Welcome to China! Upon arrival, you will be picked up from the airport by your friendly guide, and escorted to a comfortable hotel for recovery from jetlag.

In the morning, follow your guide to absorb the garden art by a paced stroll around the Yu Garden to admire the best combination of nature and residence quarter.

Continue to ramble in the city's most flourishing street Nanjing Road until you reach the Bund, where you would be amazed at the surreal skyline formed by the exotic building clusters that witness the booming Shanghai.

Afterwards, take a walk at Xintiandi to feel the west-meet-east ambience through traditional Shikumen constructions and trendy boutique stores, bars and restaurants.

At last, rest your soul at the quiet Jade Buddha Temple and wander around to take in the calmness.

The skyscrapers in The Bund

After a 1-hour comfortable ride to Suzhou, start your full-day idyllic journey from the Master of the Nets Garden. Although as the smallest garden, it perfectly takes advantage of the space and creates a delicate world with endless sights to see. Due to the ingenious architecture design, you could constantly capture new views with every step forward. Meanwhile, you could also recall the artistic and poetic life of the former owners who were celebrated literati, scholars and poets by a glance at the poems, calligraphy writings and tablet engravings.

Then continue to visit the "Venice of the East"--Tongli water town, discovering the gardens, temples, and residences of celebrities in the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368 - 1840). Optional boat drifting along the crisscrossing water canals allows you to absorb the quintessence of the water town.

Master of Nets Garden

Tongli Water Town

Take a high-speed train to Hangzhou and enjoy the graceful scenery along the way.

Upon arrival, meet your local guide and head to Feilai Peak, where you will be stunned by hundreds of Buddhist grottoes carved as early as over 1,000 years ago.

Then make your way to the Lingyin Temple, also known as Temple of Soul's Retreat. Built in 326 AD, it is a renowned Buddhist temple with a far-reaching history of 1,700 years. Wander around to inhale the sacred atmosphere and feel in awe of the stately statues of heavenly kings, Buddhas and Arhats.

In the morning, ride to the elegant and tranquil Meijiawu Tea Village, which is a famous production place of Longjing Tea (Dragon Well Tea) with history of over 600 years. With accompany of your guide, drop by the farmhouse of a national tea specialist to learn how to pick tea leaves and to stir-fry tea while rambling in the tea plantation. Then enjoy the graceful tea ceremony and get to know the traditional way of making and tasting tea.

Continue your sightseeing to the West Lake, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Take a relaxing cruise on the lake and immerse yourself in the charming poetic scenery. From your insider guide, you may learn about the most popular ancient love tales about the West Lake, such as Madame White Snake and Butterfly Lovers.

West Lake

After flying to Xi'an, you are greeted by your local guide and transferred back to the city to visit the ancient City Wall, the most complete and best-preserved city fortification in China.

Then proceed to the Great Mosque originated from Tang Dynasty. A leisure walk inside will enables you to discover the perfect combination of traditional Chinese architecture style and Islamic carvings. While roaming in the mosque, discover the cultural fusion from the building complex and appreciate the cultural relics, especially those brought by Empress Dowager Cixi when she sought refuge in Xi'an.

Continue your walking tour to the hustling and bustling Muslim Quarter, one of the most favorite destinations of foodies, to savor the mouth-watering specialties like Roujiamo (Chinese hamburger), Paomo (pita bread soaked in lamb soup) and so on. After enjoying yourself, head to your hotel and have a good night.

Today, a comfortable 1-hour drive will take you to the Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses Museum, one of the world's biggest archaeological discovery which had not been unearthed until two famers spotted a clay head when digging a well. This 2,000-year-old pottery army of over 8,000 life-sized soldiers was created to guard Qinshihuang Emperor in his afterlife, and each figure was blessed with their exclusive facial expression, hairstyle and wears.

After the tour, visit a local family who inhabits in a traditional cave dwelling house, and learn to make authentic homemade dumplings from the hostess.

At last, return to the downtown and pay a visit to the Small Wild Goose Pagoda of Tang Dynasty (618-907) to learn about its surviving miracles in several earthquakes, and dive into the Xi'an Museum to uncover the splendid history from the 13th century ago.

Infantrymen in Pit No.1

Small Wild Goose Pagoda

Today, you will take an easeful high-speed train for 5 hours to Beijing, during which you could embrace great vista passing by while experience the comfort of Chinese bullet trains.

On arrival, you will be picked up and escorted to a fancy hotel by our considerate guide and experienced driver. The rest of the day is free, and you could walk around to explore the city on your own or have a good rest in your hotel.

In the morning, take a morning excursion to the Temple of Heaven, where emperors used to practice the worshiping ceremonies for peace and harvests during Ming and Qing Dynasty. Beside the peculiar architectures on offer, this site also serves as a park highlighted by local people doing their morning exercises like Tai Chi, kicking shuttlecocks, dancing and playing swords. You are more than welcome to join them.

Then head to Tiananmen Square and view the most iconic communist constructions, and then stroll to the Forbidden City, a world treasure rated as the quintessence of China's ancient royal palace architectures. Follow your guide to delve into more palaces and halls that other groups do not visit, appreciate the antiques that represent the supreme human artistry and learn about the anecdotes of the 24 emperors who once lived here.

The Temple of Heaven

The quieter Mutianyu Great Wall

Today, you will be transferred to Mutianyu Great Wall for a leisurely hiking tour by round trip cable cars up and down. As one of the best-preserved sections, Mutianyu is less crowded and fully restored, which is walking friendly for travelers at all ages. Endowed with 22 original style watchtowers, Mutianyu Great Wall is an ideal place to marvel at this magnificent military defensive system and capture the fascinating natural views. You could hike at a slow pace and cover several watchtowers based on your personal condition.

Afterwards, ride back to downtown for a visit to the Summer Palace. Then ride to the enchanting Summer Palace, a retreat garden for royal families. You could either choose to cruise the Kunming Lake to take a dip of the stunning natural views or trek a bit on the Longevity Hill to explore the imperial residences and temples as well as pagodas.

At last, you will be escorted back to your hotel, and get packed for tomorrow's departure flight.

Mutianyu Great Wall with Lush Plantation

A Richly Painted Cruise Boat on Kunming Lake

Farewell to China! Your historical and cultural tour ends. Our private vehicle will escort you to the airport for your departure flight. Wish you a pleasant journey home.