On June 23rd, 2011, the 2011 China Trip for Faculty and Students at Troy organized by Confucius Institute started. The delegation flew to China, led by Professor Ellen Resell, department of Political Science and Ms. Xiaofeng Chen, deputy director of Confucius Institute at Troy University.

At Beijing, China, the delegation had a wonderful week: guided by Lily, who was our tour guide and had always been so considerate, we visited the Great Wall, the Imperial Tomb of Ming Dynasty, the Yonghe Lama Temple, the Confucian Temple, the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven and so on, which made the delegation understand more of Chinese Culture and Confucianism. They also went to see the Tiananmen Square, the National Indoor Stadium, the Water Cube, the National Film Exhibition Center and Beijing Planning Exhibition Hall, which furthered their knowledge about Modern China. In their spare time, the delegation also enjoyed many magnificent traditional Chinese performances, such as Kongfu, tea ceremony, and acrobatics. Other activities such as a taste of Quanjude Roast Duck, a visit to the Shichahai Bar Street, a tour to the Beijing University and Tsinghua University all enabled them to know China better.

The group also went to Qinhuangdao, a beautiful seaside city where Hebei Normal University of Science and Technology (HNUST), Troy’s Partner University is located. It is the most wonderful part of the trip. The delegation received warm reception from university leaders and students there. They visited the famous Beidaihe beach, Laolongtou resort, had a view of Qinhuangdao City, attended the Chinese Character class given by an excellent teacher from Chinese Department, experienced the Chinese culture as paper cutting, calligraphy, tea ceremony, massage, and Taiji, visited the wine cellar in Changli and HNUST and presented a farewell party, which was the very end and also the highlight of the Qinhuangdao Trip.

The rich contents of the trip enabled the whole delegation see and experience all aspects of China, from the ancient China to the modern China, from Physical education to film, from architecture to imperial history, from Kongfu to universities. This trip has broadened their horizon, furthered their knowledge of China, and has strengthened the friendship between China and America.