2016 Trip

Overview

We began our trip in Taiwan, formerly known as Formosa. Taiwan is famous for its green scenery and friendly people, trading and computer products, as well as tea and night markets. We first toured the capital city, Taipei, by eating Xiao Long Bao at a 3-star Michelin restaurant, Ding-Tai-Feng, strolling around Taipei Soho - Ximending, and flying sky lanterns at a nearby old town, Jiufen. We then took the west coast line (past Laoshi's hometown!), saw Sun-Moon Lake, participated in an aboriginal dance, and made our own bubble tea at the tea house where it all began. Later we visited temples of Taiwan's two major religions, Daoism and Buddhism. Finally, we travelled to the east coast to view the gorge at Taroko National Park. We ended our trip in Taiwan by eating at a local night market - a must-do in Taiwan!

The second part of the trip focused on Beijing and its vicinity, like the Temple of Heaven, the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace and the Great Wall, which displayed the grandeur of China's 5,000 years of powerful history. We also visited Si-he-yuan, a court yard residential structure, and took a rickshaw ride along the Hutong alleyways to get a closer look at old Beijing-ian's lifestyle. Tours at jade and silk factories took our students' understanding of Chinese art to the next level. On our last night, we strolled around Wang-fu-jing night market and of course, we couldn't leave Beijing without tasting a local delicacy - roasted duck!

STUDENT REACTIONS

"The Taiwan/ China Trip was a pinnacle experience of my life." -- Kyle

"When we went to China and Taiwan, it was truly incredible to be able to interact with native Chinese people in their original language." -- Lila

"I felt like I was really immersed in the culture when I was with other Chinese students, not only because I was encouraged to speak Chinese at local restaurants and shops, but also because I had freedom to walk around with a group of kids my age." -- Skylar

"My time in China and Taiwan was defined by an overwhelming "unfamiliarity" factor. So much of the culture is unreachable from Chicago, and everything in the countries was just... different. I noticed a distinctness in the storefronts, the streets, the cuisine, the landscape. I could list divergence between our American culture and this one forever. But most important about this list would remain the fact that I experienced something new, something fresh, something unconventional by my standards, in every train car and mountain." -- Gabe