In Pursuit of Treasures

Today our guide will be waiting for you outside the Arrival Hall of the airport, holding a welcome sign bearing your name. Then, a comfortable private drive will send you to the well-selected hotel. Relax for the remainder of the day to recover from the long flight. If you feel all right, you may go out to get the first impression of the city on your own; we will be glad to give you some advice.

Your private China tour will start from the famous Tiananmen Square - the largest central city square in the world. It is also an assembling place for celebrations and military parades on important days. Then, the guide will lead you to walk to the north end of the square, go through the Tian’anmen Tower and then visit the majestic Forbidden City, an imperial palace complex built nearly 600 years ago.

In ancient times, ordinary people were “forbidden” to enter the royal palace, so it was an honorable and enviable thing to serve in the central government and work in the Forbidden City, but not an easy thing. Those officials should participate in the morning meeting, to report and discuss the major affairs with the emperor. Thus, they could never sleep late, especially in Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644 AD) because they needed to get up at 3:00 a.m. or even earlier to get washed and dressed properly, as the morning meeting started at about 5:00. They could not eat breakfast before going to work, for they weren’t allowed to go to bathroom during the meeting. If the emperor was a workaholic, they must go on working after the meeting until the time to get off every day, and working overtime might become a commonplace.

Now you know how lucky you are as the imperial palace complex has been open to the public as a large museum, from where you get to know the emperors and their royal families' lives, and appreciate traditional Chinese architecture and numerous cultural relics.

★ Privilege of Our Guests
Our experienced guide, who visits the Forbidden City for over 100 times each year, will show you around inside along the best route, for 2 solid hours at least, so as to cover all the essential palaces. During the visit, he or she will tell some interesting stories you will never hear about elsewhere.

★ A La Carte Welcome Lunch to Taste Peking Duck and Other Authentic Chinese Food
After, an a la carte welcome lunch (valued at CNY150.00 per person and included in our price) will be served for you at a fine restaurant popular among locals rather than a touristy restaurant. The chefs there are good at making the representative Beijing dish, Peking Roast Duck and you are highly advised to have a try. You will marvel at the chef’s cutting skills as he slices the duck right in front of you.

After lunch, continue the visit to Yonghe Temple, the best preserved lamasery in Beijing. It has a unique architectural style, integrating Han, Manchu, Mongolian and Tibetan. Then the Temple of Heaven, where emperors offered sacrifices to the God of Heaven in ancient times. For emperors, offering sacrifices at the Temple of Heaven was the most solemn among all ceremonies, hence it was born a holy place. Nowadays, this former royal temple has been enlarged and also used as a distinctive park by the locals.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, A la carte welcome lunch

Morning excursion will take you to visit Mutianyu Great Wall, which boasts its magnificence and natural views. A round-trip cable car ride will be included for easier up and down. You can also choose to take a chairlift up and a toboggan down, which are more thrilling. As one of the seven wonders in the world, the Great Wall is a tribute to the wisdom and painstaking efforts of the ancient Chinese people. Standing on the wall and viewing it as it winds its way along the mountain ridges will leave you with a long-lasting memory. Comfortable shoes are good support for your Great Wall visit.

In the afternoon, return back to downtown Beijing, with a photo stop at the Bird's Nest (Olympic National Stadium). Then, head directly to Shichahai. We will specially arrange a rickshaw ride there, for you to experience the life of old Beijingers. Passing by the Hutongs and along the lakefront, it will last for around 40 minutes. After, visit one of the well preserved Siheyuan and have a nice talk with the host to learn the life of present Chinese people. If interested, the guide will then drop you off at the nearby bar street; otherwise, he or she will send you back to your hotel for a good rest.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

This morning, our guide will accompany you to explore the Summer Palace, a luxury resort used by the royal family for leisure and entertainment. Embodying the essence of classical architecture from different areas of China, the royal garden is especially famous for its delicate scenery and ingenious layout.

Then, the guide will transfer you to the railway station and assist you to board a high speed train to Xi'an. How exciting to travel on the ground at a speed of 350 km/h (217 mph)! The travel time varies from about 4.5 to 5.5 hours. To save you time, we will try our best to book one with less intermediate stops and shorter duration. You are recommended to bring some fruits or snacks, prepare a book or a movie device in order to spend a happy time on the train. On arrival, our guide and driver in Xi'an will greet you at the station and escort you to the hotel.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

This wonderful day will start from the world-renowned Terracotta Army Museum. It was built right on the excavation site of the subordinate pits of the mysterious Emperor Qin Shi Huang's Mausoleum. The pottery soldiers are so vivid that someone rumored they were made of real human beings, which sounds really cruel. Certainly it’s not true. They were made of a kind of special clay fetched not far away. During the long-term archaeological excavation and restoration, archaeologists even found out how they were made step by step.

Each warrior was made in sections, as clay strips were coiled up to made the rough torso at first. Other parts of the body were also roughly made with molds. Then, the rough components were dried, polished and carved in detail. After these parts were assembled together to compose an entire warrior, it was fired in the kiln at a high temperature of about 1,000℃ (1,832℉). At last, the terracotta warrior was glazed and colored. That’s what we can see in the pits, and you can admire the superb skills of artisans who made so many warriors with different facial expressions. What a marvelous and massive work!

★ Privileges of Our Guests

► After, the guide will lead you to the home of Mr. Yang Zhifa, the farmer who dug out the first terracotta warrior in 1974, hence unveiled the grand underground army to us. You will have a chance to talk with Mr. Yang, to learn some stories behind the significant discovery, the influence to Yang himself and the villagers living around.

► Do you want to challenge yourself to make a terracotta figure? Here comes the opportunity. We will arrange a fun DIY class at a local workshop, where you can follow an artisan to make a mini terracotta figure in about 40 minutes. You can carve your name or special logo on the figure and take it home, which can be a meaningful souvenir for the Terracotta Army trip.

Then, return to downtown and visit an ancient landmark of Xi’an- Giant Wild Goose Pagoda. It is a square brick pagoda, the biggest of its kind. Although it has gone through more than 1,300 years of vicissitudes, the pagoda looks still elegant and exquisite with its original features.

★ Experience the Fun of Wearing Chinese Hanfu in Great Tang All Day Mall
Today’s last stop will be Great Tang All Day Mall, also named Grand Tang Ever Bright City to the south of the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda. As the name suggests, it’s a Tang Dynasty (618 – 907) themed block for displaying the architecture, culture and customs back then, vibrant both day and night. The guide will assist you to get dressed in Hanfu, the traditional clothes of Chinese Han group and “stroll back to ancient China”. Actually, it is the most popular costume among locals and tourists to visit the antique block.

At last, send you back to hotel, or you may get back to the hotel by yourself after staying for a while longer. The hotel we booked for you is not far and the guide will inform you the return way.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

This morning, we will first head to the City Wall Park, which is a good place to learn about the leisure and entertainment life of Chinese people, especially the elderly. Here, you will have a chance to join in the locals and play Tai Chi, which helps build up body and keep peaceful mind. For senior travelers takinga China tour, this offers a great opportunity to compare and contrast the retiredlifestyle here with their own.

After experiencing locals’ life, climb up to the ancient City Wall, another historical symbol of this time-honored city. Cycling on the wall is a popular activity and it takes around 2 hours to complete a circle. Sightseeing car is also available and the whole journey takes about 50 minutes. Giving the case you want to have a try, our guide will assist you to rent a bike or buy a sightseeing car ticket on the spot.

A visit to the Great Mosque comes next, together with the bustling Muslim Quarter around. Muslim Quarter is the gathering place of not only Muslims in Xi’an, but also various local snacks. This noon, we will select a noted restaurant there for you to taste some of the best, including hot oil noodles, fried dumplings and Xi’an Sandwich (Rou Jia Mo).

In the afternoon, you will head to Chengdu by a high speed train, which takes around 4 hours. Upon arrival, you will be met and transferred to the hotel by our local guide and driver.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, featured Xi'an snacks for lunch

The Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding will be a top priority on today’s agenda. The giant pandas there are so lovely with chubby bodies and cute appearance. We make the visit in the morning because they are the liveliest after one night’s rest. You will see them eating their meals and playing together.

After watching the adorable giant pandas, we will head to Xiaojiahe Community and spend a leisurely afternoon there as the locals do.

★ Have Some Down-to-Earth Experiences in Xiaojiahe Community
First, you will have lunch (at your own cost) and eat like locals at Yongle Restaurant, which has been serving the community for over 20 years. Classic Sichuan dishes are all available here, including Kung Pao Chicken, Mapo Tofu, Twice Cooked Pork, and Dandan Noodles, clean and reasonably-priced. However, as it is so popular, you may need to wait to get a table. If you cannot wait, the guide will give you some other recommendations per your preference.

Then, visit a vegetable market. The market is visited by the locals every day, to shop for vegetables, meat, seafood, seasonings, fruit and more needed for cooking meals. It’s possible for you to meet some never seen before. With the assistance of the guide, you could ask the price and have a better understanding of the price level in China.

Next, you will walk for about 15 minutes to Xiaojia River bank to experience slow-paced life. Locals gather there playing mahjong or cards, drinking tea or just chatting with each other. What a life of Chengdu people! You may join them to have fun. As a special treat, we will serve you a cup of coffee in the traditional tea bowl witha cover. Sip it slowly, as the locals enjoy their tea,and allow yourself to be captivated by the serene atmosphere. This spot is notonly ideal for gaining insights into the authentic life of the locals, but isalso an unmissable highlight for those planning a China tour for seniors specifically.

Actually, Chengdu is way more than merely giant pandas and chill lifestyle. This city will also mesmerize you with its history-and-mystery-steeped vibe. It’s largely because of the lost ancient Shu Civilization that flourished 4,000 years ago on this land - though its existence has been proved by the relics it left at the Sanxingdui archeological site, there are still a number of mysteries to be solved. Take how the Shu people cast such bronzeware as the intricate Turtleback-Shaped Bronze Grid for example. Normally, bronze in its molten status would harden before they are sculptured, but it posed no difficulty for the Shu people, who settled the problem by adding phosphorus to the metal, which could delay it from cooling. Thing is, how did they manage to extract the chemical? Even scientists cannot answer. Moreover, there is a wheel-like unearthing adding to the mystery, which resembles the image in an ancient Egyptian pictograph. Is there a connection? Let’s look forward to a world-shaking find.

At the end of the day, the guide will transfer you back to the hotel.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

Bid farewell to Chengdu today. You will be escorted to the airport and board the flight to Shanghai. After 2.5 hours’ flying, you will see our Shanghai guide warmly greeting you at the Arrival Hall.

After, drive to visit the Bund on the west bank of Huangpu River. It is the most prosperous area of Shanghai in early 20th century, still preserving many western style buildings.

★ Leisurely Cruise on Huangpu River
Next, take a one-hour cruise trip on the Huangpu River. You will witness the city's past through exotic buildings on the west and marvel at the city's modernity and rapid development through numerous skyscrapers on the east Pudong.

Then, transfer to the hotel for a two-night stay.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

After breakfast, you will be guided to visit Shanghai Museum and Yu Garden. As one of the four most distinguished museums, Shanghai Museum holds a rich and high-quality collection of 120,000 ancient precious works of art. Yu Garden is a classical and elegant garden in the heart of the city. Beautiful vistas there delight visitors in every corner, and one may feel everything in this garden was created by nature. Then, the guide will accompany you to walk through the Yuyuan Bazaar outside the garden to the parking lot, and take the private car to a superb restaurant.

A farewell a la carte lunch (valued at CNY150.00 per person and included in our price) will be arranged there. You can enjoy some fresh and tasty Shanghai and Cantonese dishes based on your flavor.

This afternoon will be spent in the quaint Zhujiajiao Water Town. It is reputed as “Oriental Venice” because of the folk residences built along rivers. It is not modern and stylish as Shanghai, but preserves more traces of the past.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, A la carte farewell lunch

According to your international flight schedule, our guide and driver will pick you up at the hotel and transfer you to the airport on time. If you prefer to experience the maglev train ride to the Pudong Airport, we can also arrange it for you. We wish you a pleasant homebound journey!

Meals: Western buffet breakfast