29 Days China Completed Tour with All Highlights

Day 1  Fri  2-Apr-10   Meal(s) ()   Shanghai / Beijing

Transfer via: MU5186    2100-2320 (arranged by us)  
Program: Arrive in Beijing, you will be met and transferred to hotel, free at rest of the day

Accommodations: Sunworld Hotel****
Address: 88 Dengshikou, Dongcheng District, Beijing, 100006, P.R.C.
Telephone: (86-10) 5816 8999  Fax: (86-10) 6513 9088


Day 2  Sat 3-Apr-10     Meal(s) ()     Beijing

Program: Free at your own leisure time
Accommodations: Sunworld Hotel****


Day 3  Sun 4-Apr-10   Meal(s) (B,L)   Beijing

Program: Full day tour for the Temple of Heaven, The Tian'anmen Square, The Forbidden City. In the evening, you will enjoy the Liyuan Beijing Opera

-The Tian'anmen Square: The largest city square in the world.
-The Forbidden City: The largest imperial palace in China during the Ming and Qing dynasties with a history of around 600 years.
-The Temple of Heaven: The place where the ancient emperors used to pray for the God's bless of the whole nation.

Accommodations: Sunworld Hotel****

Day 4  Mon 5-Apr-10   Meal(s) (B,L)   Beijing

Program: Full day visit the Badaling Great Wall, The Ding Tomb, The Sacred Road, On the way back to hotel, you will be driven to visit the main 2008 Beijing Olympic venues, take an exterior visit of both the Beijing National Stadium (Bird's Nest/Olympic Stadium), National Swimming Centre ('The Water Cube'), Beijing, feel free to take some photos of the stadiums

-Badaling Great Wall: This less-crowded section of the Great Wall is a pleasant drive 90km NE of Beijing. A cable car takes you to a good section (avoiding a very steep climb), where you can walk along the wall, through the watch towers and enjoy superb views as it snakes across the hills and mountains.
-The Ding Tomb: The only underground tomb of the thirteen tombs of the emperors in the Ming Dynasty.
-The Sacred Road: The way guarded on both sides with stone statues by which the ancient emperors went to hold a memorial ceremony for the ancestors.

Accommodations: Sunworld Hotel****

Day 5  Tue 6-Apr-10     Meal(s) (B,L)   Beijing

Program: Full day tour for Hutongs, Xiushui Street, The Summer Palace

-Hutongs: The old narrow paths where common people lived. All the Hutongs crisscross with each other, dotted with the Kindergarten, the Bell Tower, the Drum Tower, the Tea House, and the lake, House of Gong Infante and local people's houses among them.
-Xiushui Street: A market near the embassy area where you can find a number of duplicates of clothing in traditional Chinese style such as clothes, caps, gloves. Enjoy bargains with sellers and pleasant surprise of finding a real treasure if you are lucky enough.
-The Summer Palace: The largest and best-preserved royal garden in China with a history of over 800 years

Accommodations: Sunworld Hotel****

Day 6  Wed 7-Apr-10     Meal(s) (B)   Beijing / Datong

Transfer via: K43 1203-1816 soft seat (arranged by us) 
Program: Free at leisure, you will be transferred to railway station and take train to Datong. Arrive in Datong, be met and transferred to hotel

Accommodations: Garden Hotel Datong****

Day 7  Thu 8-Apr-10     Meal(s) (B,L)   Datong

Program: Full day tour for the Nine-Dragon Screen, The Hanging Temple, The Huayan Temple

-The Nine-Dragon Screen: It was built in 1392 to conceal the palace of a Ming dynasty (1368-1644) prince.
-The Hanging Temple: Built in the Northern Wei Dynasty, this small temple of 40 tiny halls and pavilions was built along the contours of the cliff with its natural hollows and outcroppings as support.
-The Huayan Temple: Named after the Huayan sect of Buddhism, it was established in the 11th Century and was one of the eight most important temples in the Tang Dynasty.

Accommodations: Garden Hotel Datong****

Day 8  Fri 9-Apr-10     Meal(s) (B,L)   Datong / Xian

Transfer via: by overnight train 2671 1636-0905 soft sleeper (arranged by us) 
Program: In the morning, visit the Yungang Grottoes, then be transferred to railway station and take train to Xian, stay overnight one the train

-The Yungang Grottoes: With their 252 caves and 51,000 statues, the grottoes represent the outstanding achievement of Buddhist cave art in China in the 5th and 6th centuries. The Five Caves created by Tan Yao, with their strict unity of layout and design, constitute a classical masterpiece of the first peak of Chinese Buddhist art.  

Accommodations: On the train


Day 9  Sat 10-Apr-10     Meal(s) (B,L)   Xian

Program: Arrive in Xian, you will be met and transferred to hotel, then visit the Bell Tower, The Great Mosque of Xian, History Museum in Xian 

-The Bell Tower: The wooden tower, which is the largest and best-preserved of its kind in China, is 36 meters (118 feet) high.
-The Great Mosque of Xian: It is the largest and best preserved of the early mosques of China, built primarily in the Ming Dynasty when Chinese architectural elements were synthesized into mosque architecture.
-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.

Accommodations: Xian Garden Hotel****

Day 10  Sun 11-Apr-10     Meal(s) (B,L, D)   Xian

Program: Full day tour for the Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses, Big Wild Goose Pagoda, The Ancient City Wall. In the evening, enjoy The Tang Dynasty Dinner Show

-The Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses: The greatest archaeological findings of the century: the army of terra-cotta warriors and the bronze chariots entombed in vast underground vaults at emperor Qin's tomb.
-Big Wild Goose Pagoda: It is a well-preserved ancient building and a holy place for Buddhists.
-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.

Accommodations: Xian Garden Hotel****

Day 11  Mon 12-Apr-10     Meal(s) (B)   Xian / Lhasa

Transfer via: by overnight train T27 0836-1838 soft sleeper (arranged by us) 
Program: In the morning, you will be transferred to railway station and take train to Lhasa, stay overnight on the train

Accommodations: On the train

Day 12  Tue 13-Apr-10     Meal(s) ()   Lhasa

Program: Arrive in Lhasa, be met and transferred to hotel, adapting to the high altitude at the rest of the day
Accommodations: Kyichu Hotel****


Day 13  Wed 14-Apr-10     Meal(s) (B,L)   Lhasa

Program: Full day tour for the Potala Palace, The Jokhang Temple, The Barkhor Street

-The Potala Palace: Perched upon Marpo Ri Hill, 130 meters above the Lhasa Valley. It is the greatest monumental structure in Tibet.
-The Jokhang Temple: It is the spiritual center of Tibet.
-The Barkhor Street: The Barkhor is the oldest street in Lhasa as well as  the center of old Lhasa and remains very traditional. It is a place where Tibetan culture, economy, religion and arts are assembled."

Accommodations: Kyichu Hotel****

Day 14  Thu 15-Apr-10     Meal(s) (B,L)   Lhasa

Program: Full day tour for the Norbulingka Park, The Sera Monastery, The Drepung Monastery, The Carpet Factory

-The Norbulingka Park: Norbulingka means ""Jeweled Garden"". It was constructed as a summer palace for the Dalai Lama at very beginning, and later served as the whole governmental administration.
-The Sera Monastery: It is known as one of the three greatest monasteries of Tibet.
-The Drepung Monastery: It is one of the biggest monasteries in Tibet.
-The Carpet Factory: The highland of Tibet is the actual home of the oriental carpets. By visiting Carpet Factory you will have a general idea of how carpets are produced.

Accommodations: Kyichu Hotel****

Day 15  Fri 16-Apr-10     Meal(s) (B)   Lhasa / Chengdu

Transfer via: by morning flight (arranged by us) 
Program: Free at leisure, you will be transferred to airport for Chengdu. Arrive in Chengdu, be met and transferred to hotel, free at the rest of the day

Accommodations: Tianfu Sunshine Hotel****

Day 16  Sat 17-Apr-10     Meal(s) (B,L) Chengdu / Leshan / Chengdu

Program: In the morning, drive to Leshan, visit Leshan Buddha and take river cruise to the Giant Buddha, after the tour, drive back to Chengdu

-Leshan Buddha: Leshan Buddha is the largest Buddha in the world, about 71 meters high. It started to be carved in 713 A.D and finished 90 years later. 
Accommodations: Tianfu Sunshine Hotel****

Day 17  Sun 18-Apr-10     Meal(s) (B,L)  Chengdu

Program: Full day visit Panda Base, Dufu Cottage, Marquis Wu

-Panda Base: people here can approach the pandas and take closely look and even pet them if desired
-Dufu Cottage: It is the residence of Dufu, the greatest poets in China's history. He lived during the Tang Dynasty. The Cottage now is a lovely park.
-Marquis Wu: It is a place to commemorate Zhuge Kongming in Three Kingdoms around 2 and 3 centuries. Zhuge Kongming is a avatar in China.

Accommodations: Tianfu Sunshine Hotel****

Day 18  Mon 19-Apr-10     Meal(s) (B,L)   Chengdu / Kunming

Transfer via: by morning flight (arranged by us) 
Program: In the morning, you will be transferred to airport for Kunming. Arrive in Kunming, be met and transferred to hotel, then visit West Hill and Dragon Gate, Yuantong Temple

-West Hill and Dragon Gate: known as "Sleeping Beauty," it is a natural forest park in Kunming with a series of winding steps, tunnels, and statue-filled grottoes.
-Yuantong Temple: is one of the oldest Buddhist temples in Kunming, with the history of 12000 years. Its architecture is one of the best classical styles in Yunnan province.

Accommodations: Golden Dragon Hotel****

Day 19  Tue 20-Apr-10     Meal(s) (B,L)   Kunming

Program: Full day tour for Stone Forest, Flowers and Birds Market

-Stone Forest: About 200 million years ago numerous stone peaks, pillars, and stalagmites rose abruptly from the ground and towered into the sky, looking like a vast forest of stone, hence the name "the Stone Forest".
-Flowers and Birds Market: Traditional wooden houses with grass growing from their roofs line the streets where a variety of products are sold, including of course a small alley devoted to flowers and cage birds.

Accommodations: Golden Dragon Hotel****

Day 20  Wed 21-Apr-10     Meal(s) (B,L)  Kunming / Guilin

Transfer via: by morning flight (arranged by us) 
Program: In the morning, you will be transferred to airport for Guilin. Arrive in Guilin, be met and transferred to hotel, then visit Elephant Trunk Hill, Reed Flute Cave

-Elephant Trunk Hill: Located at the conjunction of the Li River & the Peach  Blossom River, the whole hill looks very much like a giant elephant with a long trunk, it is the symbol of Guilin city.
-Reed Flute Cave: Known as "the Palace of Natural Arts" where you can see beautiful stalactites & stalagmites, learn how they are formed.

Accommodations: Guilin Bravo Hotel****
Tel: 0773-2823950, Fax: 0773-2851344


Day 21  Thu 22-Apr-10     Meal(s) (B,L)   Guilin / Longsheng  / Guilin

Program: Full day tour for Dragon's Backbone Rice Terraces, Yao Ethnic Tribes, Zhuang Ethnic Tribes, then back to Guilin

-Dragon's Backbone Rice Terraces: Longji, as known as the Dragon's Backbone Rice Terraces, is located in Longsheng County, the mountainous region on the northeastern part of Guilin. They were first built in the Yuan dynasty (about 800 years ago) and completed in the Qin dynasty by Zhuang people.
Accommodations: Guilin Bravo Hotel****


Day 22  Fri 23-Apr-10     Meal(s) (B,L)   Guilin / Yangshuo

Program: Full day tour for Li River Cruise, West Street, Big Banyan, The Moon Hill, stay overnight in Yangshuo 

Li River Cruise: Depart from your hotel in the morning. Be transferred to the Zhujiang Pier (about 1 hour drive) for a 4.5 hours wonderful cruise. You will enjoy the picturesque mountains, peaceful green fields, farms and villages with water buffalos, cows wondering around on both sides of the river bank. Disembark at the one-thousand-year-old town Yangshuo in the afternoon.
-West Street: West Street is the oldest street in Yangshuo with a history of more than 1,400 years. Situated at the center of Yangshuo County, West Street has become, since the 1980's, a window of eastern and western culture and the biggest 'foreign language center' in China.
-Big Banyan: 6 kilometers away from the County of Yangshuo, you will find a prominent and towering tree: the Big Banyan Tree. It has survived wind and rain over centuries since it was planted during the Sui Dynasty (581-618).
-The Moon Hill: 50 minutes' bike from Yangshuo, there lies the Moon Hill. Named for the crescent shaped cave running through the moon, Moon Hill is one of the highlights in Yangshuo.

Accommodations: Yangshuo Peace Family Holiday Hotel****

Day 23  Sat 24-Apr-10     Meal(s) (B,L)   Guilin / Chongqing / Yangtze Cruise

Transfer via: by afternoon flight (arranged by us) 
Program: Drive back to Guilin, visit Seven Star Park, Fubo Hill, then be transferred to airport for Chongqing. Arrive in Chongqing, you will be met and transferred to the dock. Board the ship from 17:00 to 20:00 and departs Chongqing at 22:00

-Seven Star Park: The biggest park in Guilin, where you can see a giant Panda Yueyue, the Camel Hill, Bonsai Garden and more sites if you are energetic enough to climb some hills.
-Fubo Hill: You can see lots of rock stone carvings & Buddha statues since Tang Dynasty. Have a wonderful bird's-eye view of Guilin city if you climb to the summit.  

Accommodations: 4* cruise ship

Day 24  Sun 25-Apr-10   Meal(s) (B,L,D)   Yangtze Cruise

Program: (8:00-10:00) Shore excursion to either Fengdu Ghost City or Wanxian, or Shibaozhai (depending on river conditions).Then returns to the ship and sail towards the magnificent Three Gorges

Fengdu: with fantastic temples of underworld demons and gods, is constructed on the Mingshan Hill by the river band. It is known as the "Ghost City" and is a place for punishing the devil and awarding the good.
Wanxian: One of the most important and largest ports on the Yangtze. It is widely known for its variety and hustling markets. Fifty percent of the city will be resettled after the Three Gorges Dam Project is completed.

Accommodations: 4* cruise ship

Day 25  Mon 26-Apr-10     Meal(s) (B,L,D)   Yangtze Cruise

Program: (08:00-13:00) Passing through Qutang Gorge and Wu Gorge
          (13:00-16:30) Boat excursion to Shennong Stream
          (17:30) Passing through Xiling Gorge

Shennong Stream is another tributary of the Yangtze River, and its fast-flowing, clear water runs southwards through deep gorges. The stream races past large and small Karst caves, flocks of swallows, sheer cliffs, deep gorges, waterfalls, three-colored springs, rapids, the ancient plank path, a suspended coffin in the cliff, groups of ancient tombs and marvelous Karst formations.

Accommodations: 4* cruise ship

Day 26  Tue 27-Apr-10     Meal(s) (B,L)   Yangtze Cruise / Yichang / Shanghai

Transfer via: by afternoon flight (arranged by us) 
Program: (08:00-10:00) Shore excursion to The Three Gorges Dam Site
          (13:00) Disembark at Yichang, be met at the dock and transferred to airport for Shanghai. Arrive in Shanghai, be met and transferred to hotel, visit The Bund (Waitan), Nanjing Road

-The Bund (Waitan): It is one of the most recognizable architectural symbols of Shanghai. It is here where the first British company opened an office in 1846
-Nanjing Road: It is one of the most important commercial and tourist streets in Shanghai, which stretches from Waitan to Yanan Xilu

Accommodations: Holiday Inn Downtown Shanghai****
Tel: 021-63538008, Fax: 021-63530671


Day 27  Wed 28-Apr-10     Meal(s) (B,L)   Shanghai

Program: Full day tour for Yu Garden, Jade Buddha Temple, Oriental Pearl TV Tower, Shanghai Museum, Shanghai Old Street
 

-Yu Garden: It's reputed to be the most beautiful garden south of the Yangtze River. Built beside the Temple of the City God and covering only fives acres, it follows the Suzhou garden design of a world in microcosm.
-Jade Buddha Temple: The Jade Buddha Temple is one of the few temples in downtown Shanghai. If you're lucky, you can watch the monks serving a ceremony in a side room.
-Oriental Pearl TV Tower: the highest TV Tower in Asia. With 468 meter high it stands in Pudong Park in the new and developing Lujiazui district on the banks of the Huangpu River.
-Shanghai Museum: The biggest museum in China, with a collection of over 120,000 pieces of Chinese art & cultural relics. It is especially famous for its treasures of bronzes, ceramics, paintings and calligraphy.
-Shanghai Old Street: Known as Fangband Road, "Shanghai Old Street" with a total of 825 metres, is adjacent to the Yuyuan Garden Bazaar Area and runs in an east-west direction from Zhonghua Road to Henan Road South, with both ends marked by decorated archways

Accommodations: Holiday Inn Downtown Shanghai****

Day 28  Thu 29-Apr-10     Meal(s) (B, L)   Shanghai

Program: Visit the Zhujiajiao Watertown 

-Zhujiajiao: is a typical ancient water town in the south of the Yangtze River. There you can see the well-preserved Ming and Qing architecture, ancient stone bridges, ancient streets, etc.
Accommodations: Holiday Inn Downtown Shanghai****


Day 29  Fri 30-Apr-10     Meal(s) (B)   Shanghai / TBA

Transfer via: by air QF130 at 19:35 departure Shanghai-own arrangement 
Program: Free at leisure, then you will be transferred to airport for your flight to next destination


Service Ends!