Life at Sea

Student Photo Gallery: China

China was the third port of the Spring 2014 50th Anniversary voyage, with the MV Explorer docking in Shanghai and Hong Kong. With six days for in-port travels, students fanned out across the country with experiences ranging from hiking the Great Wall to spending time with locals in remote villages. Here is a collection of the best student images from our time in China.

01-Bittaker-Robert-CH-2 — After a long river day on the Yangtze River, Tyler Bittaker of the University of San Diego was excited to see the Shanghai skyline illuminate the low-hanging clouds.

02-Savig-Josiah-CH-2 — While warming up in a cafe in the Zhu Jia Jiao Water Village in Shanghai, Josaih Savig of Colorado State University stepped outside and snapped this shot of a young couple escaping the wet snow under their umbrella.

03-Mercier-Jessica-CH-1 — Jessica Mercier from College of Charleston visited a market in Shanghai during Chinese New Year. The Chinese New Year calendar follows a 12 animal cycle and 2014 is the year of the Wooden Horse.

04-LUCAS-AURORA-CH-3 — Aurora Lucas of Roosevelt University visited the Terracota Army in Xi’an. There are three pits with an estimated 8,000 soldiers, chariots, and horses, created and entombed to protect the emperor in his afterlife. “The Terracota Army was only found in 1974 by local farmers,” she recounts. “It makes me wonder how many things on our planet goes undiscovered.”

05-Marra-Rachel-CH-3 — Rachel Marra from the State University of New York at New Paltz found a quiet and secluded area of The Forbidden City in Beijing, of which she recounts, “It was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen.”

06-Savig-Josiah-CH-3 — Josiah Savig of Colorado State University watched a woman speedily sorting through her basket of spinach as the snow came down around her in the Zhu Jia Jiao Water Village in Shanghai.

07-LUCAS-AURORA-CH-2 — Aurora Lucas of Roosevelt University was fascinated by the vastness of the Great Wall of China. “All of our lives we sit in our classrooms, open our textbooks, and learn about the Great Wall, but it’s a very different feeling to actually walk its steps and experience it in person.”

China-composite-Miller-Miller — Allyson Miller of Metropolitan State University of Denver visited the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Chengdu, China. There she learned about their work in breeding to ensure the survival of the species, who are native to the province of Szechuan (left). Allyson was also ecstatic about the acrobatics show (right) she attended in Beijing. “I didn’t know someone could bend that way‚Ä¶ they were spinning those mats on their fingers too!”

China-composite-Guild-Thomas — Ivy Guild of the University of San Diego visited Man Mo Temple (left) in Hong Kong, dedicated to two gods, Man Tai and Mo Tai. “This was by far my favorite temple I have visited, it was full of clouds of incense, rows of lanterns and candles, and beautifully adorned shrines.” Riley Thomas of California State University Fresno captured this photo during a “bamboo” raft ride along the Li River near Guilin (right). Riley says “A picture can only show so much, and to experience the beauty of rural China first-hand will be something I never forget.”

10-Bittaker-Robert-CH-3 — Tyler Bittaker of the University of San Diego took a tram to see Hong Kong from above. “Only a short cable car ride from downtown Hong Kong, the view from Victoria’s Peak offered us a dazzling view of the landscape with the *MV Explorer* in the distance, and a unique view of the evening light show.”

Fall 2025 Announcements

Semester at Sea announces the Fall 2025 Voyage itinerary

Student Photo Gallery: China

Related Articles