OCDF language and culture program

Develop Chinese language skills and explore Chinese culture in Beijing!
emily with panda

This 7-day program in Beijing will give your family the chance to experience OCDF's active learning program to develop your Chinese language skills. Also included are Chinese dance lessons, music appreciation, gymnastics, horse riding and more!

language and culture program Itinerary

Day 1/Day2

Depart home country and arrive in Beijing. You will be met by OCDF staff at airport, and transferred to your hotel for check-in.

Dinner on your own.

Day 3

Buffet breakfast at the hotel -Welcome Orientation

Morning at a local day care center -Theme: Greeting & Names, Family & Relationships.

Lunch at a Beijing Noodle Shop

Afternoon at the dancing school -Theme: Chinese Traditional Dances and Ethnic Minority Dances.

Dinner at Tian Wai Tian Restaurant

Day 4

Buffet breakfast at the hotel

Morning at a local grocery store -Theme: Numbers, Foods, Shopping, Eating Out.

Lunch at a Dai Restaurant

Afternoon at the dancing school -Theme: Chinese Traditional Dances and Ethnic Minority Dances.

Dinner at Xihe Yaju Restaurant

Day 5

Buffet breakfast at the hotel

Morning at Sun Yat Sen Park -Theme: Colors & Body Parts, How to Speak in Sentences.

Lunch in Sun Yat Sen Park

Afternoon at the sports training school -Theme: Gymnastics and Wushu.

Dinner at Houhai Beijing Noodle Shop

Day 6

Buffet breakfast at the hotel

Morning -Hong Qiao Market with Pearl and Toy Markets.

Lunch at Xiao Wang Fu Restaurant

Afternoon -Free time to explore downtown Beijing

Dinner at Peking Duck Restaurant

Day 7

Buffet breakfast at the hotel

Morning at the Beijing Zoo -Theme: Animals, Chinese Zodiac, and Origami.

Lunch at Jiu Tou Niao Restaurant

Afternoon at music school -Traditional Chinese music and instruments.

Dinner at a Mongolian Hot Pot Restaurant

Day 8

Buffet breakfast at the hotel

Morning at a local Chinese pharmacy -Theme: Traditional Chinese Medicine & Massage.

Lunch at a Sichuan Restaurant

Afternoon at music school -Traditional Chinese music and instruments.

Dinner at a local family home to make jiaozi dumpling

Day 9

Buffet breakfast at the hotel

Morning at Science & Technology Museum -Theme: Great Inventions of China.

Lunch -BBQ Lunch

Afternoon at Equuleus International Riding Club -riding lesson and Pony Club.

Visit Shunyi kite market.

Dinner at hotel

Optional add-ons

  • Add-on 3-day Beijing Sightseeing: includes 3 nights in 4-star hotel, local transportation,bilingual guide,entrance fees, and 2 meals per day. Children receive Beijing sightseeing gifts the same as Orphanage Reunion Tour program.
  • Add-on 4-day Arts and Crafts Program. See details in our 2008 Tour Brochure (PDF) contact: jane@ocdf.org
  • Add-on 14-day Orphanage Reunion Tour Program contact: jenny@ocdf.org

    Family Unit Cost* for 2008 Travelers

    1 Adult = $1,700.00 (add 3-day sightseeing in Beijing package for $650.00)

    2 Adults = $2,550.00 (add 3-day sightseeing in Beijing package for $975.00)

    1 Adult + 1 Child = $2,475.00 (add 3-day sightseeing in Beijing package for $975.00)

    1 Adult + 2 Children = $3,550.00 (add 3-day sightseeing in Beijing package for $1,400.00)

    2 Adults + 1 Child = $3,600.00 (add 3-day sightseeing in Beijing package for $1,400.00)

    2 Adults + 2 Children (2 rooms) = $4,950.00 (add 3-day sightseeing in Beijing package for $1,950.00)

    Language and Culture 7-day Program Includes:

    Greeting at airport by OCDF and transfer to 4-star Holiday Inn hotel, 8 nights in Beijing, buffet breakfast daily, lunch and dinner meals as specified in the itinerary, all instructional fees and supplies, other services including bilingual guides and escorts, local transportation, luggage handling, all tips & gratuities for guides/drivers, children’s workbook keyed to program, luggage tags, name tags, and t-shirts. International airfare is NOT included.

    12 Key Steps For OCDF Travelers:

    1. Look at the various itineraries and decide what time of year you wish to travel and which tour fits your family's needs. Download the article: Returning to China with Your Adopted Child (pdf), and begin preparing for your trip. 
    2. Download the pdf file for that tour or print off the itinerary. Full color brochures can be obtained from OCDF by calling 309-829-8202 or email: lynn@ocdf.org
    3. If your family desires a customized trip - please download our Customized Travel Planning Booklet and contact Jenny Peng (jenny@ocdf.org) to assist you with your quotation. Any regular OCDF China Tour can be scheduled for custom groups, or new tour itineraries created just for your family and friends! 
    4. See the tour costs. A $500 per person non-refundable deposit is due at the time of registration. Any gift certificates must be presented at the time of registration. Only one gift certificate can be used per family. Payments can be made by check, money order, bank check and Visa or Mastercard. Questions? Ask jane@ocdf.org
    5. Check your passports to be sure they will be valid for at least 6 months AFTER the dates of your travel. If you do not have passports, or your passports will expire during that time-frame PLEASE make getting new passports a HIGH PRIORITY for your family as passport application and processing takes much much longer now than in the past. 
    6. If you wish to visit a child's orphanage as part of your tour or as an add-on, please complete the file called the Orphanage Request Form and return it to jenny@ocdf.org. Jenny Peng, our travel planner, will assist you by gaining the approval for your orphanage visit, arrange for interpreters and guides, and arrange travel. She will provide you with a quotation for add-on costs for the orphanage visit should it not be included in your tour itinerary. 
    7. Download the registration form or obtain a printed copy from OCDF by calling 309-829-8202 or email: lynn@ocdf.org. For international air fare: contact Marta LaCour (marta.lacour@travnet.net) at www.travnet.net to assist you with your international airline reservations. Call Marta at: 1-800-359-6388. For insurance: contact Medex for your trip cancellation and travel medical insurance. 
    8. Submit your registration form (as complete as it can be at the time - you may need to add new passport numbers later) either online or to OCDF at PO Box 1243, Bloomington, IL 61702-1243. Be sure to include a photocopy of each person's passport who is traveling with your family AND your $500 per person non-refundable tour deposit (See Important Information about Tours if you have questions about cancellation policies). Please check that your passports are signed (parents should sign for children) prior to making the photocopies. 
    9. Check the Travel Information Fact Sheet (Word file) for travel medical preparations and obtain any vaccinations and medications needed for your tour such as Hepatitis A & B series (takes 6 months to get all shots in the series), a Tetanus booster (if needed), blood typing, and prescription for antibiotics. 
    10. Receive from OCDF three things: 
      • Invoice by email showing tour payment and balance due
      • Email Welcome to OCDF China Tours from Jane
      • A package from OCDF Office in the USA with t-shirts, travel planning booklet, luggage tags, and passport holder. Please READ your travel planning guide. Join the egroup for your tour program! 
    11. Pay your balance of tour costs by the deadline - 3 months prior to your tour. Update your tour registration with new passport information. Questions about your invoice should be addressed to steven@ocdf.org or jenny@ocdf.org . Our USA office can tell you if your check/payment was received (309-829-8202), but they will not know the details of your travel plans - the Beijing Office will handle this. Thus emailing Steven or Jenny may be best. 
    12. Apply for your Visa through the Chinese consulate near your home, or use our recommended courier services www.mychinadocs.com . They will assist you with your visa application. Do not apply for your visa more than 90 days (3 months) prior to your trip or the visa will expire before you travel. About 4-6 weeks before your tour is enough time to apply for your visa. Once you have your visa, please email sunny@ocdf.org with your visa numbers, expiration and issue dates.
    That's it! Review the what to pack lists, and get ready to travel!
    Thank you!

    Questions? Please Email the OCDF Staff: 

    Jane Liedtke,  jane@ocdf.org OCDF China Tours 

    Jenny Peng, jenny@ocdf.org Orphanage contacts and additional travel in China

    Contact by Telephone: 

    Jane Liedtke at OCDF Office in China - 011-8610-8403-4979 (answering machine available) 

    OCDF Office in USA - 309-829-8202 ask for Lynn Warren (answering machine available) 

    Jenny Peng, Travel Planner in China - 011-86-13011086069

    Contact by Mail in USA: 
    Our Chinese Daughters Foundation 
    109 West Monroe 
    Bloomington, IL 61701

    Mailing Address in USA: 
    OCDF 
    PO Box 1243 
    Bloomington, IL 61702-1243 USA

    Contact by Mail in Beijing: 
    OCDF China Tours 
    199 Chaoyangmennei 
    Richland Court Room 105 
    Dongcheng District 
    Beijing 100010 China

    Brief Background on OCDF China Tours

    OCDF China Tours has its own trained staff and guides and also contracts with CITS in China for in-China travel services. To assure you a quality tour program, OCDF directs all tour programs and selects all staff members who work with our groups. Dr. Jane Liedtke, CEO and Founder of Our Chinese Daughters Foundation, lives and works from the Beijing and Bloomington Offices of OCDF. Her daughter Emily was adopted from Jiangmen Social Welfare Institute in 1994 and is 14 years old (will be 15 in April 2008). Jane has organized tour groups to China for adoptive families, educators and professional groups with experience in China since 1987. OCDF began Chinese Culture Camps for adoptive families in 1996 and extended them to China in 1998. OCDF was the first organization to offer Chinese Culture programs to adoptive families via tour programs to China. We work extensively with adoptive families and orphanages throughout China to insure your family has the best experience possible upon your return to your adopted child's birth-country.