The Ambassador Program A

Education and Culture Immersion Tour to China
(Ten-days Program)

Day 1 - Chicago

Informational Briefing: Program overview, cultural orientation
and survival Chinese lessons
Depart Chicago for Beijing

Day 2 - Chicago to Beijing

Late afternoon arrival in Beijing
Hotel check-in
Welcome dinner

Day 3 - Beijing

AM Tour of Tian An Men Square and the Forbidden City Two of Beijing’s most memorable sights. Tian An Men Square is the largest public space in the world and the heart of China. The Forbidden City, with its massive stone and brick walls, was home for the Emperors, referred in Chinese as the “Sons of Heaven”. This structure was featured in the movie “The Last Emperor” and many other Chinese films.

Lunch: Beijing style food

PM Visit to the Great Wall
One of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World, and the only man-made structure that can be seen from the Moon. Started from the Qin Dynasty (221-206 B.C), the great wall was completed in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and took on its present form.

Dinner: Peking Duck dinner (traditional Chinese roasted duck)

Day 4 - AM Visit to the Summer Palace, the renowned imperial retreat

AM The renowned imperial retreat in the Qing Dynasty; Walk through the “Long Corridor” with brilliant decorative painting on the ceiling, and see the unique Marble Boat and Seventeen-Arch Bridge.

Lunch: Famous Beijing fast food

PM Visit to the Beijing Sackler Archaeological Museum
Located on the campus of Beijing University and Beijing Ancient Observatory, the Museum is full of collections of the China’s prehistoric civilization.

Dinner: Beijing Local Style

After dinner, enjoy Peking Opera in Liyuan Theater, the most prestigious performance venue of Peking Opera.

Day 5 - Beijing

AM Visit to Beijing Languages and Culture University
Staff of the University will provide lectures on various subjects focusing on Chinese history and culture.

Lunch: McDonald’s restaurant in Beijing - the largest McDonald’s outlet in the world. Taste the differences of American food in China vs. in the U.S.

PM Visit to a Middle School
Observe a class of English, and talk to the teachers and students in the class. Watch a traditional Chinese art performance in English by the students. Tour members may be invited to take a part in the performance.

Dinner: Sichuan food (spicy!)
In the evening, Walking Tour of Wangfujing, the main shopping street in Beijing.

Day 6 - Beijing to Xi’an (2-hour flight)

AM Hotel check-in
An ancient capital of China for over 1,000 years, Xi’an is rich in culture, heritage (ancient emperor’s tomb buried with Terra Cotta Warriors), and historic buildings and structures, its city wall being the most complete and longest of its kind in the world.

Lunch: Huaiyang style dishes (one of four major Chinese culinary branches)

PM Visit to Xi’an Foreign Language University
Lecture: The first feudal empire in China - Qin Dynasty
Lecture: Creation and development of the Chinese language

Dinner: Xi’an local food with Muslim flavor

Day 7 - Xi’an

AM Tour of Shanxi Historical Museum and Big Wild Goose Pagoda
Shanxi Museum of History is one of the largest museums in China, with extensive collection of prehistoric and early dynastic artifacts, and displays featuring over 3,000 years of Chinese history.The Big Wild Goose Pagoda is the place where the original Buddhist scriptures were translated from Sanskrit into Chinese. It remains to date an active venue of worship and study.

Lunch: Home style country food

PM Tour of Qin Dynasty Terra Cotta Warriors
Qin Dynasty Terra Cotta Warriors is one of the world’s famous archaeological sites. There are over 6,000 life-size figures, each individually modeled after a soldier or servant.

Dinner: Famous Xi’an Jiaozi (dumplings) Banquet
Jiaozi, Chinese dumplings, are common fare for northern Chinese families. They are stuffed with a variety of different ingredients, meat or vegetables, and are steamed, boiled or fried.

Day 8 - Xi’an to Shanghai (3-hour flight)

AM Hotel check-in
Shanghai, China’s largest cosmopolitan city, is the economic, financial, and cultural center of modern China.

Lunch: Shanghai-style fast food

PM Visit to Shanghai Museum
Opened in 1994, the Museum is designed to resemble an ancient cooking pot. The building is an architectural gem and its galleries contain world-class collections of ancient arts and artifacts.

Tour of Pudong New Economic Zone
Pudong New Economic Zone is the “Dragon Head” of China’s Yangtze River Delta Economic Zone.

Dinner: Dine while cruising in the Huangpu River.

Day 9 - Shanghai

AM Zhujiajiao (1-hour bus drive)
A town of “water & rice” located along the waterfront of Yangtze River in suburban Shanghai, Zhujiajiao is an ancient town blending natural beauty and splendid historic relics, featuring tidy and clean streets interlaced with narrow lanes, old gingko trees and small bridges over winding streams flowing into Dianshan Lake. Pavilions, temples and gardens are scattered around, a witness to the flow of time over thousands of years.

Lunch: Local style fresh-water dishes

PM Tour of Shanghai Bund and Yuyuan Garden
Shanghai Bund (outer beach) is the financial center of China. Extending over 10 kilometers, it is a waterfront street featuring European style buildings as well as a shopping paradise. Yuyuan Garden, well-known for its Suzhou-style garden architecture built by a Ming Dynasty official in 1559.

Dinner: Farewell dinner

Evening: Walking tour on Nanjing Road, the busiest shopping street in Asia.

Day 10 - Shanghai to Chicago

AM Hotel check-out
Depart Shanghai for Chicago
Arrive in Chicago on the same day.