Temple of Heaven, Beijing Photo by our clients Mr. Glen Earl Brandvold & Ms. Marylee Hortense Adams with their feedback

Day 01Arrival in Beijing

Our guide will greet you outside the customs of Beijing Airport after you retrieve your luggage and clear the customs, and then transfer you to the downtown 5-star Crown Plaza Hotel. The remaining time of the day is free for your individual activities. For dinner on your own arrangement, we have some suggestions around our hotel.

Meals: No meals
Accommodation: Crowne Plaza

Day 02Beijing

In the morning, after a short stay on the world's largest city square, Tiananmen Square, you will visit the famous Forbidden City, namely the Palace Museum, where you will be fascinated by the gorgeous imperial architecture and cultural relics of more than 600 years ago. To ensure that you can taste the authentic and diversified Chinese food, we will serve you an a la carte lunch at a famous local restaurant. That's quite a different experience than having lunch at the cheap tourist eateries as the most are doing now. For our a la carte meals, we will pay at least 3 to 4 times' price higher than that of the tourist food. In the afternoon, continue your tour to the Temple of Heaven, the altar where the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties worship for gods of heaven. After finishing the whole day tour, a lively Chinese Kung Fu Show at the Red Theatre is waiting for you. The show, Legend of Kung Fu, adopting acrobatics and dancing, will give you a better understanding of Chinese Kung Fu.

Meals: American breakfast, A la carte lunch
Accommodation: Crowne Plaza

Our clients on Beijing Great Wall

Day 03Beijing

Today you'll visit one of the greatest world heritage sites - the Badaling Great Wall. As one of the best-preserved sections of the Great Wall, Badaling gained its fame for its solidity and strategic importance. When walking on Badaling, you will be impressed by the winding but majestic walls. After that, we will drive you to have a pleasant lunch of Sichuan cuisine at the best local restaurant, which is to avoid the shopping site restaurants near the Great Wall. Usually most agencies arrange the lunch at the shopping site restaurants with a much cheaper price, but after you have lunch there, you still need to stay for another 40 minutes in the shopping area of the restaurant so that the agencies could get some commissions. In the afternoon, continue your tour to the Sacred Way and Ming Tomb, where 13 Ming-dynasty emperors and their wives and sons were buried. As the main path to the Tombs, the two sides of the Sacred Way are lined with all shaped statues, both officials of the time and auspicious animals, which served as the guards of the tombs as well as important decorations. On the way back to downtown, you can see the full view of the Bird's Nest (Olympic National Stadium). It's the major venue for 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

Meals: American breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Crowne Plaza

Terracotta army, Xian Photo by our clients Mr. Frank and Hilde van Diest with their feedback

Day 04Beijing - Xian

This morning, visit the Summer Palace. In this 800-year-old but well-preserved imperial garden, you will be fascinated by the examples of the ancient art, graceful landscapes and magnificent constructions. Then you will have a Hutong tour to experience the original Beijing culture by taking a special rickshaw riding through the various Hutongs and to know about Old Beijing's manners and customs. Around noon, you will have an a la carte lunch at a nice local restaurant. The restaurant is well-decorated, which makes clients feel like dining at home. Later in the afternoon, you will fly to Xian. Upon your arrival, our local tour guide will meet you outside the baggage claim area and transfer you to the appointed Shangri-la Golden Flower Hotel.

Meals: American breakfast, A la carte lunch
Accommodation: Shangri-la Golden Flower Hotel - South Wing

Local people finding amusement by the City Wall

Day 05Xian

In the morning, have your trip to the World's Eighth Wonder, the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museums. You will be deeply impressed when you find out that all the figures and horses have distinct facial expressions and positions. After the world wonder trip, you will have an a la carte lunch at the best local restaurant rather than having the mass-produced food at the tourist restaurants near the warrior site. Nearly most of the clients will be taken to have lunch at the tourist restaurants by their agencies. You can never imagine the food quality and dining environment there. It differs not a little, but much greatly from our a la carte meals. In the afternoon, you will visit one of the symbols of Xian City, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. It is a 64.5-meter (211 feet) high square cone-shaped tower, which was built 1,300 years ago to house the Buddhist statues, relics and scriptures from India. The next stop will be the Provincial History Museum, to learn about Chinese history of the past 1,000,000 years from the vast storage of cultural relics. In the evening, a delicate Tang Dynasty Imperial Dinner and the fancy singing and dancing show at Tang Dynasty Palace (Addr: No.75, Chang'an Road, Xian) will bring you back to the dreamy and prosperous Tang Dynasty in the 7th century. 

Meals: American breakfast, A la carte lunch, Tang Dynasty dinner show
Accommodation: Shangri-la Golden Flower Hotel - South Wing

Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Xian Photo by our clients Jens Peter Andersen and Bente Vilsen with their feedback

Day 06Xian

Today's trip will start from the City Wall. If time permits, you can either walk or rent a bicycle to ride around the wall, discovering the history of this ancient capital of 13 dynasties in China from every brick and tile. Around noon, you will have a local family visit and a la carte lunch will be arranged in the home of the family that you visit, to taste the authentic home cooked dishes. If interested, you may join our Chinese food cooking class and learn to cook one or two Chinese dishes with the host for free. It must be very interesting to visit another exotic family during your family tours. In the afternoon, continue to visit the Great Mosque, which is one of the four most famous Islamic mosques in China. It perfectly compromises the merits of Chinese and Islamic culture and is said to be the only Islamic mosque in Chinese style in the world.

Meals: American breakfast, Home-cooked a la carte lunch
Accommodation: Shangri-la Golden Flower Hotel - South Wing

Captain's welcome party on Yangtze cruise

Day 07Xian - Chongqing

In the morning, you will visit the Hanyangling Museum, the Mausoleum of the Western Han Emperor Liu Qi dating back to 153 AD. Thanks to the advanced protection technology, you can stand on the glass floor over the underground tomb pit and get close to the thousand-year-old relics. Then you will go to the airport to take a flight to Chongqing. Upon your arrival, our local tour guide will meet you with a comfortable transfer service. If time permits, you will have a brief city tour to the Panda House in Chongqing Zoo to have a close meet with the adorable Chinese Giant Pandas. Then on-board the luxurious President Cruise Ship. As the ship departs from Chongqing at about 22:00, your relaxing Yangtze River cruise begins.

Meals: American breakfast
Accommodation: President No.1

Day 08Chongqing - Shibaozhai

After breakfast, the river guide will give you a brief introduction of the cruise and the schedule. Then you will disembark and visit Shibaozhai, which is famous for its fanciful architecture and many interesting legends. With the reputation of 'Pearl on the River', Shibaozhai has received 220,000 visitors from home and abroad every year since opened to the public in 1979. Now it has become the 'little Penglai' for tourists to overlook the views of Yangtze River. The Captain's Welcome Party will be held tonight.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Yangtze River Shennong Stream cruise

Day 09Badong - Xiling Gorge - Sandouping

The highlight part of the Yangtze River cruise is coming today. You will appreciate the unique scenery of the Three Gorges. As you sail on, there is the famous Shennong Stream on the border between the Wu Gorge and the Xiling Gorge, where you will disembark and take an interesting sampan adventure. Sitting on the special local wooden boat, you will tour along the zigzagging watercourses and enjoy the grotesque rocks and picturesque scenery along the banks, accompanied by the folk songs from the trackers. The Shennong Stream adventure will last about 3 to 4 hours. Then sailing into the Xiling Gorge, which is the longest gorge among the three and renowned for the numerous shoals, swift currents and grotesque peaks. The cruise ship will pass the Five Level Ship Lock of China Dam in the evening.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 10Yichang - Shanghai

Today your Yangtze River trip will end with an excursion to the Three Gorges Dam, which is the major construction of the Three Gorges Project, the world largest irrigation project. When embark again, it's time to say goodbye to your memorable Yangtze cruise tour. After lunch, visit the Yichang Museum if time permits. Then you will head for Shanghai by flight. Upon your arrival, our local tour guide will expect you outside the baggage claim area and transfer you to the downtown 5-star Renaissance Shanghai Yuyuan Hotel.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Renaissance Shanghai Yuyuan Hotel

Shanghai Bund area

Day 11Shanghai

Today, your Shanghai tour starts with the Shanghai Museum, which houses large collections of historical items. Then you will visit one of the most famous gardens in the South of Yangtze River, Yuyuan Garden, which is well known for the delicate buildings, exquisite layout and beautiful landscapes. You will enjoy your a la carte farewell lunch of the authentic Shanghai and Cantonese cuisine at a fancy and famous local restaurant. After lunch, your will take a short cruise tour on the Huangpu River. The huge mansions on the east bank of the river and the old western buildings on the west bank will show you the history and the modernness of Shanghai simultaneously. Then you will visit an old street in Shanghai.

Meals: American breakfast, A la carte lunch
Accommodation: Renaissance Shanghai Yuyuan Hotel

Day 12Departure from Shanghai

Today you will prepare for your homebound flight. Our guide will meet you in the hotel at the appointed time and see you off at the airport. If you wish to stay on in China, please contact your travel consultants for an extension tour.

Meals: American breakfast

• ◆2012 Price

Based on per person and in U.S. dollars, valid from Jan. 1st, 2012 to Feb. 28th, 2013

Season Group Size		2-5 travelers	6-9 travelers	10 travelers & above
High season	Double Occupancy	$2589	$2239	$2049
	Single Occupancy	$3439	$3089	$2869
Shoulder season	Double Occupancy	$2549	$2199	$2009
	Single Occupancy	$3369	$3019	$2799

Note: For the Yangtze portion of this itinerary, we quote the price based on the President No.1 cruise ship. The quotation is subject to change if you happen to meet the sailing date of any other cruise ships. Besides, the prices also exclude the service charge of CNY150.00 per person recruited by the cruise company, you need to pay on the spot when you board the cruise.

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