China/Taiwan 30.08.2012 - 12.09.2012

• Arrival and gathering in Causeway Bay
• Language Workshop along with some Yum cha in Wan Chai, Hong Kong Island
• Greenpeace Hong Kong: Learn about the environmental impact of rapid economic growth and the level of pollution in the Pearl River Delta.
• Leisure time (evening): Temple street; Victoria harbor

• Secondary school on Hong Kong Island: Lasting influence of the British school system in Hong Kong today
• Hong Kong Policy Research Institute: Hong Kong – Taiwan relations
• Leisure time (evening): See some celebrations of the Chinese Ghost Festival (e.g. Cantonese opera)

• Traditional Dim sum on carts in Lin heung kui restaurant, Sheung Wan
• Transfer to HK International Airport [A11]
• Arrival in Taipei, Transfer to Hostel
• Stroll through the city, dinner at a night market

Trip to Northern Taiwan

• Jinguashi (known as the former centre of gold mines during the Japanese occupation. Gold Ecological Park with Crown Prince Chalet and Museum of Gold)
• Jiufen (in the 1930’s known as “Little Shanghai”, film “City of Sadness” in 1989 about Japanese occupation, lots of teahouses and traditional narrow streets full of lanterns and snack stands)

• Google/iKala.tv
• Discovering modern Taipei: Guided tour through Taipei 101, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall, Peace Park, etc.

• Meeting with a journalist from Reuters or a diplomat: What exactly is the relationship to Mainland China and why can’t Taiwan become independent?
• Discovering old Taipei: Guided tour through Wanhua, Dihuajie, Longshan Temple, Snake Alley

• Visit Group on Taiwan or a logistic company
• Gondola ride to Maokong: Famous for tea growing, tea houses and a splendid view over Taipei

• Meeting with a local NGO: Social integration of aborigine people / Taiwanese concern about the environment
• Trip to Northern Taipei: Danshui (former settlement of Spanish, Dutch, and Japanese colonialists)

• Transfer to Taoyuan International Airport [bus]
• Flight to Hong Kong International Airport
• Ferry to Nansha, take the subway from there to Guangzhou Guangzhou
• Arrival in Guangzhou (early evening)
• Leisure time: Zhujiang New Town; Beijing Road

• Guided tour through Xiaozhou: Last water village in Guangzhou with its history of the Tanka (“boat people”)
• Redtory: A fish can factory, which was built in 1956. Today it lends space to art galleries, a number of restaurants and is a popular place to go out for the local youth.

• Short tour through an urban village like Kanglecun or Shipaifang (Villages that used to be outside city 30 years ago and are now within Guangzhou. Many migrant workers live there.)
• Expert from the Anthropology or Urban Planning department at Sun Yat-sen University: Discussion about the origins of urban villages and their link to the Chinese hukou system and social structure within the urban villages
• Independent documentary film director Huang Weikai (his recent works include „Disorder“, „Piao“): Discuss his work (we will watch “Disorder” during one of the preparation evenings) and learn how he became a documentary director

Swiss Consulate in Guangzhou

• Presentation about the Pearl River Delta
• Discover the consulate’s functions

Guangzhou Shiyuan Electronics Co. LTD

• Introduction of the company and its success
• Learn about economic restructuring away from low-end manufacturing to a more sustainable, high-tech and innovation based industry

Swiss Industrial Manufacturer in the Sanshui Torch Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone

• Visit an industrial zone and understand its role in China’s economic miracle; learn about the special incentives offered to companies
• Find out about the motivations to move production to China (outsourcing vs. producing for the Chinese market)

Journalist from a Chinese news agency (like Xinhua)

• Relationship between Guangdong and Hong Kong SAR and their interdependence
• Closer Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between HK and the Mainland
• Plans for a stronger integration of the Pearl River Delta (in terms of transport, electricity etc., but also policy alignment to increase mobility within the PRD)

Pearl River Workers Service Center

• Learn about the recent developments of labor rights in the PRD and the government’s efforts to educate the migrant workers about their rights