China Golden Triangle Tour

Your flight will touch down in our capital city - Beijing today. Our local professional guide and experienced driver will welcome you in the Arrival Hall of the airport, and then escort you to check in at the well-reserved hotel. Relax during the remainder of the day to recover from the jet leg and prepare for your 8 days Golden Triangle China tour.

Your private journey will start from the magnificent Tiananmen Square, the largest urban square in the world. Then we will continue on and visit the Forbidden City. This imperial palace complex is divided into two parts, the Inner Court and the Outer Court. The Inner Court was the living space for royal families, and the Outer Court served as a workplace for the emperor to transact political affairs. Get ready to be impressed by the grandeur of this palace complex.

► How did the imperial family keep warm in the Forbidden City?
In Forbidden City, the emperor and his big family did never freeze in frigid winter, with stove, heated pit, and underfloor heating. You can witness the remains of ancient underfloor heating when visiting the over 600-year-old imperial palace. There were warm chambers on the east and west sides of a palace; out of the window, you can find a hole below, which is the passageway of underground fire paths all over the warm chamber. Similar to underfloor heating today, the fire flared in all the paths, making the whole room warm. Furthermore, high-quality man-made Hongluo charcoal, the best charcoal in ancient China, was supplied in Forbidden City. This charcoal burned strongly and completely, without soot or worry about gas poisoning.

After the morning visit, you will enjoy an a la carte lunch (valued at CNY150.00 per person and included in our price) at an elegant restaurant. Our guide will assist you in ordering the dishes you like. Try to eat like a local with chopsticks.

In the afternoon, you will visit the Temple of Heaven, a solemn place for the emperors to worship the God of Heaven in ancient times. It is one of the most renowned World Heritage Sites for its outstanding architecture. Afterwards, you will have a Hutong rickshaw tour to experience the traditional Hutong culture and the local way of life.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, A la carte lunch

The highlight of your 8 days China tour package comes today as you climb the amazing Great Wall at the Mutianyu section. We have included a round-way cable car for you, while, if you prefer to take a chairlift up and a toboggan down the Wall, we will adjust accordingly. The Great Wall is a priceless heritage left by the Chinese through the ages. Just when you stand on the Wall and see its grandness, you will find it is no wonder that the Great Wall has had the mystique to surprise the whole world. Enjoy your leisure time on the Wall and view the surrounding mountain scenery.

Lunch is on your own and our guide will gladly assist. On the way back to the downtown area, while passing by the Bird's Nest, also called the Olympic National Stadium, we will make a stopover for you to take pictures of this huge nest. Today's last stop is a featured local market.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

This morning, you will check out of the hotel after breakfast and then go to visit the Summer Palace. Mainly composed of the Kunming Lake and the Longevity Hill, the Summer Palace is the largest and best preserved imperial garden in the country. It is a monument to classical Chinese architecture in terms of both garden design and construction. In summer, there are lovely lotus blooming, while in winter, it becomes a good place for the youngsters to go skating.

In the afternoon, you will experience a 5-hour high speed train to Xi'an. Our local guide and driver will meet you at Xi'an North Railway Station and drive you to check in at the hotel.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

The whole morning will be spent visiting the Terracotta Army Museum. It takes about one hour's drive from the hotel. When you are in the museum, you will be astonished by the life-size unearthed terracotta warriors and horses artistically sculpted more than 2,200 years ago. Over 8,000 terracotta soldiers were excavated with orderly array and grandeur. They vary in height, posture and expression.

► Terracotta Warriors are 196 cm Tall!
Standing by the pits of Terracotta Army with our guide, you can’t help but notice the astonishing height of the terracotta warriors. According to statistics, the shortest of these unearthed terracotta figures is 173 cm (5 feet 8 in), while the highest reaches a staggering 196 cm (6 feet 5 in). Their average height is 180 cm (5 feet 11 in), 10 cm (4 in) higher than the average height of modern Chinese men. Is it really the case? Were Qin Dynasty soldiers really that tall? It is recorded that Emperor Qin Shi Huang was 198 cm (6 feet 6 in) tall, so there must have been high requirements for height and appearance when soldier were selected for the emperor’s honor guard, as they represented the national strength. In addition, the height of the terracotta warriors includes the hair buns and the base under their feet, which was a clever heightening of the Qin soldiers by the craftsmen at that time. Follow our guide and compare your height with the terracotta warriors!

Lunch is on your own, but the guide will recommend restaurants around the site according to your preference.

In the afternoon, you will get back to the city and visit the Provincial History Museum, which is a crucial window to display the excellent culture of this ancient city and China, as well as a connecting bridge for cultural exchange with the outside world. Afterwards, we will visit the Small Wild Goose Pagoda, which was built for keeping the Buddhist scriptures and Buddha figures brought back from India by the eminent monk Yijing during the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907).

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

This morning, we will first head to visit the City Wall Park. The life of the elderly in China is rich and colorful. Dancing, singing, playing Tai Chi, playing Chinese yo-yo, cracking a whip..., they will do various recreational activities. In the park, you will not only see these entertainment activities, but join in them if you want. In addition, we have specially invited a professional master to teach you Tai Chi and you will experience the wonder of this traditional Chinese martial art. Then we will ascend to the time-honored City Wall, which is a top wonder of the city, initiated by the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644). Cycling on the City Wall is a very popular activity. Sightseeing car is also an option. You can let your guide know your preference and pay the rental fee on the spot. Next, you will visit the Great Mosque, a remarkable Islamic cultural relic, which perfectly combines Chinese traditional with Islamic architectural styles. Around the mosque is a lively Muslim bazaar, where you could explore for local snacks and handicrafts.

Afterwards, you will be taken to the airport for a flight to Shanghai. Our local guide will greet you at the airport and take you to check in at the hotel.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

In the morning, our guide will escort you to see the Shanghai Museum and the classical Yu Garden. As a distinguished museum of Chinese art, the Shanghai Museum is also one of the four famous museums in China, holding a rich and high-quality collection of ancient precious works of art. Once you enter the Yu Garden, beautiful scenes will delight you wherever you go; you feel that all the scenes are coordinated together by Mother Nature. Our professional tour guide will present the vivid introduction to you.

At noon, you will enjoy an a la carte lunch (valued at CNY150.00 per person and included in our price) of the true Shanghai and Cantonese cuisines at a fancy and famous local restaurant.

After lunch, you will take a one-hour Huangpu River cruise to appreciate the two representative profiles of the city along both sides of the river. It helps you understand the past, see the present and look into the future of this modern city. Then you will explore the Bund area. Free time will be given you there so that you can have a leisurely stroll and take nice photos. The last stop of your China Golden Triangle tour is a traditional street named Tianzifang, where is full of a sense of culture and arts.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, A la carte lunch

According to your international flight schedule, our private guide and driver will pick you up at the hotel and transfer you to the airport on time. We wish you have a pleasant journey home and thank you for choosing our 8-day China guided tours.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast