Washington and Lee University
Scholars admonish that you cannot describe China because its vastness and complexity make a summary description impossible. How right they are, so the selected memories below will have to suffice as my attempt to capture a magical experience.
How can 20 strangers become such fast friends overnight on these Special Programs trips? The W&L secret sauce works: the children and adults get along famously and love this once-in-a-lifetime chance to visit one of the truly amazing countries in the world.
Tiananmen Square can hold one million people. Thousands of giddy Chinese tourists are gawking, friendly and clamoring for a picture with Westerners. The children on our trip are virtual rock stars. The next day, a platoon of Chinese Army soldiers goose-step from the Gate of Heavenly Peace to raise the flag in the square before a huge throng—at 4:30 a.m. Recalling the tank and the protester, I wonder what landmark event will happen next in this impossibly large and evocative space.
The Forbidden City is surreal in scope and majesty. After real Peking duck at the glittering Dadong restaurant, will you ever order it at home? Martial arts students warm up for their day practicing the ancient art—some are 3 years old.
Was the stunning Great Wall actually built that long ago, up a vertical face and down the other side, in the middle of nowhere? How was that possible?
The Terra Cotta Warriors in Xi’an leave our mouths gaping. The emperor commanded several hundred thousand men to prepare his tomb by constructing a replica of his life, including an army to protect him in the afterlife. It took them 30 years. It is breathtaking, wholly illogical and magnificent.
We rejoice at a dazzling and elegant show on the surface of the gorgeous West Lake in Hangzhou, written by Zhang Yimou, producer of the Beijing Olympics’ opening ceremony.
Everywhere, rampant capitalism is on display, but tension is at the core of China’s current cycle and likely its future. The single-party government controls what is relayed through the China Daily News and unilaterally makes both large and small decisions, such as how many cars can be sold in Beijing this month. How will this dynamic unfold in the next decade?
An almost vertical gondola ride into the misty Huangshan or “Yellow” Mountains precedes the revelation of canyons and vistas as dramatic and awesome as our Grand Canyon. Who knew?
Shanghai is two-and-a-half times the population of New York City. Half of it was pure farmland in 1990. The marvelous Shanghai Museum somehow summarizes 5,000 years of history. The city is electric. The Mag Lev train slows to only 185 mph on a wet day, well below its top speed of 268. We toast a 13th birthday in high style in the French Concession and pay a rousing tribute to our expert and friend Wen Tong (Wendy, to us), quite simply the perfect guide. We began as strangers not knowing what to expect, and ended as good friends, exhilarated by an unforgettable whirlwind of sights, sounds, smells, tastes and adventures.
— Beau Dudley ’74, ’79L
Executive Director of Alumni Affairs
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Thanksgiving in Hawaii: A Small-Ship Cruise • Nov. 22-29
Around the World by Private Jet • Jan. 29-Feb. 19, 2012
Egypt and the Upper Nile • Feb. 15-March 1, 2012
A Six-Day Getaway: Vienna, Austria • March 20-26, 2012
Charleston: Heart and Soul of a City • April 1-5, 2012
Insider's Japan • April 11-23, 2012
Holland and Belgium with the Floriade • April 28-May 6, 2012
A Family Adventure in Peru • June 28-July 7, 2012