An Archaeological Study Tour

South of the Clouds Yunnan and Sichuan

17 Days  May 18 – June 3, 2008
Led by Professor Robert Thorp

Yunnan (“south of the clouds”) is a region so remote that only after the 13th-century Mongol invasion was it integrated into the empire. Home to the independent Dian, Nanzhao and Dali Kingdoms in ancient and medieval times, Yunnan’s population today includes a third of China’s officially recognized “national minorities,” such as the Bai and Naxi peoples. Sichuan (“four rivers”), home to the ancient kingdom of Shu, on the other hand, was incorporated into the Chinese realm even before Qin unification, but regained its political and cultural independence during several later periods. Always populous and prosperous, the people of Sichuan call their homeland “heaven.” Chungking, the ancient kingdom of Ba, sheltered the Chinese government during the Second World War, and is now booming after the completion of the High Dam downstream on the Yangzi.

Sunday, May 18, 2008: We depart Los Angeles very early Sunday morning on Cathay Pacific Airlines.

Monday, May 19: KUNMING: We arrive in Hong Kong Monday morning and make a direct connection to Kunming, the capital of Yunnan province. We transfer to our centrally located hotel for a rest before dinner and our opening lecture. Green Lake Hotel.
Meals: dinner

Tuesday, May 20: KUNMING: We will begin our touring of the city at the Provincial Museum, which holds a superb collection of artifacts of Yunnan’s 24 ethnic minority groups as well as a treasure trove of bronzes from the ancient Dian tombs discovered at nearby Shizhaishan. Touring continues with the Nancheng Ancient Mosque, with stops to stroll through the Bird and Flower Market and the Yuantong Temple, a temple complex dating from 1320. Lastly, we will visit East and West Temple Pagodas, the oldest surviving structures in Kunming, and Green Lake Park, situated in a neighborhood of traditional wooden-shuttered houses that contrast with the trendy, bistro-style cafés in their midst. Green Lake Hotel.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Wednesday, May 21: KUNMING: We will drive to the wonderful temples around Dianchi Lake, including the lovely Bamboo Temple (Qiongzhu Si, AD 618-907), well known for its 500 Arhats, lively sculptures of followers of Buddha who achieved their own salvation. From here we will travel into the Western Hills, a range of mountains along the shore of Dianchi that is a protected scenic area. A series of paths, stairways and tunnels link Buddhist and Daoist grottoes carved into the cliff face leading up to Dragon Gate at the summit. As the climb is quite long and arduous, we will drive most of the way, making stops for photos and to visit Huating Temple.
Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Thursday, May 22: DALI: A scenic drive along the famed “Burma Road” takes us into Dali, the capital of the Bai Autonomous Prefecture, and historic center of the Bai minority, one of the major ethnic groups of Yunnan. The old town, with the famed Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Si, sits in a spectacular location on a long, narrow plain of rice paddies between the snow-capped mountains and sparkling blue Erhai Lake (elevation 1,966 m). The new Regent Hotel is within Dali’s charming old town.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Friday, May 23: DALI: Our time today will be spent this morning exploring villages near Erhai Lake by boat. Our stops include Golden Shuttle Island, the lovely petite temple-island Xiaoputuo Dao and the village of Haiyin, known for night fishing. After lunch, we travel by bus visiting Tianshengyin, a very pretty village of traditional houses and pagodas, and the lively market at Shaping. We stop at Zhoucheng, a village known for its vernacular architecture, and then continue to Xizhou, which during the Ming dynasty was the center for trading tea bricks to Tibet and further along the so-called Southern Silk Road. This protected historic area boasts over 100 premodern Chinese dwellings amid 1,500 traditional Bai structures.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Saturday, May 24: LIJIANG: Driving across the Dali Plain on the way to Lijiang, we detour to visit the Stone Bell Mountain (Shizhongshan) Buddhist cave chapels. These grottoes, spread over three sites, were created between 649 and 1094, and are best known for their depictions of life under the Nanzhao and Dali Kingdoms, rivals to the (Chinese) Tang and Song regimes. We will spend four nights at the Jiannanchun Hotel, a Chinese courtyard-style hotel in the the historic center.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Sunday, May 25: LIJIANG: During our stay in Lijiang we will visit its main Buddhist sites -- Jade Summit, Universal Benefaction, Peak of Culture Temple -- as well as the remains of the oldest temple, Fuguo Si. A day trip west takes us to Tiger Leaping Gorge on the Jinsha River (the upper reaches of the Yangzi), where the water is 3,900 m below the peaks above and the passage itself only 30 m across, one of the deepest gorges in the world. We will also attend an evening performance of traditional Naxi music featuring their old instruments. 
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner daily

Monday, Tuesday, May 26 & 27: LIJIANG: Touring during the next two days will include visits to Baisha Village, capital of the Naxi people before Kublai Khan invaded in the 13th century, and home of the Dabaoji Gong and Liuli Dian Temple, known for their Ming-dynasty murals (1417), as well as Beiyue Temple, founded in the 8th century. We should also have time to wander in Lijiang at leisure.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Wednesday, May 28: CHENGDU: Today we fly via Kunming to Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province. This vibrant city is alive with bustling markets selling all manner of goods, including fine traditional handicrafts. We will tour the rich collections at the Provincial Museum. Crown Plaza Holiday Inn.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Thursday, May 29: CHENGDU: A highlight of our visit is the Sanxingdui site museum, north of the city in Guanghan, followed by the Taoist temples on Qingchengshan, the birthplace of the Celestial Master sect in the Han dynasty and now a UNESCO World Heritage scenic district.
Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Friday, May 30: DAZU: The new expressway brings us to Dazu, where the forty Buddhist grottoes have been added to the World Heritage list. This afternoon we will visit Beishan. These high-relief niches cut into the sandstone cliffs represent the Buddhist pantheon with wonderful vitality. Our accommodations tonight will be at the simple Dazu Hotel, which is the best available hotel in Dazu.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Saturday, May 31: CHONGQING: Our touring continues at the larger Baodingshan grottoes. Begun by the monk Zhao Zhifeng in the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), the grottoes and cliff-face images consist of a series of narratives and tableaux derived from Buddhist scriptures that teach the ideals of Buddhism as well as secular values. After completing our touring, we depart for Chongqing, now the largest city in China at 31 million people. We will explore the winding streets of the old town as well as the new Three Gorges Museum, where the results of excavations conducted before the waters behind the Yangzi High Dam backed up are on display. Marriott Hotel.
Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Sunday, Monday, June 1 & 2: SHANGHAI: This morning we complete our touring in Chongqing and fly to Shanghai. We will spend the next two days on Nanjing Road within walking distance of the Bund and People’s Square, home to the superb Shanghai Museum. After visiting the museum Monday morning, the remainder of the day will be at leisure before our farewell dinner. Sofitel Hyland Hotel.
Meals: Breakfast daily & 1 dinner

Tuesday, June 3: Our Cathay Pacific flight to Los Angeles is via Hong Kong.