Intinerary for Bolton High School CHINA TOUR 2010 announced

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Depart Hartford for Beijing

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Arrive Beijing
Tiananmen Square at Night
Hotel in Beijing

Friday, April 16, 2010

Excursion to the Great Wall and Summer Palace
Hotel in Beijing

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Visit Antique Market, Forbidden City, Hutong Family Visit, Temple of Heaven
Peking Duck Dinner
Evening: Chinese Kongfu Show
Hotel in Beijing

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Morning: Visit Olympic Venues
Afternoon: Depart for Jinan via express train
Evening: Jinan City Square
Hotel in Jinan

Monday, April 19, 2010

Group divides for two days –

Students: Sister School activities, classes, and meetings - Jigang School
Adults: Tour of Sister School, city tour in the afternoon: Baotu Springs and Daming Lake

Students: Home stay with local families / Dorm stay with students
Adults: Home stay with local families / Hotel in Jinan

Tuesday, April 20, 2010
­­­­
Students: Sister School activities, classes, and meetings - Jigang School
Adults: Travel to Qufu visiting Confucius Temple and Palace

Students: Home stay with local families / Dorm stay with students
Adults: Home stay with local families / Hotel in Jinan

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Group re-unites: Adults and students travel to Mountain Tai together
Students and Adults: Hotel in Jinan

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Fly to Shanghai in the morning
Visit Yu Garden and Old Town, Shanghai Bund, Nanjing Commercial Road
Boat Cruise on the Yangtze River at night
Hotel in Shanghai

Friday, April 23, 2010

Excursion to Suzhou-the most famous ancient garden city in China
Visit Liu Yuan Garden, Wangshi Garden, Silk Factory, Boat Cruise the Grand Canal, Old Town

Hotel in Shanghai

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Morning: Shanghai Museum
Afternoon: Depart from Shanghai to Hartford

Arrive in the US on the same day

We have less than one year until our tour begins. As of this date, we have approximately 60 travelers made up of students, parents, teachers, and community members. A special thank you to the members of the Bolton Community Education Foundation who have agreed to help with our logistics and who are also planning Chinese cultural events throughout the 2009-2010 school year!

For further information, contact Bolton High School in Bolton, Connecticut.

China re-measures sacred Mt. Taishan

See information below on one of our APRIL 2010 CHINA TOUR sites. Just south of our sister school is one of China's five sacred mountains, Mount Tai (Taishan). This impressive mountain will be a highlight of our visit to the Shandong Province!

JINAN, July 8 -- China has launched a survey to find out the precise height of Mount Tai (Taishan Mountain) that is dubbed as the most preeminent of China's five sacred mountains, following the re-measurement of the world's highest peak of Mount Qomolangma last year.

Mt. TaishanIt is the first time for Taishan to be measured with modern tools including global positioning systems, said Lin Hai, an official with the Shandong provincial department of land and resources.

The current altitude of Taishan is known as from 1,533 meters to 1,545 meters, while the 1,545-meter height is the most often seen in various documents although nobody knows how or when the figure came into being.

Chinese surveyors measured the mountain as 1,533 meters and 1,536 meters high in the 1950s and the 1980s respectively with simple and crude methods, which made the figures unreliable.

Thirty experts arrived on Tuesday in Tai'an, east China's Shandong Province, to start the measurement.

Modern surveying technologies would help achieve a high precision, with the range of error below two centimeters, Lin said.

Meanwhile, the survey will also find out whether Yuhuangding (a.k.a Jade Emperor Peak) or Guanrifeng (a.k.a Sun View Peak) is the highest peak.

The results of the measurement are expected to be released in October.

China re-measured the Mount Qomolangma's (a.k.a Mount Everest) summit last year as 8,844.43 meters, 3.7 meters shorter than the last measured figure 30 years ago.

Dubbed as "the most preeminent of China's five sacred mountains," Taishan was listed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1987 as a world natural and cultural heritage for its magnificent scenery and splendid culture.

The other four mountains are western Huashan, southern Hengshan, northern Eternity and central Songshan.

The Taishan Mountain is a symbol of loftiness and grandeur. In ancient times, emperors used to ascend the mountain to pray and say thanks to heaven and earth for peace and prosperity. High-ranking officials, noted scholars and commoners have followed suit since.

(from CHINA DAILY - www.chinadaily.com.cn)

An international opportunity for the community of Bolton!

Bolton High School has the opportunity next fall to host an education official (Mr. Sima Yinan) from the Shandong Provincial Education Department for 6 months. This will be the first time that one of the researchers visits Connecticut for an extended period of time. Dan Gregg, contact at the CT Department of Education, has contacted Bolton first about pioneering this relationship.

Mr. Yinan is a colleague of Mr. Wang Fuhai, one of our visitors in January 2009. As part of this program Mr. Yinan will be grant funded and will purchase a car once in the United States so transportation will not be an issue. He will have funds to pay rent, but would like a rental room or apartment that is connected with a family experience to allow for more of a “home stay” relationship. He has young children so an apartment or room with a family is certainly appropriate.

Mr. Yinan will spend his days in classes at Bolton High School and will have an office at the CT Department of Education. He will likely immerse himself in school activities, events, and family experiences in Bolton. He will be a huge help as we prepare for our own voyage to China and we will reconnect with him in Jinan.

If anyone (especially among our travelers to China in April 2010) is interested in housing or renting a room to Mr. Yinan, please contact Mr. Paul K. Smith at Bolton High School (paulk.smith@boltonct.org) as soon as possible.

Mr. Yinan will be arriving in late August 2009 and staying until mid-January 2010.

April 2010 Tour Meeting - on Wednesday, April 29

On Wednesday evening April 29, 2009 we will hold our next meeting for all interested in the April 2010 China Tour. The meeting will be held in the Bolton High School Library at 6:30 PM.

Information will be shared with all students and family members who have expressed an interest in being part of the April 2010 China Tour. By this date, an exact itinerary will be shared and decisions on several possible excursions will be discussed. If you missed the fall meeting, please join us for this event. All confirmed participants should attend as well!

(Please note that it has been necessary at this time to start a waiting list for the trip as we have reached our capacity of 55 travelers.)

Pictured above: Structure on island on Daming Lake, Jinan - Shandong Province

Spending time meeting with students was a priority for our visitors from the Shandong Province.

Bolton High School grade 9 students share information Geng Shuai.

Geng Shuai presents a gift to BHS student who acted as a guide to classroom visits.

Wang Fuhai shares information on the Shandong Province with classes.

Geng Shuai, He Chengjin, and Wang Fuhai enjoy dinner at the Smith house one evening.

Inside Hartford's Capitol

Representative Pam Sawyer shows Mr. Fuhai, Mr. Shuai, and Mr. Chengjin her seat in the House and brings them to the podium!

Welcome to our Capitol in Hartford, CT!

Our Chinese delegation got the royal tour of our state capitol with Representative Pam Sawyer.

Bolton High School Chinese Delegation meets Connecticut's Lt. Governor

While touring Hartford, Representative Sawyer arranged for the delegation

to meet Lt. Governor Mike Fedele.

From left are: He Chengjin, Rep. Pam Sawyer, Wang Fuhai, Lt. Gov. Mike Fedele, Geng Shuai and Bolton High School principal Paul Smith.