personally by Gao, who admits to being a “foodie.”

Special insights

The trips have benefited tremendously from the fact that Gao and Dong are natives of China, which 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,” Gao said. “Plus, we have directed the UD Study Abroad China program seven times, China concert tours of both UD Chorale and UD Symphony Orchestra, and this China trip 10 times, so we are able to make the trip a true VIP experience for our friends.”

As in previous years, Gao and Dong will serve as volunteers, organizers and daily “tour guides” for the trip.

About Xiang Gao

Born and raised in Beijing, Gao came to the United States to study at the University of Michigan and after graduation came to teach at the University of Delaware.

While teaching in Newark, Gao maintains an international concert career as one of the world's top concert violinists from China. Most recently, Gao received the Delaware Governor’s Award in the Arts for his contribution in the arts and for innovatively directing the Master Players Concert Series.

For more information on Gao's music career, see his website.

For information on Gao's upcoming production Shanghai Sonatas at 3 p.m., Saturday, Feb 15, 2020, click here.

To learn more about the Master Players Concert Series, visit the Master Players website or contact Melissa Kitchen, general manager at masterplayers@udel.edu or 302-831-3149.

About Renee Dong

Zhiyin “Renee” Dong has been a faculty member of the Chinese language program at UD’s Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures since 2002. She has extensive background in teaching Chinese as a foreign language, second language acquisition and pedagogy, neuro-psycholinguistics and Chinese linguistics.

Her main research interests are in the field of experimental psycholinguistics with a focus on adult second language processing and acquisition. With her MBA training and corporation experiences in both U.S and China, Dong also specializes in teaching business Chinese and is a frequent speaker to MBA classes and the local business community.