Join art history professor Katie Ryor and her husband, Jim Smith, for a memorable journey across China along the fabled Silk Road, which has bound China with the Middle East since before the time of Christ.

HISTORY

The Silk Road linked the east and west in ancient times and played a key role in the spread of religions westward to China, most notably Buddhism and Islam. We will visit major sacred sites of both religions and meet a wide variety of people from diverse ethnic backgrounds. The trip takes us through the central plains of China into the shifting sand of the Taklamakan Desert all the way through the magnificent Tianshan Mountain range.

THE JOURNEY

We begin our journey in Xian, the eastern starting point of the Silk Road, and for the next two weeks we follow the ancient route to China’s far northwestern corner by bus, train, and plane. Along the way, we visit the city of Lanzhou and the famous Mogao Grottos in Dunhuang, perhaps the greatest trove of early Buddhist art. An overnight train then takes us to Turpan, where we tour the ancient Jiaohe ruins. In Kashgar, we experience the color and spectacle of Kashgar’s Sunday Bazaar, before flying to Beijing.

ACCOMMODATIONS

Stay in deluxe accommodations in Xian and Beijing and the best available hotels in other cities.

OPTIONAL EXTENSION

A three-day extension in Beijing is available.

FACULTY

Katie Ryor, an associate professor of art history and chair of the art and art history department, is an expert in Chinese art and architecture and teaches courses on Buddhist art at Carleton. Her husband, Jim Smith, worked for 13 years as the collection manager of the Freer Gallery of Art, the Asian art museum of the Smithsonian Institution, and currently serves as Carleton’s art collection registrar.

PRICING

MAIN TRIP
$5995 per person based on double occupancy
$ 895 single supplement

Prices are based on a minimum of twenty participants. A small group surcharge not to exceed $375 may be imposed on groups sizes of 12-19 passengers.

BEIJING EXTENSION
$ 945 per person, based on double occupancy
$ 195 single supplement

Rates are net, based on a minimum of 10 participants. A small group surcharge not to exceed $195 may be imposed for a group size of 6-9 passengers.

INCLUDED FEATURES

• Fourteen nights hotel accommodations and one night in sleeper train. Three nights hotel accommodations on the extension.
• All meals, including welcome and farewell dinners.
• All gratuities to drivers and guides.
• All transfers with luggage handling at the hotels, airports, and train stations
• Transportation by deluxe motorcoach and overnight train. Includes all flights in China
• A Siemer & Hand tour manager and a highly experienced Chinese national tour escort throughout the trip, plus excellent local guides.
• The expertise of Professor Katie Ryor and Registrar Jim Smith
• Pre-trip service and pre-departure information.

PROGRAM COST EXCLUDES: International airfare, airport and departure taxes; meals not listed as included; charges for items of a personal nature including laundry, beverages, and excess baggage charges; independent travel arrangements; travel and accident insurance; and passport fees.

DEPOSITS AND FINAL PAYMENT: Reservations will be accepted in order of receipt if accompanied by a completed reservation form and a deposit of $500 per person. Final payment for all land and air costs is due by August 8, 2007, and must be paid by check.

CANCELLATIONS AND REFUNDS: Refunds, less a cancellation fee of $275 per person, will be made if Siemer & Hand Travel is notified on or before August 8, 2007. No refunds will be granted after that date. All cancellations must be in writing.

SAMPLE AIRFARE FROM MINNEAPOLIS:...................................$1,110
Airfare is current as of December 2006 and subject to change until ticketed. A $45 per person service fee will be applied for all airline tickets purchased through Siemer & Hand Travel.

ITINERARY SUMMARY

For a complete itinerary, please click on the itinerary link in the blue box.

MAIN TRIP

• Oct 8: Departure from USA
• Oct 9: Arrive in Beijing and continue to Xi'an. Hyatt Regency Hotel,Xi'an (D)
• Oct. 10: Xi'an - Shaanxi History Museum, Small Goose Pagoda, Great Mosque. Hyatt Regency Hotel, Xi'an (B,L,D)
• Oct. 11: Xi'an - Terracotta Soldiers, Tomb of Emperor Qin Shihuang,Forest of Stone Steles. Hyatt Regency Hotel, Xi'an (B,L,D)
• Oct. 12: Xi'an - Famen Temple, Qian Mausoleum, Tomb of Princess Yongtai. Hyatt Regency Hotel, Xi'an (B,L,D)
• Oct. 13: Xi'an to Lanzhou - Taichi class, Ming Dynasty City Walls, Big Goose Pagoda, flight to Lanzhou. Lanzhou Sunshine Hotel (B,L,D)
• Oct. 14: Lanzhou - Bingling Temple and boat ride, Cooking class. Lanzhou Sunshine Hotel (B,L,D)
• Oct. 15: Lanzhou to Dunhuang - Gansu Provincial Museum, flight to Dunhuang. Silk Road Hotel, Dunhuang (B,L,D)
• Oct. 16: Dunhuang - Mingsha Sand Dunes, Crescent Moon Lake, Mogao Grottoes. Silk Road Hotel, Dunhuang (B,L,D)
• Oct. 17: Dunhuang to Turpan - Modern Grottoes Art Project, Western Thousand Buddha Caves. Overnight train to Turpan (B,L,D)
• Oct. 18: Turpan - Emin Minaret, Bezeklik Caves, Ancient City of Gaochang. Green Oasis Hotel, Turpan (B,L,D)
• Oct. 19: Turpan to Urumqi - Ancient City of Jiaohe, drive to Urumqi. Sheraton Hotel, Urumqi (B,L,D)
• Oct. 20: Urumqi - Heavenly Lake and boat ride, visit to yurts, Xianjiang Regional Museum, flight to Kashgar. Barony Hotel, Kashgar (B,L,D)
• Oct. 21: Kashgar - Id Kah Mosque, Sunday Bazaar. Barony Hotel, Kashgar (B,L,D)
• Oct. 22: Kashgar - Abakn Hoja Tomb, Muer Pagoda, Tajik Dance performance. Barony Hotel, Kashgar (B,L,D)
• Oct. 23: Kashgar to Beijing - Flight to Beijing, via Urumqi. Novotel Xinqiao Hotel, Beijing (B,L,D)
• Oct. 24: Beijing to home - Transfer to airport or join extension program in Beijing. Arrive in USA

BEIJING EXTENSION

• Oct. 24: Beijing - Beijing Planning Exhibition hall, National Opera House, Tian'anmen Square, Forbidden City, Peking Duck dinner. NovotelXinqiao Hotel, Beijing (B,L,D)
• Oct. 25: Beijing - Visit to hutongs, Fragrant Hill Hotel lunch, Da Hue Temple, Tea Ceremony, Summer Palace. Novotel Xinqiao Hotel, Beijing (B,L,D)
• Oct. 26: Beijing - Great Wall, Dashanzi Contemporary Art Zone. Novotel Xinqiao Hotel, Beijing (B,L,D)
• Oct. 27: Beijing to home - Transfer to airport. Arrive in USA

OTHER INFORMATION

HEALTH: All participants must be in good health. This program is active and involves walking over uneven surfaces and climbing stairs. All locations may not be handicapped accessible. Any condition that may require special medical attention or other accommodation must be reported at the time of your reservation.

TRAVEL INSURANCE: Travel insurance is strongly recommended. To protect for the following three conditions, insurance must be purchased within 14 days of your initial tour deposit: 1) a pre-existing condition pertaining to you, a travel companion, or an immediate family member; 2) unforeseeable events or their consequences, including cancellations by an airline, cruise line, or tour operator as a result of financial insolvency; and 3) terrorist act(s) which occur in your departure city or in a city which is a scheduled destination for your trip and within 30 days of the scheduled departure date.

RESPONSIBILITY: A detailed statement of limitations and exclusions of liability of Siemer & Hand Travel, Inc. and Carleton College for loss of property, injury, illness, or death will be provided to passengers upon enrollment and is available to prospective travelers upon request.

This trip is being organized in conjunction with SIEMER & HAND TRAVEL, INC.: Seller of fine travel programs since 1959. www.siemerhand.com CST 1004239-10

READING LIST

TIER 1: If you can only read one book read this one--

Susan Whitfield, Life Along the Silk Road, Univ. of California Press (dist.), 1999

TIER 2: If you have time and interest, read one or more of these books--

Richard C. Foltz, Religions of the Silk Road, NY: St. Martin's Press, 1999

Peter Hopkirk, Foreign Devils on the Silk Road, Amherst:Univ. of Massachusetts Press, 1980

TIER 3: For even more information, check out these books--

Sally Hovey Wriggens, The Silk Road Journey with Xuanzang, Westview Press, 2004

Denis Sinor, The Cambridge History of Early Inner Asia, Cambridge University Press, 1990

Paul Williams, Mahayana Buddhism: The Doctrinal Foundations, Routledge, 1989

Frances Wood, The Silk Road: Two Thousand Years in the Heart of Asia, Univ. of California Press, 2002

Stuart Stevens, Night Train to Turkestan: Modern Adventures Along China's Ancient Silk Road, Atlantic Monthly Press, 1988

QUESTIONS?

For more information, contact Amy Goerwitz at the Alumni Affairs Office, 507-222-5645.