Day 01. Beijing

On arrival in Beijing you will be met by our local english speaking guide and transferred to your chosen centrally located hotel. Breakfast is included everyday and some meals as described below. Your first day is at leisure. 

Day 02. Beijing

After breakfast you will be met by your specialist English Speaking guide and taken to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. During your visit of the Palace Museum a private guided in-depth introduction will be arranged for you. In the afternoon, a relaxing tour to Summer Palace and enjoy the afternoon tea at Aman Summer Palace hotel.

The Tiananmen Square is located in the center of Beijing and is the biggest square in the world. It is 880 meters from north to south and 500 meters from east to west, with total area of 440,000 square meters and can hold one million people.

The magnificent Forbidden City is the largest and the best-preserved imperial palace complex in the world. It has 9,999 rooms in flourishing period with just a single room short of the number that ancient Chinese belief represents 'Divine Perfection' and surrounded by a moat six meters deep and ten-meter high wall. For five centuries, this palace functioned as the administrative center of the country.

situated northwest of the downtown Beijing, the Summer Palace is the largest imperial garden in the world. It is a veritable museum of classical Chinese garden architecture. The initial construction of the Summer Palace began in 1750, commissioned by Emperor Qianlong as a gift for his mother's birthday. The construction took 15 years to complete.

Day 03. Beijing

Full day excursion to Great Wall Jinshanling Section where we prepare a picnic lunch on the Great Wall including a bottle of champagne.

The Great Wall: A great fortification in ancient China. The sections at Badaling & Mutianyu are the most famous of all, due to their proximity to Beijing City and condition of restoration; while the sections at Jinshanling & Simatai, on the way between Beijing and Chengde, are less crowded and with primitive taste of the project.

Day 04. Beijing-Xi'an

This morning, pay a visit to the beautiful Temple of Heaven where local people practice Tai Chi early and do other exercises, if time permits, you have a chance to learn Tai Chi with local people, then transfer to airport for flight to Xi'an. Upon arrival, greeted and transferred to the centrally located hotel. The Temple of Heaven was built in 1420 A.D., during the Ming Dynasty (1368 A.D. to 1644 A.D.) to offer sacrifice to the God of Heaven. As Chinese emperors called themselves "The Son of Heaven", they dared not to build their own dwelling "Forbidden City" bigger than that of the God of Heaven. After your visit you will be transferred to Xi'an for 2 nights.

Day 05. Xi'an

Morning tour to the world famous Terra-Cotta Warriors & Horses, in the afternoon have a cycling tour on the City Wall. Have a guided walk at Muslim Quarter in the evening. Ancient City Wall: During the Ming Dynasty, Xi'an was refurbished and returned to prominence as a center of politics and trade. The Ming emperors rebuilt the walls, incorporating one corner left over from the Yuan Dynasty in their design.

Day 06. Xian-Guilin

Morning visit to Big Wild Goose Pagoda, after that, Learn Chinese calligraphy at Tangbo Artist Museum in the morning, then transfer to airport for flight to Guilin. Upon arrival, greeted and transferred to the centrally located hotel. The Big Wild Goose Pagoda: Situated in the Da Ci En Temple, 4 kilometers away from the center of the city. It is one of the most distinctive and outstanding landmarks of the city. In 652 A.D., the Big Goose Pagoda was built to store the sutras and the figurines of Buddha, which were brought from India by a famous Buddhist translator and traveler Tang Sanzang, also known by his Buddhist name as Xuanzang. Continue to Guilin for 2 nights.

Day 07. Gulin-Longsheng

Full day excursion to Longsheng to visit the splendid Dragon Backbone's Rice Terraces as well as the nearby Minority village - Yao Village, then transfer back to Guilin.

China Dragon Backbone's Rice Terrace in Guilin has replaced many sights mentioned in the old itineraries, as we feel the program repeat in arrangement. Dragon Backbone Rice Terrace is located approximately 27 kilometers (about 16 miles) southeast of Longsheng County, a vast region of rice terraces stretches layer upon layer, coiling around from the base of Longji (the dragon's backbone) Mountain to its summit. This is the most amazing terrace in China, the Dragon's Backbone Rice Terraces. The Dragon's Backbone Rice Terraces are the culmination of both the profound wisdom and strenuous labor of the Zhuang people.

Day 08. Gulin-Yangshuo

Enjoy a pleasant and relaxing cruise along the beautiful Li River with a buffet lunch on Luxury boat. Upon arrival in Yangshuo, have a guided walk to the nearby village and West Street.

A trip along the Li River is one of the high spots of a holiday in China. From Guilin to Yangshuo, the river meanders its way through 52 miles of beautiful countryside, with bamboo forests, dense reed-beds, and incredibly bizarre rock formations.

Day 09. Yangshuo-Guilin-Shanghai

Have a leisure late check-out from the hotel before noon, transfer back to Guilin by a private car. En route to Guilin Airport, visit Reed Flute Cave. Upon arrival in Shanghai, transfer to centrally located hotel. Reed Flute Cave: Situated in a completely concealed spot on Guangming Hill, 3.2 miles northwest of the town, Reed Flute Cave is Guilin's largest and most impressive cave.

Day 10. Shanghai

Full day tour to Shanghai Museum, Yuyuan Garden, Jade Buddha Temple, an hour cruise on Huangpu River, Bund and the French Concession area. Evening enjoy Acrobatics Show.

Shanghai Museum: A treasure house of Chinese cultural essence with a rich collection of 120,000 valuable antique items. Together with the museums in Beijing, Xian, Nanjing, the four are honored as the China's four major museums. Shanghai Museum is especially famous for its treasures of bronzes (bells, knives, axeheads, chariot ornaments), ceramics, Chinese calligraphy and traditional paintings.

At the center of the Old City of Shanghai are the Chenghuang Temple and the Yu Yuan Garden, in which stands the Huxining Teahouse, said to be the model for the design on the willow-pattern plates much loved by Europeans in another era. The Yu Yuan Garden is a classical Chinese garden with over 30 pavilions linked by a maze of corridors and bridges over ponds. Jade Buddha Temple: In 1882, an old temple was built to keep two jade Buddha statues brought from Burma by a monk named Huigen.The temple was destroyed during the revolution that overthrew the Qing Dynasty. Fortunately the jade Buddha statues were saved and a new temple was built on the present site (Anyuan Road) in 1918. It was named the Jade Buddha Temple. The construction of the temple is in the magnificent architectural style of the Song Dynasty. The temple is composed of several compounds such as the Halls of Heavenly Kings, the Main Hall, the Hall of the Recumbent Buddha and the Hall of the Jade Buddha.

Cruising on the Huangpu river is an important traditional travel program in shanghai. Riding a cruise boat along the Huangpu river, you will take a glimpse of Yangpu Bridge, Nanpu Bridge and Shanghai Oriental Pearl TV Tower on both sides. Various exotic architectural buildings on the west bank of Huangpu River stand opposite to various modern skyscrapers on the east bank.

The Bund: Llined with fine colonial buildings from its 1930s heyday when the city was occupied by European, American, and Japanese banks, trading houses, clubs consulates and hotels. These buildings have been restored as a showcase of the city and are spectacularly lit up at night.

Shanghai French Concession, also known as French town, is a famous place for its historical factors. During the period from 1849 to 1946, it is a foreign concession in Shanghai. Shanghai French Concession is also the centre of Catholicism in Shanghai. Besides its historical and religious factors, Shanghai French Concession is also a fantastic place for spending leisure time besides time. You can spend hours wandering the narrow alleyways, dining and one of the million cafes or restaurants, or browsing through the endless art galleries and photographic studios.

The history of acrobatics in China can be traced back to Neolithic times. It is believed that acrobatics grew out of the labor and self-defense skills that the people practiced and demonstrated during their leisure time. Acrobatics is an interactive art form. Whether you are old or young, educated or illiterate, you can appreciate it as long as you can see. There is no language barrier and cultural border.

Day 11. Shanghai

Full day at leisure.

From Shanghai we can organise the following extensions to Suzhou or Hangzhou:

Shanghai-Suzhou-Shanghai  

Transfer to railway station for a short train journey to Suzhou. On arrival, be met by your guide and visit the Garden of Humble Administrator, & Silk Factory. Then enjoy a nice boat ride along the famous Grand Canal before to the railway station for a late afternoon train (50 minutes) back to Shanghai. Upon arrival in Shanghai, transfer to centrally located hotel.

Garden of Humble Administrator was originally built in 1509 during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). It was initially a private garden of a former government servant named Wang Xianchen. It was said he intended to build a garden after retired and just do some gardening work like planting trees and vegetables there, which was said to be the life of a humble man by him. Hence is the name of the garden. The garden was created upon the old relics of a resident and a temple. Water feature is the main background and its natural landscape includes small forests, hills and rock formations. It also has man-made pavilions, halls and parlors. Unlike the Grand View Garden and other famous gardens in Beijing, it is representative of the Ming Dynasty building style.

China Grand Canal begin at its northern end in Beijing, follow the canal south through Shandong, and detour to Qingdao to sip beer on the beautiful beaches. Trundle on to Nanjing and stroll down broad boulevards in the historic southern capital. Breeze through Wuxi and watch bamboo junks sail by from the shores of Taihu Lake.

Option2: Shanghai-Hangzhou-Shanghai

Transfer to railway station for a short train journey to Hangzhou. On arrival, be met by your guide and enjoy a boat ride on the West Lake, pay a visit to Temple of Sour Retreat, Tea Plantation & former residence of Hu Xueyuan. After that, train back to Shanghai. Upon arrival in Shanghai, transfer to centrally located hotel.

The West Lake lies in Hangzhou City in northern Zhejiang Province, encompassing an area of 6 square kilometers. West Lake is an elliptical landscape with a water surface of 5.66 square kilometers, and a circumference of 15 km. Its famous scenic spots comprise Su Causeway, and Bai Causeway, which have partitioned the Lake into inner, outer and back lakes, Gushan (The Solitary Hill), Xiaoyingzhou (Small Fairy Island), Huxin Ting (Mid-lake Pavilion), Ruangong Dun (A mount after a provincial governor Ruangong) etc. In combination with the surrounding hills and streams, they make up the West Lake beautiful scenery.

Temple of Sour Retreat "The Ling Yin Si" is the most ancient monastery in Hangzhou. It is situated to the west of the West Lake and in between the Northern Peak and the Fei Lai Feng (Peak that Flew Over). It was built in the first year of Emperor Xian He of the Eastern Jin Dynasty (326 AD) which is otherwise known as Yun Ling Monastery. Former Residence of Hu Xueyuan: The residence of Hu Xueyan was set up in 1872 costing a huge sum of money. It covers an area of 10.8 mu with the built-up area of 5,815 square meters. In 1899, the descendants of the Hu family sold this residence as mortgage to Wen Yu, assistant minister of Ministry of Penalty and grand secretary, to pay for their debts. Later, the possession of the house was transferred to the Jiang. The residence complex is composed of thirteen units, which can be divided into three sections. The structures along the main axis consist of Sedan Hall, Screen Hall, One-Hundred-Lion Tower (Main Hall) as well as the rear garden framed by Four-Sided Halls in the east and the west.

Day12. Shanghai

Departure Transfer to the airport for your onward flight.