There are few places in the world that have experienced the pace of change that China has endured over the last thirty years. In the drive to move its economy forwards, much of the old country has fallen under the wrecking ball. In Beijing, all but a few landmarks, like the Forbidden City have been torn down or gentrified in the name of progress. With one foot in the past, and another in the future, witness the stark contrast of ancient neighbourhoods flanked by a backdrop of gleaming super structures, to the mountains beyond where the Great Wall continues to snake a path through the clouds as it has for centuries.
Travel by the bullet train through the heart of Shanxi Province to the ancient financial centre of Pingyao, with its traditional courtyards and preserved city wall, before turning back the clock 2000 years to discover the roots of the Chinese nation in the city of Xi’an. It was here that in 221 B.C. the first emperor Qing Shi Huang unified the warring states of the Zhou into an area loosely recognisable as today’s China. Xi’an was the starting point for the Silk Route and remains a melting pot for both commercial and cultural exchange.
Continue south to Yellow Mountain, with its steep ascents and precipitous gullies made famous by poets and painters alike. Journey through a countryside of emerald-green rice paddies and tea plantations to the famed traditional Hui villages, with their distinctive architecture features, and courtyard gardens.
Visit the West Lake of Hangzhou, an ancient capital which was known for its beauty as far back as the Southern Song. (12th - 13th centuries), when Marco Polo is said to have visited. You journey concludes in a world of glistening modernity and traditional lane houses. Shanghai has risen from a walled fishing town to an economic powerhouse and the face of modern China.
The journey has been organised for the Alumni of Cambridge University but is also open to Alumni of Oxford University and their friends and family. Please note that Distant Horizons has sole responsibility for the operation of this tour. The Universities have no direct control over the operation of any tours.
Maximum Party Size: 20 Trip Price to be confirmed.
Trip Leader: Dr Desmond Cheung
Desmond Cheung is a historian of Imperial China at SOAS University, London. His current work focuses on the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). He is currently completing a book on the creation and meanings of the famous sites of Hangzhou during the Ming.
He is also working on a second book project on the history of locust control in imperial China. His publications include articles on locust control, Ming city walls, the history of Christianity in China, and Chinese World War II films.
Desmond has over a decade of experience teaching a wide range of university courses on China and East Asia. He joined SOAS as a Senior Teaching Fellow in Chinese Studies in 2021. He teaches Classical & Literary Chinese and contributes to modules on East Asian history and culture.