Welcome to China! On arrival, you are welcomed by your guide at the exit of the airport and then transferred to your hotel for a good rest. The rest of the day is left for your own easy exploration, as the hotel handpicked by us enjoys a prime location with convenient access to restaurants and malls.

In the morning, your China exploration starts from a short walking tour through one of the iconic communist constructions, Tiananmen Square. Then wander to the Forbidden City that was served as the residence of 24 emperors and political center nearly for 500 years from 1420 to 1912. Follow your guide to avoid the crowds and discover more interesting palaces and halls that other groups do not go, and appreciate the extremely exquisite national treasures on display which demonstrate the glorious time of the wooden palace complex.

Then delve into the crisscrossing Hutong alleys by taking a rickshaw ride to experience common people's customs and residences that have been passed down from 700 years ago. At a traditional courtyard here, you'll have a hands-on cultural activities by learning Chinese calligraphy, and you could take your favorite work home for a permanent collection.

The Forbidden City

Learning Chinese calligraphy at a traditional courtyard

Today, our private vehicle will escort you to the Mutianyu Great Wall that is a less crowded and well-preserved section. Round-trip cable car is included for your easy ascending and descending, and more time is left for a leisure sightseeing on the wall. One of the biggest features of Mutianyu section is its densely spaced watchtowers, where you could not only admire their intact structure, but also uncover their unique functions by a relaxing stroll with your insider guide.

Then a comfortable land transfer will take you back to the Summer Palace in the downtown.  Known as the "Museum of Imperial Gardens", the park is a friendly place to walk around at ease to savor the delicate pavilions, corridors and palaces, and cruise the enchanting Kunming Lake to feel the harmony of man & nature while taking in the marvelous panoramic landscape.

Mutianyu Great Wall with Lush Plantation

A Richly Painted Cruise Boat on Kunming Lake

Start your fresh morning excursion to the Temple of Heaven, where emperors used to worship the heaven and pray for harvest during Ming and Qing dynasties. Not only can you appreciate the ingenious and peculiar constructions to recall the grand worshiping scene, but also you could wonder at the brilliance of ancient Chinese by delving into the spots like Triple Echo Stones and the marvelous Echoing Wall. The Temple of Heaven is also a popular park for local seniors' morning exercises such as Kungfu, Tai Chi, opera practice, dancing and shuttlecock. Catch the beat and join them to have a memorable workout experience.

After that, take a comfortable high-speed train for about 4.5 hours to Xi'an. Upon arrival, meet your local guide and be relaxed in the hotel.

The Temple of Heaven

Today, the first site awaiting you is the Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses Museum, which houses the Eighth Wonder of the world, a huge life-sized clay army standing still underground to guard the tomb of the first Emperor Qinshihuang for over 2,000 years. You could easily distinguish each of the warriors, for no man has the same face, hairstyle and uniform with others.

Then our guide will lead you to visit a local family who live in the traditional cave dwellings (Yaodong in Chinese), and attend a cooking class to learn making dumplings there.

Afterwards, ride back to the city to admire the most complete and the best-preserved City Wall which goes all the way round the city with a moat still running around.

Then move to the Great Mosque, where you'll be fascinated by the perfect mix of Chinese and Islamic architecture styles embodied by the building complex. Walking out of this quiet place of worship, you'll enter the bustling bazaar of the Muslim Quarter. Ramble along the streets lined with specialty restaurants, snack booths and arts & crafts stores to seek out your favorite food and souvenirs. 

Terracotta Soldiers

Tourists Biking on the City Wall

In the morning, pay a visit to the Small Wild Goose Pagoda, a renowned relic to store Buddhist scripts dating back to Tang Dynasty. Appreciate its artful structure and uncover the miraculous stories of its survival in violent earthquakes with your knowledgeable guide.

Continue to ramble to the Xi'an Museum, where you'll be cultivated by the profound history of the great empires at the sight of numerous precious ancient relics.

Then catch flight to Chongqing and be ready to board a luxury cruise ship to explore the mighty Yangtze.

Small Wild Goose Pagoda

Xi'an Museum

Join a Tai Chi Class on the deck to experience Chinese seniors' favorite morning exercise.

After a buffet breakfast, disembark to discover a wooden structure miracle, the Shibaozhai Tower. You will be amazed by the 500-year-old bizarre pagoda constructed without any nail and the interesting mythologies behind the tower.

Returning back to the ship, you could indulge yourself in rich cultural activities on board and enjoy yourself at the Captain's Welcome Party at night, with the crew's music & dance performances for your entertainment.

Optional excursion: You could trek a bit to visit another onshore attraction, the Fengdu Ghost City. It is a miniature world of the heaven and hell according to Chinese people's belief in afterlife, where you could discover a lot of ancient myths, infernal institutions, awful statues of devils and crucial penalties.

Shibaozhai

Your cruise ship will firstly sail through the majestic and narrow Qutang Gorge, and then the most spectacular Wu Gorge lined with precipitous cliffs.

You get a chance to embark on a small wooden boat to go deeper into the Shennong Stream or Lesser Three Gorges to discover the hidden beauties of the gorge. Inhaling the picturesque scenery along the way, you could also uncover the mysteries and stories about the ancient hanging coffins on the steep cliffs by the interpretation of your river guide. A cruise in autumn would be blessed with the blazing forests of red and golden leaves.

Tonight, you will be invited to attend the Captain's Farewell Party. 

Yangtze River Cruise

Disembark at Maoping Pier and ride to the Three Gorges Dam to marvel at the world's largest hydroelectric project.

Then stroll along the Yangtze River at Bingjiang Park encountering local people fishing, dancing, playing cards, etc.

Continue to visit Yichang Museum to uncover the mysterious history and culture of the Spring and Autumn Period (770-221 BC).

Afterwards, fly to Shanghai and enjoy the brilliantly illuminated night cityscape on your way to the hotel.

In the morning, venture into a classic landscape garden, Yu Garden. It is a quaint gem hidden in the modern city where you could absorb its elegant and delicate pavilions, rockeries, corridors and ponds with history over 400 years.

Continue your visit to the bustling Nanjing Road and stroll all the way to the Bund, where you will be immersed in the old Shanghai fantasy at the sight of exotic building clusters.

Then, visit Xintiandi (New World of Shanghai) and walk at ease among the bizarrely intertwined multi-styled architectures.

Afterwards, sight-see the tranquil and time-honored Jade Buddha Temple to admire the big jade Buddha statue brought back from Burma in 1882.

Yu Garden

Xintiandi (New World of Shanghai)

Farewell to China! Your leisurely and cultural journey in China concludes here, and you will be escorted to the airport for your departure flight. Wish you a pleasant trip home.