A group of ten students led by Shencheng Xu, assistant professor, art; Santiago Vaca, assistant professor, art; and David Kamper, assistant dean, Graduate College and international programs, toured the far east this summer for the class "Sculpture and Murals Study in Tibet and Historical Sites in China."

The group visited six cities including Beijing and Shanghai and visited three universities that have partnerships with NEIU. While at Northeastern University in Shenyang, the NEIU students worked alongside Chinese students to paint a mural to represent the cities of Chicago and Shenyang as well as the two university campuses.

The trip also provided the opportunity for the students to study both ancient and modern art. The group went to Dunhuam to see the Mongoa Caves, where Buddhist murals were painted onto and sculptures carved into the cave walls. For contemporary art, the group traveled to Beijing to see the architecture of the Olympic stadium as well as many art galleries.