Created at Leland & Gray High School in Townshend, Vermont, supported by the Asian Studies Outreach Program (ASOP) at the University of Vermont (UVM), and funded primarily through a grant from the Freeman Foundation,

Journey East, as a whole, consists of the Asian Studies Academy and Sino-American Performing Arts Exchange at Leland and Gray Union High School; the integration of an Asian Studies curriculum throughout the Windham Central Supervisory Union, and the introduction of Chinese language programs into the district.

Dr. Juefei Wang, Director of the Asian Studies Outreach Program University of Vermont, is a recipient of the prestigious Goldman Sachs Award for Excellence in International education, on behalf of the UVM, Asian Studies Outreach Program.

The Leland and Gray Journey East program is deeply indebted, and extends its heartfelt thanks, to Dr. Juefei Wang, without whose effort and support this program would not even be possible!

Thank you Juefei!

UPDATE 1:00PM
 

Hi everybody. April is here and so are more photos!

We have photos from the group’s trip to Tiananmen Square and the Temple of Heaven. Did you do your homework like you were told?. If so, which is the tallest of the halls of the Forbidden City? Uh-huh, I thought so . . . you didn’t even know the City had halls!

Okay, so while you are looking for that one, here are photos of the gang, including what will be the first of many “group” shots (Group photos are my personal favorites!).
 

Aren’t these photos marvelous? Now that we have our first group shot, I know you parents can relax a little knowing for sure your child is really there!

And here is a our first student report: (Carrie’s report was interrupted in the transfer, resulting in an incomplete report. We’ll probably not get the rest of the report until later today. I didn’t want to wait, but will update it when I get it. So here is Carrie’s report as we have it.)

Carrie Attley, freshman

Today was our first official day in China. We all appear to be suffering from a little bit of jet lag which kicked into gear during our visit to the Peking [Beijing] Opera. The costumes and makeup were amazingly elaborate, but the performance itself was a little hard to understand, and we were all tired.

  We also visited the Forbidden City [where The Last Emperor was filmed]
and the Temple of Heaven [a nearly 600-year-old site centered on worship for good harvest]. It was amazing. It's hard for me to grasp the concept that I am half way across the world experiencing all these things. As we . . .

Sounds like Carrie was paying attention on the tour of the sights!

You’ll notice that the full group shots are about the only ones you find Tom in! He’s usually the one “behind” the camera. Great photos, Tom! The first photo to the left below the large group photo, is of the Temple of Heaven.

Tom did call to let us know that everyone is doing well, loving the food, and a little tired after a long day of sightseeing and walking. But the group is having a blast!

Tomorrow, the schedule includes a visit to the Great Wall (oh, the photos we’ll get from there should be incredible!) during the day and then the Acrobat show in the evening. I can tell you right now, the gang’s jaws will be sore after tomorrow’s touring -- sore from having their mouths wide open in awe!

We just got these photos in! We’ll for sure have more photos of the wall and acrobats for tomorrow’s page. Yippee! Can’t wait!
 

Can you imagine what these kids are thinking as they stand on thousands of years of history?

Do any of you know how many miles the Great Wall extends? You, in the back wearing the Red Sox cap. Hey, good guess, you could be right. The wall extends from east to west China, and the distance varies, depending on who you ask:

After about 2,500 years of the Great Wall standing, it has extended over 6,000 miles at one point reaching from the Yalu River in Northeast China, to Gansu province in Northwest China (5). The actual length of the Great Wall varies from different authors, but it ranges from 3,000 to 4,500 miles (3/4). The actual length of the Great Wall was at one time 6,000 miles long. After lots of vandalism and erosion, the wall has reduced to become what it currently is now. (www.ccds.charlotte.nc.us/History/China/03/Tmuzzillo/Tmuzzillo.htm)

We should be getting more photos and reports from everyone while they are still in Beijing. And then there will be a little break as the group will head south tomorrow to Qufu (do you think this is pronounced “choo-foo,” “kew-foo, “ or “kwoo-foo?” -- find out tomorrow). They must first fly to Jinan and then drive to Qufu.

So, that’s all for now. Will update as we get it . . .

Oh, before I go, in miles (oh man, when is this guy going to stop with this math stuff?) how far is it from New York City to Beijing, China (shortest possible distance)?

Happy April 1st!