| City |
transfer by |
Accommodation |
|
Shanghai |
air |
4 nights |
|
Yichang / Yangtze Cruise |
air |
4 nights |
|
Xian |
air |
2 nights |
|
Beijing |
air |
4 nights |
Day 1 
Arrival / Shanghai
Upon arrival at Shanghai airport, you will be met by our English speaking tour guide and transferred to hotel. Leisure on your own for the rest of the day.
Day 2 (B, L, D)
Shanghai
Visit the Bund, Yuyuan Garden, Oriental TV Tower and Shanghai History Museum, Acrobatic show in the evening.
 Visit the Bund. Have a stroll along the waterfront to experience the smells, sights and sounds of the old "Wall Street" in Shanghai. Banks, trading houses, residences, hotels and clubs all had a view of bustling Huangpu River traffic as they shared in the city's rising and falling fortunes. Then walking along the famous shopping street-Nanjing Road. It is said that shopping in Shanghai is the most varied and rewarding in China.
 Following with the Shanghai Oriental Pearl TV Tower. With its 468 eters high (1,536 feet), the tower is the third tallest TV and radio tower in the world as well as the tallest structure in Asia. It is the best place to have a birds-eye-view of Shanghai City. With its unique and amazing design, it has become the new landmark of Shanghai and a big magnet for tourists. The viewing area is half-way up and offers a splendid unparalleled view of the Bund, the emerging new modern Shangha. The view of Shanghai from this height fills you with wonder at the beauty that surrounds you.
 After having lunch at a nice local restaurant, visit Yu Garden. This delightfully restored labyrinth of tiny specialty shops, tea and snack houses centered around a Ming - dynasty mandarin Suzhou-style garden is a fascinating spot to people-watch over a pot of tea, to shop for unique souvenirs and to get a feel for Old Shanghai. It is well worth a meander through the Yu Garden, which has many scenic courtyards decorated with baroque rockery, pools and flora, all connected by corridors and passageways.
Enjoy a wonderful acrobatic show after in the evening.
Day 3 (B, L)
Shanghai
Visit Shanghai Museum, Caoyang local residential area visit (kindergarten, food & vegetable market, local family visit).
Visit the Shanghai Museum.As a museum of ancient Chinese art, Shanghai Museum possesses a collection of 120,000 precious works of art. Its rich and high-quality collection of ancient Chinese bronze, ceramics, painting and calligraphy is specially celebrated in the world. The present Shanghai Museum has eleven galleries and three special temporary exhibition halls.
Day 4 (B, L )
Shanghai / Suzhou / Shanghai
Transfer to Suzhou by train or tour bus, visit Humble Administrator's Garden / Lingering Garden /Panmen City Gate/ Tiger Hill/Silk Museum, transfer back to Shanghai in the late afternoon.
 Take morning train to Suzhou (about 1.5 hours). Then visit the Humble Administrator's Garden and Lingering Garden. Located in the northeast of Suzhou city, the Humble Administrator's Garden is the largest classical garden in Suzhou and one of the four most famous classical gardens in China. It was originally built in 1513 A.D by Wang Xianchen, an imperial censor who had just been demoted and sent back to his hometown. The garden consists of three parts with different types buildings around streams and ponds..
The Lingering Garden was first built in 1522, one of the four most famous classical gardens in China. The garden is separated into the middle, eastern, northern and western parts connecting with beautiful corridors of 700 meters long. The whole garden features with rtificial mountains, unique limestone, beautiful pavilions and a number of attractive buildings.
After lunch at local restaurant, visit Panmen City Gate. It is the oldest city gate in existence in Suzhou  city. It used to be one of the eight city gates during the Spring & Autumn Annals (770-476 BC) when Suzhou was the capital of the Wu Kindom. The current gate was reconstructed in 1351. It consists of Water and Land Gates, city gate tower and city walls at both sides.
Then visit Tiger Hill, Tiger Hill (Huqiu) is the most famous sight in Suzhou city, enjoying the reputation of "The first scenic spot in Wu area" by its imposing beauty, including Leisure Spring, Testing Sword Rock, Third Spring, Broken-Pillar-Hall and Mountain Villa Wrapped in Emerald Green etc. With only 36 meters high and an area of 20hectares, you might think it is an an artificial hill, but its history can be traced back to 2500 years ago. The Tiger Hill Pagoda in the park is the landmark of Suzhou city.
Day 5 (B, L, D)
Shanghai / Yichang
Take the flight to Yichang, transfer to restaurant for dinner before embarking on board of the cruiser. Departs Yichang at 2100.
Day 6 (B, L, D)
Yangtze River Cruise (upstream)
Start the sailing along the Yangtze River. Today you will pass Xiling Gorge and Three Gorges Dam.
The ship offers following service for food and beverage :
 -full American buffet breakfast
-buffet luncheon with Western and Chinese selections
-evening banquets with Chinese delicacies and Western dishes
-complimentary coffee, tea, cold drinks with each meal, local beer included with lunch & dinner)
Day 7 (B, L, D)
Yangtze River Cruise (upstream)
 Today you will pass Xiling Gorge-West Part, Shennong Stream and Wu Gorge & Qutang Gorge. Shore excursion to Shennong Stream.
Day 8 (B, L, D)
Yangtze River Cruise (upstream)
Shore excursion to Shibaozhai.
Day 9 (B, L)
Chongqing / Xian
Arrives in Chongqing at 0930. Visit the Hall of the People, the Stiwell Museum and the Painters Villages.  Late afternoon flight to Xi'an.
Day 10 (B, L )
Xian
Full day private tours to Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses / Bell Tower / Big Wild Goose Pagoda
 Visit the Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses. The Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses are the most significant archeological excavations of the20th century. It has been regarded as THE 8TH WONDER OF THE WORLD! Over 2,200 years ago, the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang in search of immortality, ordered the construction of a vast army of 8,000 life-sized Terra Cotta warriors and buried with him to protect his empire after his early death. They were discovered accidentally in 1974 by farmers digging a well. For history lovers, the sight is truly breathtaking.
 After lunch at a local restaurant, visit the Bell Tower which is the most well-preserved and best-known one among many ancient cities of China. The Bell Tower was originally built in the Yingxiang Temple in 1384, at the intersection of West Street and Guangji Street. Then in 1582, it was moved to its present pivotal position, in the very heart of the city at the junction of four main streets extending to the east, south, west and north, for rebuilding and later restorations. With magnificent carved beams and painted rafters, this classical building is truly elegant.
After coming back to the city, have another tour to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. Situated at south of the Xian city,as one of the main constructions in the famous Buddhist temple-Da-Ci-En Temple, the pagoda is one of the most distinctive and outstanding landmarks for Xian City.
Day 11 (B, L )
Xian / Beijing
Visit Shaanxi Provincial Museum and Old City Wall, take night train to Beijing (soft sleeper)
 Have city tours to visit the Shaanxi Provincial Museum, which is the largest comprehensive museum in the province. It is also the fist national level grand museum equipped with modern facilities. It exhibits primarily historical relics of past dynasties and displays precious art treasures and stone carvings of the Han and Tang dynasties. Walking through the exhibits in the museum is like walking through the 3000 years of China history.
After having lunch at the local restaurant, visit the Old City Wall. It is the most complete city wall survived in China as well as one of the largest ancient military defensive systems in the world. The wall was built in the Tang dynasty (618 -907) and enlarged in the Ming dynasty (1368-1644).
Day 12 (B, L )
Beijing
Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, Temple of Heaven.
TianAnMen Square, the symbolical heart of China and gathering place for the masses. It is the biggest public square in the world, which can hold one million people. Having a free walk there, imagining the great historic events of the 20th century took place there. You will also see legendary landmarks including the Great Hall of the People and the towering 125 foot granite obelisk, Monument to the Peoples Heroes, honoring those who died in revolution.
 Walking across the Golden River Bridge, enter the Forbidden City, the inner sanctum and palace where for centuries Chinese emperors ruled their world. It has 9000-room maze of courtyards, places, and ceremonial halls, where 24 emperors used to live. Forbidden City was indeed a forbidden place, where commoners were kept out for nearly 500 years in the past. Tour the palace and imagine the mystery, intrigue and incredible power that reigned here.
Temple of Heaven was built in the 15th century, a sacred site for ancient Beijing, where the emperor and his 1000 member entourage would retreat twice a year for religious ritual. Surrounded by enormous grounds designed in accordance with fengshshui, the Temple complex consists of the Celebrated Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, a unique wooden and blue-tiled structure built without a nail. It is considered the supreme achievement of traditional Chinese architecture.
Day 13 (B, L, D)
Beijing
Great Wall Tour, Ming Tomb, watch Peking Opera in the evening.
 The Great Wall of China is the longest structure ever built. It is about 4,000 miles long, and it was built entirely by hand. About 1, 200 - 1, 500 miles of the Great Wall were built during the reign of Emperor Shi Huangdi (Qin Dynasty). The Great Wall crosses northern China from the east coast to the central part of China.
Visit the fabled Ming Tombs, the resting places of thirteen emperors and their splendid treasures, passing down the Spirit Way, a road lined with statues of dignitaries, as well as huge elephants, lions, camels and horses, you will encounter the marble tombs of the Ming Dynasty emperors. Visit one of the spectacular tombs- Dingling featuring an underground palace.
Peking Opera or Beijing Opera is a synthesis of stylized action, singing, dialogue and mime, acrobatic fighting and dancing to represent a story or depict different characters and their feelings of gladness, anger, sorrow, happiness, surprise, fear and sadness.
Day 14 (B, L )
Beijing
Summer Palace, Lhama Temple, Pearl Market
 The Summer Palace is the largest and best-preserved royal garden in China with a history of over 800 years. With its cool features - water, gardens and hills, it was the palace of choice for vacationing emperors and Dowager Empresses. It was badly damaged by Anglo-French troops during the Second Opium War (1860) and its restoration became a pet project of Empress Dowager Cixi, the last of the Qing dynasty rulers.
Lhama Temple (Yonghegong or also known as lama temple) is a renowned lama temple of the Yellow Hat Sect of Lamaism, is situated in the northeast part of Beijing city. Lama Temple, or Yanghegong, has a long and varied history. It was originally built in 1694 and originally used as official residence for court eunuchs of the Ming dynasty.
Free time at Pearl Market for shopping.
Day 15 (B)
Beijing / Depart
Transfer to airport for flight to sweet home.
Service end. More photos of our packages, click here.
Hotel accommodation inclusive in the above package:
Optional add-on activities:
Compare with airfares to get to China, the cost for the following local add-on programs is really worth to try. Highly recommend you to select one of the Optional Add-ons to supplement the itinerary.
 Add-on activities include studying fees/entrance fees, personal tour guide & driver, round trip transfers by public bus, lunch if tour lasts one day.
Add-on activities are based on a traveling group of 2-5 persons. A group of more than 5 people will get a larger discount, Please ask our travel advisor about prices for larger group.
Add-on activities are valid only when used in conjunction with a tour package. Please ask our travel advisor for a price under other circumstances. |
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