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Tuesday, December 2, Day 1: Individual arrivals into Beijing
Arrive in Beijing, and take advantage of your free time by exploring the city that serves as China’s single greatest repository of monuments and treasures from the Imperial era. Beijing is also the political and administrative center of the People’s Republic of China.
Wednesday, Day 2: Beijing
Program briefing: Discuss the political and cultural diversity of China and receive further information on the delegation
Professional Overview: Status and delivery of social work in China
Professional program focusing on:
- Educational preparation for Chinese social workers and human services professionals
- The nature and scope of professional social work and human service practice in China
Guest program:
Spend time with a family in the old Hutong area. Gain an understanding of how the locals really live by immersing yourself in their daily lives, even if only for a short time. Guests will move on to visit the best-kept courtyard house in Beijing,
Gong Wang Fu, or the Prince Gong Palace. Covering 5.7 hectares of land in the core area of Beijing, it is the world's largest and the most beautiful courtyard house. The palace is situated in the Western Street of Qian Hai, on the northern shore of Shicha Lake, Western District, Beijing.
Explore the largest and best-preserved royal garden in China. The Summer Palace has been an urban oasis for the last 800 years and was restored to its original splendor in the early 20th century.
Thursday, Day 3: Beijing
Delegates and guests will visit the Forbidden City (Imperial Palace), whose massive stone walls were once the residence of Ming and Qing emperors.
Enjoy breathtaking views from the wall’s high vantage points, and meander along a section set in a rugged, mountainous landscape. The mysteries of construction and conquest have drawn people to the Great Wall of China for nearly 2,000 years.
Friday, Day 4: Beijing
Professional program focusing on:
- Community development approaches and programs used to strengthen contemporary Chinese society
- Social welfare programs for building community capacity and improving families and children’s health and well-being
Guest program:
Visit the Temple of Heaven. The temple’s compound is one of the largest parks in the city, covering two times the size of the Palace Museum. For hundreds of years, Ming-dynasty emperors came to the Temple of Heaven on the winter solstice to offer sacrifices to the gods in hopes of a good harvest. Larger even than the Forbidden City, it was built in 1420 and is one of the largest parks in the city.
Saturday, Day 5: Beijing to Guilin
Depart Beijing for Guilin. Revered by the Chinese for its mystic landscapes and magnificent geologic features, Guilin is home to the meandering Li River, natural stone towers, and broad, green plains. Its natural wonders have inspired poets and artists for centuries. Guilin is also a significant manufacturing center and transportation link, but in the surrounding countryside, the old traditions of rural China continue uninterrupted.
Sunday, Day 6: Guilin
Soak in the spectacular beauty of China’s heartland and people during a Li River boat cruise. Delegates and guests will catch glimpses of local life while floating past waterfront and farming activities and may even see fishermen using cormorant birds to catch fish. The cruise will end in Yangshuo, 40 miles southeast of Guilin.
Visit the teaming free markets of Yangshuo, and learn a little of the town’s 1,400-year history.
Monday, Day 7: Guilin
Professional program focusing on:
- Approaches and programs for protecting children and strengthening families
- The roles and functions of professional associations for Chinese social workers and human service professionals
Guest program:
Explore the Reed Flute Cave, one of the more famous caves in Guilin. A 500-meter trail winds past unusual formations that colored lights cause to resemble coral, agate, amber and jade. A vast grotto is located inside the cave, capable of holding up to 1,000 people. According to legend, the stone pillar in the grotto is the Dragon King’s magic needle, used as a weapon by the Monkey King in the popular Chinese fable and novel “Journey to the West.”
Enjoy a tour of Daxu Old Town. Situated majestically at the southeast of Guilin city and west bank of Li River, it used to be a hub of transportation about 600 hundred years ago.
Tuesday, Day 8: Guilin to Shanghai
Arrive in Shanghai, the fourth largest city in the world and one of China’s most cosmopolitan areas. This large metropolis is a leading cultural and education center of China.
Wednesday, Day 9: Shanghai
Professional program focusing on:
- The implications of rapid economic development for the social welfare and well-being of Chinese families and communities
Guest program:
Experience the vibrant artwork and peaceful atmosphere of the Jade Buddha Temple. Located in the northwest part of the city, the temple is famous for two rare statues of Buddha, each carved out of a single piece of white Burmese jade. One depicts Buddha at the moment of his enlightenment, and the other as he is passing into Nirvana. The original temple, built in 1882, was destroyed during the revolution that overthrew the Qing dynasty. The statues survived, and a new temple was constructed in 1928.
Guests will depart to see the changes of the leased territory, the vicissitudes of the Bund, and the achievements of Shanghai in urban planning and construction in the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall, the world’s biggest model of urban planning. It fully displays the achievements of Shanghai in city planning and construction and embodies the theme of “city, man, environment, and development”. The Exhibition Hall adopts modern exhibition technology and uses high technology to achieve an integration of professionalism, knowledge, interest, and art, giving stress to the exhibition of the future of the city.
Stroll through the Xin Tian Di Area, located in the center of Shanghai City south of Huaihai Zhong Lu. Shanghai Xin Tian Di has become an urban tourist attraction that holds the historical and cultural legacies of the city. It is unique because of its concept of construction. It retains the antique walls, tiles and exterior of the Shikumen housing of old Shanghai. On the other hand, its interior embodies a totally different world of international gallery, bars and cafes, boutiques or theme restaurants. When you walk into Xin Tian Di, you will get the taste both of Shanghai in the 1920's and the sonic modern lifestyle of urbanites of the 21st century.
Thursday, Day 10: Shanghai
Delegates and guests will spend the morning at the Shanghai Museum perusing more than 120,000 cultural relics representing all the historical periods of ancient China. Established in 1952 and located in People’s Square, the museum is reputed to be one of the four largest in China.
Enjoy a stop at the Yu Garden bordering Old Town; it is filled with stone dragons, teahouses, pavilions and goldfish ponds.
Share your memories and experiences with fellow delegates at your farewell banquet.
Friday, Day 11: Depart from Shanghai (own arrangements)
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