HT07 - China History and Landscape Tour 16 days
The following itinerary and quotation is still available in 2010. Destinations:Beijing - Chengde - Beijing - Datong - Taiyuan - Pingyao - Taiyuan-Xian - Luoyang - Shanghai
Itinerary
Day 1: Beijing Arrival
Welcome to China! Upon arrival in Beijing, you will be taken to your hotel. As the capital of China, Beijing has a long history with an abundance of historical and cultural heritage-you cannot tear yourself away!
Balance of the day is at leisure.
Day 2: Beijing (B+L+D)
Sightseeing: Tiananmen Square / Forbidden City / Temple of Heave / Beijing Duck Dinner
Today you will start the day with a trip to the largest public square in the world: Tiananmen Square. Tiananmen Square is regarded as a symbol of China and capable of holding one million people.
Then you'll head to the Forbidden City, which consists of more than 9,000 rooms and covers an area of 72 hectares. Forbidden City is the largest and the best-preserved Imperial Palace in the world.
After lunch, you take a short drive to the Temple of Heaven, which was built specifically for worship of heaven and prayers for good harvests during the Ming and Qing dynasties. The entire complex is a treasure trove of ancient Chinese architectural designs and arts and was listed as UNESCO’s World Cultural Heritage in 1998.
Tonight, enjoy a Beijing Duck Dinner.
Day 3: Beijing (B+L)
Sightseeing: Badaling Great Wall / Mind Tomb
Get up early in the morning and drive about one hour to Badaling Great Wall, China's most spectacular sight extending more than 3,700 miles across China and most often visited for China tour. It is one of the best preserved sections and the highest point of the Great Wall.
For lunch you'll sample simple some delicious cuisine in a local restaurant.
Then head to one of the Mind Tombs. Ming Tombs are the general names for the mausoleums of 13 emperors of the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644), located 50 kilometers north from Beijing City. They were fully recognized by UNESCO's World Heritage Committee in 2000.
When the night falls, you will return to the hotel.
Day 4: Beijing – Chengde by train (B+L)
Sightseeing: Mountain Resort of Chengde / Putuo Temple / Puning temple
You will take morning train to Chengdu and transfer to the downtown hotel. Today you will start the day with a trip to the famous Mountain Resort of Chengde. It is a key national cultural protection unit, was listed in the World Cultural Heritage Directory in 1994. It covers an area of 564 sq meters (218 sq miles) and was originally built for the royal families to spend the hot summer months. Afterwards, you will head to visit Putuo Temple. Built in 1767 imitating the style of the Potala Palace, the temple is also named 'little Potala Palace'. Then you will also pay a visit to Puning temple, which was built in 1755. It is also known as 'Big Buddha Temple', for a big wooden Buddhist statue housed there.
Day 5: Chengde – Beijing by train (B)
The morning is left free for us to explore the city. After lunch, you will take train back to Beijing and transfer to the downtown hotel. The rest of the day is on your own to explore the city.
Day 6: Beijing – Datong by train (B+L)
Sightseeing: Summer Palace
You will start the day with the Summer Palace, which was listed as UNESCO's World Cultural Heritage in 1998. With its elegant overall arrangement, magnificent buildings and attractive scenery, the Summer Palace is the most splendid imperial garden in China built in 1750. After lunch, you take afternoon soft seat train to Datong and transfer to the downtown hotel.
Day 7: Datong - Taiyuan by train (B+L+D)
Sightseeing: Yungang Grottoes / Hua Yan Monastery / Nine-dragon Screens
You will spend the day touring around the city, including visits to the famous Yungang Grottoes, antique Hua Yan Monastery as well as the Nine-dragon Screens. Yungang Grottoes is one of the largest grotto-groups in China. There are now 53 grottoes with 51000 statues remaining. Yungang Grottoes were listed as UNESCO's World Cultural Heritage in 2001. Nine-dragon Screens is the largest and earliest one of the three famous Nine-dragon Screens in China. In the afternoon take train to Taiyuan (5 hours) and transfer to the hotel.
Day 8: Taiyuan – Pingyao by Private van (B+L)
Sightseeing: Jinci Temple / Qiao's Compound / Pingyao Ancient City Wall
Get up early and drive to Pingyao. Then you will experience the Jinci Temple, the ancestor temple of the Jin family. After the lunch you visit Qiao's Compound. Qiao's Compound is marvelous example of the architecture of the Qing dynasty in Taiyuan. The plant occupied 8,724.8 square meters of land, consisting of 6 large yards and 20 small yards with 313 houses in total. Then you continue to visit Pingyao Ancient City Wall, which is the most well-preserved wall among the ancient historical and cultural cities in China.
Day 9: Pingyao - Taiyuan – Xian by Private van/air (B+L)
Sightseeing: Shuanglin Temple / Zhenguo Temple
Your morning tour features Shuanglin Temple, which is reputed to be the 'ancient painted sculptures museum'. The Shuanglin Temple was included in the World Heritage List by UNESCO as an important cultural site of Ping Yao City in 1997. Afterwards, you will pay a visit to Zhenguo Temple. This temple is famous for its wood-structured main hall. It is one of the three oldest wood buildings in China. After lunch, you will drive back to Taiyuan to take flight to Xian and transfer to the downtown hotel.
Day 10: Xian (B+L)
Sightseeing: Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum / Big Wild Goose Pagoda / Bell Tower
Today you will visit what has been called the 8th Wonder of the World the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum. It is one of the most important archaeological excavations and culture findings in the 20th century. After lunch, you will drive back to downtown city to visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. The Big Wild Goose Pagoda is one of symbols in Xian and a remarkable milestone of the Chinese architecture. Afterward, you will head to visit Bell Tower. Originally built in 1348, the Bell Tower in Xian is situated in the very heart of the city and is the most well-preserved and best-known one in China.
Day 11: Xian – Luoyang by train (B+L)
Sightseeing: Provincial History Museum / City Wall
Starting the day early, you visit the Provincial History Museum, which houses a large collection of historic and cultural artifacts unearthed in Shaanxi Province. Later you mount the City Wall. It was restored in the Ming dynasty and is considered as the largest and most intact Ming Dynasty castle in the world. From there you can have a good view of Xian. After lunch, you will take a soft seat train to Luoyang and transfer to the hotel. The evening is on your own to explore the city.
Day 12: Luoyang (B+L)
Sightseeing: Shaolin Temple / Longmen Grottoes
You will spend the morning visiting the famous Shaolin Temple, which is renowned for its Shaolin martial arts that are so popular in China and the rest of the world. And you will enjoy a martial show at Shaolin temple and later back to Luoyang. After lunch, you will visit the Longmen Grottoes, which are a treasure house of ancient Buddhist cave art. The scenery measures 1,000 metres (about 1,094 yards) from north to south where there are over 2,300 holes and niches, 2,800 steles, 40 pagodas, 1,300 caves and 100,000 statues. On November 30, 2000, the Longmen Grottoes were approved by the 24th UN Heritage Commission to be put on the List of World Cultural Heritage.
Day 13: Luoyang –Shanghai by air (B+L)
Feel free until taking a flight to Shanghai in the afternoon and transfer to the downtown hotel. The rest of the time is free for you to explore the city.
Day 14: Shanghai (B+L)
Sightseeing: Shanghai Museum / Old French Concession / Jade Buddha Temple / Shanghai Xin Tian Di
Your morning tour features Shanghai Museum, a museum of ancient Chinese art, accommodates 120,000 precious relics, including Bronzes, pottery, paintings and calligraphies, and so on.
After lunch, you will take a walking tour of the Old French Concession, the area of Shanghai once occupied by French in the mid-19th century. It offers unparalleled examples of old lane houses, apartments, garden houses and villas which remain untouched in mid-19th and early 20th century European styles.
Then you will also pay a visit to the Jade Buddha Temple, one of the most famous Buddhist temples to be found in Shanghai and one of Shanghai's top tourist destinations.
You will also stroll along Shanghai Xin Tian Di, which has become an urban tourist attraction that holds the historical and cultural legacies of the city.
Day 15: Shanghai (B+L)
Sightseeing: Yu Garden / Oriental Pearl TV Tower / Bund / Nanjing Road
Today you will start the day with a trip to the elegant classic Chinese garden: Yu Garden. Yu Garden has quite a few scenic courtyards dotted with baroque rockery, pools and flora, all connected by corridors and passageways and cultural relics.
You then head for Oriental Pearl TV Tower, with an astonishing height of 468 meters, ranks as the world's third tallest TV tower, after the 553-meter CN Tower in Toronto and the 535-meter Moscow TV Tower.
After lunch, you will visit the Bund, where the great foreign commercial houses and banks built their imposing office buildings before 1930s.
Then you will stroll along the Nanjing Road, which is considered as one of the World's Seven Great Roads in the 1930s and always mentioned in travel guides as a must see of China tour.
Day 16: Shanghai – Next Destination (B)
The tour guide will transfer you to the airport and help you board the plane to your next destination.
Hotel
Price
| Person | 1 | 2-5 | 6-9 | |
| Price per person( USD $ ) | 5 Star | 3988 | 2378 | 2029 |
| 4 Star | 3418 | 2098 | 1748 | |
| 3 Star | 3149 | 1958 | 1599 | |
Price list
Price Includes:
a. Entrance fees to all the scenic spots as listed above in the itinerary
b. Hotel accommodations with breakfast as specified (If there is no Western breakfast available, we have to arrange Chinese one instead)
c. All meals as specified in the itinerary. B=Western or Chinese breakfast, L=Chinese lunch in a local restaurant, D=Chinese dinner in a local restaurant
d. Internal flights including taxes and fuel fee or train/bus tickets as listed in the itinerary
e. Professional local guides and drivers in each destination city
f. Private Transfers between airports, docks, hotels and scenic spots while sightseeing in each destination city by the private air conditioned car or van
g. Luggage Transfers between airports/docks and hotels
h. Arrangements for the planning, handling, operational and communication charges
i. Government taxes.
Price excludes:
a. International air and train tickets for coming to and leaving from mainland China
b. Visa fee
c. Excess Baggage Charges
d. Meals which are not specified with "B", "L" or "D".
e. Personal expenses such as drinks, laundry, tips to guides or drivers, FAX, telephone, excess baggage charges
f. Gratuities, tips to guides and drivers
g. Personal loss, illness or damages incurred during your trip
Remark : Quotations listed are valid excluding the periods of Chinese holidays and special events.
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