Winter Intersession 2012

Harmony Between Heaven and Earth: Chinese Culture and Ecology
Visit the essential, iconic sights of Chinese civilization, including the venerable temples of Beijing, the Great Wall, Forbidden City, the Terra Cotta Warriors in Xi’an, and the modern skyscrapers of Shanghai. Students take a bicycle tour along Xi’an’s city walls; raft along the willow tree-lined banks of the Li River past classical mountain landscapes; hike through the Dragon’s Backbone Rice Terraces to understand their complex ecological systems; take a rickshaw tour of the old alleyways of Beijing; explore a 6,000-year-old Neolithic archeological site; cruise through the ancient canal town of Suzhou; taste minority cuisines in a Muslim neighborhood; study classical scholars’ gardens; and sleep in cities, villages and a train. Students learn the art of Tai Chi and Chinese cooking. Travels are focused through the lens of culture and ecology, exploring the key theme of harmony between Heaven and Earth and its influence on Chinese cultural history and ecological relations from the first dynasties to the present. They keep travel journals and collaborate on a presentation about the interrelation of culture and ecology in China’s history.

Giant Panda Conservation
Learn to care for and help preserve giant pandas, an endangered species. Perhaps the most famous and beloved endangered mammal in the world, giant pandas are playful, adorable and easygoing creatures. Since the Western world first discovered them in the 19th century, pandas have been shrouded in mystery. Scientists have struggled to classify them accurately and still know little about their behavior in nature. Low birth rates, coupled with the bamboo forest depletion, have left these gentle creatures struggling to survive. On this trip, students donate their time and efforts to the global Save the Panda movement. The bamboo forests and misty waterfalls of the Bi Feng Xia National Reserve and Ya’an Panda Conservation Center are their training ground. This service project at the conservation center is augmented by cultural exploration, as students begin their trip by seeing Beijing’s cultural highlights and end by delving into Shanghai’s modern wonders. They also spend a few days amid Sichuan’s soaring peaks and tranquil rivers, visiting the 70-meter tall Leshan Buddha, watching the sun rise from the summit of Mt. Emei, and hiking a monastery-studded mountain.

Echoes from the Past: Are They Being Heard Today?
Learn about the architectural heritage of China and the philosophical and religious traditions of China's most important cultural roots: Buddhism, Daoism and Confucianism. Shanxi province is one of the great historic treasure troves of China. It has long played an important role in China in the arts and culture. Rich in folkloric traditions, it is considered home to some longstanding literary and cultural traditions. However, the trip begins in Beijing with visits to major architectural sites, as well as activities related to religious and philosophical traditions including the Confucian Temple, the Yonghegong, and the Zhihua Si, all of which are world famous temple sites. Students also visit the historic city of Datong, which presents a wealth of major religious and architectural highlights. A stop on Mount Wutai reveals the Buddhist traditions of Wutai Shan, followed by Pingyao, a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the great repositories of Ming period architecture. There are also beautiful Buddhist and Daoist temples and a wealth of cultural and artistic traditions. The last days of the trip are in Shanghai, with visits to the Shanghai Art Museum.

Road to the Revolution
Stand on the Great Wall, see the Forbidden City and walk through Tiananmen Square. Students go to Hunan Province, where they see the capital city of Changsha, learn about Chinese history, meet students in a local school, explore a Buddhist temple, perform nighttime karaoke, and more. They also travel to the remote western region of Zhangjiajie and see the breathtaking views that inspired the filmmakers of Avatar. From there, they go even further off the beaten path to the small village of Fenghuang and explore this refurbished old-style Chinese town surrounded by the Tujia and Miao minority peoples. The trip ends in Shanghai, where students explore the modern face of China. They focus on learning about the formation of the People’s Republic, The Cultural Revolution, The Communist Party and Mao Zedong. Under this umbrella, they explore Mao’s early life and upbringing in Hunan, see the modern political center of the party in Beijing, and explore Shanghai’s history in the revolution focusing on the infamous Gang of Four.

Evolution of Cultural Expression: Art, Fashion and Architecture
Explore legendary sites and trendy cosmopolitan locations, while analyzing the evolution of expression in Chinese art, fashion and architecture. At the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square in Beijing, students examine ancient aesthetics in architecture and ceremonial clothing. They identify the evolving function of garments as art and social commentary by studying the traditional clothing of ethnic minorities, ancient practices in silk weaving, and the green suits and red books of the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s. Next, students visit the mountains to climb an ancient architectural expression of power—the Great Wall of China. In Shanghai, they observe both glamorously modern and colonial architecture and visit world-famous artistic communities. Here, they analyze street fashion as a distinct form of self-expression. Students finish their trip with an exclusive event: attending the invitation-only Shanghai International Fashion Culture Festival where they observe modern art on runway models.

“Go West, Young Man”
Explore the idea of iconic imagery and the culture that makes up the southwestern states. Students can shoot conceptual, documentary and landscape photography. They travel in large vans through the American Southwest up through to Los Angeles. They create portfolios and media-based products that relate to the understanding of the Great West, the American dream, and contemporary art as a form of culture. While exploring the Western United States, students interpret themes of Manifest Destiny, the American Pastoral Dream, and the sanctification/de-sanctification of agrarian life in the past 200 years. For many, the American West signified the opportunity for work, the ability to own land, and promise of autonomy. Cliché themes of Cowboys and Indians are reinterpreted through this lens in order to reveal complex themes of masculinity conquering the femininity of mother earth and the relationship to topical issues. Additionally, these rural landscapes, powered by this control of nature through projects like the Hoover Dam, become the urbanized cauldrons of corruption, like LA and Las Vegas, that pastoral idealism seeks to escape.