Day 01 Arrive in Beijing. Have a break and your sightseeing begins at Tian'anmen Square, the largest public square in the world. Dominating the north side of the square is the massive red Tian'anmen Gate through which you will pass into the fabled Forbidden City and another age, where you will be shown the home to the members of the royal family and their court in China's Ming and Qing Dynasties. | | (D) Overnight in Beijing |
Day 02 After breakfast, you will make your way to the Great Wall where you will have the opportunity to not only see one of the most impressive sections of the Great Wall of China but you will be able to take a walk along it. After lunch you will travel some 30 miles (50 kilometers) northwest of Beijing to the Sacred Way with its fabulous stone animals. It leads you to the Ming Tombs in the shadow of Longevity Mountain. A visit to the Underground Palace of Dingling, will allow you to see imperial coffins, burial artifacts and treasures. To round off a memorable start to your tour, you will have Beijing Roast Duck Dinner at the most famous and century-old Quan Ju De restaurant followed by the fascinating Peking Opera performance. | | (B/L/D) Overnight in Beijing |
Day 03 This day you will visit Summer Palace. Walking in this veritable museum of classical Chinese garden architecture that the royal family could relax away from the formal ceremony of the court is quite a pleasant experience. There are a number of pavilions as well as the Long Corridor that is now a popular place for people to spend the day on. And visit the imposing Temple of Heaven where the Emperor came each year to intercede with the Gods for a good and plentiful harvest. | | (B/L/D) Overnight in Beijing |
Day 04 Take flight from Beijing to Shanghai. Visit the Old City of Shanghai, and the Yuyuan Garden, laid out in the 16th century by a Ming official, this small (2 hectares) garden is a delight of pools, pavilions and rock gardens. Strolling through the bazaar surrounding the garden, you will find lines of stores that sell traditional Chinese arts and crafts. Enjoy the Portman Acrobatic Show in the evening. | | (B/L/D) Overnight in Shanghai |
Day 05 Take the soft seat train from Shanghai to Suzhou. Visit the Humble Administrator's Garden (Zhouzheng Yuan) which is the largest garden in Suzhou, located in the northeastern section of the city, and one of the four most famous classical gardens in China. The garden's scenery is focused on a central pond with various buildings of pavilions, terraces, chambers, and towers located by the water or on hillocks in a natural, unsophisticated, and appropriate composition. The garden is most representative of Chinese classical gardens in the Ming Dynasty. It was laid out in 1513 by the censor, Wang Xiancheng, after his retirement from political life. He named the garden after an essay by Pan Yue of Jing Era, "On Idle Living,": "Building house and planting trees, watering garden and growing vegetables are the affairs (Zheng) of humble (Zhuo) people." After his death, his son gambled away the garden. Visit the Garden of the Master of the Net, cruise on the ancient canal. | | (B/L/D) Overnight in Suzhou |
Day 06 After breakfast go back to Shanghai by car. Visit the Bund, one of the most famous thoroughfares in China and here you will see a collection of buildings dating from the 1930's displaying their western influence and fulfilling the role of the commercial heart of Shanghai. And visit the Jade Buddha Temple, which is a good place to go whether you are a Buddhist or not, the peaceful and transcendent atmosphere adds a kind of richness to our busy modern society. Leaving the ancient for the modern you visit the Pudong New Area is a triangular area adjacent to the city proper. Before 1990, it was farmland and rice paddies. Here you'll find the biggest of everything: the tallest TV tower in Asia, the largest department store on the continent, and the tallest building in the world. The modern architectural wonders, the Yangpu and Nanpu Bridges, connect Pudong to Puxi, the city proper. The new Shanghai international airport was open in 1999, and the Shanghai Stock Exchange moves to its new building in Pudong in 1998. | | (B/L/D) Overnight in Shanghai |
Day 07 Take flight to Xi'an. Visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. The square, seven-storey pagoda was built in 652 AD and is a fine example of Tang Dynasty Buddhist architecture.Visit the the ancient Xi'an City Wall from the 14th century and the Chinese Moslem Mosque. | | (B/L/D) Overnight in Xi' an |
Day 08 Following breakfast in the hotel, you set out for a highlight of your tour; the Terracotta Warriors Museum. The thousands of life size soldiers and horses were created to guard the tomb of Qin Shi Huangdi, the first Emperor to unite China under his firm rule. The royal tomb itself has yet to be opened but the rank upon rank of Warriors is a sight that is unrivalled anywhere in the world. | | (B/L/D) Overnight in Xi' an |
Day 09 Take flight to Guilin. Visit the Reed Flute Cave, named after the reeds used in the manufacture of flutes that grow near it. The cave system has a stunning array of natural limestone formations that are made all the more impressive by the clever use of colored lighting. Then you go to the delightful Seven Star Park before you visit one of the many unusual rock formations that have been carved out by water erosion over thousands of years, Elephant Trunk Hill, as its name implies are quite mark example of the hand of nature upon the landscape. | | (B/L/D) Overnight in Guilin |
Day 10 After breakfast, take a short drive to join a cruise that will take you on a voyage of discovery along the Li River. The river wends its way through the unique scenery of Karsts (limestone mountains) that have strange and fabulous shapes. Admire the shapes and try to guess their names - Crown Rock, Conch Hill, Jade Lotus Peak and Snow Lion Peak are just a few while enjoying lunch on board. And back to Guilin. | | (B/L/D) Overnight in Guilin |
Day 11 Free time in the morning. Take flight to HKG. Meet the local guide and transfer to the hotel. | | (B) Overnight in Hongkong |
Day 12 Free time. | | (B) Overnight in Hongkong |
Day 13 Free time. | | (B) Overnight in Hongkong |
Day 14 Transfer to the airport for exit. | | |
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