Data in submission...Accommodation：Overnight in Beijing
First up on your visit to Beijing is the world's largest plaza - Tian'anmen Square. The grandiose Tian'anmen Gate is the place where Chairman Mao Ze Dong announced the establishment of the People's Republic of China to the world in 1949. Passing through Tian'anmen Gate, you will enter the ancient and splendid Forbidden City, the home of 24 emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties for nearly 600 years. Magnificent architecture, intricate ornaments and touching legends make this a must-see site while in China.
After lunch, you'll visit the stunning and exquisite Summer Palace, where you'll be amazed at the vast ensemble of lakes, gardens, temples and palaces that together make up a masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design. During the Qing Dynasty, the Summer Palace was the personal summer retreat of the royal family. The overall layout of the Summer Palace consists of a front hill, back hill, and Kunming Lake. The front hill area contains splendid halls and pavilions while the back hill provides quiet, natural beauty.
After visiting these sites, we will take you back to your hotel to relax.
Recommended Optional Night Activities:
1) The exciting Legend of Kung Fu Show at the Red Theatre (usual showtime 19:30)
2) The famous Beijing Opera Show at the Liyuan Theater (showtime 19:30 - 21:00)
Accommodation：Overnight in Beijing
After hiking the Great Wall of China at Mutianyu, we will take you back to downtown Beijing, but along the way we will stop at the solemn Ming Tombs, the final resting place of the ancient emperors of the Ming Dynasty. Here you can wander along the Sacred Road, a tranquil path that in the past was reserved for royalty. The road is lined with statues of devine animals and officials as it leads to the mysterious Underground Palace, which we will also visit. One last stop before returning to your hotel will be at the Beijing Olympic Village, where you will have the opportunity to take some pictures of the outsides of the world-famous "Bird's Nest" stadium and the Water Cube.
Recommended Optional Evening Activity:
Authentic Peking Roast Duck Dinner at the world famous Quanjude Restaurant.
Accommodation：Overnight in Beijing
After lunch you will have some free time to explore the hutongs until we transfer you to the Beijing West Train Station for your high-speed train to Xian. Your local guide will greet you at the Xian train station to escort you to your local hotel. The rest of the evening will be free for you to explore the ancient city on your own.
Accommodation：Overnight in Xian
In the afternoon, we will drive back to the city of Xian to visit the Ancient City Wall, the largest and best preserved ancient city wall in China. Built during the Ming Dynasty as a military defense, the wall's top was designed to be wider than its height as to allow the army to perform drill practices over the centuries. You will be able to stroll along the top of this ancient wall to observe the modern city of Xian that has now surrounded it and immerse yourself in the charm of this ancient capital. After exploring the city wall, we will visit the nearby Muslim Quarter, an interesting street with various local foods and snacks. This is also a great place for a leisurely walk to see how the locals live.
Recommended Optional Activities:
1) Bicycle rental for riding bikes on top of the ancient city wall.
2) Enjoy a wonderful evening performance of the Tang Dynasty Show (showtime is usually 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. nightly).
Accommodation：Overnight in Xian
After your visit to the museum, you will have the rest of the day free to relax and prepare for tomorrow's flight to Lhasa.
Accommodation：Overnight in Xian
Tips for High Altitude Acclimatization:
1) Go for a leisurely walk in the fresh high altitude air, but avoid any strenuous activity after your arrival.
2) It's better to avoid taking a bath, to avoid catching a cold.
3) Drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration, and eat some fresh fruit.
4) Get plenty of rest.
Accommodation：Overnight in Lhasa
From one historic landmark to another, your next stop will be at the Jokhang Temple, considered as the spiritual heart of Tibetan Buddhism. Every day thousands of pilgrims come from all over Tibet and other places to the temple to worship the Buddha. The Jokhang Temple is also known as the "House of Buddha" because it houses the precious Jowo Rinpoche, a life-sized (1.5 meter/5 feet) image of the Shakyamuni at the age of 12.
The last stop for today's Lhasa exploration is Barkor Street, the wide, circular street that surrounds the Jokhang Temple. Local residents enjoy walking on the street, completing several circuits around the temple as a daily tradition of pilgrimage. The street also has many small shops selling a wide variety of traditional Tibetan goods, religious items and handicrafts.
Tips for today's tour:
1) There are 1,080 steps to the top of the Potala Palace, so it's best to take it slowly to avoid high altitude sickness.
2) Taking photos is not allowed inside the Potala Palace.
3) Most of today will be spent outside, so please bring a hat, sunscreen, sunglasses and some water with you to protect yourself from the more intense sun at the higher altitude.
Accommodation：Overnight in Lhasa
After visiting the palaces and park at Norbulingka, we will travel around 5 kilometers to the western outskirts of Lhasa to visit the Drepung Monastery. The word "drepung" in Tibetan language means "prosperity". Since its establishment in 1416, Drepung Monastery has served as one of the most important Buddhist monasteries in Tibet. During its prime, more than 10,000 monks lived and studied in the monastery. Throughout its history, many important and famous Tibetan leaders studied at this monastery, including the Dalai Lamas. Accordingly, Drepung Monastery is also respectfully known as the “Mother School of Dalai Lamas”.
In the afternoon, we will escort you on to another famous monastery in Lhasa - the Sera Monastery. Sera Monastery is famous for its spectacular “Buddhist Debates”. As a daily routine, the monks gather in a courtyard, and debate on the various Buddhist doctrines with exaggerated gestures, which is thought to be helpful in facilitating a better comprehension of the Buddhist philosophy to attain higher levels of study. After enjoying the "Buddhist Debates", we will take you back to your hotel with the rest of the day and evening to relax or explore on your own.
Tips for Proper Etiquette While Visiting Monasteries
1) For clothing, shorts and/or bare shoulders are not allowed.
2) Hats and sunglasses should be removed before entering the chapels.
3) Taking photos is usually not allowed inside the chapels.
Accommodation：Overnight in Lhasa
Accommodation：Overnight in Chengdu
After meeting the pandas, we’ll visit the sacred Wenshu Temple, which is hidden in a peaceful location right in the middle of modern Chengdu. This temple is the most popular Buddhist temple in the Chengdu region. With its beautiful, traditional and ancient architecture, the atmosphere is very calm and quiet, with some people praying, right in the midst of a busy and modern urban city. The grounds have a small garden and the monastery is very colorfully decorated, making it a fascinating place to visit.
After the Wenshu Temple, we will experience the leisurely pace of the life of the locals at Renmin Park and Jinlin Street. Renmin (People’s) Park is where the locals go for a relaxing walk, to meet friends or have a cup of tea. Jinli Street, by contrast, is a street mainly for tourists but it does offer a view of the way things were in ancient times. You can wander along this traditional old street to absorb the special atmosphere of Chengdu while tasting the local snacks, watching street performers, etc.
Optional Recommended Night Activity:
Take in the incredible Sichuan Opera & Face Changing Performance in a local theater.
Accommodation：Overnight in Chengdu
That afternoon around 4 or 5 p.m., we will take you to the Chaotianmen Port to board your Yangtze River cruise ship. You will be able to check in on board between 6 and 9 p.m. to begin one of the world’s most interesting cruises along the famed Yangtze River.
Boarding tips:
1) Different cruise companies use different piers for boarding, so we will make sure that you get to the correct one;
2) Cruise companies may alter the boarding hours and locations due to possible changes in weather, different seasons, river conditions, etc. so we will make sure that you have the latest up-to-date information before your cruise.
Accommodation：Overnight on the Cruise
In the afternoon as river conditions permit, you will have the opportunity for a shore excursion to the spectacular Shibaozhai Pagoda, rated as one of the World’s Eight Most Fantastic Architectural Achievements by the Discovery Channel. This pagoda is a 12-story 200-meter tall pagoda constructed of wood and installed into a high cliff. By climbing up to the top of pagoda you can gain a fantastic panoramic view of the Yangtze River and the surrounding area.
Optional Shore Excursion:
In the morning, if river and weather conditions permit, you can choose to take an optional shore excursion to the Fengdu Ghost City at an additional cost. This is an interesting place to visit to learn about the Chinese version of Hell and ghost culture.
Accommodation：Overnight on the Cruise
In the afternoon, again with river and weather conditions permitting, you will have the opportunity to participate in another excursion, this time by embarking on a smaller wooden boat to travel up the Shennv Stream (Goddess Stream), which is a secluded tributary of the Yangtze River. This smaller traditional Chinese-style sightseeing boat will sail through the fascinating scenery surrounding the quiet and narrow stream. On clear days you will be able to see the famous Hanging Coffins on the sides of the cliffs. There will be a stop to enjoy an entertaining local music and dance show before returning to the Yangtze River cruise ship.
That evening there will be a Captain’s Farewell Dinner Party for all of the passengers on the ship so you can enjoy these festivities as your last night on board the ship. If you can stay up a bit late, around 11 p.m. you can witness the amazing process as the ship travels through the five stages of the Three Gorges Dam Ship Locks.
Optional Shore Excursion:
This morning, for an additional charge and with weather and river conditions permitting, there will be an optional shore excursion to the White Emperor City where travelers can learn about the Three Kingdoms Culture of ancient China.
Optional shore excursion: In the morning of today, there is an optional shore excursion to White Emperor City (with extra charge) where travelers can learn about Three Kingdoms Culture.
Accommodation：Overnight on the Cruise
After visiting the Three Gorges Dam, you will return back to the cruise ship to finish the cruise as the ship sails on to the Yichang Port (also known as Taohuacun Port or the New Century Port in Yichang City). Be sure to have all of your things packed up and ready for the check-out procedures to disembark from the ship. Your local tour guide will meet you as you come off of the ship to transfer you to the Yichang Sanxia Airport for your flight on to Shanghai.
At the Shanghai Airport, your local tour guide will meet you with a private vehicle to take you to your Shanghai hotel, where you will have the rest of the evening to rest from the day’s travels.
Accommodation：Ovenright in Shanghai
Moving on from the museum, your next stop in Shanghai will be the Yu Garden. This formerly private garden that was built during the Ming Dynasty fully demonstrates the achitecture and design style of the classical Chinese gardens with its delicate pavilions, clear ponds and man-made hills. After your visit to the garden, we will walk leisurely through the Yuyuan Bazaar, a marketplace full of tasty local snacks along with elaborate traditional Chinese handicraft and art works. The Yuyuan Bazaar is conveniently located right next to Yu Garden. .After exploring ancient Chinese history at the Shanghai Museum and classical Chinese garden design in Shanghai, we will drive you to Lujiazui to see a more modern side of Shanghai. If the weather is clear, ascending to the tallest skyscraper in Asia – the majestic Shanghai Tower – a look from the viewing deck on the 126th floor will show you the expansive landscape of one of Asia’s most prosperous and modern cities stretching out in front of you.
After a nice local lunch, we will stroll along Nanjing Road – a world famous shopping street that has something for everyone as a paradise for shoppers. At the east end of the road we will come to The Bund, an iconic symbol of Shanghai situated on the west bank of the Huangpu River. Walking along The Bund will allow you to feel the perfect fusion of Chinese and Western cultures while viewing the fantastically modern Shanghai skyline with your own eyes.
Recommended Optional Night Activity:
Enjoy a night time cruise along the Huangpu River to enjoy the amazing futuristic skyline of Shanghai when it is lit up at night.
Accommodation：Overnight in Shanghai
In the afternoon we will escort you to the airport or train station for your flight or train on to your next destination or returning home.
Accommodation：None
