11 Days China Splendid Ancient Capital Tour

Day 1 Arrival Beijing

You will be greeted by our local guide upon your arrival and then be transferred to your hotel by our private air-conditioned car. Then you will spend the rest of day on your leisure.

Day 2 Beijing( B, L )

After lunch, we go on our city tours to visit 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.

From here we walk across the Golden River Bridge to visit the Forbidden City and experience ancient Emperor's daily life. For 5 centuries Chinese emperors carried out their administration here. With almost 10,000 rooms, this was the centre of the Ming and Qing dynasties, a massive complex of palaces, pavilions, courtyards and gardens where 24 emperors used to live. Forbidden City was the largest palace in the world, and it was indeed a forbidden place limited to commoners for 500 year in the past. Your tour here will include private access to the Emperor's palace.

Day 3 Beijing ( B, L )

After experience of the royal lifestyle, today we will spend about 1.5 hours to be transferred outside the city to the surrounding countryside for a visit to the Badaling Great Wall, the pride of China and one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Whereas Genghis Khan contemplated it as a military obstacle, Richard Nixon saw it as one of humankind's greatest achievements. You will be able to climb and walk the 2,000 years old ancient wall, admiring the splendid mountain views.

This afternoon we will visit the legendary Ming Tombs, The Ming Tombs are situated at the foot of Heavenly Longevity Mountain, northwest of Beijing. Since there are 13Ming emperors buried there, there are also called the 13 Ming Tombs. Passing though the Sacred Way, a road guarded on both sides with stone statues by which the ancient emperors went to hold a memorial ceremony for the ancestors, you will encounter the marble tombs of the Ming Dynasty emperors.

Day 4 Beijing / Xian （B,L）

We experience a unique Hutong tour by taking rickshaw this morning. Hutongs are a kind of ancient city alley or lane that is typical in Beijing. Most of them are found around the Forbidden City, and many were built during the three dynasties of Yuan, Ming and Qing. Today, the Hutong is a living museum of Beijing history showing the traditional lifestyle of Beijing people.

We continue to visit the Summer Palace. Equally famous as the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace is called 'Yiheyuan' (Garden of Nurtured Harmony) in Chinese. It is up to now the best preserved and the largest imperial gardens in China. You may regret it if you come to Beijing without visiting this grand imperial garden. Then take the flight for Xian later. Arrive in Xian, you will be met and transferred to hotel by our local guide.

Then you will be transferred to the airport for your flight to Xian. Upon your arrival, our local guide will meet you and escort you to your hotel.

Day 5 Xian（B,L）

Today will be your highlights in Xian. Depart from your hotel after breakfast. You will visit the amazing 2000-year-old Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses. Regarded as The 8 th Wonder of the World, the Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses are the most significant archeological excavations of the 20th century. 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 Terra-cotta warriors and buried with him to protect his empire after his early death. More than 7000 vivid figures in full battle array are formed for battle in several large pits.

Then we go on to visit 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, where Famous Buddhist Master Xuanzang (Monk Tripitaka) stored his well-preserved collection of classic Buddhist artifacts brought from India in Tang Dynasty. Now it is the Landmark of the Xian.

Our last stop today is the Bell Tower, which is the most well-preserved and best-known one among many ancient cities of China. The Bell Tower was built in 1384. In early morning of ancient times it had the mission of ringing the bell and giving the correct time to the whole city, so it is called "The Bell Tower". With magnificent carved beams and painted rafters, this classical building is truly elegant.

Day 6 Xian / Luoyang（B,L）

In the morning we will visit Ancient City Wall. You will experience a half-hour's hike along the Ancient City Wall. It is the largest and best preserved present city wall in ancient China and is probably the best military battlement in the world. Bicycle could be rent for a ride along the top of the spectacular city wall. The wall was built in the Tang dynasty (618 -907) and enlarged in the Ming dynasty (1368-1644). The History Museum in Xian: It is a magnificent architectural complex in the Tang Dynasty style.The Museum possesses a treasure of 113,000 historic and cultural artifacts unearthed in Shaanxi, and it covers an area of 1,100 square meters for exhibition.
In the afternoon you will be transferred to the railway station for the train to Luoyang. You will be met by our local guide in Luoyang and transferred to Hotel.

Day 7 Luoyang （B,L）

In the morning, you will visit the famous Longmen Grottoes. Now there are more than 2,300 caves and niches, 100,000 Buddhas, 2,800 inscriptions, and 80 pagodas. Lots of historical materials concerning art, music, religion, calligraphy, medicine, costume and architecture are kept here.

Then we will visit the White Horse Temple. The White Horse Temple is the first Buddhist temple and is honored as the 'Cradle of Buddhism in China'. in the Dong Han Dynasty (AD.68) with a history of over 1900 years, is one of the oldest temples of China, which is regarded as "The First Temple of China".

Day 8 Luoyang / Shaolin Temple / Zhengzhou （B,L）

In the morning we drive about 1 hour to visit the Shaolin Temple, “the No. 1 Temple under Heaven”. The temple is the cradle of the Chinese Zen Buddhism and the Shaolin Martial Arts such as Shaolin Cudgel. Shaolin does have a long tradition of Chinese martial arts, as the saying goes 'All martial arts (gongfu) are from Shaolin.’ You will watch an amazing Martial Arts performance. The Pagoda Forest is a concentration of tomb pagodas for eminent monks and abbots of the temple. A rough count shows more than 240 tomb pagodas of various sizes from the Tang, Song, Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties (618-1911), making it the biggest pagoda forest in China. Arrive in Zhengzhou, you will be met and transferred to hotel.

Day 9 Zhengzhou / Nanjing（B,L）

In the morning you will be transferred to airport for your flight to Nanjing. Upon your arrival, our local guide will meet you and escort you to hotel. Then visit the Nanjing Museum. Covering an area of 12.9 hectare, Nanjing Museum is situated inside the Zhongshan Gate of the city from which it takes its name.Among its extensive collections there are 2,000 first class treasures of national and cultural interest. You will be fascinated by the long and cultured history of China; this Museum is a 'must-see' for you.

We go on to visit Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum, one of the biggest imperial tombs in China. It lies in the eastern suburbs of Nanjing City at the southern foot of Zhongshan Mountain. Emperor Chengzu, Zhu Yuanzhang, the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and Queen Ma were buried there.

Day 10 Nanjing （B,L）

Today we start our tour to visit Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum..Sun Yat-Sen, leader of the 1911 Revolution that toppled the Qing Dynasty and ushered in the first republic in China's history, died in 1925.The mausoleum offers beautiful scenery and architecture with an air of historical importance.

Then proceed to the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge. It was the first double deck and double track highway and railway bridge designed and constructed by Chinese themselves. The upper highway bridge is 4589 meters long and the lower railway bridge is 6772 meters long. Each arch of the main bridge spans 160 meters.

After a Chinese lunch at a local restaurant, pay a visit to the Nanjing City Wall and the Zhonghua City Gate. It is the best preserved Chinese ancient castle, and the biggest and most splendid city gate of Nanjing.The gate was built from 1366 to 1386.The whole structure was built with huge bricks and special cement which is extraordinarily strong.

And then our guide will accompany you to visit the Confucius Temple. Enjoy yourself here since entire area around the temple consists of a series of tourist shops, snack bars, restaurants and entertainment arcades all decorated in Ming and Qing style.

Day 11 Nanjing （B）

The rest of the day is free on your own leisure, until our guide escorts you to the airport for your next destination.