(The exact dates and price of this trip will be announced later this year when airline schedules and prices for 2008 are available, but interested members may sign-up now, with no need to pay deposit or commit until further details are available).
This study trip takes us to Shaanxi and Sichuan provinces, home to some of the most ancient relics of Chinese history. Shaanxi, in the Yellow River Basin, was the cradle of Chinese civilization, and its most important city, Xian (known as Changan in ancient times) was the capital of several Chinese dynasties from the first millennium BC through the end of the Tang Dynasty in the tenth century AD. In the Han Dynasty, Xian rivaled Rome in the west, and in the Tang Dynasty, it was without a doubt the largest and
most splendid city in the world, when it was both the cosmopolitan capital of the dynasty that is regarded as the Golden Age of China, and also the eastern terminus of the fabled Silk Road. Much of the glorious heritage of that ancient civilization has been unearthed by archaeologists in underground tombs. We shall see this heritage not only at the famed Terra Cotta Soldiers Pits, but also in the Provincial Museum, various tombs and pagodas, and in the splendid collection of Han and Tang silver and gold ware at Famen Temple. We shall also visit ancient ceramic kilns, and we shall not neglect the province’s more recent Muslim culture, visiting the city’s famed mosque and Muslim quarter, and eating its distinctive Muslim cuisine, featuring lamb and noodle dishes.
Where Shaanxi is distinctively part of China’s northern history, culture, geography, and cuisine, neighboring Sichuan Province to the south is a lush semi-tropical contrast. Sichuan was host to the mysterious ancient kingdom of Shu, which was finally politically integrated with the Yellow River culture of Shaanxi in the 4th century BC by the ancestors of the First Emperor. The splendid bronze artifacts of Shu are on display in the museum of Sanxingdui, in the countryside near Chengdu, and in the newly opened Jin Sha Museum. And of course the rugged mountains of Sichuan are home to the pandas, which we study at the Breeding Center.
This trip is organized on behalf of the Siam Society by the Beijing Cultural Heritage Protection Center, a registered Chinese NGO working to promote the preservation of China’s historical heritage. Part of the donations for this study trip will be presented to the Center to assist its work. The Center will arrange for us to visit some areas not generally open to the public, and to meet with experts in cultural heritage protection informally over meals.
The Siam Society study trip leader will be Jim Stent, former Member of the Siam Society Council, student of Chinese history and culture, and Advisor to Beijing Cultural Heritage Protection Center. Jim has recently spent four years living in China, working on issues of cultural heritage protection, and knows both Sichuan and Shaanxi provinces well.
Day-by-day Itinerary
Day 1, Sunday, 18 May, 2008, Bangkok to Chengdu
This morning, we take flight TG618 (1045/1455) to Chengdu. Our first stop after leaving the airport is the Wenshu Monastery, a beautifully maintained Buddhist temple that exemplifies the Sichuan style of temple architecture. After strolling around the courtyards of the temple, we enjoy a Buddhist vegetarian feast at the temple restaurant. Before dinner is served, your study trip leader, Jim Stent, gives a trip orientation and introduction to the history of Sichuan, with particular reference to the mysterious ancient kingdom of Shu, the relics of which we will be seeing on subsequent days.
Hotel (4 star)
Meals included (D)
Day 2, Monday, 19 May,2008, Chengdu
This morning, we drive to the Panda Breeding Center to see the pandas in the morning when they are most active. We see both the great panda and lesser panda, and an expert tells us a bit about the lives and habitat of this lovable and fascinating animal.
Our next stop is Sanxingdui Museum, where lunch awaits us in the museum restaurant. In the first two millennia BC, contemporaneous with the Zhou Dynasty development of Han Chinese civilization to the north in the Yellow River Valley, centering on Xian, the Chengdu Basin was home to a little-known but vibrant state called Shu, which left no written records but produced fabulous bronze wares used in burial chambers. These were first discovered at Sanxingdui in the 1920’s, and were only fully excavated in the 1980’s. These discoveries changed scholars’ understanding of China’s ancient history. The museum is built on top of the Sanxingdui archaeological sites of the ancient kingdom of Shu. Sanxingdui is one of the best museums in China, and provides a new perspective on ancient Chinese history and art.
Tonight we sample Sichuan’s famous spicy food at a local Chengdu restaurant. After dinner, we visit a local teahouse and see a performance of Sichuan’s famous bian lian (“face changing”).
Hotel (4 star)
Meals included (BLD)
Day 3, Tuesday, 20 May, 2008, Chengdu to Xi’an
This morning, we take the morning flight (MU2342, 0955/1110) to Xi’an in Shaanxi Province. Upon arrival in Xi’an, we drive directly to the Terra Cotta Warrior Museum, stopping for lunch on the way, and meet our history expert at the museum. Our expert shows us through the amazing underground army of this first emperor of China. We also visit in the company of an archaeologist the 5th pit, not presently open to the general public, to see the stone armory of the Terra Cotta Warriors.
Dinner is arranged at a restaurant featuring local Shaanxi Muslim food, following which Jim Stent gives a lecture on Xian’s ancient history through the Tang Dynasty.
Hotel (4 star)
Meals included: B, L, D
Day 4, Wednesday, 21 May, 2008, Xi’an
Today, we spend the morning visiting the Forest of Stone Tablets – China’s greatest treasure house of traditional calligraphy. To help us gain a better understanding of this art form, we first visit a nearby calligrapher’s studio to learn to distinguish the different styles of calligraphy and see how Chinese brush and ink are used to create a calligraphic scroll. Here, we have the chance to learn to write a few simple Chinese characters, as well as enjoy a skillful performance by a master. After the Forest of Stone Tablets, we drive to the South Gate of the Old City, walk on a portion of the Ming Dynasty City Wall of Xi’an, one of the last intact city walls remaining in China., and then pass through the South Gate to visit the Tang Dynasty Da Yan Ta (Big Goose Pagoda). Lunch is local Shaanxi noodles.
This afternoon, we visit the Shaanxi History Museum, where we spend two hours studying the treasures that have been unearthed from the more than 1,000 years that Xi'an served as the ancient capital of China. At the end of the visit, we will go into a private section, not open to the general public, to see the Mural Exhibition which reveals to us a splendid world of elegant Tang Dynasty art works.
We then head to the Great Mosque located in the center of the city, which is also an evidence of the Islamic influence in China during the Tang Dynasty (618 A.D. – 907 A. D.) via the world-renowned Silk Road. After the visit, we will have chance to explore the neighboring Muslim Quarter, and do some shopping among the charming alleyways.
After a day of immersion in ancient culture, we wrap up the afternoon with a visit to a local acrobatic school to watch the students put on an acrobatic performance for us.
Hotel (4 star)
Meals included: B, L, D
Day 5, Thursday, 22 May, 2008, Xi’an
Today we have an excursion to the west of Xi’an, visiting Famen Temple in Fufeng County. The archaeological findings underneath the pagoda of Famen Temple surprised the world, as the only finger bone relic of Sakyamuni Buddha in the world, together with many other Tang Dynasty treasures were unearthed here in 1987. Next to the Terra Cotta Warriors, this little-known site is the greatest archaeological finding in Shaanxi Province. The Museum contains a dazzling collection of Tang Dynasty gold and silver ornamental pieces, beautifully executed.
After lunch, we continue to the Qianling Mausoleum, known for the greatest, also the only, female emperor in Chinese history – Wu Zetian. Built into a real mountain, the scale of the mausoleum is amazing. Perhaps this is also the reason that the tomb has been maintained intact since the Tang Dynasty. Nearby we visit the Princess Yong Tai’s tomb, with frescos of Tang Dynasty court ladies.
Hotel (4 star)
Meals included: B, L, D
Day 6, Friday, 23 May, 2008, Xi’an
Our last day in Xi’an will bring us to a little town located on the northern Loess Plateau – Chen Lu, which has been famous for its ceramic production over the past 1,400 years. A two hour bus ride takes us first to a ceramic museum with a well-presented exhibition of local ceramic production history. Then after a lunch organized with the local farmers, we will proceed to visit kilns that are still in production, making replicas of the ancient ware that the area was famous for.
Upon returning to Xi’an, we enjoy a farewell banquet.. Jim Stent gives a lecture on the status of cultural heritage preservation in contemporary China, and describes the activities of Beijing Cultural Heritage Protection Center in promoting heritage preservation.
Hotel (4 star)
Meals included: B, L, D
Day 7, Saturday, 24 May, 2008, Xi’an to Chengdu
This morning, we start our return journey, heading back by plane to Chengdu. The afternoon is spent at the Jin Sha Museum, which is the second museum in Sichuan devoted to relics of the Shu Kingdom. Opened in 2007, the objects displayed are surprisingly different from those we saw at the San Xingdui Museum, reflecting the fact that they come from a different archaeological site.
In the evening we have a farewell banquet of spicy Sichuan food.
Hotel (4 star)
Meals included: B, L, D
Day 8, Sunday, 25 May, 2008, Chengdu to Bangkok
In the morning we visit Wuhou Temple, dedicated to Zhuge Liang, of Three Kingdoms (Sam Kok) fame. The temple is of interest for the temple structures and gardens, but will also appeal to Thai Sam Kok buffs, with its many exhibits related to Three Kingdoms history.
In the remainder of the morning we stroll through the Wang Jiang Lou Gardens, viewing the more than 100 different varieties of bamboo that it contains and finishing up with green tea in the park’s tea house. After lunch we head for the airport for our TG 619 (1600/1805).
Meals included (B,L)
A contribution of 88,500 Baht is solicited to meet costs. The contribution will cover transportation, hotel accommodation (two persons per room), all meals in China, air port taxs, along with fees to museums and ancient monuments mentioned in the programme, donation to Siam Society and Beijing Cultural Heritage Protection Center, and other cost to make trip possible. (single supplement is Baht 12,500). 3,500 Baht extra cost for non-members.
A deposit of 25,000 Baht is required before March 15, 2008 and the final balance due by April 16, 2008. THE PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE THE VISA FEE TO CHINA.
The Siam Society reserves the right to change the programme as necessary.
Cancellation charge
| 35 days before the start of the trip: |
No Cancellation charge |
| within 35-15 days of the start of the trip: |
30% of the tour cost |
| within 15-10 days of the start of the trip: |
50% of the tour cost |
| Lees than 10 days or cancellation without notice: |
NO REFUND |
พระบรมราชูปถัมภ์
