Day 10Dunhuang - Xian

You will experience a short camel-ride along the Echoing-Sand Dune to reach the Crescent Lake. Take a flight to Xian and transfer to the hotel. (B+L, D is included for luxury series.)

Differences:
Luxury series: A sumptuous buffet dinner will be served at your hotel upon your arrival in Xian, so that you can have enough time for a good rest this evening.
Standard series: The dinner today will be left on your side. It's easy for you to find a good restaurant for dinner around your hotel.
 
Descriptions:
Crescent Lake - Having the reputation of “the First Spring in Desert”, Crescent Lake is nearly 100 meters (328 feet) long from north to south and 25 meters (82 feet) wide from east to west. The circuitous shape is just like a crescent, so it got its name. Ripples linger in this little thistle lake and emerald water never dries up in the quicksand. You will also be shocked by this wonder in the desert.

Captain's Welcome Party on Yangtze River cruise

Day 11Xian

Visit the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum. To avoid having the poor food at the site, you will take 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.(B+L+D)

Differences: 
Luxury series: we will arrange the marvelous Tang Dynasty Dinner Show at the splendid Tang Dynasty Palace (Address: No.75 Chang'an Road, Xian).
Standard series: We will arrange the local speciality Dumpling Banquet and Tang Dynasty Dance and Music Show at Shaanxi Opera Theater. (Address: No. 165, Wenyi Road, Xian)
 
Descriptions:
Terracotta Warriors Museum - The three pits of terracotta warriors and horses are all worth a visit. Among them, the Pit No.2 is the most impressive one. The battle formation in pit 2 is more complicated than that in pit 1. It can be divided into four sections which were formed into an impregnable fortress. The terra cotta general, warrior with saddle horse and kneeling archer were first discovered in this pit. Moreover, visitors can have a direct impression of the excavation work in the pit 2 by visiting the large exhibition hall inside it.
 
Big Wild Goose Pagoda - Situated in the Da Ci'en Temple in the southern suburb of Xian, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda has much relationship with the most outstanding monk Xuan Zang. He spent almost 20 years in making a pilgrimage to India. In 652 AD, he asked the Emperor Gaozong for the permission to build a pagoda in Da Ci'en Temple to house the sutras, Buddha's relics and statues that he took back from India. The emperor only allowed him to build a five-storey brick pagoda. Xuan Zang not only supervised the project, but also took bricks and earth during the project.

Day 12Xian - Chongqing

Visit the Great Mosque and a local family. After lunch at a famous local restaurant, take a flight to Chongqing. Have a rich buffet dinner at the 5-star hotel, and check in at the cruise ship.(B+L+D)

Descriptions: 
Great Mosque - Located in Huajue Xiang, a lane in the northwest of the Drum Tower, the Great Mosque is among the four largest mosques in China and also the earliest one in the city of Xian. It started to be built in 742 of the Tang Dynasty, jointly known as the most time-honored mosques in the city, together with another mosque in Da Xuexi Xiang. For their locations, the Great Mosque is also called the Great Eastern Mosque, a remarkable Islamic cultural relic listed by the UNESCO, which perfectly combines Chinese traditional with Islamic architectural styles.

Day 13Chongqing - Fengdu

The river guide will give a brief introduction of the cruise and the daily schedule after the breakfast. In the afternoon, you will meet the initial onshore excursion to the Snowy Jade Cave or the "Ghost City". The Captain's Welcome Party will be held tonight.(B+L+D)

Differences:
Luxury series: You will take an onshore excursion to the Snowy Jade Cave.
Standard series: You will take an excursion to Fengdu "Ghost City" instead.

Attractive Yangtze Shennong Stream cruising

Day 14Badong - Xiling Gorge - Sandouping

The essential part of the Yangtze River cruise is coming today. You will appreciate the unique scenery of the Three Gorges: Qutang Gorge being the shortest but the grandest one and Wu Gorge famous for its lofty peaks and mountains on the both sides. An interesting junk adventure along Shennong Stream will expect you here, which lasts about 3-4 hours. Then sail into the longest Xiling Gorge and pass the Five Level Ship Lock in the evening.(B+L+D)

Descriptions: 
Shennong Stream - also called Yandu River, lies in the north of Badong County. It is 60 kilometers long in total. It originates from the south slope of the main peak of Shennongjia virgin forests area in Hubei Province. Flowing from south to north through the canyon, the Shennong Stream enters Yangtze River in the east of Wu Gorge. The developed and opened scenic area along the stream is about 32 kilometers, including the Shennong Gorge, the Mianzhu Gorge, the Parrot Gorge and the Longchang Gorge with different characteristics. The distance of the two sides of the stream is about 50 to 60 meters, and the narrowest distance is only 7 meters.

Day 15Yichang - Shanghai

Disembark for an excursion to the under constructed Three Gorges Dam. Pack your luggage and follow the check-out procedures. After having lunch at Yichang city, visit Yichang Museum if time allows. Head for Shanghai by flight and your local professional tour guide will expect you with comfortable transfer service. Check in at the well selected hotel.(B+L)

Descriptions: 
Three Gorges Dam - As the most magnificent hydroelectric project in the world, the Three Gorges Dam began to be constructed in 1994 and scheduled to accomplish in 2009. Upon completion, Three Gorges Dam will form a giant reservoir with a length of 600 kilometers (373 miles), a rare new landscape in the world. The great dam can provide China with great power generation and exercise its flood control function. When you stand on the dam of 185 meters high above sea level, watching the flood discharging underfoot and calm river flowing in the far end, you will be pleasantly surprised by the ideal combination of modern engineering and natural scenery.
 
Shanghai - Shanghai is a blend city of Chinese and western elements. In Chinese eyes, it is so modern, fashionable and exotic. Foreigners, bars and cafes are everywhere in the city. In westerners' eyes, Shanghai is oriental and traditional. The Bund and the architecture are still typically oriental. Particularly, the Shikumen (a type of housing) embodies the traditional Chinese alley culture.

Yangtze Three Gorges cruise tour

Day 16Shanghai

Visit the Shanghai Museum and the Yuyuan Garden. After lunch, different schedule is arranged for luxury and standard series. The farewell dinner is served at the Central Hotel, whose restaurant Wang Bao has a history of around 260 years and is the best place to sample Shanghai Cuisine. This memorable dinner will be followed by the Portman Acrobatic Show at the Shanghai Centre Theatre.(B+L+D)

Differences:
Luxury series: You will take a short cruise tour from the Bund area to Wusongkou pier along the Huangpu River in the afternoon.
Standard series: The guide will accompany you walking along the Bund area and visiting a local family in the afternoon.
 
Descriptions: 
Shanghai Museum - On the first floor of Shanghai Museum, there are two galleries: Chinese Ancient Bronze Gallery and Chinese Ancient Sculpture Gallery. In the Gallery of Chinese Ancient Bronze, more than 400 bronze wares are displayed, showing exquisite bronze art in ancient China. In the Gallery of Chinese Ancient Sculpture displays about 120 pieces of sculpture works dating from the Warring States Period to the Ming Dynasty. The most attractive are the delicate Buddhist sculptures in various forms. 
 
Yuyuan Garden - Also called “Eastern Garden”, the Inner Garden of Yuyuan was originally built in 1709 during Emperor Kangxi's reign of the Qing Dynasty. Qingxue Hall is the main building in Inner Garden. To the east of the hall, there is a crystal creek. The finely structured hall, the winding cloisters, the decorated walls and the crystal creek together form a small but delicate courtyard. Outside the gate of the courtyard, there are the Mid-Lake Pavilion, Nine Zigzag Bridge and Lotus Pond.
 
Huangpu River - The wharves along the Huangpu River are among the best wharves in China. Cargoes coming out of the interior industrial cities like Chongqing, Wuhan and Nanjing are handled at the ports. The city itself manufactures and exports a large quantity of industrial and commercial products, which accounts for one third of China's export to other countries annually.

Day 17Departure from Shanghai

Today you will be transferred to the airport for your homeward flight.(B)

B-- Breakfast     L-- Lunch     D-- Dinner