China
China - ancient and contemporary
China has been included as a Big Experience destination (mission) this year because of its importance in the region and to Australia’s future prosperity. China is home to 20 percent of the world’s population, 1.6 billion people. Agents will gain an understanding of the many diverse cultures that exist within this populous nation.
The China Big Experience will seek to extend the elements of the CUE program, community service, urban living and environmental sustainability. The community service element will be continued when the students travel to Baoji near Xian specifically to spend time at the Xinxing Children’s Centre for misplaced children. As a result of China’s ‘one child’ policy and its traditional preference for boys, thousands of girls and disabled children are abandoned each year. An Australian, Marg Ward, heads this centre which is now becoming a model for other Provinces. Our agents will spent two nights at the Centre.
Giant pandas are a national treasure in China, but there are about 1000 left in the wild and they are only to be found in southwest China. The Wolong Giant Panda Reserve and Breeding Centre is located in the high, densely forested mountains between the Sichuan Basin and the Tibetan Plateau. Agents will spend time working with the pandas.
Agents will be confronted by ultra-modern cityscapes alongside the ancient and sacred. Beijing with its Forbidden City and the nearby Great Wall emphasizes China’s ancient civilization. Tiananmen Square reveals many changes that have confronted the Chinese during the last century. In Shanghai, agents will stand on the Bund, behind them the architecture of the European Concessions and across the river the futuristic skyline of the Pudong district which has come to represent modern China.
The trip to China will enable agents to experience a culture different from their own. China is one of the major drivers of global growth and one of Australia’s major trading partners. Our agents need to know what that means for them.
How will agents travel?
The group will travel by plane to Beijing. In China, there will be various modes of transport – buses, train, boat, bicycles, rickshaw and plane.
General Itinerary.
For the DRAGONS group final itinerary click here.
For the PANDAS group final itinerary click here.
Day 1 Tues Oct 30 Flight - Melbourne to Beijing
Day 2 The sights of Beijing, including Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, markets, a Children’s Palace
Day 3 Journey to the Great Wall of China and the site of the 2008 Olympics
Day 4 Journey through the county side to the Summer Palace. Afternoon - the Hutong District (old sector of Beijing) and markets. Bicycles and rickshaws
Day 5 Flight - Beijing to Xian. Train to Baoji - the Xinxing centre for misplaced children
Day 6&7 Xinxing centre - including an outing with the children to nearby mountains
Day 8 Bus from Baoji to Xian. On the way visit a Buddhist Master Monk and Kung Fu masters
Day 9 Cave village– the inhabitants and their animals live in mountain caves
Day 10 Explore the town of Xian and visit the Terracotta Warriors
Day 11 Flight to Chengdu. Visit the Dujiang Irrigation System
Day 12 Chengdu to Wolong by coach. Wolong Giant Panda Reserve and Breeding Centre
Day 13 Morning working with the pandas. Afternoon Wolong to Chengdu by coach
Day 14 Flight Chengdu to Shanghai. Upon arrival at the hotel in Shanghai students will meet a representative from the Australian Consulate to explain China/Australia relationship. Afternoon– city walk
Day 15 The Bund and Yu Garden (old Shanghai), cross the river via a tunnel to the Pudong district (new Shanghai)
Day 16 Subway to a local park for Tai Chi. Cruise up the Huangpu River. Explore a local market for last minute
purchases
Day 17 Morning walk through the French Quarter. Afternoon - Flight home
Day 18 Fri Nov 16. Arrive Melbourne approx 7.30am (to be confirmed)
Please note that final details of this Big Experience may be subject to minor changes.
What airline are we going through? To get to china and back?
July 23rd, 2007 at 12:29 pmWhat are some things we can’t bring back to australia from china?
July 23rd, 2007 at 12:54 pmIt’s hard to create an itemised list, however this website shows customs restrictions for entering China. Have a look through the other links on this website to see what you can take back in to Australia too. http://www.traveldocs.com/cn/customs.htm
July 23rd, 2007 at 3:10 pmWhat will we be doing with the panda bears?
July 26th, 2007 at 12:03 pmI’m not sure myself. Have a look at the itinery and see if you can find the name of the centre or even an email. Then you could find out what sort of things they do with visitors and share it with everyone else.
July 26th, 2007 at 12:46 pmHow many kids are at the orphanage? Is there a site for where we are staying at the orphanage?
July 30th, 2007 at 11:19 amwhat airlines will we be traveling with
August 27th, 2007 at 9:41 ami hate flying and ive never been over seas so do you think i should be worried?
1. Airline & flying
September 10th, 2007 at 2:27 pmWe are travelling with China Eastern Airways. Ms Ware has travelled with them before. They are only a couple of years old so all their aircraft are quite new. Flying is less dangerous than travelling in a car. If you have not flown before you might find that your ears ‘pop’ when ascending or decending or that your ankles swell a bit. I suggest that you drink plenty of water to stay hydrated and there are some exercises you can do to keep the blood flowing in your legs. (I’ll show you at the airport). You will be offered plenty of food. Don’t think you need to eat it all-it might make you feel bloated rather than full. I also suggest that you take some lip balm and moisturiser, a hair brush and toothbrush as this will help you feel refreshed near the end of your journey.
2. The orphanage
September 10th, 2007 at 2:27 pmThe number of children at the orphanage varies as they try to reunite the children with their families (or extended family). It could range between 15 to 50 at the one time.
3.The pandas
September 10th, 2007 at 2:28 pmWe are going to Wolong, past Chengdu. They will provide us with overalls for our use. We could be shoveling panda poo (which is really just bamboo) or organising some food. Be prepared to ‘put your back’ into anything and everything. I saw on ‘Getaway’ the other night that there might be a chance to have a cuddle of a baby panda too.
Newsarticle in ‘The Age’ 10/9/07
September 10th, 2007 at 2:43 pmgo to:
http://www.theage.com.au/news/business/chinas-wealth-gap-a-growing-divide/2007/09/09/1189276544241.html
This is about the growning gap between the wealthy and poor in China - although only 10% are now in ‘absolute poverty’ (less than US$1/day) the gap between rich and poor is growing bigger than any other country in Asia.
Hello possums,
October 1st, 2007 at 7:24 pmI’ve found another useful website for you to visit: http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/chinese/real_chinese/
10 easy lessons in the Chinese language. Practice with the people around us: Our computer technician, owners of Au Citron and of Hampton North Post Office, both in Hampton St. I’ve found all these people to be so patient with me trying out the language.
what sort of hotels will we be staying at?how many stars?
October 10th, 2007 at 1:12 pmI think it is at least 3 stars at every hotel except for when we go to the orphans
October 16th, 2007 at 3:16 pmWhat currency do they take on the plane? i am guessing Chinese? seeing as though it is “Eastern Chinese Airlines”
October 22nd, 2007 at 12:58 pmI hope you are all having a great time
November 1st, 2007 at 6:58 amLooking forward to the next Blog and pics
November 6th, 2007 at 7:39 pm