Ponder the compelling imagination of the ancient Chinese while following in the footsteps of Emperors along China’s Great Wall. Stand in awe overlooking the 2200-year-old terracotta warriors in Xi’an as an archaeological expert discusses Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s remarkable vision. Marvel at the treasures created during China’s golden age by artists, sculptors, writers, and craftspeople in the Shaanxi Provincial Museum as a curator describes the philosophical underpinnings of these creations. In Shanghai, be among the first to appreciate China's rising contemporary art stars during private receptions in galleries, studios, and collectors' houses. In Beijing, join the empress dowager's chef for a regal lunch in your honor inside his historic home. Experience the extremes of China’s ecological and anthropological diversity by journeying from icy Manchuria to the steamy jungles along the Burmese border.
Unravel the ancient traditions of Japan from the tangle of cutting-edge contemporary culture as you travel by high-speed trains through neon-edged cities to Shinto shrines, Samurai villages and treasured sacred gardens. Understand the intricacies of Japanese arts by attending a private kabuki theater performance, meeting with national living treasures as they perform their creative magic, an d enjoying the company of geishas as they describe their lives and time-honored educations. Try your hand under the guidance of masters at indigo-dying, papermaking, and flower arranging as you learn a new definition of perfection. Dine with Buddhist monks in their private temple garden in Kyoto.
