As the Director of the 2015 China Foreign Study Program, I would like to thank each of YOU, the FSP participants and your families, the BNU and Dartmouth faculty and staff, as well as all the supporting companies, institutions and individuals. It was your active participation, kind understanding, and generous support that made it possible for this Dartmouth China Foreign Study Program to be such a fond memory and a great success. I am so grateful, so thankful to each of you for everything, big and small, here and there...
(The Dartmouth China FSP Flag with Signatures of All Participants of the Dartmouth-NUFE Exchange)
During the fast-paced eleven and a half weeks, we studied the Chinese language and culture, wrote and traveled across China.
Culturally, we studied both the Han Chinese culture and various Chinese minority cultures;
(Brian Chung Testing a Reproduction of a 14th Century Chinese Scientific Square Table)
(Beyond the Dresses; in the Nine Tibetan Villages)
we also studied Confucian, Daoist, and Buddhist cultures.
(At the Confucius Temple; with the NUFEers in Nanjing)
(Kathryn Gilroy Learning Daoist Ritual in Beijing)
(Laura Donald Leading the Team towards the Bodhisattva of Moonlight in Baoji)
Geographically, we traveled from ancient China's Northern border near Beijing to modern China's Southern border area Sipsong Panna,
(Alexandrea Adams in Ancient China's Northern Border, The Great Wall near Beijing)
(Sipsong Panna, China's Southern Border Area)
and from the Eastern China where the Yangtze River ends to the Western China where the Yangtze River starts in the Tibetan plateau.
(Shanghai, Where the Yangtze River Enters the Sea)
(Golden Sand River in Shangri-La, the Upper Portion of the Yangtze River)
Tracing the steps of history, we visited Chang'an/Xi'an in Northwest China, where the first Chinese empire Qin was established in the 3rd century BCE, and Nanjing in Southeast China, an ancient city that had been the capital of the ROC of modern China in the early 20th century.
(Visiting China's First Emperor's Terracotta Soldiers in Xi'an, Capital of the Qin Dynasty, 3rd Century BCE)
(Reviewing the Nanjing Massacre, the Rape of Nanking, Capital of the Republic of China, 20th Century)
Fulfilling the academic requirements, we not only completed our 2nd or 3rd year Chinese courses but also did very impressive work on our experiential learning project, "Writing Across China."
(Hiding the... Wrong Characters, A "Writing Across China" Project by Alex Adams & Annie Ahn; Unfortunately, the video is too large to upload...)
In Chinese, there is a term yi shi zhu xing 衣食住行, which emphasizes how important clothing, foods, living and travels are in the Chinese culture. In terms of yi (clothing), we dressed not only from summer to winter but also from Han to Tibetan. As for shi (foods), we sampled a wide variety of foods.
(Dining in the Tibetan Restaurant Where China's First Lady Recently Dined)
(Trying Dai Foods at Dai's Bamboo Tables)
As for zhu (living), we enjoyed wonderful hotels around China.
(Inside One of Our Hotels, Yunnan)
(Inside One of Our Hotel Rooms, Xi'an)
As for xing (travels), we experienced transportation in the air, on the land, in the mountains, and on the waters.
(In Cable Cars, Yunnan)
(In a Boat, Yunnan)
We immersed in Chinese culture, history, life, and shanshui 山水 (mountains and waters)...
(Our Team, in Front of the History and Culture, Beijing)
("Enjoying Water" 乐水: Fish Following Us? We Following Fish?)
This has been a memorable program that unrolled China's mountains and waters, the past and the present for our study and understanding. I am confident that the experience will stay with us and better prepare us to view the world from a more enriched perspective for years to come.
