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China Tour (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu)
Program Dates: Approximately Jan. 6 - Jan. 19, 2009
Please Note: The China Intersession Tour will not be offered between the Fall 2009 and Spring 2010 semesters. The information below is provided as background material only; the School hopes to offer the China Intersession Tour again next year.
China Tour Winter Intersession Program
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Travel for two weeks in China, touring some of its greatest cities, media outlets, international organizations and museums...and earn two journalism elective credits. Visit newspapers, ad agencies, magazines, radio-television stations, and more in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu during the Winter break!
This program offers you the opportunity to explore four different Chinese cities and gain insight into each city's unique system of journalism. Travel with a group of about 12 MU students and one MU journalism faculty member through the enchanting cities of China. You will stay at some of the finest hotels, travel by plane to the cities, and enjoy delicious local Chinese cuisine.
Area
Beijing, China: China's capital successfully held the Games of the XXIX Olympiad from August 8 to 24, 2008. It was in Beijing that 59 students from the Missouri School of Journalism left their voluntary records in the history of the Olympiad. Definitely, such gorgeous buildings used by the XXIX Olympiad as the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube are new attractions for those who have never been to Beijing. However, people traditionally went to Beijing mainly for tracing down its historical prints left by Chinese ancestors. This is because approximately half a million years ago, Peking man lived in Zhoukoudian, in the southwestern suburbs of Beijing. The fossil remains of Peking man, his stone tools and evidence of use of fire, as well as later tools of 18,000 years ago, bone needles and articles of adornment from the age of Upper Cave Man are the earliest cultural relics on record in China today. Since the year 938, Beijing had been the second capital and capital for many dynasties until the People's Republic of China also set up its capital in this city in 1949. Different dynasties have left various legacies in Beijing, including the world-famous Great Wall, Forbidden City, Summer Palace, Tiananmen (the Gate and the Square), and the Temple of Heaven, which attract thousands of tourists every day. Beijing is of course the center of China's politics, culture, arts, education, journalism and mass communication. Besides the powerful China Central Television Station, many leading print, online, and radio powerhouses of China are located in Beijing.
Shanghai, China: Traditionally known for international banks, insurance companies, luxurious hotels, skyscrapers, and fancy stores, many visitors are not surprised to find that the city really acts as China's capital of finance and trade. Visitors can witness the 88-story-high Shanghai Jinmao Plaza; the newly-established, world's-tallest edifice, which is the 101-story-high Shanghai Global Finance Center, and the colorfully-shining skyscrapers with neon lights at night on the two sides of the Bund. In addition, the observatory deck on the top of the Oriental Pearl Tower enables visitors to have a panorama of all of the city's skyscrapers. Another reason many international business people swarm to Shanghai is surely that foreigners always feel at home once they are in Shanghai because, in addition to the delicate Shanghai-style cuisine, they can taste beef, sushi or coffee, which are as delicious as what they can have in their home countries. While those Western-style bars and nightclubs attract people with exotic cultures, the Shanghai artists excel in showcasing foreign visitors by interpreting Chinese cultures by using the arts of ballet or acrobatics in the Oriental Arts Center. Last but not least, the Shanghai Media Group's newsroom with a four-story-high atrium should be a perfect professional attraction for students of journalism.
Two Missouri School of Journalism volunteers for the XXIX Games of Olympia taking a photo on Tiananmen Square in Beijing at the beginning of July 2008.
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Guangzhou, China: As South China's capital of politics, economy, culture, and education, Guangzhou has a history of more than 2,200 years. Adjacent to Hong Kong and Shenzhen (nicknamed as Deng-Xiaoping-designed Hong Kong), Guangzhou has contributed a great deal to China's reform and renovation. Dr. Sun Yat-sen (1866-1925), founding father of Modern China, headquartered his troops in Guangzhou to march north to fight against the feudal-system defenders. At the beginning of 1980s, China established three Special Economic Zones in Guangdong province, whose capital is Guangzhou, to introduce foreign investment. At the beginning of 2002, Guangzhou started to be the first city, where the Chinese government contracted to let about 30 Western TV channels enter Chinese households. The city's three big newspaper groups are running what are widely considered China's best newspapers.
Chengdu, China: As West China's capital of politics, economy, culture, and education, Chengdu is China's capital of leisure, which is praised to be a city where visitors will forget their hometowns. There are many good reasons. First, Chengdu is the hometown of authentic Sichuan food. The spicy, numbing, and delicious Sichuan cuisine is No. 1 of China's top 8 cuisine styles. Second, Chengdu has a world-famous panda breeding center, which is not far away from the downtown. In the center, you will see how lively these pandas are while they are eating bamboo twigs and leaves, playing, and climbing trees. You can even have your picture taken while holding baby pandas. Third, Chengdu has unearthed tons of relics as old as more than 3,000 years left by the ancient Ba people. Fourth, nearby Chengdu, at least two scenic spots can't be skipped. One is the Dujiangyan Water Irrigation Project, which is 2,200 years old and still works very well. The other is the Leshan Giant Statue of Buddha, which is the world's largest rock statue of Buddha carved from a mountain. Fifth, Chengdu has one of China's most successful media convergence programs, which has converged newspapers, TV and radio stations, Web sites, and magazines and is maximizing content of news, information, and entertainment and delivering it via different media platforms.
Eligibility
Students with a minimum of 3.0 GPA who are admitted to the School of Journalism are eligible for this program. Students with a slightly-lower GPA may be considered if their journalism GPA is above 3.0. All students must be in good academic standing. Early/direct admits to the School of Journalism are eligible for this program. Graduate students are also eligible.
The futuristic skyline of Shanghai, China. The first building from the left is the Oriental Tower with an observatory deck on its top.
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Course Credit
You will earn two journalism elective credit hours on this program. The course will be taught by an MU faculty member and will incorporate the Chinese perspective on journalism, as well as its importance and influence on media worldwide. See firsthand how newspapers, magazines, television stations, and advertising agencies are run in another country. Students will complete a final project pertaining to their sequence upon return of the program.
Costs
MU attempts to make the costs of studying abroad affordable for you. Generally, study abroad experiences cost a bit more than credits taken on-campus at MU, but include new experiences, cultures, languages, and often times housing, flight costs, and other program related costs. It's highly recommended that you outline a budget for yourself of what you would spend during the summer here at MU and compare it to study abroad costs.
This program fee is approximately $3,950 plus MU educational fees (two hours). Additional expenses to consider for this program may include personal entertainment, transportation, insurance, some meals, and other miscellaneous expenses. Program fee includes round-trip flight from St. Louis to China, accommodation, daily breakfast, media visits, program-related transportation, program cultural activities, on-site assistance, shuttle from airport back to Columbia, MU Study Abroad fee, and ISIC card.
Please note that there are scholarships and other financial options available to you to help make study abroad part of your college experience!
The Upper and Lower Nine Street is one the busiest shopping streets in Guangzhou, where a huge pearl jewelry market is nearby.
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Financial Aid
Additional grants, loans or scholarships may be available to offset the extra costs of studying abroad. Please meet with the advisor for study abroad financing at the MU Financial Aid Office (11 Jesse Hall) for more complete information; please call 573-882-7506. The School of Journalism offers need-based travel scholarships each semester. Applications are available on our Web site. You can also apply for additional scholarships through the MU International Center in Memorial Union. Watch this Web site for special program scholarship announcements each semester.
Housing
You will be staying in high-quality hotels throughout China. Breakfast is provided in most hotels. Hotels are located in the cities and there are nearby cafés, restaurants, shops, sights, and access to public transportation.
Pandas enjoying bamboo shoots in the Chengdu Panda Breeding Center.
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How to Apply
Deadline for this Program: Sept. 24, 2009
Please submit the following application materials in a manila envelope to the Journalism Study Abroad Coordinator, 76 Gannett by the posted deadline. Remember to sign-up for an interview time when you drop off your application! For this program you will need:
- Two letters of recommendation. We prefer one to be from an academic source and one from an employer. Please have references direct letters "To Whom It May Concern." [Recommendation Form]
PDF File: 130K
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- Deposit of $1,000 and Deposit Form; must pay to Cashier's Office in 15 Jesse Hall.
PDF File: 136K
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