Our Mission

Ming Cheng Institute believes that knowledge of history and culture, familiarity with current conditions, customs and beliefs and the building of strong personal relationships among Chinese and American students will help foster mutual acceptance, trust, and good will. This will ultimately result in economic opportunities and peace between our nations. The mission of Ming Cheng Educational Travel, therefore, is to provide the opportunity to enhance communication and awareness between the people of China and the United States through knowledge sharing and first hand experience. Ming Cheng Educational Travel provides academically rich study abroad programs to American and Chinese students. Students begin their journey with a semester-long course on their college campus taught by a local professor using curriculum prepared by Ming Cheng Educational Travel which meets the institution's academic standards. Participants then travel abroad where they experience first hand the daily lives of others and gain insight into their hopes, desires and fears. Ming Cheng Travel cultivates personal and institutional connections between our two countries, increases the transfer of information among students, promotes academic growth and improves cross-cultural trust and understanding that forms the basis for long-term economic development and peace.

To succeed in our mission, Ming Cheng Educational Travel must provide a superior educational travel experience created with a clear set of achievable goals. All of our programs share a core set of values and objectives:

Provide meaningful experiences that effectively educate students about other cultures

Supply relevant curriculum, meet institutional academic standards, to support educators and enhance student understanding

Offer a safe, comfortable, authentic and enjoyable travel experience.

Build trust and reputation by delivering what was promised and meeting the needs of participating students, educators and institutions

Undertake culturally sustainable tourism that generates short and long-term economic opportunities in the local communities

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Ming Cheng Leadership Team

DU YU has over thirty years experience as one of Shanghai's leading attorneys, entrepreneurs and philanthropists. After a flourishing legal career, he created several companies that helped shape Shanghai's real estate and industrial boom. An avid art collector and expert of Chinese culture, he narrowed his entrepreneurial responsibilities to focus on philanthropy and his passion to spread Chinese culture around the world. His business acumen and legal expertise together with his desire to expose the world to the splendor of Chinese culture drive Ming Cheng Educational Travel and are key to making Ming Cheng a success.

NINA DUAN has over twenty five years experience promoting and advocating for the people of Guizhou; first as a journalist and later as the founder and director of the Guizhou Association for the Protection of Ethnic Minority Cultures (GPANFCP). One of the first non-profit organizations in Guizhou, GPANFCP funds local educational programs to teach the traditional arts of ethnic minorities. As a journalist, she promoted rural Guizhou to the rest of China and witnessed the effect of irresponsible tourism on the area. First with GPANFCP and now with Ming Cheng, she is dedicated to finding culturally sustainable and effective forms of tourism that give agency to the local people, teach the world about the unique experiences of Guizhou, and provide economic opportunities to some of China's poorest citizens. Her expertise in both China's ethnic cultures and responsible tourism are at the heart of our vision.

WILLIAM FAIRFAX has over fifteen years experience in corporate training and human resource management. An organizational development expert, he has created management development programs, implement personnel training strategies and assessed employee performance. He created and managed online learning management systems (LMS) for the telecommunications industry within the United States. He is an accomplished photographer, having been published in education, non-profit and public safety industries. He has traveled considerably throughout China documenting its people and culture through video and still photography. These images play a vital academic role. In addition, photography will enhance the travel experience for students by documenting their adventures. His desire to develop a socially responsible company guides our business practices.

ROBERT JEREMY FISH has over a decade of experience in academia, corporate training and management. An instructor experienced in teaching both Chinese and American students, he has also designed comprehensive curricula for Chinese and American institutions. With extensive experience in management, he has overseen business development and marketing strategy for China-based educational ventures. He has lived in China for five years and has traveled widely throughout the country, including every Ming Cheng program destination. His academic interests include identity construction, globalization, and the art of pedagogy. These interests, his love of travel and the people of China led him to develop Ming Cheng's academic programs so they combine socially responsible travel with effective learning strategies.

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Social Responsibility

Ming Cheng is indebted to the people of Guizhou Province, as it was there that relationships were built which led to the formation of our company. The kind, optimistic and friendly people of Guizhou inspired our mission and nurtured our love of China. Currently many American universities do not provide courses or academic materials on the ethnic diversity of China. Few Americans know China boasts 56 different ethnic groups. Ming Cheng focuses many of its tours on areas of Guizhou rich in ethnic diversity. By exploring this diversity, students gain a unique and more complete understanding of China and its people.

Ming Cheng Educational Travel creates economic opportunities for communities to continue traditional ethnic mores and customs, developing culturally sensitive and sustainable tourism in poverty stricken areas that have limited options for growth. We work with our non-profit Guizhou partners to sponsor a wide range of development programs including the updating of school facilities and conducting teacher training workshops. We continually asses the potential to support non-profit activities to benefit rural Guizhou.