Tour to China organized by West Hartford resident

In July, 2012 twenty-three women, mostly from the greater Hartford area, journeyed together to China. The women were part of the first China trip for tour organizer and West Hartford resident, Lauren Drazen, and her new company "Chow Fun Tours".
After majoring in Chinese language at Dartmouth College, Drazen traveled to China for the past twenty years, both in the business world and as a Chinese teacher. For the past six years, Drazen has been teaching Mandarin Chinese in the West Hartford Public Schools and taking students every April on a spring break trip to China. Over the years, many people in greater Hartford had asked her to take adults to China as well.
This past summer, Drazen led her first adult trip, all women, to Beijing, Xian, Chengdu, Guilin and Hong Kong. Upon arriving at the Beijing airport, the women were whisked into rickshaws for a tour of the small alleys surrounding the Forbidden City, where courtyard homes abound. They ate a traditional Chinese meal at the Wang family courtyard home, made by Mr. Wang in his tiny kitchen. After the meal, Mrs. Wang gave the women a hands-on lesson in making dumplings. Over the following days, the group climbed the storied steps of the Great Wall and visited Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. The next stop, Xian, offered the breath-taking view of thousands of Terra Cotta warriors.The clay soldiers, each unique in design, were the project of Emperor Qin Shi Huang and were buried with him to protect him in the afterlife. Local farmers discovered the warriors while digging their land in the early 1970's. From Xian, the group ventured west and south to Chengdu and Guilin. In Chengdu, the primary draw was the Giant Panda Research Base where the group had the opportunity to view hundreds of red and giant pandas and even hold a baby panda. In Guilin, the group trekked up Longsheng Mountain to behold the remarkable beauty of the terraced rice fields. These fields have been farmed in the same manner for thousands of years.
Chow Fun's trips are special because no two tours are alike. Drazen designs each unique journey to not only introduce participants to important historical landmarks, but also to get a sense of what Chinese life is really like, in both the cities and the rural villages. This is the only way to truly understand the Chinese people. Their lives are simple and happy. When Americans are able to speak with (through Lauren's translation) and interact with the locals, they have a great appreciation for what is important in their own lives.
The summer of 2013 will offer participants the opportunity to travel to Beijing, Xian and Shanghai. In addition, the group will go on the Yangtze River cruise and visit Inner Mongolia, staying in a 4-star yurt for one night.