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WORLD
HERITAGE TOURS (12 days)
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| Great
Wall |
Temple
of Heaven |
Forbidden
City |
| Summer
Palace |
Chengde
Summer Resort |
Pinyao
Ancient Town |
| Terra
Cotta Warriors |
Longman
Caves |
Suzhou |
| Zhouzhuang |
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Day
1 US-BEIJING
Fly from US to Beijing (Flight details to be discussed).
Day
2 ARRIVE BEIJING
Welcome to Beijing! Arrive at Beijing International
Airport in the afternoon. Clear Chinese immigration/customs.
Greeted by your friendly guide/ private transfer
to Lu Song Yuan Guest House (3-star, traditional
Chinese courtyard setting inside a Hutong. Central
location).
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Day
3 BEIJING
AM: Private escorted excursion to Tiananmen
Square (Gate of Heavenly Peace). This is the world's
largest public square and represents the heart
of Imperial and 'Tourist' Beijing. Continue your
day by visiting Imperial Palace Museum (former
Forbidden City ). This architectural marvel was
completed in 1420 after 14 years of hard work
by 200,000 laborers. It was the symbol of Imperial
power for over 500 years and was the home of 24
emperors from the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Private
escorted tour to Temple of Heaven ( Tiantan Park
), this perfect example of Ming architecture was
built in the 15th Century. It was sacred ground
where many of the emperors, as Sons of Heaven,
performed major religious harvest ceremonies.
Try the Whispering Wall.
PM: Private escorted tour to Yihe Yuan
(former Imperial summer palace). Since it was
for summer holiday use, the emphasis was therefore
on the cooling features, such a natural underground
stone cooler. You will see the famous Marble Boat
and enjoy a ride on Kunming Lake. Visit both the
old and new complexes.
EVENING: Peking Opera Performance at renovated
Zhengyici Theater, the only surviving Peking Opera
House constructed entirely of wood.
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Day
4 SUMMER RESORT EXCURSION
Private transfer to the train station to board first-class
train # K711 to Chengde (7:20am/11:18am; soft-seats).
Railway station reception/private transfer to Lulu
Hotel (4-star). All-day private escorted tour to
Chengde Summer Resort (Bishushanzhuang). The second
Emperor of Qing: Kangxi built this summer palace
in 1703. His grandson Qianlong expanded it. The
size of Chengde Summer resort is the combination
of Forbidden City and Yihe Yuan (Summer Palace).
It was surrounded by a 6-mile long wall and covers
590 hectares. Qianlong also absorbs the style of
the many other ethnic groups' arts and culture while
he built the architectures, especially from Tibetans.
Day 5 GREAT WALL/ PINYAO ANCIENT
CITY
AM: Visit Putuozongsheng (Potala)
Palace. It is the largest and the most impressive
of the Chengde palaces and was built in 1790 by
Qianlong for his 60th birthday. Continue visiting
the rest of the other famous temples including:
Xumifushou (1781), an imitation of a temple in Shigatse,
Tibet and a combination of Tibetan and Han architectures.
Followed by a visit to Puning Temple, which was
built to commemorate his victory over the Mongols.
A stele describes the events in Chinese, Manchu,
Tibetan and Mongol. It features a 65-feet high Buddha
(Avalokitesvara) who has 42 arms and an eye on each
palm.
PM: Return drive to Beijing. Visit Great
Wall Jinshangling en route. Jinshangling is the
most spectacular section and is rarely visited by
tourists. Take the cable car to the Summit. Hiking
for a couple hours. Private transfer to Beijing
Train station in the late afternoon. Transfer to
board the overnight train #2519 to Pinyao Ancient
City (9:10pm pm/7:36 am+1; private compartment,
soft-sleepers). |
Day
6 PINYAO / XI'AN
AM: Railway reception/private transfer to
Pinyao Hotel to fresh up. Private escorted tour
to the Ancient Walled City (Built in Zhou dynasty
- 256 B.C.) This is the largest and the earliest
wall in China. It is well preserved and virtually
intact.
PM: Explore the ancient "Turtle City".
So named because Pinyao has six gates, two each
at the east and the west; and one each at the south
and the north. Check out the old streets, the old
government buildings, shops and residential houses
inside the city which retain their original styles
and shapes and are a model for research on Ming
Dynasty.
LATE PM: Private transfer to the railway
station to board train to Xi'an via #2535(7:33pm/6:56am+1;
soft-sleepers; private compartments)
Day 7 XI'AN
EARLY AM: Railway station reception/ private
transfer to Garden Hotel (4-star, beautiful traditional
Chinese garden settings). Private escorted tour
to the Qin Dynasty Imperial Tomb and the Terra Cotta
Warriors Museum (Binmayong). The site was accidentally
uncovered in 1974 by local peasants and is among
the most important archaeological discoveries of
the 20th Century. Start today's tour by viewing
an informative IMAX documentary that gives a brief
overview of 2000 years of Chinese history. Followed
by on-site inspection of the 6,000 terra cotta warriors,
made in the 3rd Century BC and all with different
faces, expressions and postures, they were modeled
after real human beings. You may find it difficult
to believe that originally, when found, all these
life-size "soldiers" were mashed into
powder and broken pieces. On-site archaeologists
demonstrate how they restore them into their original
condition. Also visit the newly-opened site #3.
PM: Private drive and escorted tour to Xiahe
Village, the famous hometown of pomegranate orchards.
Former president Clinton made a stop at this rarely
visited village while visiting Xi'an in '97. Private
in-home visit and lunch with local families can
be arranged. Continue the private excursion to Banpo
Neolithic Village, which is Xi'an's number two attraction.
Banpo is the earliest example of Yangshao Culture,
a representation of human life from 4500 BC to 3750
BC. Another interesting stop will be made at a bustling
countryside open market en route before returning
to the city.
EVENING: Food is art! Let's prove it tonight.
Enjoy a Sha'anxi local specialty and dumpling banquet
at De Fa Chang (Mongolian Bar-B-Q Beef and Lamb,
Dumplings and Sha'anxi local specialty and snacks),
one of the most well-known restaurants in China.
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Day
8 XI'AN/ LOUYANG
AM: Private escorted tour by car and on foot
to Xi'an's Tang Dynasty site: Ancient walled city,
Bell Tower, Drum Tower, Big Goose Pagoda and Forest
of Steles Museum (Beilin Museum). Xi'an used to
be called "Chang'an," and was the capital
of the Tang Dynasty. In Chinese, Chang'an means
"forever-lasting peace and prosperity."
It was also the ancient capital for eleven other
Chinese dynasties. During the Tang Golden Age in
the 10th Century, Chang'an was one of the largest
and most cosmopolitan cities on earth, and it was
eight-times larger than Xi'an is now.
PM: Visit Sha'anxi Provincial Museum. The
museum is one of the world's greatest repositories
of Tang Dynasty ceramics, painting, and textiles.
Private transfer to the train station to board train
to first-class Express Train to Luoyang (2:00pm/8:15pm).
Railway station reception/ private transfer to Peony
Hotel (3-star, best in town).
Day 9 LOUYANG/ LONGMAN
GROTTOES EXCURSION
All-day
private escorted private excursion through the
Dragon Gate (Longmen) Grottoes, one of the first
Buddhist monasteries in China and dates from 494
AD. For two hundred years, the Northern Wei Dynasty
carved a series of Buddhist figures into 2,100
grottoes and cliff walls, representing the peak
of Buddhist cave art. We will visit this cave
complex and view the remains of this art which
declined after the 9th century A.D.
Return to Luoyang in the afternoon. Special arranged
private tour by curator of Luoyang Museum, superb
repository of stone-age jade and Shang and Zhou
Dynasty bronzes. Transfer to the train station
for overnight train to Suzhou
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Day
10 SUZHOU & ZHOUZHUANG EXCURSION
AM: Railway station reception/ private transfer
to Suzhou Hotel (3-star, beautiful garden settings)
Suzhou is the famed silk production center and the
'Garden City.' Walk through Suzhou's ancient gardens,
including Garden of the Master of the Nets (Wangxhi
Yuan), Humble Administrators' Garden (Zhuozheng
Yuan), and Surging Wave Pavilion (Cunlang Ting),
also visit the Silk Musuem.
PM: Private escorted drive through the local
countryside (about 1 1/2 hours) to 'water village'
of Zhouzhuang. Zhouzhuang has a 1000 year history.
Take a private boat excursion on the canal. The
'boatmen' are usually a husband and wife duo and
are good singers. Optional shopping can be arranged
in old town. Local specialties include woven goods,
wood carvings, teapots and locally harvested water
pearls. Return to Suzhou in the late afternoon.
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Day
11 SUZHOU/ SHANGHAI
AM: Private transfer to the railway station
for First-class Express Train to Shanghai. Railway
station reception/ private transfer to Yangtze Hotel
(3-star, central location). Welcome to "Paris
of the East." Start devouring this cosmopolitan
city by discovering its old section. Airport reception/
private transfer to Hyatt Hotel (5-star luxurious,
with fantastic view). Private escorted tour to the
best part of the Old Town centered on the Town God's
Temple (Chenghuang Miao). This is a great place
to shop for souvenirs and sample the famous Shanghai-style
snacks. When shopping, remember to compare prices
and bargain before making purchases! Walk around
the neighboring Yu Garden, built by a wealthy official
of the Ming Dynasty, followed by a private drive
to the famous Jade Buddha Temple.
PM: Visit the world-renowned Shanghai Museum
of Art. It has the best collection of public art
in China, including bronzes, ceramics, calligraphy,
sculpture jade, seals, paintings and objects dating
back 8000 years. Private escorted walking tour including
Nanjing Road, Huihai Road, and Maoming Road -- the
most famous historic roads and delightful shopping
districts. Huihai Road is the former French Concession,
and is nicknamed 'Frenchtown.' Find an entrance
back to the 1920's from a side street. You can expect
to see some of the best old architecture from Art-deco
apartment buildings to classical mansions and villas.
Take a coffee break at a cafe and try some delicious
French pastry. The bakeries and antique shops around
the area have been here for almost 100 years. Walking
tour ends on the Bund and the waterfront of Huangpu
River for a breath-taking panorama of the world's
famous "Shanghaitan"!
EVENING:
Performance of world-famous Shanghai acrobatic show.
Day
12 SHANGHAI-US
AM: Say Zaijian (Now you should know how to
say good-bye in Chinese) to China. Private transfer
to the airport to board returns flight to US.
Back home the same day.
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