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STUDENT ‘AMBASSADORS OF PEACE’ SOUGHT FOR CHINA TRIP THIS SUMMER; REGISTRATION DEADLINE MAY 1

Students from the University of California, San Diego, and other local universities are being sought to serve as “ambassadors of peace” with college students from across the country this summer during a one-week goodwill trip to the Republic of China.  The trip, The Silk Road to the Future, is set for August 6 to 12 and will include important cultural exchanges with fellow students from Chinese universities, as well as visits to the Great Wall, Forbidden City, Summer Palace, Tianmen Square, Beijing University and other historical sites.

Sponsored and cost-shared by the Legends of China Foundation, China’s foremost cultural and educational group, the trip is available to students at a substantially discounted price.  The deadline for registration is May 1. 

“This is a great opportunity to better understand and experience the 5,000 year-old Chinese culture, its educational system, and the Chinese way of life in general,” says Aaron Watkins, UCSD senior who is serving as national student chairman of the China visit. 

A highlight of the trip will be a cultural event in which hundreds of students from the United States and China will converge on the steps of the Great Wall of China to unfurl a one mile-long white silk banner made from hundreds of silk panels containing the artwork of all participating U.S. and Chinese students. 

The banner will then travel to cities across China and the United States to dramatize the hope for increased understanding between the countries, as well as being featured later during Opening Ceremonies of the 2008 Olympics to be held in Beijing.

Cultural exchange activities during the China visit will include educational seminars, meetings and other interaction with Chinese university students, and teaching and community service opportunities.

The cost to participate in the week’s activities is $985, which includes round-trip airfare, ground transportation, top hotel accommodations, all meals, and historical tours.

For information on how register, and for additional details on the event, please visit the website www.legendsofchina, or email Dr. Loren Thompson at UCSD, lthompson@ucsd.edu.