AASCU Trip to China
• Higher Education Conference, Beijing, October 15-20, 2008
• Post-Beijing Conference to Guangxi, October 20-24, 2008
Each October, AASCU leads a delegation of representatives from member institutions to China to encourage the development of partnerships between AASCU and Chinese institutions, foster greater understanding of China's higher education system, and promote good will and understanding between our two countries.
Campuses may send presidents, provosts, chief international officers, or anyone else on the campus that needs to know more about Chinese higher education or seeks to establish ties with Chinese higher education institutions. If you or someone on your campus is interested in partnerships in China, we urge you to consider this special opportunity.
This October, the AASCU trip to China will begin with travel to Beijing on Wednesday, October 15th. The first portion of the trip is a long weekend in Beijing, ending Monday, October 20th.
The Beijing long weekend includes the following:
- Sightseeing in Beijing on Friday
(Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, etc.) - Formal banquet Friday night
- Sino-American Conference on Higher Education
(Topic: Quality Assurance in the U.S. and China) - Chinese Student Recruiting Expo (30,000 attendees)
- Meeting with U.S. Embassy and Consular officials about student visas and other travel issues
- Trip to the Great Wall
Following the 4-day Beijing program, AASCU participants have a number of options:
- Travel to Guangxi in southern China (with George Mehaffy) for a comprehensive introduction to Chinese higher education, visiting local universities and learning about Chinese history and culture. (See detailed description below)
- Travel to partner schools or other travel (arrangements made on your own, no involvement by AASCU)
- Return to the United States
Beijing Portion of the trip: October 15-20, 2008
Conference fee for the Beijing trip is $450.00 U.S. per person, which includes ground transportation (to and from the Beijing airport); city and Great Wall sightseeing guides and entry tickets; local transportation in Beijing, conference registration fee; banquet Friday night; lunch Saturday; and rental of a shared AASCU booth for student recruitment.
The conference fee will NOT include: visas for entry into China; Beijing hotel charges; roundtrip U.S-Beijing airline tickets; travel insurance, other domestic travel while in China, the registration fee for the post-Beijing trip, and any personal expenses, individual sightseeing and other personal activity while in China. Beijing accommodations will be at the JINGLUN Hotel (4 star). The daily standard room rate will be approximately $160 US per night, including breakfast and 15% service charge; suites will cost approximately $285 per night.
Schedule for the Beijing Conference Weekend
Wednesday, October 15
Depart from the United States
Thursday, October 16
Arrive in Beijing, limited sightseeing
Friday, October 17
Organizational meeting for all travelers; Sightseeing in Beijing (Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Hutong Tour); Higher Education Conference begins with a Grand Opening Banquet
Saturday, October 18
Higher Education Conference (all day)
Sunday, October 19
Meeting with Students Interested in Study in U.S.; Tour of the China EXPO 2008; Afternoon trip to the Great Wall
Monday, October 20
Meeting with U.S. Embassy and U.S. Consulate Staff; Departure for Post-Beijing Activities or Return Home
Post-Beijing Trip to Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region: October 20-24, 2008
Some of you may wish to make a special trip to southern China following the long weekend in Beijing. We will have a small group of no more than 14 who will travel to the very scenic Guangxi region along the Vietnam border.
We will be hosted for two university visits: Guangxi University in Nanning and Guangxi Normal University in Guilin.
In addition to in-depth university visits, we will travel by bus to see the extraordinary scenery of the Li River and the famous karst landscape. We will be accompanied by Madame Yang Meng, one of the senior officers of our Chinese partner institution, China Education Association for International Exchange (CEAIE), plus a local guide, ensuring that we will have a rich and comprehensive visit to two very different higher education institutions and the unique landscape of this southern-most region of China.
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region is located in southern China, along the border with Vietnam. Its mountainous terrain has made it one of the border frontiers of Chinese civilization. Guangxi's culture traditionally has had a close connection with the Cantonese. Guangxi is known for its ethno-linguistic diversity. In the capital of Nanning, for example, four dialect-languages are spoken locally: Southwestern Mandarin, Cantonese, Pinghua, and Zhuang.
Important crops in Guangxi include rice, maize, sweet potatoes, and wheat. Cash crops include sugar cane, peanuts, tobacco, and kenaf. In recent years Guangxi's economy has languished behind that of its wealthy neighbour and twin, the province of Guangdong.
Schedule
Monday, October 20
Fly from Beijing to Nanning (late afternoon, early evening)
Tuesday, October 21
Visit Guangxi University, then travel by bus to Guilin
Wednesday, October 22
Visit Guangxi Normal University, city tour of Guilin
Thursday, October 23
Leave Guilin for Yangshuo, city tour of Yangshuo
Friday, October 24
Travel to Guilin, fly back to Beijing (afternoon)
Saturday, October 25
On Saturday or Sunday, depart for the United States or travel on to other locations
University Information
Guangxi University
Guangxi University, established in 1928, is located in Nanning, the capital city of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Located in charming subtropical scenery, the university has a library collection of over 2.5 million volumes, as well as a demonstration center for teaching and research of modern agriculture technique, 61 research institutes or centers and 67 university and college laboratories housed in 20 colleges http://www.gxu.edu.cn/administration/gjc/index-e.htm
Guangxi Normal University
Guangxi Normal University, founded in 1928, is a comprehensive university integrating liberal arts and sciences, teacher-training, and adult education. The student population has 6,000 undergraduate students, 250 graduate students and about 10,000 students undertaking continued education in various areas. Among the facilities on campus are a multi-function gymnasium, a botanical garden, and a museum of minority folk customs. Guangxi Normal University is located in downtown Guilin on the former site of the Jingjiang Prince's Mansion of the Ming Dynasty. The University has taken the initiative in promoting international academic exchanges, one of the earliest to re-enroll international students and scholars since the opening of the People's Republic of China.
TopInformation about the Cities To Be Visited
Nanning
Nanning is located on the north bank of the Yong River, the chief southern tributary of the Xi River, and lies some 30 km below the confluence of the Yu and the Zuo rivers. Nanning's climate is sub-tropical and monsoonal. Nanning's tropical climate gives it an amazing amount of biodiversity. There are many species of animals and more than 3,000 species of plants.
Guilin
The major tourist attraction of Guangxi is Guilin, a town famed across China and the world for its spectacular setting by the Lijiang River (Li River) amongst severe karst peaks. It also used to be the capital of Guangxi, and Jingjiang Princes City, the old princes residence, is open to the public.
Yangshuo
Visitors to Yangshuo can swim in the Li river or the cleaner Yu Long (Dragon River), climb one of the many nearby karst peaks or hire a bicycle for a cycling trip through the karst scenery. Additionally, there is a butterfly cave near the town and a number of cave systems. Yangshuo is also China's foremost venue for rock climbing.
The 5-day post-Beijing trip to Guangxi will be $1,750 per person for all expenses ($ 1600 double occupancy) including:
- Domestic travel within China [airfare from Beijing to Nanning and from Guilin to Beijing, plus train and bus transportation in the province]
- Hotel rooms for 4 nights
- Meals
- Airport pickups and local transportation
- Tickets for tourist attractions
- Guide
- University visits
AASCU will make hotel reservations for Friday night (or multiple nights) in Beijing at the end of the trip, but the cost of the hotel room(s) in Beijing for Friday, October 24th and beyond is not included in the price quoted for the Guangxi trip.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact George Mehaffy (202 478-4672 or mehaffyg@aascu.org) or Arlene Jackson (202 478-7834 or jacksona@aascu.org).
Top
How to Register for the Beijing Conference
(and Post-Beijing Trip to Guangxi)
The deposit for this trip is $450. That deposit will cover the Registration Fee for the Beijing conference (see conference description above for a description about what is covered by the registration fee). Participants will be responsible for paying separately for their hotel in Beijing, plus some meals and other out-of-pocket expenses. You have an option of being invoiced now or after July 1st for the $450 deposit.
Participants interested in the Post-Beijing Guangxi trip should indicate that on the Registration Form. The cost for that trip is $1,750 for all expenses ($1,600 each person for double occupancy). We will invoice all Guangxi travelers for that portion of the trip in late summer.
Following receipt of your registration form, we will be sending out detailed information about travel insurance, medical information, day-to-day itinerary, and general reading.
Please note: To complete the application process, you should send in the Registration Form immediately. As soon as possible, you should also send in the Airline Confirmation Form and the Hotel reservation Form.
For Chinese visas, AASCU will work directly with the Chinese Embassy here in Washington, DC to manage the processing of China visa applications for all travelers. Please read the information below and on the Chinese Embassy website carefully. You will be asked to submit the application, a separate passport photo, your passport, and a check made out to AASCU for $130 once your registration has been accepted.
If you have any questions, please contact Arlene Jackson at 202 478-7834 or jacksona@aascu.org.Special Note on Registration Process:
AASCU is migrating to a new meeting registration system. Please select the most appropriate option below for you to register:| I want to register through AASCU’s new registration system and believe that my personal information is already in the AASCU database. (I have attended a meeting or had some other relationship with AASCU in the past). | Register |
| I want to print out and fax my registration form. | Download Form (pdf) |
| I want to call Felicia Durham at 202- 478-4673 to register for this meeting. |
Important Reminder:
Hotel Information
AASCU will make hotel reservations and have rooms blocked for you. Please make sure that you send your Hotel Confirmation sheet ONLY to AASCU.
Download Hotel Confirmation Sheet
Airlines Information
All travelers will be met at the Beijing Airport by AASCU/CEAIE staff and transportation will be provided to the Jinglun Hotel, if an Airline Confirmation sheet is sent to AASCU.
Download Airline Confirmation Sheet
Recommended Airlines
There are three (3) airlines that provide the most direct service between the U.S. and Beijing:
Continental: 800 525-0280
(Non-stop service between Newark, NJ and Beijing)
Northwest/KLM: 800 225-2525
(Departure from Detroit or Minneapolis via Tokyo)
United: 800 241-6522
(Non-stop between Chicago and Shanghai, then on to Beijing; non-stop between Washington, DC (Dulles) and Beijing)
Airlines fill up quickly for the peak season of October; we recommend that you make your reservations as soon as possible.
Visas for China
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AASCU will facilitate the issuance of Chinese visas for all travelers for this trip. Please note these requirements:
In late summer, we will send a note to all participants, asking them to FedEx their passport, the visa application, a passport photo, and a check made out to AASCU for $130, along with a return, prepaid FedEx envelope. We will take the passports and visa applications to the Chinese Embassy for group processing, and then FedEx the passport with visa attached back to each traveler. |