China in Transition: After the passing of Mao, and with him many of the radical economic theories that led to disasters like the Great Leap Forward, China’s economic expansion began to accelerate at breakneck speed, averaging 8% GDP growth per year over the last two decades. While recent reforms have resulted in higher standards of living for many Chinese, a widening wealth gap has opened and stark differences have appeared between China’s relatively prosperous urban dwellers, and the vast, often forgotten rural population, the majority of whom subsist on less than $1 a day. Global Action China seeks to understand this moment in Chinese history, explore economic transformation through the eyes of a wide range of Chinese people, and wrestle with the cultural, moral, and ethical complexities of China’s emergence on the global economic stage.

Beijing: The group begins its research in Beijing, a city in the midst of radical transformation as it prepares for the 2008 Olympics. Millions of impoverished migrant workers shoulder the burden of the drive towards modernity while entire districts of traditional homes have been leveled; petitioners wait at the doors of government offices for their stories to be heard; and the city’s thirst for water and power exacerbates serious environmental degradation. Students meet with international NGOs, activists, artists, and business people to construct a realistic picture of the benefits and challenges of China’s economic transformation. During an overnight hiking trip to the Great Wall, the group stays with local farmers in a courtyard home to discuss development issues and experience rural life first-hand.

The Yangtze: From the docks of western China’s boomtown, Chongqing, students board a small cruising vessel that, over the next days, carries them 400 miles down the Yangtze River. The river journey begins with a first-hand look at a controversial economic development project—the Three Gorges Dam. Passing through the now flooded Three Gorges and the ship locks at the dam, the group weighs the costs and benefits of an initiative which will provide 10% of China’s energy and simultaneously displace over 1.million people. Sleeping on the boat at night and exploring relocated towns during the day, students develop a nuanced perspective on the divide between China’s rural population and its cosmopolitan urbanites.

Shanghai: Upon arrival in Shanghai, the group meets with members of the international business community to discuss market reform and currency regulation. Participants also explore Shanghai’s fascinating history— from its origins as a sleepy fishing town to its contemporary struggles with overcrowding, power shortages, and rising housing costs.

Before returning to Yale, students reflect on China’s energetic responses to these challenges during a 2-day trek in the breathtaking Yellow Mountains while conducting small agriculture-based community service projects in a nearby tea farming village.