An
Archaeological Study Tour
The
Silk Road of China
22
Days May 9– 30, 2007
Led
by Professor Robert
Thorp Washington University
The
legendary Silk Road linked China to the trading centers
of Persia, the Middle East and Europe. It was over 2,000
years ago when merchants first used this great artery for
the flow of goods between China and the Roman Empire. The
route skirted searing deserts, followed narrow tracks through
mountains and crossed vast grasslands. Caravans from the
West risked great hardships in order to import the precious
silk cloth that only the Chinese knew how to produce. But
it was not only merchandise that was imported by these travelers.
Buddhism, Islam and other cultural traditions diffused along
these routes and created cities of great ethnic diversity.
Our exciting journey traces the Silk Road through China
to the caravan cities of Xian, Lanzhou, Dunhuang, Turpan,
Ürümqi and Kashgar. Although much has changed
along the Silk Road in 2,000 years, both first-time China
travelers and those for whom this is a return visit will
find this an exciting and adventuresome tour.
Wednesday,
May 9: Our departure from San Francisco
to Beijing on Northwest Airlines will be in the early afternoon.
Thursday,
May 10: BEIJING: We arrive into
Beijing this evening and transfer to the Sino-Swiss Beijing
Airport Hotel.
Friday,
May 11: XI'AN: Our flight departs
early, arriving midday into Xi'an. The Chinese terminus
of the Silk Road, Xi'an was the capital of China during
the Han and Tang dynasties, the two ages when the world
came to China. En route from the airport we will stop to
visit Yangling, the tomb of the Han emperor Jingdi, reknowned
for its miniature army of figurines. During the next three
days, we will visit the extraordinary sites in both the
city and the surrounding countryside. Touring in Xi'an proper
will include the Shaanxi History Museum, the Forest of Steles,
the Great Goose Pagoda, associated with Xuanzang, the great
Tang monk-traveler. There will also be a chance to sample
local cuisine. Our three-night stay will be at the refurbished
and centrally located Hyatt Regency Hotel. This evening
we will meet for an orientation lecture and dinner at our
hotel.
Meals:
Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Saturday,
Sunday, May 12 & 13: XI'AN: We
will make an excursion into the countryside to visit the
Tomb of Qin Shi Huangdi, the first emperor, who unified
China. It is outside his tomb that over 8,000 life-sized
terra-cotta figures depicting soldiers, cavalry, charioteers
and horses have been unearthed. On Sunday we will once again
drive through the Wei River valley to the Famen Temple,
where imperial gifts sealed in a crypt in 874 CE demonstrate
the devotion of the Tang emperors to a “True Body Relic
of the Buddha” imported from India. Returning to Xi'an,
we will visit the Great Mosque (Huajue Lane Mosque) and
Muslim quarter.
Meals:
Breakfast & lunch daily & 1 dinner
Monday,
May 14: XINING: This morning we
fly to Xining, the capital of Qinghai Province. At 2,200
meters, Xining was an important staging point for the tea
and horse trade with Tibet and a garrison town in the Ming
and Qing periods. We will continue to the Ta'er Monastery,
birthplace of Tsong Kha Pa, the founder of the Yellow Hat
Sect of Tibetan Buddhism. Built from 1460 onwards, Ta'er
Si is the most important Tibetan monastery of the region
and a great center of traditional learning. This evening
we hope to gain permission to join the monks for evening
prayers. Zonka Hotel.
Meals:
Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Tuesday,
May 15: LANZHOU: In Xining we will
visit the Qinghai Provincial Museum and the Dongguan Mosque,
one of the four great mosques in China. After completing
our touring, we transfer to the train station for our jouney
to Lanzhou. Known as the “fragrant city,” Lanzhou was a
garrison town and vital stop for caravans. Lanzhou Legend
Hotel.
Meals:
Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Thursday,
May 17: DUNHUANG: The highlight
of our stay here will be the Mogao Cliff, a UNESCO World
Heritage site. This complex of some 492 cave-chapels was
begun about 366 CE and is a veritable museum of magnificent
sculpture and beautiful wall paintings in both Chinese and
Central Asian styles. Our two half-day visits will allow
us a good look at the best of the caves currently open.
Our emphasis will be on the chapels of the Sui and Tang
periods (7th-9th centuries). We will also visit Dunhuang's
small museum and Mingsha, known as the Singing Sands. Here
we will have an opportunity to ride a camel across the desert
to a lovely crescent-shaped lake set amidst the impressive
sand dunes. Dunhuang Hotel.
Meals:
Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Friday,
May 18:DUNHUANG/ÜRÜMQI: Touring
continues with our second visit to the Mogao Cliff cave-chapels.
This evening we fly on to Ürümqi and the luxurious
new Kempinski Hotel.
Meals:
Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Saturday,
Sunday, May 19 & 20: TURPAN: We
drive via the Daqin Pass, a major passage along the northern
Silk Road, across the forbidding gobi desert to the lush
oasis of Turpan, known for its grapes and melons. Turpan
is a basin, the second lowest point on the face of the earth,
bordered on the north by red sandstone hills called the
Flaming Mountains. This afternoon we will visit the excellent
regional museum, and the 18th-century Emin Minaret and Mosque.
On Sunday, our touring includes the ancient walled capital
of the Uighurs, Gaochang, as well as the Bezeklik and Toyuq
cave-chapels, both in the Flaming Mountains. We will have
time to explore the local bazaar and stroll along the wonderful
grapevine-covered lanes. Our two-night stay will be at the
renovated Oasis Hotel.
Meals:
Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Monday,
Tuesday, May 21 & 22: ÜRÜMQI: This
morning we will visit the ancient citadel of Jiaohe, another
World Heritage site notable for its temples and stupas.
We return to Ürümqi late in the afternoon. Tuesday's
touring will include the new Xinjiang Autonomous Region
Museum and a scenic view of the city from Red Hill. Kempinski
Hotel.
Meals:
Breakfast, lunch & dinner Wednesday,
Thursday, May 23 & 24: KUQA: We
fly this morning to Kuqa (ancient Qiuci), a powerful Silk
Road kingdom and early center of Buddhism, with giant monasteries
funded by the great wealth generated by the trade caravans
that passed through the city. The arrival of Islam in the
9th century changed the city's character, and it is now
a modern oasis town with remnants of its caravan city past.
We will travel into the countryside driving through spectacular
mountain scenery and rock formations to visit the two most
important Buddhist sites, the remains of the ancient city
of Subashi, visited and described by Xuanzang, and the Kizil
Thousand Buddha Caves. These caves are a treasure trove
of Indo-Buddhist art dating from the 4th-8th centuries CE.
Despite the depredations of early European explorers, these
chapels adorned with their lapis lazuli wall paintings offer
us a rare and precious glimpse of early Buddhist arts of
the Silk Road. Grand Kucha Hotel.
Meals:
Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Friday,
May 25: ÜRÜMQI: After
visiting the old city with its bustling traditional Friday
market, we fly back to Ürümqi. The remainder of
the day will be at leisure. Kempinski Hotel.
Meals:
Breakfast
Saturday,
Sunday, May 26 & 27: KASHGAR: A
morning flight brings us to Kashgar. The westernmost Chinese
city on the Silk Road today, Kashgar (ancient Shule, Jiesha)
continues its role as a cultural crossroads. Traders still
cross the borders from Central Asia and Pakistan to trade
its markets. Saturday we will visit the Great Mosque, the
largest in China, and the Apaq Khoja Shrine, as well as
the intriguing craft streets of the Old Town. Our visit
coincides with the Sunday Market, one of the largest and
most colorful markets in China. Sunday morning thousands
of people travel from miles around Kashgar to trade their
fascinating merchandise at this huge bazaar. Some of the
traders will have arrived from distant villages during the
night and will begin to set up their stalls in the morning.
We will have plenty of time to explore both the animal market
and the main bazaar. Seman Hotel.
Meals:
Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Monday,
May 28: ÜRÜMQI:
This morning we fly back to Ürümqi and the luxury
of the Kempinski Hotel. This evening we will meet for our
farewell dinner and toast the end of our Silk Road journey.
Meals:
Breakfast & dinner
Tuesday,
May 29: BEIJING: A morning flight
returns us to Beijing. We will be transferred to the deluxe
Grand Hotel Beijing, centrally located a short walk from
Tian'an Men Square and the Forbidden City. The remainder
of the day will be at leisure.
Meals:
Breakfast
Wednesday,
May 30: Our Northwest Airlines flight
departs this morning, arriving into San Francisco the same
day.
Meals:
Breakfast
Tourist
facilities on the Silk Road are not well developed. Hotels
are simple and there will be some long drives between cities
on roads that may be in poor condition. The flight and train
schedules change frequently causing a revision of the tour
program. Every effort will be made to ensure that such changes
maintain the intent of the itinerary.
This
tour should be considered strenuous. It requires walking
over rough, uneven and sandy terrain. For the most satisfying
experience, and in fairness to your fellow travelers, all
participants are expected to be physically active and able
to walk independently throughout our full touring days.
Although the rewards are great, only those willing to accept
some discomforts should consider taking this tour.
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