China Tour

You can get the broadest view of China’s past and present from this tour. Visit old palaces and gardens of the emperor, the Army of the Terracotta Warriors watching over the grave of the first emperor. You can see the Great Wall and its culturally and historically valuable stone reliefs, all were taken up to the UNESCO World Heritage List. You can enjoy the fantastic karst formations, the changing river landscapes, rice fields at mountainsides and the costumes and customs of the Chinese ethnic minorities. And you will also observe the modern pulsating city lives in large metropolises. Your view of China will be changed after this tour.

Itinerary:

Arrival at the Beijing Capital International Airport at noon. Greetings by your tour guide and transfer to the hotel. The rest of the day is at your disposal.

Take a walk at the historical Tian'anmen Square (Tian'anmen Guangchang), the biggest squre in Beijing in the morning. Walk through the Tian’anmen Square Gate to the palace of the emperor (Gugong), which the Chinese officials call the Palace Museum (better known as the Forbidden City). This palace is of the Ming and Qing time and it is on the UNESCO World Heritage List, too. It is a masterpiece of Chinese palace architecture and it demonstrates the integration of traditional architecture in ancient northern China into the art of palace building. Then you can visit another landmark of Beijing, the Temple of Heaven (Tian Tan), where the Ming and Qing Emperors worshiped the heaven and prayed for good harvests. It is also on the UNESCO World Heritage List. It is an unique expression of the Chinese concept of the relationship between heaven and earth.

Visit the Badaling Great Wall in the morning. You can climb up to the wall through a scarped staircase and enjoy the scenery from above. Go to the Summer Palace (Yi He Yuan) by minibus after lunch. It is one of the imperial gardens, where the Chinese gardening is perfectly reflected. It is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Transfer to the train station in the afternoon. Go to Xi'an by train in a first class sleeping wagon.

Arrival in Xi'an and transfer to the hotel in the morning. After breakfast, go on an excursion to the Army of TerraCotta Warriors (Bing Ma Yong), which is a part of the grave of the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang (221-210 BC). It is on the UNESCO's world heritage list. Besides thousands of life-size TerraCotta Warriors and Horses watching over the Tomb, you can also see two bronze models of horse carriage and warrior. They were found in ducts beside the burial mound. In the afternoon, go back to the city by minibus. Afterwards you will visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda (Da Yan Ta) in the Dacien temple built in 652 A.D., which is considered as Xi'an’s landmark.

Visit the Bell and Drum Tower square (Zhong Gu Lou) and the Muslim Old Town with its numerous small shops and restaurants in the morning. There you will visit the Great Mosque (Qingzhen Si; or Hua Jue Si), which is built in the typical Chinese temple architectural style. Afterwards visit the Shaanxi History Museum (Shaanxi Lishi Bowuguan), one of the most beautiful museums in China. Here you can get the best overview of Chinese history, starting from Palaeolithic era to the end of the emperor era.

In the morning fly to Shanghai, the largest city in China. Greetings by your guide at the airport and transfer to the hotel. Stroll up Nanjing Road, the busiest shopping street of Shanghai. Then walk along the Bund, a famous street along the Huangpu River with its European colonial architecture of the 1930's.

In the morning experience the religious life in the Jade Buddha Temple (Yu Fo Si), where a 2m Buddha statue made of one single piece of rare white Burmese jade is housed. Then go up to the observation deck of the 421 m high Jinmao Building, with 88 floors the present third highest building in the world. It is a marvelous combination of traditional Chinese style and the gothic influence. You can enjoy a breath-taking view of the city there. Transfer to the train station and go to Suzhou by train. Suzhou is a garden city. It is the center of silk production at the Emperor’s Canal. Transfer to the hotel.

Visit the Water Town Tongli in the morning. It is a beautiful old town at the Grand Canal, with many tributary streams, bridges, bent lanes and street markets. Afterwards return to Suzhou and visit the Humble Administrator's Garden (Zhuozheng Yuan). It was built in the 16th century. It is the largest and most representative garden of the 9 gardens in Suzhou, which was taken up to the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Visit the Garden of the Master of the Nets (Wangshi Yuan) in the morning. It is the smallest, but perhaps the most impressive Suzhou private gardens. Because of its able use of space, it appears as if it were a much bigger garden. It was taken up to the UNESCO World Heritage List. Return to Shanghai by train. Fly to Yichang at noon and get on the Yangtze Cruise Ship****.

You will experience a Yangtze River Cruise through the impressive landscape of the Three Gorges. It lasts for three days from Yichang up to Chongqing. Enjoy the all-inclusive service provided on the ship. Two onshore tours are contained. One brings you to a famous Yangtze River tributary gorge. The other takes you to a culturally and historically most important city at the riverside.

After the arrival in Chongqing, visit the Chaotianmen Esplanade at the dock, which is shaped like a ship bow. It is located on a peninsula, which is formed by the confluence of the Yangtze River and the Jialing River. Stroll along the pedestrian zone in the Jiefangbei district with its hotels, department stores and restaurants in this fast developing industrial metropolis in the middle course of the Yangtze. When you visit the Eling Gongyuan (Goose Hill Park) on the bluff of the Jialing River, you can get a nice overview of the city from the observation deck. Go to Dazu in the afternoon.

Visit the rock sculptures at the Treasured Summit Hill (Baoding Shan) and the North Hill (Bei Shan). Remarkable sculptures were made of rock in the 9th to 13th century. They are located at the cliff close to Dazu, The remarkable aesthetics and variety of motives in them, showing not only the religion but also the life in China at that time. They are an outstanding example of the harmonious synthesis of Buddhism, Daoism and Confucianism, which can not be found anywhere else. The sculptures were taken up to the UNESCO World Heritage List. Return to Chongqing.

Transfer to the airport and fly to Guilin in the morning. Visit the famous Reed Flute Cave (Ludiyan) with its various stalactites, stalagmites, stone pillars and rock formations. And then you will see Guilin’s landmark - the elephant trunk mountain (Xiangbi Shan).

Transfer to the wharf outside the city by minibus in the morning. Go for a cruise on the picturesque Li River to Yangshuo. It lasts for about 4 hours. The river meanders through the bizarre landscape full of cone shaped rocks, stone pinnacles and bamboo groves. You can enjoy a lunch on the ship. After the arrival in Yangshuo, walk to the hotel in a few minutes. The rest of the day is at your disposal. You can make a round trip by bicycle or electrical minibus to enjoy the picturesque landscape with its karst formations and the beautiful scenery of villages, rice fields and mountains.

A suggestion for the evening: Impression Liu Sanjie, directed by the famous Chinese film director Zhang Yimou. He will be the leading director of the opening and closing ceremony of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. The evening performance is a wonderful presentation of local dance and singing.

In the morning,go along the charming hill landscapes to Longsheng by minibus. Enjoy the beautiful landscapes and the famous Dragon’s Backbone Rice Terraces. There are about 66 hectares of mountains covered by them; 380m-880m above sea level. The Zhuang and Yao minority groups live on those watered rice terraces, which they constructed nearly 700 years ago. They have been working on the fields since then. Enjoy an unforgettable sunset on a fine day. Stay at a simple but clean guesthouse close to the Terraces.

The morning is at your disposal. Return to Guilin after lunch.

Fly to Guangzhou after breakfast. Transfer to the hotel. Visit the Southern Yue Tomb Museum (Nanyuewang Mu). Among the more than 1,000 sacrificial jade objects, the most attractive are the clothes worn by the emperor himself. They were made of 2291 jade-patterns. The tomb was built in 200 BC. You can see the dead body of the king, which is exhibited in the No. 10 hall. After that, go to the ancestral Temple of the Chen Family by the new underground. The Chen Family is one of the richest families in Chinese history. The temple was built between 1890 and 1894. It is one of the best preserved old Guangdong-style buildings. It is located close to the Old Guangdong and is famous for its ornate and elaborate decoration. Afterwards stroll up the numerous small lanes of the Old Guangdong and experience the daily city life.

Take a Pearl River (Zhujiang) Cruise Ship to Hong Kong in the morning (approx. 2 hours). Transfer to the hotel. Make a city tour on the Hong Kong Island in the afternoon. You will visit the most important places of interest there (approx. 4 hours). A harbour tour between the junks provides you with an insight into the exceptional living conditions of the fishers (This harbour tour is not included in the price).

The day is at your disposal. Tips: Explore the Kowloon Peninsula with its Jade and bird markets, the cultural life in the temples and monasteries. Or use the rest of the day for shopping. Kowloon is the most important business and shopping center of the Far East. Transfer to the airport and fly back home.

End of the travel.

B: Breakfast L: Lunch D: Dinner

Number of participants	Peak season	Single room extra charge	Single cabin extra charge	book
2-5 pers.	2660 USD	490 USD	225 USD
	Shoulder season	Single room extra charge	Single cabin extra charge
	2565 USD	435 USD	205 USD

If you are a group with more than 5 persons, you can get more favourable prices. Please note that the prices may vary due to exchange rate fluctuations (RMB to USD) slightly. The prices above were computed by the rates as 1 USD= 7.9 RMB.

Peak season: April, May, September and October
Shoulder season: March, June, July, August, November

The hotels:
Beijing Best Western Hotel****
Xi'an Jianguo Hotel****
Shanghai Ocean Hotel****
Suzhou Guanyun Hotel****
Dazu Dazu Hotel***
Chongqing Holiday Inn ****
Guilin Park Hotel****
Yangshuo New Century Hotel**(*)
Guangzhou Landmark Hotel****
Hong Kong Kimberly Hotel****

Price includes:
-- All overnight accommodation in double rooms shared by two adults with    breakfast
-- Meals as listed in the itinerary
-- All transfers and entrance tickets as listed in the itinerary
-- Inland flight tickets including all fees
-- With Yangtze Cruise Ship****
-- Local English-speaking tour guides

Price does not include:
-- International flight tickets
-- Visa for China
-- Personal expenditures, tips etc.

Note:
-- The cruise ship always sets off on Monday morning from Yichang, so     that the itinerary must be planed according to that.
-- Children less than 12 years old can be given discounts.
-- The hotels, trains and flights listed in the itinerary may be changed into the     ones of similar category if necessary.
-- The prices do not apply to the May Day Holiday (30th April. –7th May.), the     National Day Holiday (30th Sep.–7th Oct.), the period of the Formula 1     racings in Shanghai (25th Sep.–5th Oct. 2006), and the Guangzhou Trade     Fair (14th – 30th    Apr. 2006 and 14th – 30 th Oct. 2006).
-- If you need more information, please contact us.