Vermont Public Radio Citizens of the World Tours Presents CHINA With VPR Commentator Christopher Wren A comprehensive look at China for Vermont Public Radio listeners with a focus on history, politics, cuisine and classical music. Vermont Public Radio Tours May 2008 HIGHLIGHTS OF THE TOUR • Seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites: The Great Wall, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Imperial Tombs of the Ming & Qing Dynasties and the Summer Palace in Beijing; Terra Cotta Museum in Xi’an; and the Gardens of Suzhou • Travel interpretation by VPR commentator Christopher Wren, former Beijing bureau chief and United Nations correspondent for the New York Times • Performances of the Beijing Symphony Orchestra at the Forbidden City Concert Hall and the 130-year-old Shanghai Symphony at the Shanghai Concert Hall. • Booming metropolises of Beijing and Shanghai • Unravel the geopolitical complexities of the “Middle Kingdom” at private dinners with China-based National Public Radio correspondent(s) and U.S. Embassy personnel • Stunning classical Chinese landscapes in Guilin’s Li River valley To register, please call Snow Lion Expeditions at (800) 525-8735 Vermont Public Radio Citizens of the World Tours Presents CHINA Day 1 • Tuesday, May 6 Depart from Vermont The Chinese Taoist master, Lao Tsu, said, “A 1,000-mile journey begins with the fi rst step.” Today, we meet at Vermont Public Radio’s Colchester studio and transfer via motor coach to Boston. We overnight at the Holiday Inn Boston Airport prior to our 4:30 a.m. wake up call. Day 2 • Wednesday, May 7 Depart from Boston Our American Airlines fl ight departs Boston’s Logan Airport early in the morning for San Fran- cisco, where we transfer to Cathay Pacifi c for our trans-Pacifi c fl ight to Beijing. Day 3 • Thursday, May 8 Beijing Overnight, we cross the International Date Line and we land in the People’s Republic of China at Beijing’s Capital Airport in the evening. We are greeted by our Chinese host, Liu Yong. “Daliu”, as he prefers to be called, is the son of a surgeon for China’s sports governing body, has a Chinese- American fi lmmaker wife, and is a perfectly bilingual and bicultural host. We transfer to our hotel in central Beijing. Day 4 • Friday, May 9 Beijing On our fi rst day in China, we begin at historic Tiananmen Square, where Mao Zedong proclaimed the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. We see his Mausoleum on the square, then enter the Imperial Palace known as the Forbidden City. Built in the 15th century, the complex consists of 980 surviving buildings with nearly 9,000 rooms. Home to nearly 500 years of monarchy (mid-Ming to Qing Dynasty), the Imperial Palace was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987. Before returning to the hotel, we will visit the circular Temple of Heaven, where Ming and Qing emperors prayed annually for good harvests. Located in a sublime park, this large temple complex exemplifi es Chinese architectural style and symbolism. After some free time in the afternoon, we meet for our Welcome Dinner & Reception with Foreign Service Offi cers from the United States Embassy. B/D Day 5 • Saturday, May 10 Beijing After an early breakfast, we drive north of Beijing to the Great Wall and the Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The 4,000-mile Great Wall winds its way like an endless slender dragon rising from the Yellow Sea through fi ve provinces and two autonomous regions fi nally sinking into the Gobi Desert in western China. Soldiers and peasants from all over the country were conscripted by Chinese emperors from the 5th century BC to 200 AD to build the wall. After lunch at a local restaurant, we visit the Ming Dynasty Tombs. They were built by the third Ming emperor Yongle, who moved the capital of China from Nanjing to Beijing. A four-mile road named the “Spirit Way” leads into the complex. Its large marble and stone carved animals are con- sidered some of the fi nest preserved pieces of 15th century Chinese art and architecture. In the evening, we attend a musical performance of the Beijing Symphony Orchestra in the exquisite setting of the Forbidden City Concert Hall. B/L Day 6 • Sunday, May 11 Beijing On our last day in Beijing, we travel to the northern sub- urbs to visit the Summer Palace or Yihe Yuan, which means literally “Garden of Nurtured Harmony.” The immaculate grounds are dominated by the man-made Longevity Hill (200 feet high) and the Kunming Lake. In the evening, we tour an historic Hutong neighbor- hood and then are joined for dinner by Anthony Kuhn, NPR Beijing bureau chief. We dine at the Red Capital Club, which celebrates the life and legend of Chairman Mao. B/L/D Day 7 • Monday, May 12 Beijing / Xi’an We transfer to the airport for our morning fl ight to Xi’an, which served as the imperial capital for 11 dynasties (200 B.C. to 907 A.D.). Here we see the underground Army of Terra Cotta Warriors, built by the fi rst emperor of the Qin Dynasty as his burial tomb. Discovered in 1974, we marvel at an army of more than 6,000 fi gures stone fi gures (each 5 foot 6 inches tall with unique facial expressions) guarding the tomb arranged in battle formation. Our next stop is Big Wild Goose Pagoda and the Tang- style Shaanxi History Museum that houses a collection of 7,000-year-old Chinese relics. Afterwards, we stretch our legs in Xi’an’s Muslim Quarter, where markets and mosques evoke the height of the Silk Road era. B/L Day 8 • Tuesday, May 13 Xi’an / Guilin We transfer to the airport and fl y south to Guilin, a region featuring some of China’s most intrigu- ing natural beauty. Guilin is prominently featured in the Somerset Maugham novel and 2006 fi lm “Painted Veil.” The area around Guilin is acclaimed for its stunning karst formations, which were thrust up from a limestone seabed more than 300 million years ago. Erosion shaped the bizarre hills and left eerie sub- terranean caves and fantastic rock formations. With terraced rice paddies, water buff aloes and bamboo groves, Guilin is a scenic city that embodies both the old and new China. After our hotel check-in, we visit Ludi Yan (Reed Flute Cave) and Fu Po Shan, a large limestone karst that descends into the river. Guilin is also a great place to fi nd local handicrafts and artwork. B/L Day 9 • Wednesday, May 14 Guilin Today we visit Yangshuo, a well-preserved town which is surrounded by towering karst peaks and bordered on one side by the Li River. Two main roads run away from the water and form the central part of the town, Chinese Street (Dei Chui Lu) and West Street with pedestrian-only Xian Qian Street which runs between them. The afternoon is free to relax or maybe enjoy a bicycle ride in the rural countryside. B/D Day 10 • Thursday, May 15 Guilin We meet before dawn to experience the sunrise from atop one of the karst mountains above the Li River. We have a leisurely day, including a river cruise where we watch the cormorant fi shermen on long- boat canoes catch fi sh, and enjoy an exquisite lunch in a local restaurant. Later the evening is especially photogenic as the landscape evolves from greens to blues to deep purples as the sun sets. B/L Day 11 • Friday, May 16 Guilin / Shanghai We transfer to the airport for our fl ight to Shanghai. Once called the “Paris of the East,” Shanghai is located on the East China Sea. The world’s third busiest harbor, Shanghai has attracted the ambition and investment of foreign powers since the 19th century. The evening is free, perhaps for a walk along The Bund, the famed neoclassical and Art Deco waterfront boulevard. B Day 12 • Saturday, May 17 Shanghai This morning, early risers may wish to join the hundreds of Shanghai residents for early morning tai chi on the waterfront. Then we embark upon a day-long exploration of this vibrant city, which sometimes is compared to San Francisco. From classical-style Old Town (including Yuyuan Gardens) to ultra-modern (Asia’s tallest tower in the Pudong district), our day-long tour is rich with architectural contrast, history, culture and shopping. Stops include the Shanghai Museum and Shanghai MOCA. B/L Day 13 • Sunday, May 18 Shanghai We meet for a day trip to the peaceful and well-preserved water town of Tongli, known as the “Venice of China.” Wandering among the picturesque cobblestone lanes of its old quarter, we see residents fi shing in the canals, and creating the handicrafts for which the town is known: lace, freshwater pearl jewelry, woodcarvings and weavings. If time permits, we visit the majestic gardens of Suzhou. This evening we visit the Shanghai Con- cert Hall for a performance of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. The symphony is Asia’s oldest, dating to 1879. It has collaborated with some of the world’s leading vocalists including Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo and Andrea Bocelli. The concert hall is an engineering attraction in its own right. Built in 1930, the 1,200-seat hall, weighing 5,600 tons, was actually moved about 200 feet to its current location during a renovation in 2002. B/L Day 14 • Monday, May 19 Shanghai We have free time on our last day in China to explore this diverse city which is sometimes com- pared to San Francisco.