Shanghai Excursions

One of the benefits of studying abroad is the ability to venture outside your host city and explore the surrounding area. Excursions are offered for all summer programs. You will receive a calendar of the specific CEA excursions offered for your program during orientation. To give you an idea of the possibilities, we have collected typical experiences from some of the tours and trips we may offer to our students.

		Suzhou Suzhou lies approximately 100 km west of Shanghai and its old town with many canals, hump-backed bridges and white-washed houses is known as the Venice of the East to this day. While making a daytrip to Suzhou, you cannot miss what this city is primarily known for: its plethora of beautiful gardens. Many of these originally over 100 gardens, which are a legacy of Suzhou's past community of artists, merchants and scholars, are still in existence today. You can also expect to delve into the city's history of silk production and embroidery while visiting one of the many silk factories. For a view of the city from up above, we will climb the nine storey high North Temple which is the tallest pagoda south of the Yangtse River. For those interested in the ancient China, Suzhou is also home to a number of museums such as the Kunqu Opera Museum, the Pingtan Museum and the Suzhou Museum.
		Hangzhou Hangzhou, about 170 km south of Shanghai, is one of China's designated seven famous ancient capital cities. Once described as one of the finest and most splendid cities in the world by Marco Polo, Hangzhou has since been tagged 'Paradise on Earth'. In Hangzhou you will visit the two scenic resorts the city is most famous for: the West Lake and another section encompassing the Fuchun River and Thousand-Islet Lake. Bicycling around the lakes, you can't help but relax at the sight of weeping willows, peach trees, stone bridges, rockeries and painted pavilions, interspersed with ancient tombs, monasteries and temples. In addition to enjoying the scenery that also attracts many Chinese honeymooners, we will make a trip to one of the tea plantations where the famous Chinese Dragon Well (Hangzhou Lonkjing) tea is produced. While in Hangzhou you may also want to visit the Chinese Academy of Art located in an impressive new building on the eastern shore of West Lake. Not to be missed is Qinghefang Old Street which gives you a true feeling of being in China - swarms of people are enjoying the souvenir stalls, tea houses and makeshift puppet theatres amidst lots of noise and heat.
		Moganshan Known as Shanghai's heat retreat, Monganshan has a long-standing history of the elite of Shanghai, ranging from capitalists to gangsters, making it their summer get-away. You will be traveling along Hu Hang and Ni Hang highways into the clear skies and soft summer breezes rustling in bamboo adorned mountainsides. With its rural feel where village people have taken over granite villas of the past for the raising of chickens and tending of gardens, you will see Moganshan as a perfect get-away from the busyness of Shanghai. The most widely practiced activities here are reading a good book, sitting on a terrace with bamboo beer or hiking to the other side of the mountain to watch the beautiful sunset.