Welcome to China! Upon your arrival, your friendly tour guide will meet you at the airport by holding a signboard with your name on it, and then transfer you to your hotel. Have a good rest to recover from jet lag.

Today's sightseeing starts with Tiananmen Square, the most iconic landmark lying in the central axis of Beijing. Then stroll for a few minutes to reach the magnificent Forbidden City, a centuries-old imperial residence served 24 emperors from 1368 to 1912. Impossible for ordinary man to come near in the past, this majestic palace museum now opens its gate for visitors to peek into the mysterious court life of royal families.

Afterwards, delve into a traditional Beijing Hutong and learn about the disappearing residences. Enjoy an unhurried walking tour along the small alleys and get a glimpse of the folk life. You will get on the top of the Bell Tower to have a bird's eye view of the old neighborhood. Next, visit a local family in an old courtyard where you will attend a Chinese calligraphy class. You could learn to write down your Chinese name.

At last, get transferred to your hotel.

The ELegant Forbidden City

A Quaint Hutong in Beijing

Today, you will conquer the famous world wonder of the Mutianyu Great Wall which is very well preserved and much quieter. Ascend the Wall by a round-trip cable car for more time exploring on the Wall. A fun fact may astonish you that glutinous rice soup was utilized for the adhesion of bricks to make the defensive system strongly fortified.

After a relaxing hiking on the wall, make your way back to downtown Beijing and have a stopover at the ingeniously-designed Bird's Nest and Water Cube for you to snap some great photos.

Then head for an exquisite imperial garden, the Summer Palace, where you could have a refreshing safari by taking in the enchanting gardens and enjoying an optional boating excursion on the Kunming Lake.

Mutianyu Great Wall

Summer Palace

After breakfast, you will visit the Temple of Heaven to admire the traditional Chinese temple architecture. It used to be a sacred place for emperors to practice the prayer ceremonies to seek the big harvest and prosperity of the people. Pacing around, you will enjoy a lively scene of local life of seniors doing their morning exercises like Tai Chi, opera singing, shuttlecock kicking, sword dancing, etc.

Afterwards, a highspeed train ride to Xian is awaited in the afternoon, with travel time on board of 5 hours around. Upon arrival, your guide will pick you up from the railway station and transfer you to the hotel.

Temple of Heaven

About 1-hour drive from the downtown area, you will arrive at the Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses Museum. 'Incredible' is the most frequently used word to describe the underground army after people see them, which will be proved while you get there. These clay figures were vividly made, each owning distinctive facial expression, hair style, figure as well as uniform, to protect the emperor in his afterlife. Both the Great Wall and Terra-cotta Army were built by the order of the first emperor, Emperor Qin Shihuang, who  created the history of Chinese feudal society.

Afterwards, enjoy the opportunity to make a mini terra-cotta figure and you will further understand the impressive work done by ancient Chinese 2,000 years ago.

Then drive back to the city to visit the largest and best-preserved City Wall and have an overview of the old capital. Follow your guide to take a stroll on top and find some best angles to shoot nice photos of the great architecture or cycle around if you would like to.

Next, drive to the bustling Muslim Quarter and the ancient Great Mosque built in traditional Chinese style and enjoy some free time in the famous bazaar.

The Terracotta Army of Qin Dynasty

Biking Tourists on the City Wall

Catch a morning flight to Lhasa, which will take 3.5 hours. Please take a break in the hotel upon arrival and adapt yourself to the high altitude gradually. Lhasa enjoys an average altitude of around 3658 meters (12,000 ft), and the spots like Potala Palace and Drepung Monastery get higher altitude of 3800 meters (around 12,500ft). 

Tips: Please do not take a shower, drink alcohol or smoke in the first two days upon arrival. Please keep warm.

A wonderful morning excursion starts with Tibet’s most iconic monument, the UNESCO-listed Potala Palace. Widely known as the symbol of Tibet, Potala has been the political and religious centers as well as the winter palace of the Dalai Lama since the 7th century. Climb up the steps to get amazed at the resplendent Tibetan-style architectural art and observe the abundant treasures including statues, murals, Thangka, scriptures and porcelains.

Next, get ready to blow your mind with a visit to the Jokhang Monastery. It is widely regarded as the spiritual center of Tibetan Buddhism where you would encounter a lot of pious pilgrims prostrating themselves for worshipping.

Afterwards, continue your exploration to Barkhor Street teeming with close-knit souvenir shops and restaurants. Along the wander you may also meet large flocks of pilgrims doing the circuit with spinning prayer wheels in hands. Then drive back to your hotel.

The spectacular and holy Potala Palace

In the morning, you will head for the Norbulingka, a fascinating escape from the hustle of the city. Norbulingka used to be the summer residence of Dalai Lamas from late 1700s and the 1950s, where you will admire quintessential Tibetan-style architectures and premier gardens imbued with rare floras.

Then pay a visit to the Drepung Monastery, the largest Tibetan Buddhist temple, where you could absorb the impressive monastery buildings of red roofs and white walls, and uncover the precious religious relics stored inside the chambers.

Next, you will set foot in another sacred temple of Tibet, Sera Monastery that is famous for monk debating. You are allowed to observe monks debating in vigorous postures in the courtyard at a close distance. 

Your impressive Tibet safari comes to an end today. Getting packed, you will be escorted to the Gonggar Airport for a flight bound for Chengdu, the hometown of Giant Pandas. After landing, you will be met by a new guide and then escorted to your hotel. The rest of the day is your leisure time for self-exploration. 

Drive to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding and enjoy your time visiting these adorable creatures where you will see adult pandas and panda cubs or even the new born babies if you are lucky.

Then move to Jinli Old Street and admire the old constructions and fun stalls where you may sample some famous Chengdu snacks.

Afterwards, enjoy a leisurely walk in Wangjiang Park that can best present Chengdu's leisure life from its outdoor tea houses, busy ear-cleaning vendors, local group activities such as Taichi, Mahjong and folk dances.

Giant Panda

In the morning, enjoy the idyllic scenery on the way to the 1200-year-old Leshan Giant Buddha for about 2-hour driving. Once you arrive, you will be impressed by the magnificence of the grand Buddha carved out of the precipitous cliff. Climb all the way up the hillside to Buddha's head part to marvel at the masterpiece of Buddhist culture up close. Then admire the grandeur of the colossal stone Buddha with a height of 71 meters (233 feet) from the bottom as you descend from the narrow zigzagged staircases built along the precipitous mountains. Finally, catch a clear panoramic sight of the majestic Giant Buddha by a relaxing boat cruise and admire the grandeur of the Giant Buddha right next to him.

Enjoy some lunch here before the 2-hour drive back to Chengdu and your guide will give you some wonderful recommendations. Afterwards, fly to Guilin and your Guilin tour guide will warmly greet you at airport, then take you to hotel.

This morning, you will take a 4-hour Li River Cruise to get to Yangshuo, a wonderful chance to take in the fascinating karst landscapes of Guilin. During the peaceful journey, you will be like traveling in a masterpiece of a traditional long scroll painting, seeing various grotesque karst pinnacles that bring challenges to your imagination, some water buffalos showering or wandering in shallow water or fishermen fishing with their cormorants.

Upon arrival in Yangshuo, start your bike adventure around the rural village with your guide and absorb the enchanting rural views. Make some stops at the interesting or breathtaking spots and snap some photos. Then drive back to Guilin. Enjoy your free night.

Nightlife recommendations: Your hotel is within walking distance to the famous night market of Zhengyang Pedestrian and the beautiful Golden and Silver Pagodas built at the Two Rivers and Four Lakes area.

Yangshuo

In the morning, you will be taken to the iconic Elephant Trunk Hill and be amazed at the masterpiece of nature. Then move to appreciate the fairyland of Reed Flute Cave where various stalactites shimmering in different colors.

Your scenic exploration in Guilin concludes here, and make your way to Chongqing by a high speed train ride with gorgeous natural sceneries along the way. Upon arrival, your local guide will pick up and transfer you to board the luxury cruise ship. Get ready for your leisurely boat journey along the essence part of Yangtze River. 

Join the Tai Chi class and start your morning in a traditional Chinese way.

After breakfast, you will enjoy the onshore excursion to Shibaozhai, a 500-year old wooden tower on an isolated mountain along the Yangtze River. Follow your river guide to explore its famous unique architectural characteristics and uncover the Chinese mythologies.

Tonight, you are invited to participate in the Captain's Welcome Party and enjoy the music and dance performances brought by the crew members. Have a fun night!

Today your cruise ship will first sail through the majestic Qutang Gorge and then the most spectacular Wu Gorge.

An onshore excursion is arranged to allow you to discover the hidden beauty of Yangtze by taking a wooden boat deep into the gorges at Shennong Stream or Shennv Stream.

After the refreshing outing, the ship will continue to sail through the longest Xiling Gorge featuring rapid water, rare stones and twisted course. The Captain's Farewell Party is held tonight to conclude your lifetime Yangtze experience.

Gorgeous Fall Scenery of the Yangtze River

This morning, you will enjoy the morning excursion to the Three Gorges Dam and appreciate the gigantic project, one of the world's largest hydropower stations.

Then you will be picked up by your tour guide and driver at the Three Gorges Damn site and escorted to the Yichang train station to travel to Zhangjiajie.

Today, you will be transfered to the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park and immerse in the breathtaking beauty of this World Geopark.

Upon arrival, you will first take a shuttle bus to the Yuanjiajie Scenic Area and get ready to challenge the Bailong Elevator. With the lift soaring into the sky along the cliff, you will be extremely thrilled by the excitement and incredible scenery passing by.

Continue your hike to discover the Hallelujah Mountain, the original inspiration of Avatar's suspending mountains.

Then transfer to Tianzi Mountain and reach the top by a cable car to savor the boundless rock pinnacles in countless bizarre shapes.

At last, enjoy a round-trip small train ride along the huge "painting scroll" Ten Mile Gallery to discover the spots like Herb-picking Geezer, Growling Tiger and other wonders created by nature.

Grotesque pillar like limestone mountains at Zhangjiajie wonderland

After arriving at Tianmen Mountain (Heaven's Gate) by a soul-stirring cable car, hold your breath to challenge the glass Skywalk, under which is the bottomless chasm.

Then take the trans-mountain escalator down to the Tianmen Cave and be fascinated by this "celestial door" that is big enough for a jet to fly through. You could challenge the 999 steps to get down on foot or take the escalator (optional).

Then return by shuttle bus and marvel at the graceful 99 curves around the hillside. In the evening, you are escorted to the airport for a flight to Shanghai.

Start your day with a visit to the Yu Garden where you'll enjoy the delightful and elaborate landscape made up of exquisite pavilions, corridors, lakes and rockeries.

Then stroll on the bustling Nanjing Road and The Bund along the riverside, praised as a World Architecture Museum. Get on top of the Shanghai World Financial Center to get a bird's-eye view of the metropolis.

Continue your sightseeing to Xintiandi (New World of Shanghai) where multicultural constructions in old or fashion styles are intertwined.

At last, visit the Propaganda Poster Art Center to feel the passion and energy of people in 1960s.

The Bund Shanghai

Propaganda Poster Art Center

Today, your wonderful China adventure ends and you will be escorted the airport for your departure flight.