Forbidden City, Beijing

Day 01Arrival in Beijing

Our guide will meet you outside the baggage claim area at Beijing Airport and transfer you to the 5 stars Crowne Plaza Hotel (Address: No. 48 Wangfujing Avenue, Beijing, 100006). The rest of the day is free.

Accommodation: Crowne Plaza

Tips: Chinese food is diverse and street stalls can be found on every corner in China. Let alone the eight styles of Chinese cuisine, there are a variety of snacks and dim-sum which can feed you well. In the evening, it will be very busy in Wangfujing Food Street, as numerous street stalls are open. Beside the characteristic local food of Beijing, it combines flavors from different parts of China: smelly bean curd from Changsha, barbeques from Mongolia and Xinjiang, Guoqiao rice noodles from Yunnan and dim-sum from Hong Kong. The opening hours of the food market is from 18:00 to 22:00 every night and this street is just within walking distance (about five minutes) from your hotel. So it is easy for you to experience it by yourself.

Great Wall, Beijing Photo by our clients Mr. Karl Dutton & Mr. Mark James De Garis

Day 02Beijing

Visit the Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven. The Beijing Duck Dinner is served at a famous restaurant followed by a lively Peking Opera performance at the Liyuan Theatre.(B+L+D)

Accommodation: Crowne Plaza

Descriptions:
Tiananmen Square - In front of the Tiananmen Rostrum, there are two pairs of lively stone lions, one on each side, guarding the imperial palace. These four 2.2-meter-high stone lions were sculptured in the Emperor Yong Le of the Ming Dynasty, about 500 years ago. All of them are gazing toward the emperor's walkway in front of the rostrum, so they are considered to be the emperor's loyal guarders. By convention, the male lion on the left rests his paw on a ball, and the female one is on the right with her paw fondling a cub.
 
Forbidden City - The Chinese ancient people believed in Five Element Theory, which is the core content of Chinese culture. Thus, the layout of the Forbidden City is arranged very strictly according to this theory. Take the Outer and Inner courts of this city for an example. The Outer Court lies in the south of the Forbidden City; the south direction represents 'fire', meaning 'growth'; the Inner Court stands in the north of this city, as the north direction stands for 'water' and is suitable for residence.

Day 03Beijing

Visit the Badaling area of the Great Wall. You will be driven to a local popular restaurant for a lunch of Sichuan cuisine. Visit the Sacred Way and the Ming Tombs in the afternoon. On the way back to downtown, drive by the Bird's Nest (Olympic National Stadium). You will see its appearance in the distance. An a La Carte dinner will be served at a famous Cantonese cuisine restaurant in the Wangfujing area.(B+L+D)

Accommodation: Crowne Plaza

Descriptions:
Great Wall - From the Qin Dynasty, the Great Wall of China has been built successively in the following 2,000 years. It is difficult to have the exact number of the labors who have participated in this huge man-made project. But, these labors mainly belonged to three categories. One was the empires' soldiers who were sent to guard the border. The second group was the common male inhabitants most of whom were forced to built walls by their emperors. It is said that 500,000 peasants were requisitioned in the Qin Dynasty. The last category was made up of some banished prisoners.

Our clients at the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Xian

Day 04Beijing - Xian

Visit the Summer Palace and the Lama Temple. Take a flight to Xian and transfer to the 5-star Hyatt Regency Hotel (Address: No.158 Dongdajie Street, Xian, 710001). A sumptuous buffet dinner will be served for you at the hotel this evening.(B+L+D)

Accommodation: Hyatt Regency Hotel - downtown

Descriptions:
Summer Palace - The Summer Palace is really a marvelous place where visitors can learn the profound Chinese culture by only a piece of cultural relics. Have you ever heard of the Bronze Ox of the Summer Palace? The Bronze Ox was set on a bluestone pedestal on the east bank of the Kunming Lake. Cast in the year of 1755, the bronze ox was in the same proportion to the live creature. In ancient China, such a bronze ox set upon the riverbank was believed to possess the power of flood control.
 
Lama Temple - The Lama Temple, namely Yonghe Palace, is the largest Buddhist temple in Beijing and one of noted Tibetan Buddhism in world wide. Opened to travelers from 1981, there are hundreds of thousands of people coming here for praying and visiting every year.

Day 05Xian

Visit the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum. You will take the highway back to downtown to have lunch at a well-known Cantonese cuisine restaurant. In the afternoon, visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and the City Wall. This evening you will be entertained by the marvelous Tang Dynasty Dinner Show at the Tang Dynasty Palace. (Add: No.75, Chang'an Road, Xian) (B+L+D)

Accommodation: Hyatt Regency Hotel - downtown

Descriptions:
Terracotta Warriors - The visit to the Museum of Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses will certainly leave visitors' plenty of memories. Examine carefully on each figures, you will find that each of them has unique face. The face shape of Qin Terracotta Warriors can be primarily divided into rectangle face with wide forehead and high cheekbone, long and narrow face with small features, oblong face with flat chin and cheek, long face with wide chin and narrow forehead, melon seed shaped face and many others. All of them are very vivid and lifelike.
 
Big Wild Goose Pagoda - Upon entering the front gate of the Da Ci'en Temple, a magnificent view of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda welcomes you. It rises skyward in a grand square spindle shape. Although it was originally built into five-storey pagoda during the reign of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty, now it totally has seven storeys after numerous times of restoration during the following dynasties. That's why the sayings 'Better save one life than build a seven-storey pagoda' became popular in China.

Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum, Xian

Day 06Xian

Visit the Provincial History Museum. After enjoying an a la carte lunch at a famous local restaurant, visit the Great Mosque and a local family.(B+L)

Accommodation: Hyatt Regency Hotel - downtown

Tips 1: Once you are in China, you should take a chance to experience  real Chinese people's life. People in Xian often assemble in the public parks for dancing, walking, or playing Tai-ji for exercise in the morning or after dinner. If you walk out of the hotel and turn right, and pass through the East Gate (Dong Men), there is a park along the city wall, where it is very busy in the mornings and evenings. You can get up early or walk there after dinner to join them. They are always warm-hearted and if you like, they will be glad to teach you dancing or how to play Tai-ji .
 
Tips 2: To offer you a chance to get a close touch of local people's life, we especially arrange a local family visit in your itinerary. The host will welcome you at home and talk with you about their daily life. Of course, the guide will be with your for interpretation. If it happened that the host is making dumplings for meal that day, you will be invited to learn and have a taste. If you are fond of them, you can take a photo with them for memory. We are sure you will feel the friendliness and hospitality of the local people when you are there.

Street Show, Shanghai

Day 07Xian - Shanghai

Visit the Hanyangling Museum, the Mausoleum of Western Han Emperor Liu Qi on the way to the airport. After lunch, take a flight to Shanghai and transfer to the 5-star Majesty Plaza Shanghai (Address: 700 Jiujiang Road Shanghai, 200001 China).(B+L)

Accommodation: Majesty Plaza Shanghai

Tips: Beside the scheduled sights in the itinerary, there are many other things to view in this large and rich metropolis city. For example, the Oriental Pearl TV Tower could be a good choice. With a height of 468 meters (1535 feet), it is the highest tower in Asia, and the third highest in the world. The large ball in the upper tower is the best place to overlook the city of Shanghai. The sight is not just a place for a bird's view of Shanghai, but also a comprehensive place for entertainment. The Fiction City at the bottom of the tower composes of the Disney Theatre, Happy Square, Laser Theatre, Magic Travel, Travel to South Polar and Train of Adventure, which will ensure you an exciting time there. It opens from 08:00- 21:30 everyday.

Day 08Shanghai

Visit Shanghai Museum and Yuyuan Garden. After lunch, transfer to the Bund area, where you will take a cruise tour on the Huangpu River. The cruise will start at 14:00, reach the Wusongkou pier and then return to the Bund at 17:00, leaving you some free time to explore the Bund area on your own. In the evening, an a la carte farewell dinner will be served at Central Hotel, whose restaurant Wang Bao He has a history of around 260 years and is the best place to serve Shanghaiese cuisine. The memorable dinner will be followed by the Portman Acrobatic Show at the Shanghai Centre Theatre.(B+L+D)

Accommodation: Majesty Plaza Shanghai

Descriptions:
Shanghai Museum - Chinese traditional painting is unique. It is a kind of special art performed by the painters with brushes, ink, silk and rice paper. About 120 works from the Tang Dynasty to modern times are exhibited on the third floor in Shanghai Museum. 
 
Huangpu River - Huangpu River is a tributary of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. It empties into the Yangtze at Wusongkou (mouth of Wusong River). At Wusongkou, the Huangpu and the Yangtze join the East China Sea. At high tide, the water at the confluence takes on three distinct colors: yellow (Yangtze River), gray (Huangpu River) and green (East China Sea), creating a spectacular scene.

Day 09Shanghai - Guilin

The morning is free and you should make your own arrangements for lunch. Take an afternoon flight to Guilin and transfer to the 5 star Sheraton Hotel (Address: No. 15 Bin Jiang Road, Guilin, 541001).(B)

Accommodation: Sheraton Hotel

Our clients on Li River cruise tour, Guilin

Day 10Guilin - Yangshuo - Guilin

Enduring memories are created today as you cruise down the Li River to Yangshuo. Upon arrival in Yangshuo, a short bicycle trip to the countryside will then be arranged. You will visit a local villager's home to experience the farmer's lifestyle there. Alternatively, you can take our electric car instead of taking bicycles. Transfer back to Guilin. (Tips: Lunch will be provided on the cruise today and since it may not meet your expectations, TCG suggests that you have a larger breakfast at the hotel.)(B+L)

Accommodation: Sheraton Hotel

Descriptions:
Li River - Cruising downstream along the Li River after passing Mural Hill, cliffs become steeper and the river becomes wider and calmer. There is a huge yellow flagstone laying underneath the crystal-clear water, resembling a piece of cloth, hence the Yellow Cloth Shoal. Seven green peaks in various shapes and sizes stand nearby. Legend has it that they are fairy girls from the heaven bathing in the river. Fascinated with the charming scenery, they refused to return to the Heaven and become seven elegant peaks.
 
Yangshuo - Nestled amongst the incredible karst landscape on the west bank of the Li River, Yangshuo is a very picturesque and scenic small town attracting parades of package tourists from all over the world. It is an ideal place out of modern turmoil, providing enjoyment of cycling, taking off to countryside, climbing rock, exploring hills and karst caves, which are all popular outdoor strategies to have a wonderful break on holiday.

Our clients in Hong Kong

Day 11Guilin - Hong Kong

Visit the Reed Flute Cave, the Seven Star Park and Elephant Trunk Hill. Take a flight to Hong Kong. Upon arrival, please make your own arrangements to the 5 star InterContinental Grand Stanford Hong Kong Hotel (Address: No. 70 Mody Road, Tsimshatsui East Kowloon, Hong Kong China) and check in under the booking we have made on your behalf. (B+L)

Accommodation: InterContinental Grand Stanford Hong Kong

Tips: Hong Kong offers easy access for self exploration where there is plenty of signage in English and well-constructed transportation net work. You will never have the feeling of loneliness or helplessness there. The shuttle buses run regularly between the airport and the hotel, you may also choose the Airport Express from the airport to Kowloon station, and then take the K4 bus to the hotel directly. The staff there can speak Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese and Spanish. There are 9 excellent restaurants specialising in European cuisine, of which Belvedere offers European and North American cuisines as well as a spectacular  harbor view of Victoria port.

Hong Kong

Day 12Hong Kong

Start the morning with a leisurely breakfast in the hotel. You are suggested to take a half-day Hong Kong Island Tour. Peak tram ride to mid-level of Central District then to the Victoria Peak, visit the Repulse Bay, Aberdeen and Stanley Market on your own.(B)

Accommodation: InterContinental Grand Stanford Hong Kong

Tips: Hong Kong, a bright pearl of China, plays prominently in the entertainment industry in China, even in Hollywood. Many film stars have broken into Hollywood, like Jackie Chen, Michelle Yeoh, Chow Yun Fat and Ziyi Zhang who are popular overseas. If you are interested, you are suggested to go to Madame Tussauds museum located at the top of Taiping Hill, which exhibits the world famed figures' waxworks. It opens from 10:00- 22:00 everyday for the whole year, tickets are priced at HKD$120.00 for adults, and HKD$70.00 for children and senior citizens.

Day 13Departure from Hong Kong

You will get to the airport to board your homeward flight by yourselves.(B)