continuing studies & early college : international programs

TRAVEL PROGRAMS

A Trip of a Lifetime: China & Tibet

May 19 - June 6, 2008

19 Days

Accompany Art History Professor Gan Xu on a tour of China and Tibet. Professor Xu has led several trips that introduce travelers to Chinese artists, scholars, and friends and give an extraordinary glimpse into aspects of China not generally available to tourists. In addition to seeing the sights that you would expect, such as the elaborate architecture of the Forbidden City, the outstretched monumentality of the Great Wall, and the terra cotta army of the First Emperor of China near Xi’an, you will discover treasures of Chinese art and culture off the beaten track.

The trip will begin in Shanghai, where you will visit the world class collections of the Shanghai Art Museum and explore the Moganshan Art Studio District. You will see the Ming gardens of the Chinese “Venice” in old Suzhou on the ancient Grand Canal. You will fly to Lhasa,Tibet, and spend three days in this breath-taking environment. From Lhasa you will travel on a section of China’s newly opened “railway at the top of the world.” In Beijing you will visit the 798 Artists Factory, and meet the Director of the Institute of Architecture of China. Your travels will take you to Dunhuang, a frontier town in the Gobi Desert and site of the Magao Caves – the amazing Buddhist art “gallery” on the old Silk Route. If you are game, you can enjoy a camel ride to the Crescent Moon Pool set amidst the Mingsha sand dunes.

The cost of the tour is $5,810 and includes hotels, food, transportation including group airfare between Portland and China, guides, entrance fees, and cultural events. Accommodations will be in three- and four-star hotels. Single room accommodations will be available with a surcharge. Reservations with a deposit of $500 are due by January 20, 2008 and payment in full is required by February 14, 2008. For itinerary and details, please call 207.879.5742 ext. 5060.

Gan Xu is a native of China, a world traveler, an engaging raconteur, and a remarkable guide. He is a Professor of Art History at Maine College of Art and teaches at East China Normal University in Shanghai. He has exhibited oil painting and Chinese ink painting in the US and China. He holds an MA in Chinese Art History from Vanderbilt University and a PhD in Comparative Arts from Ohio University.