Oriental Discovery

After breakfast, your guide will greet you at your hotel lobby and let’s start the day with a visit to Tiananmen Square, the heart of Beijing. Standing at the midpoint of the city’s central axis, it is flanked by a lot of monumental buildings like the National Museum of China, the Great Hall of the People, and the iconic Tiananmen Tower. Your guide will accompany you on a walk through the Tower Gate and enter the Forbidden City. 

As the largest wooden palace complex in the world, the Forbidden City once served as the power center and residence of emperors during the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368-1911 AD). As you enter, the three most important halls immediately catch your eyes. Walk around them and stop behind the third hall, the Hall of Preserving Harmony, where you’ll find a massive stone carving engraved with a dragon, a symbol of imperial power. This is the largest stone carving in the Forbidden City, weighing 220 tons. You may be curious about how such a giant stone was transported from the suburbs, 90 kilometers (56 miles) away, without modern technology. In January, the coldest month, workers dug a well every 500 meters (550 yards) along the route, poured water onto the ground to freeze it, and used the ice to reduce friction as they dragged the stone to the palace. The task took 20,000 workers and 1,000 horses a full month to complete. This feat not only demonstrates the incredible ingenuity of ancient craftsmen but also reflects the rulers’ extravagant lifestyle and their disregard for the labor of the lower classes.After a local flavor lunch, let’s head to the Temple of Heaven, the imperial altar of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, featuring the three-tiered conical-roof Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests and the marble Circular Mound Altar. Here, emperors once performed sacrifices to reaffirm their divine right to rule.

★ Breathless & Bellyful: An Evening of Acrobatics & Welcome Dinner

1. Traditional Acrobatic Show: In the late afternoon, enjoy a spectacular acrobatic performance at the Red Theater. You’ll see contortionists bend like snakes, and high‑chair acrobats balance upside down on a single hand atop a stack of a dozen chairs. Stunt motorcycle riding and shoulder ballet will also take your breath away. Yet it’s a pity that this art form is facing extinction. Long training periods, high risk, relatively low pay, and chronic injuries, such as worn knees and herniated discs, discourage young people from learning acrobatics. 
2. A La Carte Welcome Dinner: After the show, your guide will treat you to a hearty dinner, valued twice the local average and already included in the price. The dinner will be served at an upscale restaurant, where you can savor Peking Roast Duck as well as other local dishes such as Noodles with Soy Bean Paste and Sautéed Pork Shreds in Soy Bean Paste.

After dinner, your guide and driver will offer you a smooth ride back to your hotel. 

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, lunch, a la carte welcome dinner with Peking Duck

Today, we’ll set off early to visit the Mutianyu Great Wall, one of the best-preserved sections of this ancient engineering wonder. A round‑trip cable car is included, lifting you up to Watchtower No. 14. Otherwise, you can take the chairlift up and experience the exhilarating toboggan ride down, which are also included in our price.

On the Great Wall, enjoy a 2.5‑hour hike along the rampart while your guide explains the various features and their functions. For example, near the Watchtower No. 14, you can see a beacon tower, which was built to light signal fires to transmit military information. To ensure a clear vantage point, beacon towers were often built on hilltops away from the main wall. To prevent surprise attacks, some had no stairs; soldiers guarding them had to use rope ladders to climb up and down. Conditions in the beacon towers were harsh, so they were usually manned by soldiers who had committed offenses. After the hike, your guide will offer you a glass of red wine to toast this unforgettable experience.

Then, enjoy a buffet lunch after descending the mountain. In the afternoon, return to the city center and have a brief stop at the Olympic Park to take photos with the remarkable sports venues - Bird’s Nest and Water Cube.

★ Weave Yourself into Beijing’s Daily Life 

The rest of the day will be spent in the Hutong alleys, the best representation of old Beijing. Hopping on a rickshaw and weaving through the narrow alleys, you’ll feel as if you’ve been instantly transported back to Beijing in the 1990s. Lining both sides of the alleys are rows of uniform courtyard homes, traditional Beijing residences. Your guide will invite you inside one for a visit. A grape arbor, a fish tank, and a pomegranate tree are the standard features of a courtyard. In summer, the grape arbor’s dense vines and leaves form a natural sunshade. The fish tank serves not only for viewing and regulating humidity but also as a fire‑fighting resource, while the pomegranate tree is believed to bring good luck to the family. Seize the chance to have a small talk with the host to decipher more of the cultural code of Beijing.

At the end of the day, your guide and driver will escort you back to your hotel.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, buffet lunch

In the morning, we’ll proceed to the Summer Palace, the former royal summer retreat of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911 AD). Designed in the classic Chinese landscape garden style, about three‑quarters of the Summer Palace is covered by water. We’ll step across the garden’s longest bridge, the Seventeen‑Arch Bridge, and, if time permits, climb the Longevity Hill dotted with ancient halls, pavilions, and pagodas, to overlook the entire Kunming Lake.

After lunch, your guide will escort you to the high‑speed rail platform and arrange a porter to assist with your luggage as you board the train to Xi’an. You’ll experience how the train races at 350 km/h (217 mph) while remaining remarkably smooth and quiet. In fact, China’s high‑speed rail was not among the earliest to develop. As recently as 2008, a severe snowstorm paralyzed the original national railway system. In response, China poured massive investment into developing high‑speed rail technology. In just over a decade, it transformed from a “latecomer” into a “front‑runner.” Today, the 1,200‑kilometer (746-mile) journey from Beijing to Xi’an, equivalent to the distance from New York to Chicago, takes only 5 hours, less than half the time it once did.

Upon arrival, your Xi’an guide and driver will pick you up and escort you to your hotel for check‑in. After settling down, please have a good rest to recover your energy for tomorrow’s sightseeing.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, lunch

In the morning, your guide and driver will meet you at your hotel lobby and accompany you on a hour-long ride to the Terracotta Army Museum. Hailed as the “Eighth Wonder of the World,” it will astonish you with over 8,000 life‑sized clay figures, likely modeled after real individuals, recreating battle formations from the Qin Dynasty some 2,000 years ago. Standing by the archaeological pits, you’ll first be wowed by the overall majesty. Then, looking closely at each warrior, you’ll notice that their hair buns set in different positions. Most soldiers wear their buns on the right side, as the right was considered noble. However, kneeling archers usually have their buns on the left, making it easier to reach arrows from the quiver on their backs. Higher‑ranking officers wear their buns in the center so they can fit a headdress on top. In the museum’s special exhibition hall, you can admire more details: from delicate strands of hair to the lines on their palms, from traces of color still clinging to their armor to the patterns pressed into the soles of their shoes.

★ Behind the World’s Eighth Wonder

1. Visit the discoverer’s home: After lunch, we’ll visit the home of Mr. Yang, the discoverer of the Terracotta Warriors. In his living room, you can see newspaper clippings and the farming tools he used at the time of the discovery, including a hoe and a wheelbarrow. Chat with Mr. Yang or his family to learn the full story of how the underground army came to light.
2. Make your own mini terracotta warrior: We’ll head to a local workshop to craft a miniature warrior under the guidance of a skilled artisan. Besides a realistic version, you may choose a cartoon‑style ancient Chinese figure or any other cute character you like. After completion, don’t forget to carve your name into the base, turning your creation into a one‑of‑a‑kind souvenir.

In the afternoon, we’ll return to the city center and make a brief stop at the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda. This Buddhist pagoda, built during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), is one of Xi’an’s most important Buddhist structures. The renowned monk Xuanzang once stored and translated Buddhist scriptures he brought back from India here, so locals regarded the pagoda as a symbol of wisdom. In ancient times, students who passed the imperial examinations would carve their names on the inner walls, taking great pride in doing so. If you make a silent wish here, you might also receive a blessing for your studies or career.

★ Travel Your Taste Buds & Eyes back 1,200 Years

In the evening, we’ll reserve seats for you at a theater restaurant to enjoy an authentic dumpling banquet. In China, dumplings are present at almost every important occasion and are also a must‑have when entertaining guests. Since traditional dumplings are shaped like gold ingots, they embody blessings of prosperity and a safe journey for travelers. At this dinner, besides ingot‑shaped dumplings, chefs shape them into various colors and forms, turning dumplings into edible works of art. After the feast, the show begins. Dressed in ancient costumes and accompanied by traditional instruments, the performers use Tang Dynasty dance to tell the legendary life story of Wu Zetian (624 -705 AD), China’s first and only female emperor.

After the performance, your guide and driver will escort you back to your hotel.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, lunch, dumpling dinner

If history in Beijing is preserved within grand architectural specimens, then in Xian it is woven into daily life. Our first stop today, the City Wall Park, illustrates this perfectly. Built along the ancient moat and City Wall, this tree‑lined park has become a natural oxygen bar where locals spend their leisure time. We’ll visit during the peak hour of morning exercise, with a specially invited local master to offer you a traditional Chinese shadowboxing lesson. Following gentle music and breathing in the fresh air, you’ll feel your mind calm, and your body lighten.

Afterwards, let’s ascend the Xi’an City Wall built 600 years ago. Unlike European city walls built to protect a lord’s family and castle, the Xi’an City Wall was built to protect the entire city’s population, making it far grander in scale. Constrained by the available materials, the craftsmen encased the rammed‑earth core originally built in the Tang Dynasty with blue bricks, saving costs while achieving solid defensive capability. This design reflects the differences in values between the East and the West: the Chinese were more pragmatic, believing an earthen or brick wall could repel both enemies and epidemics; Europeans preferred stone walls for their majestic, inviolable appearance. Walking atop the wall is like stepping onto a historical scroll. If you like, rent a bike at your own expense for a short ride on the wall. Just enjoy treading on the past while watching the city’s future unfold.

For lunch, we’ll arrange an a la carte meal at a quality restaurant in the Muslim Quarter, Xi’an’s most dynamic food street. Dubbed the “Capital of Carbohydrates,” Xi’an boasts over a hundred noodle dishes. Don’t miss Xian Ribbon Pasta! It is not paired with creamy or meat sauces but sprinkled with dried chili flakes, then drizzled with sizzling hot oil to release their fragrance. Besides noodles, the most popular local dessert, glutinous rice cake with red beans and dates, is also worth trying.

After lunch, stroll to the Great Mosque, tucked away in a quiet back lane. Built in the 8th century during the zenith of the Tang Dynasty, it’s a place of pilgrimage for believers, while a typical northern Chinese garden for ordinary visitors. The fusion of Islamic elements and traditional Chinese architecture, such as pavilions, plaques, and wooden halls, perfectly reflects the Tang Dynasty as the most open period in ancient Chinese history, embracing and absorbing foreign cultures while subtly integrating a foreign faith into local life.

Today’s final stop is the Shaanxi History Museum, one of China’s most popular museums, as it vividly brings the Tang Dynasty to life. In the exhibition halls, you can admire precious artifacts, such as gold and silver vessels, Tang tricolor pottery, clay figures, and Tang-era costumes, while listening to your guide tell the stories behind them. You’ll then understand why many Chinese even say, “I wish I could go back to the Tang Dynasty.” At the end of the day, your guide and driver will escort you back to your hotel. 

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, a la carte local food lunch

In the morning, your guide and driver will escort you to Xi’an Airport for a 2.5-hour flight to Guilin. After landing, your local guide and driver will pick you up and offer you a smooth ride to your downtown hotel for check-in. 

After a short break, let’s head to the Reed Flute Cave. You may think of the Frasassi Caves in Italy, which resemble an underground Gothic cathedral. The Reed Flute Cave, by contrast, feels more like a “nature’s art palace.” Under colorful lights, the stalactites and stone draperies transform into brilliant gemstones or a primeval forest that no designer, however skilled, could create.

Leaving the cave, we’ll continue to Elephant Trunk Hill, named for its resemblance to an elephant. Its “trunk” and front legs form a smooth arch. At dusk, its reflection on the water is tinted red by the sunset glow, creating a second setting sun that mirrors the one in the sky. After the visit, your guide and driver will escort you back to your hotel.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

★ Float through a Fantasy of Karsts along the Li River

After breakfast, your guide and driver will escort you to the pier, where you’ll board the 4-hour cruise to Yangshuo and enjoy the most scenic stretch of the Li River. Former U.S. President Bill Clinton once cruised this same route and remarked, “I had heard of the Li River long before, but today’s visit makes it even more beautiful and real than I imagined.” Follow in his footsteps and enter a fantasy world of karst mountains. The river is as clear as a mirror, reflecting the dense bamboo and the grotesque humps of the hills. One of the most iconic spots is the Nine Horses Mural Hill, a riddle carved by nature on the cliff face. Try to figure out all the nine galloping horses on the rock wall. It is said that the more horses you can figure out, the higher your IQ is. 

After disembarking, take a stroll with your guide along West Street, where you’ll be dazzled by many exquisite bars and souvenir shops.

Then, enjoy a scenic car tour through Yangshuo countryside to get a closer feel for the daily lives of the locals. Make a short stop at the Workers and Peasants Bridge, where countless rafts dot the river. Amid the calls of vendors, the mooing of buffalo, and the chatter of residents, time seems to stand still. The slow pace of rural life, fresh air, and pleasant climate have made Yangshuo a true paradise for retirement. The United Nations defines a “Land of Longevity” as having seven centenarians per 100,000 people. In Yangshuo, the number is more than double that, and the oldest resident here has already reached 110 years of age.

► Private Tour Privilege: For our private guests, if you like, swap the car tour for a cycling experience. Straddle a bicycle to venture deep into the countryside, enjoy a more flexible pace, and even have a chance to encounter locals or visit their farmhouses.

At the end of the day, your guide and driver will accompany you on a 2-hour drive back to your hotel in downtown Guilin.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, lunch on the cruise

Today, you’ll travel to Zhangjiajie by train, with priority given to an afternoon departure. This leaves your morning free to explore Guilin at your own pace – perhaps strolling down Zhengyang Pedestrian Street or East West Street to pick up souvenirs and sample local delicacies.

At agreed time, your guide and driver will escort you to Guilin high-speed railway station and assist you in boarding a 7-hour train to Zhangjiajie. We’ve upgraded you to a first‑class seat to make the long journey more comfortable. Since meals on the train may not suit your taste, we suggest bringing some portable snacks such as sandwiches or biscuits. As Guilin’s iconic, rounded karst peaks gradually recede, the landscape slowly gives way to steep, sharp quartz‑sandstone pillars, like transitioning from an arthouse film into a sci‑fi blockbuster.

Upon arrival, your Zhangjiajie guide and driver will meet you at the train station and escort you to your hotel near the East Gate of Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. Please have a good rest to build up energy for tomorrow’s mountain sightseeing. 

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

Rise and shine! Let’s hit the road to Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. Upon arrival, head straight for the Bailong Elevator. With a height of 335 meters (1,099 feet), it is twice as tall as Europe’s tallest outdoor lift, the Hammetschwand Lift in Switzerland, and even surpasses the height of Eiffel Tower. The moment the elevator bursts out from the shaft, hundreds of quartz‑sandstone pillars unfold before your eyes like a giant movie screen, and gasps of amazement echo through the cabin. In just 66 seconds, you’ll go from the base of the peak to above the clouds.

Stepping out, you’ll enter Yuanjiajie Scenic Area, the real‑life Pandora from the movie “Avatar”. When mist shrouds the mountains, the isolated stone pillars truly appear to float in the air. To commemorate the pillars’ starring role in the Hollywood blockbuster, the park named its most iconic formation “Hallelujah Mountain,” launching it to international stardom.

After a lunch break, take the park’s eco‑shuttle to Yangjiajie Scenic Area. Unlike the isolated pillars of Yuanjiajie, the formations here are connected, forming rows of majestic peak walls honored as the Natural Great Wall. Their surfaces are covered with honeycomb‑like, wind‑eroded holes. When the sun slants, these holes cast flowing shadows that look like scales. In the past, they also served as direction indicators for villagers who ventured into the mountains to gather herbs.

Then, take another shuttle to Tianzi Mountain, the highest peak in the park, where you can overlook the entire canyon from the viewing platform. More than 3,000 stone pillars rise among dense vegetation, resembling a giant bonsai, and you’ll find Imperial Brush Peaks as a row of writing brushes, and Flower Fairy Peak as a young maiden holding a flower basket.

After descending by cable car, your guide and driver will escort you back to your hotel.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, lunch

Today, we’ll drive about 40 minutes to Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon, a natural landscape museum featuring peaks, canyons, caves, waterfalls, and lakes. Have you conquered the Skywalk at the Grand Canyon in the United States? That was just a warm‑up. The real heart‑pounding challenge awaits you here! Suspended between cliffs, the Yuntiandu Glass Bridge gives you a genuine sense of floating in the air. Through its transparent panels, you can clearly see the dense forests and winding streams far below. Every step feels like walking on clouds.

In the afternoon, we’ll re‑enter Zhangjiajie Forest Park. Yesterday, we looked down from the mountaintops; today, we’ll go deep into the valley floor and hike along the Golden Whip Stream. Flanked by lush vegetation, the stream creates a natural green sanctuary. Along the way, you may encounter monkeys bathing and playing in the water, or squatting on rocks, basking in the sun. Watching them live such a carefree life, you might even catch yourself thinking, “Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to be a monkey in the next life.”

After the hike, we’ll offer you a comfortable car ride back to your hotel.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, lunch

After meeting your guide in your hotel lobby, set out to spend your last wonderful morning in Zhangjiajie on Tianmen Mountain. Our thoughtful inclusion of a round‑trip cable car and transmountain escalators will save you time and energy, allowing you to fully immerse yourself in the stunning scenery.

Upon arrival, marvel at the mountain’s highlight: Tianmen Cave (Heaven’s Gate). Legend has it that in 263 AD, a cliff face split open with a bang, creating a hole as bright as if the door to heaven had suddenly opened. Since then, clouds and mist have mysteriously drifted from it. In ancient times, people couldn’t explain this phenomenon scientifically, so they regarded it as an omen of a deity’s descent to earth; hence, Tianmen Mountain is also known as the “Holy Mountain.”

The transmountain escalators will escort you to the summit, where you’ll experience the thrilling Glass Skywalk, fully exposed on the cliff face. Looking down through the transparent panels, the sheer drop will make you dizzy. Looking up, you can stand shoulder to shoulder with birds. If time permits, we can also visit Yuhu Peak, which resembles a silver teapot. Standing at its “spout,” you can gaze far into the distance at the surrounding mountains. 

After lunch, your guide and driver will escort you to the airport and accompany you to the right check‑in counter for a 2‑hour flight to Shanghai. Upon landing, your Shanghai guide and driver will provide a comfortable transfer to your hotel and assist with check‑in. After settling in, we recommend resting early to recover from the past days of mountain trekking. 

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, lunch

Known as China’s most modern city, Shanghai offers more than just skyscrapers; it also has a historical and traditional side. After breakfast, let’s head to Yu Garden, the only classical Chinese garden preserved amid Shanghai’s rapid modernization. On a limited plot of land, it weaves winding paths, rockeries, ponds, and pavilions together so that every step reveals a new view. Stepping out of the garden brings you to the lively Yuyuan Bazaar, where you can find traditional Chinese intangible cultural heritage crafts, such as silk‑wrapped flowers and finger paintings. You may also treat your taste buds at your own expense here, trying the Scallion Oil Noodles at Dexing House Restaurant or the Soup Dumplings at Nanxiang Steamed Bun Shop.

Next, we’ll proceed to the Shanghai Museum to admire exquisite masterpieces of ancient Chinese art spanning roughly 4,000 years, from bronze vessels and pottery to calligraphy works, paintings, and jade objects. In the jade gallery, the exquisite Jade Pig‑Dragon will catch your eyes. About 4,000 years ago, people believed that both pigs and Chinese dragons could bring wealth and prosperity, so they created a totem with a pig’s head and a dragon’s body. Through this small jade artifact, you can glimpse an ancient civilization’s imagination regarding wealth and life.

Leaving the museum, we’ll take a stroll along the Bund, Shanghai’s most prosperous 1.5‑kilometer (1-mile) stretch. New York and Shanghai, two dazzling cities on opposite sides of the globe, are like twins – both are arenas where money plays. Standing on the Bund and gazing at the modern skyline across the Huangpu River feels like standing in Long Island City looking at Manhattan. However, the Bund offers something Wall Street doesn’t have: an exotic building cluster of 52 European‑style buildings lining the riverfront. They were the earliest beating heart of Shanghai’s finance and have silently witnessed the city’s transformation from a small coastal town into an international metropolis.

★ Huangpu River Cruise: Where Old Shanghai Whispers and New Shanghai Soars

Follow the promenade to the pier and board a sightseeing boat to enjoy the shoreline from the middle of the Huangpu River. On the west bank, Baroque‑style columns and Classical‑style roofs form an elegant European palace. On the east bank, skyscrapers such as the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, Jin Mao Tower, and Shanghai Tower have mushroomed in just three decades. Whether classical palace‑like structures or modern high‑rises with gleaming glass facades, all exude wealth and vitality. This might explain why people often associate Shanghainese with being “rich.” Yet the reality doesn’t entirely match the stereotype. Most Shanghainese are ordinary citizens, living in old houses and budgeting carefully every day. The prosperity along the Huangpu River is the city’s “face”; the everyday life in its old alleys is Shanghai’s “substance.”

After disembarking, your guide and driver will escort you back to your hotel. Alternatively, you may choose to stay on your own to enjoy the Bund’s night view, and finally return independently by taxi. After dark, the buildings on both sides of the river are illuminated by neon lights. Unlike Manhattan’s uniform yellowish interior lighting, the Bund’s night scene is a feast of colors: the skyscraper facades cycle through red, blue, and green, and all of it reflects on the river, breaking into a flowing rainbow.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

Your tour concludes today. For private tour guests, we’ll provide a private car to escort you to the airport. Group tour guests will need to make their own way to the airport. Shanghai has two airports: Pudong (PVG) and Hongqiao (SHA), so please confirm which one your flight departs from.

► Transportation Reference:
1. To Pudong International Airport (PVG): By metro, the trip takes about 1.5 hours and costs approximately USD 1. Walk 8 minutes from your hotel to the International Cruise Terminal Station, take Line 12, transfer to the inner loop of Line 4 at Dalian Road, then transfer to Line 2 at Century Avenue to reach the airport. A taxi takes about 1 hour and costs USD 30.
2. To Hongqiao International Airport (SHA): By metro, the trip takes about 1 hour. Take Line 12 from the same station, transfer to Line 10 at Tiantong Road Station toward the airport. The fare is about USD 0.7. A taxi takes 40-60 minutes and costs USD 15, but it offers door‑to‑door service, which is more convenient for passengers with large luggage.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast