CHINA 2018-19
THE LEADER IN CROSS-CULTURAL + EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION SINCE 1993
CHINA: MANDARIN LANGUAGE INTENSIVE 4-Week & 6-Week Summer Programs, Ages 15–18
“
CHINA 6-We
With outstanding Chinese language teachers and an average class size of three students,
“Amy returned from the Silk Road program
Drag
Dragons Yunnan-based language programs offer unparalleled language instruction. Three
inspired. She has changed her studies in
adv
to five hours a day of classroom instruction are complemented by language immersion in
college to China-focused courses. She has
we
homestays, both in the city of Kunming and rural villages in western Yunnan. Independent
returned from China with a new curiosity and
Study Projects along with group excursions and guest speakers provide additional opportunities for students to apply what they’ve learned in the classroom and navigate daily
reg
devotion to learning more about the culture
an
and people of the Far East.”
thro
life in China. June 28 - July 28, 2018; June 28 - August 8, 2018
Tian DE NISE STAFFORD, PARENT
Taklim
China: The Silk Road
oasis tow
We experien
Hui, Dongxiang, T
to understand their illustrious heritage and the com June 28 - August 8, 2018
CHINA: THE YANGTZE RIVER 4-Week Summer Program, Ages 16–18
Traveling the length of Asia’s longest river, through
heartland, we spend an incredible month exploring breadth of this immense country. On our Yangtze River course we learn about China’s cultural history while surveying ethnic minority issues and engaging in a curriculum that delves deeply into the environmental challenges of a rapidly
CHINA: CHANGE & TRADITION 6-Week Summer Program, Ages 16–18
modernizing China. This journey begins in the mega-city of Shanghai, the world’s busiest port, and ends at the river’s headwaters
Engaging with this vast and diverse country in remote villages and massive cities, in Han
in the Tibetan Kingdom of Amdo. The vast
ethnic majority areas as well as many minority communities, traversing mountains and
picture of China we take in is sure to provide an
pastureland, rivers and farmland—the Change and Tradition program explores key issues at
enlightening, comprehensive overview to anyone
the center of changing Chinese culture and life. Our students develop an understanding of
interested in the critical issues facing China today.
how modern historical events have shaped life for people in China today and how China’s ongoing economic transformation continues to reshape society, families, and individual choices. June 28 - August 8, 2018
June 28 - July 28, 2018
eek Summer Program, Ages 16–18
A: THE SILK ROAD
CHINA & LAOS: FROM HOLY MOUNTAIN TO HIDDEN KINGDOM NEW THIS YEAR! 6-Week Summer Program, Ages 16–18
agons Silk Road program is a rugged
From the base of sacred Kawagebo mountain on the edge of the Tibetan Plateau, the mighty
dventure that combines travel in China’s far
est with meaningful investigations of the
Mekong River courses through gorges and mega-dams through the Himalayas, gradually widening into the tropical rainforests of Laos. The China and Laos summer program splits time
egion’s many cultures, fascinating history,
between China’s Yunnan province and northern Laos as we explore the diverse landscapes,
nd religious traditions. Our journey takes us
spiritual traditions, and critical issues connected to life along the Mekong River. Offering students
rough awe-inspiring natural landscapes: the
an opportunity to explore the region through a transnational lens, this program delves into the
nshan and Pamir mountain ranges, Gobi and
economic, environmental, and cultural mosaic of Laos and China.
makan deserts, the Tibetan Plateau, ancient
June 28 - August 8, 2018
wns, nomadic pasturelands and alpine forests.
ence daily life among Uyghur, Kazakh, Kyrgyz,
Tibetan, Mongol and Han people as we strive
mplex challenges of the present.
h China’s
g the
SEMESTER OFFERING CHINA: SOUTH OF THE CLOUDS 12-Week Fall & Spring Semesters, Ages 17+ Dragons China semester allows for much deeper immersion through longer homestays, intensive language instruction, wide-ranging travel and in-depth Independent Study Projects. Students often use this semester as a vehicle for exploration of China’s cultural traditions, mastering fundamentals of healing arts, cooking, calligraphy, painting, or a body discipline (such as qi gong or taijiquan). The semester includes exploration of China’s western reaches, to ancient Silk Road trading posts, nomadic Tibetan communities, development projects, boom towns, and areas of spectacular natural beauty. September 15 - December 6, 2018; February 12 - May 6, 2019
*This semester is available for college credit, see our website for more information.
L E A R N M O R E : W H E R E T H E R E B E D R AG O N S .CO M /ST U D E N TS
LEADING THE WAY FOR MORE THAN 25 YEARS When Dragons began running programs in 1993, the few existing programs in China traveled by chartered bus to stock tourism sites. We were the first organization to take students to remote areas of western China and the Tibetan Plateau; we were the first organization to travel deeply into rural and minority areas of Yunnan, Sichuan, Gansu and Xinjiang; and we were the first organization to offer homestays in both urban and rural communities. Since that time, we’ve continued to seek opportunities for connection and engagement across China, in places and with people that give our students the most direct experience of China’s diversity, depth, and complexity.
UNMATCHED QUALITY OF INSTRUCTION & INDIVIDUAL STUDENT ATTENTION Dragons programs are limited in size to 12 students and are guided by three instructors. Our instructors are mature and experienced adults who teach to China’s history, arts, culture, economy, politics and development. With an average age of 30, our instructors include career teachers, graduate researchers, and wilderness guides, while others have a background in development, journalism or ecology. Instructors work in teams of three to complement one another’s knowledge and skills and provide students with a comprehensive view of China today.
MEANINGFUL ENGAGEMENT We have worked over many years with local and international academics, experts, and guides to build one-ofa-kind programs with dynamic itineraries. All of the experiences we facilitate and the relationships we share with students have been cultivated by Dragons staff, exclusively for our programs. From village homestay families, to service project partners, to our independently recruited and trained language teachers, we connect students directly to the people who can teach them the most about life in China and help them develop the skills to learn independently.
A BROAD & HOLISTIC EXPERIENCE On a Dragons China program, students might hike through the countryside and visit remote Buddhist monasteries, learn about artistic traditions through hands-on classes in calligraphy and thangka painting, see how ecological farming projects are responding to environmental damage, talk to migrant workers in rapidly expanding cities, and live in the homes of families whose ancestors arrived with the invading armies of Genghis Khan. All students engage in Independent Study Projects, designed to meet their needs and interests, with topics that range from the study of Chinese cooking and food culture, to the impact of hydropower in Yunnan, martial arts, pop music, or Chinese history. Dragons China students play an active role in determining the course and outcomes of their experience, engaging fully with the places and people they visit.
L E A R N M O R E : W H E R E T H E R E B E D R AG O N S .CO M /ST U D E N TS