Dear students:

Please check the Home page on the detailed potential itinerary, estimated costs, and FAQ of this course. Below is a highlight on all the important preparations. Please also read the information for your family and friends and help them prepare accordingly.
If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to contact the instructor.

Course expectations

Respectful

Be respectful towards teachers and classmates. Encourage one another and stay united as a team.

To-do list with timeline

• Talk to the instructor to learn more about this course and fill the application as soon as possible, preferably before October, given the time you need to apply for a passport in time, if you decide to go.
• If you do not have a passport, apply for one as soon as possible. Your passport number is needed when booking the flight ticket, train tickets and/or hostels. There is often a good deal on flight tickets in December or January so you should have your passport ready in December.
• Buy flight tickets in December, January, or February, to get the best deal.
• Apply for a Chinese visa by February, as it may take about two months.
• Follow the IPS financial payment schedule ($500 nonrefundable deposit by January 31, and full payment in mid-March) and obtain a satisfactory academic progress in the spring semester to ensure your slot in this travel course.
• In spring, the travel group meets about once a month for orientation, logistics arrangement, and some lecturing on course contents to help you make the most of your travel.
• It is desirable that the group travels together from US to China, although you could leave from an airport near your home, and hopefully we will get onto the same airplane in the last leg of our flight heading for China.
• During the trip of ENGR 365, please follow all schedules closely and be prepared to participate in all activities to ensure a timely and productive progression of our travel course.
• When the students depart for USA. Dr. Yan may stay behind in China for a few more days, but Dr. Yan will see you off in the airport, and the course materials will still be updated on Blackboard.

Travel preparations

• Here is a link to introduce China quite thoroughly, which may give you an overview on what you’d expect in China.
• Install the wechat app on smart phones for both yourself and your family. Try it before the trip. Bring your phone to China to use the app with WiFi.
• Consider the possibility of getting a local SIM card for your phone to use in China. The SIM card and/or a simple phone for voice-call can be purchased at the airport or in town in China.
• Inform family on the emails you will use (non-google products).
• Pack only a small to mid-sized luggage (carry-on). We will probably need to carry it while climbing stairs.
• The weather conditions in each city (Beijing, Shanghai, Suzhou, Chengdu) can be checked on any weather channel on the web.