Shanghai, Hangzhou, & Nanjing
Shanghai provides MAIS students with an unequaled opportunity to experience modern China in a city that has in recent years undergone remarkable economic growth and internationalization. In the global metropolis that is Shanghai, one may get a snapshot of the socio-cultural and economic transformation that is underway throughout the country. Shanghai traditionally has been considered a key financial and business center of Asia, and many experts now give it the designation of "the Wall Street of the East." Shanghai is a multinational center of finance and business, and it serves as one of the world's key financial focal points. Shanghai is comprised of 23 million souls, making it China’s most populous city; hundreds of thousands of foreigners reside in the city. Shanghai proudly served as host to the 2010 World Expo; its very own Disneyland is currently under construction and is slated to be operational in 2016.
What can MAIS students expect to experience in this spectacular city? They will be mesmerized by its fast-paced, frenetic, ever-changing, paradoxical, international, entertainment-rich, opportunity-around-every-corner lifestyle. There is an abundance of things to do and places to visit, including parks, cultural and historic sites, museums, performing arts centers, shopping malls, architectural landmarks, theaters, and festivals. Transportation is very convenient with a highly developed network of subway lines.
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The city of Suzhou is also located in the Shanghai region. This ancient city has a history of over 2,500 years. Its main allure is in its classic gardens, canals, silk, lakes, opera, museums, and famous foods such as “Squirrel-shaped Mandarin Fish,” “Whitebait Soup,”BiLuo Tea Shrimp,” “Crackling Eel Paste,” and “Watermelon Chicken.”
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Hangzhou offers MAIS students an unparalleled opportunity to experience the natural beauty, cultural heritage, and historically-rich aspects of China. Though it has all the modern conveniences to support its thriving tourism industry (and provide some familiar comforts to MAIS students), Hangzhou retains more of a traditional feel. In this popular scenic city of Hangzhou, one may attain a deeper understanding of what life is truly like for the majority of the population in China. MAIS alumni who have lived and worked in this gem of a city express their appreciation for experiencing, in their words, “the real China.” As to the natural endowments of the city, there is a well-known saying in Chinese that touts the surpassing beauty of Hangzhou: “Heaven above; Suzhou and Hangzhou below.” Likewise, the Venetian explorer Marco Polo described this capital of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) as “the finest and most splendid city in the world.” Indeed, it is a captivating place for MAIS students to work and live. As well, Hangzhou is in close proximity to Shanghai; it takes only 45 minutes by high-speed train. Many Chinese work in Shanghai and live in Hangzhou, a testament to its quality of life.
What should MAIS students anticipate as far as their experience in this ancient, beautiful city? They will be enthralled by its contemplative, culturally and historically attuned, nature-loving, balancing-the-ancient-and-modern existence. There are a plethora of meaningful things to see and do, including the West Lake (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), pagodas, temples, tea houses, famous Dragon Well tea villages & plantations, stone bridges, lakes, hills, parks, gardens, silk, Chinese umbrellas, Chinese folding fans, bicycling, hiking the lush green mountains on which the Dragon Well tea grows, and attending various cultural and arts events.
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The city of Shaoxing is located in the Hangzhou region, as well. It is most well known for its wine industry. It has also been home to many historical figures in China’s ancient past, including the writer Lu Xun (1881-1936), along with painters, poets, and political leaders. Its scrumptious foods and drinks include “Shaoxing Yellow Wine,” “Baked Rice Cake,” “Smelly Tofu,” “Fermented Beancurd,” and “Anise Seed Flavored Beans.”
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Nanjing offers MAIS students the opportunity to deeply delve into China’s history and culture. It has been the capital of China on several occasions throughout the nation’s history (earliest in 229 A.D.; most recently from 1927-1937), and it is currently the capital of Jiangsu Province. Some of the notable places to visit include the Sun Yatsen Mausoleum, Xiaoling Tombs of the Ming Dynasty, Memorial to the Nanjing Massacre Victims, Ruins of the Ming Palace, Xuan Wu Lake, and the Confucian Temple Area. Delicacies of the region include “Salted and Baked Duck,” “Eight Delicacies Soup,” and “Duck Blood Soup.”
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The city of Zhenjiang is located in the Nanjing region. Its name means “Garrison of the River,” as its placement allowed it to guard the entrance to the Yangtze River during periods of war. It was an important seat of feudal domains beginning in the 8th Century B.C. In addition to many notable Chinese historical figures, the American missionary Hudson Taylor (1832-1905) made his home in Zhenjiang, as did the family of Nobel-prize winning author of The Good Earth and other novels about life in China, Pearl S. Buck (1892-1973). The city is famous for the special Zhenjiang Vinegar that it produces in abundance for both the Chinese local market and for countries around the world.
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