Description

Our Intensive Mandarin programs are based in China’s southwestern Yunnan Province, a region renowned for its natural beauty and ethnic diversity. Dragons’ Mandarin intensive programs are unique in that it they offer students opportunities for both an urban home-stay and an extended rural home-stay, providing unparalleled opportunities for language and cultural immersion while allowing students to experience the joys and daily realities of both cosmopolitan and pastoral Chinese life. In Lashihai, a village nestled at the base of the Tibetan Plateau, students paddle around the lake in traditional dugout canoes, organize "U.S. vs. China" pick-up soccer and basketball games, forage for medicinal plants with local medicine men, bike and trek through remote ethnic minority villages, visit Buddhist temples, shop at local markets, participate in workshops at a nearby artist colony, teach English to village children, volunteer at an orphanage, and collaborate with local NGOs on service projects. The urban home-stay, in Yunnan’s capitol Kunming, provides a stunning contrast to the more traditional lifestyle of the village-stay. While in Kunming, students meet daily at the Dragons Program House for intensive Mandarin instruction (4-5 hours per day, with options for additional one-on-one tutoring sessions) and classes with local university professors, NGO workers, business professionals, artists, musicians and practitioners of traditional arts, including Chinese cooking, calligraphy, Traditional Chinese Medicine, political history, martial arts and environmental issues.

Highlights

Following is a sample itinerary for Dragons' China: 6-week Language Intensive Summer Abroad Program. Our sample itineraries are based on past courses; in order to meet instructor team goals, as well as the goals and interests of particular student groups, future itineraries are subject to change.

Weeks One-Two:
Orientation in L.A. Fly to Kunming, the pleasant and laid-back capital of Yunnan Province; begin intensive Mandarin classes, with 4 to 5 hours per day devoted to language study. Settle into home-stays with Chinese families. Work with local mentors on Independent Study Projects. Attend classes with course instructors and guest lecturers at the Dragons Program House on a variety of topics, including: martial arts, painting, calligraphy, Chinese cooking, Traditional Chinese Medicine, history, politics, and economics. Options for intensive, one-on-one language sessions with course instructors and local mentors and/or language exchanges with local students. Weekend outings and activities with home-stay families.

Weeks Three-Four:
Continue with intensive daily Mandarin instruction. Students work together with course instructors to plan approximately 10 days of travel, using their oral language skills to complete practical tasks such as booking hotel rooms, arranging transport and organizing cultural activities. Possible options for the travel portion of the program include: trekking through the stunning Tiger Leaping Gorge to Wenhai Naxi Village and Xuehua Yi Village and ending at Lashihai; taking an overnight train to Guilin in nearby Guangxi Province, which features picture-perfect scenery of rice paddies, winding rivers and towering limestone towers peeking through the mist; or traveling to Chengdu and Xian to visit the Giant Panda Breeding Center and Terracotta Warriors and possibly collaborate with a local NGO on a service project in a community affected by the May 12, 2008 Sichuan earthquake.

Weeks Five-Six:
Rural-based language study and home-stay at Nanyao Village in the Lashihai region of northwest Yunnan; 4 to 5 hours of daily language instruction, plus additional opportunities for one-on-one tutoring sessions. Experience the joys and hardships of rural Chinese life while working in the fields alongside local farmers, learning to make tofu from scratch or attending a local celebration or festival; teach English at a local primary school; meet with representatives from local NGOs, such as The Nature Conservancy, to learn about social and environmental issues and initiatives; work on a village-based community service project; teach English to local schoolchildren; spend weekends biking to a local Buddhist monastery or hiking to a picnic spot overlooking the Yangzi River with home-stay siblings; lose yourself amidst the cobblestone alleys and traditional architecture of the nearby Lijiang Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site; explore the effects of mass tourism on the local people, culture and environment. Complete independent study work and present on projects. Return to Kunming; Fly to Beijing. In capital city, explore the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven and the Summer Palace. Enjoy evening acrobat performances. Hike along the Great Wall. Final banquet and end-of-program celebration.

Type of Programs

• High School Study Abroad
• Adventure Travel
• Community Service / Volunteerism
• Language Immersion
• Cultural Exploration

Languages

• Chinese

Languages Used as a Medium of Teaching

• English

Cost in US$:

7,150

Program Fees Include:

Tuition includes everything except international flight medical insurance and small personal expenses (personal calls home personal snacks aside from meals laundry services, email/internet cafes, etc.)

This Program is open to

American, European, Canadian, Australian, South African, Kiwi, Worldwide and Asian Participants.

Participants Travel

in Groups

Typically Participants Work

in Groups

Application Process Involves

• Written Application
• Letters of Reference
• Phone/Video Interview
• Physical Exam/Health Records

Typically The Application Process Time is

1 week

Where There Be Dragons's Mission Statement

Dragons programs are authentic, rugged and profound learning adventures that expose the beautiful and complex realities of the countries in which we travel. Featuring extended itineraries, Dragons programs encourage deep immersion into strikingly different physical and cultural landscapes, combining the best in experiential education, travel, service learning, and physically and intellectually challenging experiences. While programs vary in their focus - with some trekking and wilderness intensive, others strong on service and development studies, and still others language-oriented - all Dragons journeys are designed above all else to be fun, safe and honest educational experiences.

Year Founded

1993