DAILY ITINERARY
Day 1 Arrive Beijing
Arrive in Beijing, greeting at the airport and transfer to hotel. Dinner.
D International Hotel
Day 2 Beijing
Begin
your exploration of China by touring threeof the nation's most famous
sites - Tian An Men Square, the Forbidden City, and the Temple of
Heaven.
B/L/D International Hotel
Day 3 Beijing
Excursion
to the Great Wall, one of the world’s architectural marvels. Then
continue on to the Ming Tomb Gardens, burial ground of 13 emperors. On
the way back, stop in at a cloisonné factory.
B/L/D International Hotel
Day 4 Beijing
Morning
rickshaw tour of Beijing’s old residential area of twisting lanes and
courtyard homes. Enjoy lunch as the guest of one of the local families.
Afternoon visit the Summer Palace. Beijing Duck dinner.
B/L/D International Hotel
Day 5 Beijing/Zhengzhou
Flight
to Zhengzhou, capital of Henan Province. The neolithic and Bronze Age
cultures reaching back 5,000 years make this area the cradle of Chinese
civilization. Afternoon visit the Henan Provincial Museum.
B/L/D Yuda Palace Hotel
Day 6 Zhengzhou/Shaolin (Dengfeng)
Morning
excursion to the Yellow River. Continue by coach to Dengfeng County.
Explore a local village and be a guest in one of the cave homes. Visit
the school and enjoy leisure time with the local people.
B/L/D Shaolin International Hotel
Day 7 Shaolin (Dengfeng)/Luoyang
Morning
visit to the Shaolin Monastery, the birthplace of China’s martial arts
tradition and enjoy a Kungfu demonstration. Afternoon drive to Luoyang
to visit the Longmen Grottoes. This complex is one of the nation’s
greatest cultural treasures, where up to 100,000 Buddhist statues
ranging in size from less than an inch to over 50 feet in height, are
displayed in hundreds of grottoes carved into a great riverside rock
face.
B/L/D Peony Hotel
Day 8 Luoyang/Xian
At
leisure until boarding the express train to Xian. En route view the
terraced hills and deep gullies of the red earth country of one of the
oldest settled regions of China.
B/L/D Jinshi International Hotel
Day 9 Xian
Full
day exploration of China’s richest historic site, the amazing Museum of
the Terra Cotta Warriors - the great underground army of the First
Emperor of China, buried with him 2,200 years ago. Walk on the ancient
city wall upon returning to the city. Enjoy a Tang Dynasty Cultural Show
tonight.
B/L/D Jinshi International Hotel
Day 10 Xian/Chongqing
Morning
visit the Muslim Quarter and an antique furniture gallery in Xian.
Transfer to the airport and fly to Chongqing in the evening and board
your Yangtze River Cruise. The cruise will set sail around 9 pm.
B/L/D Victoria Cruise
Day 11 Yangtze Cruise
Shore
excursion to Fengdu Ghost City or New Wanxian County (08:00-10:00).
Fengdu is where the devil lives, according to Chinese legend. They say
that spirits go to heaven, and evil goes to Fengdu. The town is
overlooked by Ming Shan Hill, home of Tianzi, the King of the Dead. The
whole place has an eerie feel to it with deserted streets, tower blocks,
empty shops and banks. The only people here are those who make a living
from the visiting cruise boats.
B/L/D Victoria Cruise
Day 12 Yangtze Cruise
Shore
excursion to Lesser Three Gorges (08:00-13:00). The Lesser Three Gorges
are the three separate valleys of the Daning River: Dragon Gate Gorge,
Misty Gorge and Emerald Gorge. These lie on the lower reaches of the
Daning, which flows into the Yangtze. The gorges are truly spectacular.
Sheer cliffs soar up towards the sky from the brown-green water.
Mountaintops hover above the ribbon of mist, disconnected from their
roots. Its “subtle mountains, clear waters, pretty rocks, dangerous
rapids, sharp turns, fantastic caves, and stalactites in various shapes”
create the timeless beauty that you see in Chinese landscape paintings.
Monkeys, mandarin ducks and other water birds can be seen loitering on
big boulders in this area. In addition to the wonderful natural scenery
there are a number of historical places of interest along the way, such
as a suspended coffin, boat coffin, and remains of ancient plank
walkway.
B/L/D Victoria Cruise
Day 13 Yangtze Cruise/Yichang/Wuhan
Shore
excursion to Three Gorges Dam site (08:00-10:00). Three Gorges Dam is
the largest water conservancy project ever undertaken, and has been a
dream for several generations of Chinese people. The construction of the
dam formally began in 1994. The body of the dam was completed in 2003,
and the whole construction will be completed in 2009. It will be 2,335
meters long, 185 meters high, 18 meters wide on the top and 130 meters
wide at the bottom. Since Sep 1st, 2005, the first 1000 tourists each
day get access to the top of the dam and enjoy different kinds of photo
opportunities. Return to the ship and have lunch onboard. You will
arrive the city of Yichang at 13:30. Transfer to the city of Wuhan,
capital of Hubei Province and overnight at a hotel by the river.
B/L/D Holiday Inn Riverside
Day 14 Wuhan/Shanghai/Suzhou
In
the morning, visit the Hubei Provincial Museum for a fascinating
Bianzhong (ancient bell set) music performance. Afternoon fly to
Shanghai and transfer to Suzhou upon arrival.
B/L/D Gloria Plaza Hotel
Day 15 Suzhou
Suzhou
is known as the Venice of the East and the City of Gardens. Your
activities will include touring Suzhou’s most famous gardens, and taking
a boat ride along the legendary Grand Canal to visit the Silk and Satin
Factory with an embroidery workshop.
B/L/D Gloria Plaza Hotel
Day 16 Suzhou/Shanghai
Transfer
from Suzhou to Shanghai. Upon arrival, check into your hotel for four
nights. Afternoon visit the state-of-the-art, Shanghai Museum.
B/L/D Shanghai Central Hotel
Day 17 Shanghai
Full
day sightseeing of the old town of Shanghai: the Yu Garden and the Jade
Buddha Temple. Walk along the tree-lined streets in French Concession.
B/L/D Shanghai Central Hotel
Day 18 Shanghai
Today’s
visits include the Museum of the First National Congress of the Chinese
Communist Party and the Children’s Palace. Evening enjoy the Shanghai
Acrobatic Show.
B/L/D Shanghai Central Hotel
Day 19 Shanghai
Today will be your leisure day for shopping or walking along the famous “Bund” area. Farewell dinner.
B/D Shanghai Central Hotel
Day 20 Depart Shanghai
Morning is at leisure until you are transferred to the airport for your flight home.
B
Note:
- Hotels are subject to change to equivalent ones due to availability at the time of the booking.
- Schedule is subject to change.