INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT TO SHANGHAI
May 25 - 26

From the Detroit we will take a flight to SHANGHAI, China. On the way we cross the International Dateline and lose a day as it suddenly becomes May 26.

SHANGHAI
May 26 - 30

From the Opium Wars of the 1840's to the 1930's, SHANGHAI went from a provincial fishing and weaving community of 50,000 people to a western metropolis of over a million people with skyscrapers owned by western bank and trading houses, western cinemas, and more cars than any other city in Asia. It became the largest manufacturing city in Asia based on the slave labor of Chinese boys and girls. Foreign business interests dominated the city and were guarded by the armies of their home countries. Along with the colonialists came gambling and dance halls, opium dens, and brothels. When the communists took over in 1949 they got rid of the slums, child labor, and opium dens, but the economy also declined. Then with the economic reforms of Deng Xiaoping, SHANGHAI has had a resurgence. In fact, two of the most important leaders of China, Jiang Zemin and Zhu Rongji, rose to prominence as leaders of SHANGHAI .

BEIJING
May 31 - June 5

Although Beijing was not a major player in early Chinese history, from the 13th century to the present it has been the capital under the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties as well as the Communist regime.

It was the Mongols who first made it their capital when they conquered China in the 13th century and established the Yuan Dynasty. When the Ming Dynasty took power in the 1300's its first capital was Nanjing, but the Emperor Yong Le moved the capital to Beijing in the early 1400's and started the construction of the Forbidden City. Later when the Manchus conquered China, they kept Beijing as capital and enlarged the Forbidden City. In 1949 the Communists chose Beijing as their capital and set up headquarters right next to the Forbidden City.

One of our first stops in BEIJING will be Tiananmen Square, site of the 1989 student demonstrations and subsequent bloodbath. Around the square we will visit the Museum of the Chinese Revolution, the Museum of Chinese History, and Chairman Mao Zedong Memorial Hall containing the preserved body of Chairman Mao, the first leader of Communist China.

Then we will pass through the Tiananmen (Gate of Heavenly Peace) into the Forbidden City, where twenty four emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties ruled from their palaces for hundreds of years. Here there are six major palaces including the Palace of Ci Xi, the last Empress Dowager who dominated China in the early 20th century.

In BEIJING we will also see the beautiful Temple of Heaven and the Summer Palace of the Emperors with the famous marble boat built by Ci Xi with funds to build a navy. In the evenings we will attend a performance of selections from the Beijing Opera and other cultural events.

The Forbidden City

EXCURSION TO THE GREAT WALL,

MING TOMBS AND

EASTERN QING TOMBS.

The Great Wall was begun in the 5th century BCE and completed by Qin Shi Huang, founder of the Qin dynasty in 221 BCE. Being approximately 3750 miles long, it is surely one of the wonders of world.

The Tombs of the Ming Dynasty Emperors date back to the 15th and 16th centuries.

LUOYANG
June 6 - June 7

LUOYANG was founded in 1200 BCE and was a capital for ten dynasties in early Chinese history. Although a good part of that glorious past has been long since destroyed, we will be able to see the White Horse Temple and the Longmen Caves. The Temple is the first Buddhist temple in China, where the first Indian Sanskrit scriptures were translated into Chinese. For over 200 years beginning with the Northern Wei Dynasty in 494 A.D., the Chinese carved 10,000 images and statues of Buddha and his disciples in the cliff walls of the Longmen Caves.

SHAOLIN MONASTERY
June 7

On a day trip from Luoyang we will visit the Shaolin Monastery, probably the best know Buddhist monastery in the West. It is famous for its long association with Kung Fu or martial arts. Martial arts groups from all over the world have made donations for the upkeep of the monastery. Today, many private schools teach the fundamentals of kung fu within sight of the monastery.

XIAN
June 8 - 13

Known as Chang An in earlier times, XIAN has been inhabited since neolithic times and was one of the early capitals of China. Here we will visit the Ban Po Neolithic Museum, which is built on the site of a village from the period 6080-5600 BCE. The Museum contains interesting implements, weapons, and models of the village. In the city of XIAN we will also visit the archaeological exhibit at the Xian Province Museum, the Great Mosque of XIAN, and a number of sites from the Tang and Ming Dynasties such as the Drum and Bell Towers, the City Walls, and the Big Goose Pagoda.

The Countryside near Xian

CHANGSHA
June 14 - 15

CHANGSHA is the capital of Hunan Province and the home of Mao Zedong. Here we will visit important sites from his revolutionary career, such as the Hunan No. 1 Teachers' Training School, where Mao was a student and a teacher, and the former Office of the Hunan Communist Party Committee, which is now a museum containing Mao's living quarters. We will also see the remarkably preserved 2100 year-old body of a Han Dynasty woman along with artifacts from her tomb in the Hunan Provincial Museum.

GUILIN / YANGSHUOgshuo
June 16 - 19

The extraordinary landscapes of GUILIN and YANGSHUO, with limestone peaks in hazy skies, are known throughout the world. Most Chinese consider this area the most beautiful place in China. A boat ride on the Li River will enable us to see further examples of this unique beauty.

HONG KONG
June 20 - 24

HONG KONG is an impressive example of Western economic development in the Third World. Ever since the British forced the Chinese to grant them control over the Island and part of the mainland around Kowloon in the 19th century, Hong Kong has been under Western influence. The Colony was returned to China in 1997 by an agreement reached in 1984.

VIETNAM

HANOI
June 25 - 29

HANOI, the present capital of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, does not have the night life of Ho Chi Minh City, but there is a quiet charm to its boulevards, parks and lakes. Although we will visit some 11th-century sites such as the One Pillar Pagoda and the Temple of Literature, which was the site of Vietnam's first university, our major concentration will be on the Hanoi of Ho Chi Minh and the Vietnam War. We plan to visit the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum with its glass sarcophagus, the Ho Chi Minh Museum, the Army Museum with models of the battle of Dien Bien Phu and the taking of Saigon, and the "Hanoi Hilton," the prison where American POWs were held during the war. We will also visit the Long Bien Bridge to reflect on the determination of the Vietnamese to keep it in service under intensive bombing by the U.S. In the evening we will enjoy a performance of Hanoi's famous water puppets.

HUE
June 30 - July 1

HUE, known to Americans for its bloody battle in the Tet Offensive of 1968, was capital of Vietnam from 1802-1945 under 13 emperors of the Nguyen Dynasty and is considered one of the cultural centers of Vietnam. We will visit several of the splendid tombs of these emperors, the Citadel which contains the Forbidden Purple City for the private lives of the emperors, the Imperial Museum, and the famous Thien Mu Pagoda. From here we hope to travel to the DMZ and to some of the American bases used to interrupt the infiltration of goods and men along the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

MY LAI / QUANG NGAI
July 2

The next day we will travel by bus to My Lai (Son My), the site of the moving Memorial those killed in the My Lai Incident during the Vietnam War.

NHA TRANG / MY LAI
July 3 - 4

On the entrance to the town of Nha Trang we will see some very interesting ancient Cham temples and towers near the colorful port. Day 12 - Nha Trang We also hope to be able to visit the Pasteur Institute founded by Dr. Yersin, a Frenchman who is still beloved by the Vietnamese. The remainder of the day will be free for a well earned rest on the white sandy beach which runs along the whole length of the city.

HO CHI MINH CITY (SAIGON)
July 5 - 8

SAIGON was the capital of South Vietnam from 1956-1975. After the North Vietnamese took the city in 1975, its name was changed to honor the communist-nationalist founder of North Vietnam. Our sightseeing tour begins with a visit to the Reunification Palace which was the former residence of the President of South Vietnam until end of 1975. Close to the palace are some striking French colonial structures including the Notre Dame Cathedral and the old Saigon Post Office. We also visit the War Remnant Museum to see how some of the Vietnamese view the U.S. participation in the war .

BANGKOK
July 9 - 12

Our stay in BANGKOK will start with a walking tour of the area of Ko Ratanakosin. We will begin at Lak Muang, the City Pillar, which is a shrine enclosing a wooden pillar built in 1782 to represent the founding of the new capital of BANGKOK by Rama I. From there we will walk to Wat Pho, the oldest and largest Wat (a Buddhist temple complex) in Bangkok with its large reclining Buddha representing the passing of the Buddha into nirvana.

SUKHOTHAI
July 13

From Bangkok we will travel to the ruins of one of the earliest capitals of Thailand,SUKHOTHAI. Here we will visit the important temples of the old district and the Ramkhamhaeng National Museum, which offers an introduction to SUKHOTHAI'S history and culture.

KO SAMET
July 17 - 19

KO SAMET is a small island just south of Bangkok with wonderful beaches. We will use the time in this resort area to finish coursework and rest up for the long flight home.

BANGKOK
July 20

We will travel to Bangkok once more for final preparations for our return home.