BEIJING
Kunming
Dali
Lijiang
Program Overview
In the West, China is too often represented as a monolith—a singular entity of political controversy, cultural identity, and economic threat—that overlooks the country’s immense complexity and diversity. This professional development program is for any educator looking to authentically engage with the diversity and nuance of China’s contemporary realities, beyond the veneer of coastal mega-cities and trodden tourist sites, connecting themselves, and in turn their students, with a more comprehensive and holistic understanding of modern China. Through carefully guided hands-on immersion in rural, urban, and ethnic minority communities in Yunnan Province, we learn from local people about pressing economic, environmental, and social issues impacting our global community.
We invite school administrators and teachers of history, global studies, Mandarin, and more to join us on a dynamic and honest exploration of…
In the West, China is too often represented as a monolith—a singular entity of political controversy, cultural identity, and economic threat—that overlooks the country’s immense complexity and diversity. This professional development program is for any educator looking to authentically engage with the diversity and nuance of China’s contemporary realities, beyond the veneer of coastal mega-cities and trodden tourist sites, connecting themselves, and in turn their students, with a more comprehensive and holistic understanding of modern China. Through carefully guided hands-on immersion in rural, urban, and ethnic minority communities in Yunnan Province, we learn from local people about pressing economic, environmental, and social issues impacting our global community.
We invite school administrators and teachers of history, global studies, Mandarin, and more to join us on a dynamic and honest exploration of the Middle Kingdom. Together we will explore “China Beyond the Wall”, piecing together a mosaic of diverse people, places, and cultures, with a special focus on recent social, economic, and political changes driven by the Covid-19 pandemic. We ask: What does it mean to travel in China after a multi-year shutdown of cross-cultural travel and exchange? How do we get closer to understanding a place that has grown seemingly more distant and inaccessible over the past few years?
Dragons first ran programs to China over thirty years ago, and has since run innovative, community-immersed experiences that place holistic student growth and learning at the center of everything we do. After a four-year hiatus, we have returned to China, committed to running safe and meaningful student programs through the re-establishment of long-term community relationships, offering participants access to learning from local mentors, teachers, and organizations. This program will help educators develop a deeper understanding of this complex, diverse, and globally influential country, bringing their learning back to the classroom or developing their own student programming abroad. From the macro level of geopolitical shifts to the mundanities of everyday life in host communities, we reaffirm the importance of cross-cultural exchange and travel in China.
Our journey begins just outside of Yunnan’s capital city of Kunming, in a small Yi ethnic village called Damoyu. Here we get to know each other and our goals for the trip, orient ourselves to our new surroundings, and introduce the pillars of effective global education for classroom and field-based programming. We also take time to explore this unique village, inhabited by both Yi villagers and, in recent years, those who have left behind urban life in search of a quieter and more sustainable existence.
From Damoyu, we travel to Kunming, known as the “City of Eternal Spring,” which serves as a rich setting for a comprehensive introduction to contemporary Chinese life. Our time here is spent meeting with local educators, entrepreneurs, and experts to learn more about issues facing Kunming and Yunnan province. We further explore best practices in immersive experiential and global education, and also undertake our own Independent Study Projects in traditional arts, crafts, and other topics of interest.
From Kunming, the high speed train takes us to Yunnan’s northwest, delivering us to the ancient city of Lijiang nestled in the Himalayan foothills. Eschewing the mobs of tourists that flock to Lijiang Old Town, we continue onward to the small farming village of Nanyao near the shores of the Lashihai Lake. Here, under the majestic peak of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain we enter into a 3-day homestay with ethnic Naxi farming families, living in multi-generational, hand-crafted timber frame and adobe homes. In Nanyao village and its surrounding Naxi and Tibetan communities, we examine best practices for facilitating student homestays and community engagement.
The final chapter of our journey takes us to Dali, the ancient capital of the Nanzhao Kingdom, where we explore the traditional arts, crafts, and architecture of the Bai ethnic group, as well as issues related to tourism development and its economic, environmental, and cultural impacts. On the banks of Erhai Lake, with the Cangshan mountain range towering behind us, we reflect on our time together and collaboratively brainstorm ways to transfer our learning to our students and communities in the places we call home.
Any teacher or scholar of China will benefit from Dragons’ thirty-plus years of experience leading student programming in China and our commitment to getting off the beaten tourist path. Participants of our China Educator Seminar return home with stories and lessons developed through authentic exploration of China’s diverse, complex, and sometimes contradictory realities.
