Through lectures and field trips to famous mountains in eastern, southern, and southwestern China, students will gain skills and knowledge in field botany, ecology, and biogeography. During this four-week program, students from Zhejiang University and Zhongshan university (Sun Yat-sen University) will join the class to promote inter-cultural interactions. Visits to famous Chinese classic gardens, medicinal plant gardens, markets, and museums in Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Guangzhou cities and visits to villages and the Buddhist and Taoist temples in the mountains will be integrated into the program to enrich the cultural experiences of students.

This course examines natural plant resources of China. Plant biodiversity, the origin of the famous eastern Asian-eastern North American disjunt distributional pattern, plant communities and vegetation in temperate and tropical forests, and ethnobotanical uses of plants will be discussed. Techniques for collecting and preserving plant specimens and for identification of plant species will be taught through a combination of classroom and field exercises.

Information

Program Dates: odd year summers.  Check back later for Summer 2021 program.