Shu-Chuan Chen and Daoxiong Guan of the UCSB Chinese Department organized the program with officials at Shanghai University of Finance and Economics. The same program has taken place before in Taiwan in recent years. Chinese Language lecturers Guan and Chen were excited to accompany students to Shanghai during the Shanghai World Expo.

The redevelopment of Shanghai for the World Expo 2010 contributed to the students’ modern impression of the city. The students visited the Expo with its numerous national and corporate pavilions, including the United States Pavilion, which televised a video of President Obama addressing the Chinese people.

Along with learning about China’s economy and new developments such as the impressive Pu Dong skyline, students also had the opportunity to learn about Chinese history and culture. After their language classes, students attended a variety of cultural classes including Yue Opera, Tai chi chuan, Chinese knot-tying, Chinese calligraphy, and stamp making. In the evenings, students visited historic sites in Shanghai such as Xintiandi, the Bund District, JinJiang Temple, and Nanjing Road.

Students spent one of the weekends visiting the ancient canal towns of Suzhou and Hangzhou in Southern China. Chinese have the expression, “Up there is Heaven but down here is Suzhou and Hangzhou.” Students saw the grand gardens of Suzhou as well as the famous West Lake in Hangzhou. At each town, students sampled the area’s local cuisine, which always proved to be a favorite time of day.

The following weekend, the group embarked by tour van to the famous Huangshan or Yellow Mountain. Students witnessed the “sea of clouds” firsthand as they stood over the steep cliffs peering into the fog-filled abyss. Along the way, the tour guide stopped at ancient Chinese villages, which have been inhabited by the same families for hundreds of years.

Perhaps the best Chinese practice the students had was bargaining for goods in one of Shanghai’s bustling malls such as People’s Square or Qi Pu Road. Storeowners would often remark how tough the foreign students were at bargaining, which was as much a testament to their Chinese fluency to their sheer willpower for the lowest price.

For three weeks, UCSB students built upon their Chinese fluency while immersing themselves in Chinese culture and touring Southern China. The experience left a remarkable impression on the students and many stay connected to the Chinese friends and teachers they met while at the university. A few more have decided to return to China to teach English. The students continue to hold reunion dinners at UCSB, sharing their stories over many plates of delicious Chinese food, just as they did in Shanghai.