PYSO Concert Tour of China

June 16-30, 2008

• 4 Major Cities and Concerts: Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Hong Kong
• Secondary cities & towns: Suzhou, Wuzhen, Shenzhen
• Exchange activities with Chinese students in Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong
• Joint Performance with Hong Kong Youth Symphony Orchestra and Music Office Youth Choir (Hong Kong)
• Major Tourist Sites: Forbidden City, Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven, Hutong Tour, Tianeman Square, Great Wall, Silk Factory, Tea Village, Shanghai Science Museum, Yu Garden, Oriental Pearl TV Tower, Pagoda of the Six Harmonies, Hong Kong Island tour, Victoria Peak, Repulse Bay, Aberdeen Fishing Village
• Travel: United Airlines, Pittsburgh to China; travel within China via overnight train, motor coach, or China Air
• Hotels: 4 Star, double occupancy
• Meals: All meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) included
• Sightseeing fees and admissions included; tour guides included

PYSO's Tour to China Made Possible By:

Westinghouse Electric Company - Corporate Sponsor
Eaton Corporation - Corporate Co-Sponsor

Additional Underwriters:
The Heinz Endowments, Joanne Rogers, Estate of Helen Volkwein

Major Donors:
Citi Foundation, Equipment and Controls Africa, Owen Cantor, Georgina Gutierrez, McFeely-Rogers Foundation, Karen Miller, National City Bank, Patricia Prattis Jennings, Florence and Justin Johnson, Nancy Scarton, Rachel and Ritchie Tabachnick, Michael Zeglinski, Buncher Family Foundation, Frances DeBroff, Janet K. Ferrell, Craig Johnson, Edison and Ruth M. Montgomery Fund, of The Pittsburgh Foundation, Gretchen Van Hoesen, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Media Sponsor

FINAL FUNDRAISER: CHINA GARDEN PARTY on May 25, 2008 (3:00-6:00 PM) at Heinz Hall. Co-sponsored by the Confucius Institute of the University of Pittsburgh and the Allegheny Regional Alliance, hosted by Honorary Chair Joanne Rogers.

PYSO China Tour Handbook that includes complete itinerary and contact information.

TRAVEL TIPS FOR CHINA TOUR - Important Information for All Tour Participants

INTRODUCTION TO CHINA - A Learning Opportunity for all Tour Participants
Three weeks of classes, Saturdays, 2:00-4:00 PM
May 24, May 31, and June 7, 2008
4130 Posvar Hall on the Pitt campus

MEETING
Following PYSO rehearsal on Saturday, January 12, 2008, there was an informational meeting for everyone participating in PYSO's tour to China: students, chaperones, staff, and companions. A subsequent meeting took place on Sunday, April 27 at 4:00 PM. The next and final meeting will be on Saturday, June 14 at 4:00 PM at which time luggage tags, tour booklets, and other items will be distributed. If you cannot attend this meeting, please send someone in your place to collect your tags, booklets, etc.

FORMS
All Tour Participants should have completed and returned the following:
1. Tour Participant Profile
2. Copy of your passport
3. Health & Medical Form(s)

PASSPORTS and VISAS
Passports are the responsibility of each individual. You should have your passport by now and should have turned a copy into us with your participant profile. If you have not, your passport may not be included in the group visa application and you could be responsible for your own visa application process.

RAFFLE TICKETS
The raffle drawing for Painted Violins and Other Intriguing Instruments took place on May 3, 2008.

T-SHIRTS and LUGGAGE TAGS
PYSO will provide each tour participant one complimentary t-shirt due to the generosity of one of our tour companions. On June 14, 2008 tour participants will receive a t-shirt and luggage tag imprinted with the 2008 tour logo. Please fill out the t-shirt and luggage tag order form to help us ensure we order the right shirt size for each participant.  Additional shirts and luggage tags can be purchased using the same downloaded form.

CHAPERONE GROUPS and ROOMING
A rooming list and a list of chaperone groups was distributed at the January 12 meeting.

CODE of CONDUCT
Each member of PYSO should have received a separate email regarding the Code of Conduct. This document must be completed by all orchestra members, even if 18 years old or older. Completed forms were due on January 12. The code of conduct will also be reprinted in the tour handbook that will be distributed to each person prior to departure.

AIRLINES
We will be traveling via United airlines out of Pittsburgh International Airport. Exact departure and arrival times will be distributed at a later date. Departure is June 16, 2008. Return is June 30, 2008. If you have a Mileage Plus account with United, or a frequent flyer account with another of the Star Alliance airlines, please send an email with your member number as well as the airline. If you don't have a membership, now would be a good time to sign up in order to get credit for the trip to China. You can join "Mileage Plus" through United's website.

CONCERT HALLS
Beijing Concert Hall
Shanghai Concert Hall
Hangzhou Grand Theatre
Ko Shan Theater - Hong Kong

HOTELS
Tiantan Hotel in Beijing
Hengsheng Peninsula International Hotel in Shanghai 
Holiday Wuyang Hotel in Hangzhou
Shenzhen Honggui Hotel in Shenzhen
Panda Hotel in Hong Kong

TRIP DEVIATIONS
If you wish to deviate from the group itinerary at any time, please let us know immediately, in writing. Trip deviation requests from Orchestra members must be submitted by January 31, 2008. Trip deviations may result in additional fees.

OPTIONAL TRAVEL INSURANCE
Each person may purchase OPTIONAL travel insurance. It is up to each individual as to whether you wish to purchase this insurance or not. This link will take you directly to the TravMed Choice overview page. It is basically medical insurance with trip interruption and lost baggage coverage. It is very affordable. Please review the coverage. If you decide to purchase the insurance, you will purchase it online, directly through TravMed Choice. Another more comprehensive option is CSA Travel Protection which covers trip cancellation and is more about getting your money back if your trip is cancelled. Of course, the premiums are higher.

Please note that this information on insurance is optional, that it is not a recommendation nor an endorsement.

GENERAL INFO:
http://travel.state.gov/

TIPS FOR TRAVELLING ABROAD:
http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/tips_1232.html#health

CELL PHONES:
Call your provider to check on your phone’s capabilities for making/receiving calls in China.. If your phone will work in China, the provider can add a code to your account to allow phone usage outside of the US. You may need to download a software update on your phone.

VACCINATIONS:
At this time, there are no required vaccinations for travel to China. However, certain health precautions are advised by the US government. Please see link below.

HEALTH AND MEDICAL INFORMATION:
Click on this link for the medical and health forms needed for your participation
in the China Tour 2008. Completing this form thoroughly will be important
for the tour staff to know what to do in case you are involved in an
accident or require medical attention. Since each individual health is different, we recommend that you read the following information and consult with your physician in order to determine which vaccines you should have prior to the trip.

www.cdc.gov/travel/destinationChina.aspx

Please note that if you are going to elect to be vaccinated for the
Hepatitis A vaccine, two doses are recommended within 6 months of each
other.

To expedite your search, you may want to visit www.minuteclinic.com for
locations where you can obtain your Hepatitis A vaccine. Please consider
this a recommendation of a convenient location and not an endorsement of
their services.