China adventure 2008

China’s Silk Road

"Arguably the world’s most important pre-modern trade route, participants traverse this ancient braid of caravan trails that at one time stretched more than 7,000 kilometers from China to the Mediterranean. It served as a highway not just for merchandise, but also for ideas—religious, cultural, and artistic. The major themes of the seminar are the history of the Silk Road; Chinese history, art, and religions; and the cultures and peoples of Central Asia.”

--CIEE Faculty Seminar literature

This tantalizing ad encouraged me to apply immediately. Happily, my proposal was accepted, and so I’m off to see and experience Beijing, Xi’an, and several towns along the Silk Road--Dunhuang, Turpan, ürümqi, and Kashgar.

After studying and traveling along the Silk Road, I’ll visit two additional Chinese cities: Hangzhou and Suzhou. Hangzhou is reportedly one of China’s most beautiful and prosperous cities, first acclaimed in the West by Marco Polo. Suzhou is famed for its beautiful and serene Ming Dynasty scholars' gardens; it is also one of Portland, Oregon’s sister cities.

This is me with some of my current PCC ESOL students. They are wishing me well on my trip.