For this most mystery and paradoxical land in China, you must hold more expectations than any other cities. Choosing Tsedang as your first stop of Tibet is wise. Because the altitude of Tsedang is lower than that of Lhasa, which will benefit your acclimation. After arrival at the airport, the terrain you could see as you approach your hotel is pretty special. Mountainous, but stark, any growth on these slopes has camouflaged colors of those grey or greens. Some distant peaks are snow capped and the odd turquoise lake is visible. Beautiful, but it looks to be such a hard land to live in. For the rest of day, please do not hurry to do any sightseeing at once. Instead of, you had better have a half-day rest to adjust yourselves to the altitude sickness for tomorrow's trip.

Today's visit will be around Tsedang in Shannan area. Benefit from the unique natraul environment, the area is the birthplace of Tibetan people and culture.

The legend of Tibet history takes the place as the background. Tibet history starts from a legend of a monkey and a Siren. The monkey was sent by Avalokiteshvara (Chenrezi) for religious retreat on the high plateau. The siren managed to persuade him to marry her. Having the permission of Avalokiteshvara, they married and had 6 children. They were believed to be the ancestors of the Tibetan people. However, the archeology and geology discovery makes ethnologists believe that Tibetans are descendants of aborigines and nomadic Qiang tribes. According to archeological discovery, Tibetan history can be traced back to 4,000 years ago. During the long development of Tibet, Shannan has been known as the cradle of Tibet culture for its has so many FIRSTs of Tibet, such as the first palace – Yombulagang, the first Buddhist hall – Trandruk Monastery and the first monastery – Samye. Today, you are going to have them all.

In the morning drive to Lhasa(165km), which will take about three hours. As the capital of Tibet, Lhasa is located in the valley of the Lhasa River, the main branch of the Yarlungzangbo River , Lhasa is an ancient historical and cultural city with a history over 1,300 years. In the Tibetan language, this name means holy land. Due to the sufficient sunshine, the city is also known as the Sunshine City.

Drepung Monastery, the largest and richest of the three major Yellow Sect monasteries in Lhasa. It is one of the largest monasteries in the world. As the most powerful of the Gelukpa monasteries, Drepung has seven colleges and houses over 10,000 monks. It owns many splendid murals, elaborate statues and other valuable treasures. A giant golden statue of Buddha ‘Jiangba Tongzhenma' sits near the precious conch shell. Besides, Tibet Museum will present you those vivid pictures of Tibet 's unique history and culture.

Religion is such an important element of Tibetan life that it's hardly surprising most of the attractions are monasteries, temples and palaces. The awe-inspiring Potala Palace perched high above much of Lhasa, is definitely your good choice. The palace is a complex of political and religious function, which consists of the Red Palace, the White Palace and some attached buildings. The Red Palace contains various chapels and mausoleums for previous Dalai Lamas. The White Palace contains the living quarters of successive Dalai Lamas and their tutors. The offices of the old Tibetan government and their assembly halls are also located here. The Potala is full of elaborate artwork and frescos that tell many stories. They portray religious subjects as well as the customs and traditions of Tibet . Although you need to climb up, it will be richly rewarded for your efforts. Words may fail you to convey the scope of gold, pearls, carvings, gems, incense, monks, rooms, stairs that are in this incredible place. It is a pity that there are no photos allowed in the palace. However you would take photos by your eyes and embed them into your minds forever.

The local Tibetan lunch is very different from the previous cities, but you will find its specialist and enjoy it. In fact, the most popular cuisine in Tibet now is Sichuan Cuisine. Moreover there are also western-style restaurants in Lhasa. You are delighted to eat what Tibetan eats in Tibet. Then you will visit the Jokhang Temple in the afternoon. According to Legend the Jokhang Temple was built on the former site of a lake. However, every time a temple was built, it would collapse later. Confused by this phenomenon, Princess Bhrikuti turned to Wen Cheng, the Princess of Tang Dynasty, for help. Being a well-educated woman, Wen Cheng told the Princess that the geography of Tibet was very much like a hag, with the lake at the heart. In order to build the temple, Wen Cheng advised they must demolish the hag by filling and leveling the lake using 1,000 sheep to carry soil from a mountain far away. When the temple was done, it was called Ra-Sa-Vphrul-Snang ('ra' meaning sheep and 'sa' meaning earth in Tibetan) to commemorate those sheep. It was built by craftsmen from Tibet , China and Nepal and thus features different architectural styles. The three-level roof of the Jokhang offers splendid views of the Bhakhor Streets across to the Potala Palace. The golden roofs are superbly crafted with many birds, beasts, bells and other intricate figures. The Tibetan people are absolutely beautiful - very warm, friendly and welcoming. There are so many impressions and interesting and bizarre things happened every day in Lhasa .

Then you will spend a whole afternoon exploring Barkhor Street. The markets in Lhasa are on a scale quite unlike anything else you have seen. You can buy anything Tibet-related, from sacks of incense, chunks of yak butter to monk outfits. When walking along the Barkhor Street , you need to follow the clockwise direction. You see many Tibetan pilgrims in town taking part in the various koras (pilgrimage circuits): the Nangkor, Barkor, Lingkor and Potala. Maybe there are even others associated with various monasteries. They are devout Buddhists who perform these koras as a part of their lives and a means of gathering merit. They are from different parts of Tibet but still have a distinctive look - heavy, colorful clothes, dark-haired, hair plaited and braided with beads. They travel in family groups with a prayer-wheel in constant motion. Among these various koras you see many prostrating themselves, some doing this repeatedly on the spot and others prostrating every 3 paces until they have circumambulated the route.

Shigatse, the second largest city of Tibet. It takes about 4.5 hours on the way from Tibet to Shigatse via Ganytse. The road condition can not be called good but the scenery on the way is really soul-stirring.

Yamdrok Lake is surrounded by Mt. Kampala, Mt. Nyinchenkhasa, Mt. Chetungsu and Mt. Changsamlhamo. Befitting its mythical feminine origins, the turquoise blue lake has indescribable scenic beauty, promoting the Tibetans to compares it with the fairland in Heaven. The lake is also called Coral Lake of the Highlands due to its shape, and on the surrounding expansive pasture, animals and birds flourish in huge numbers. The holy lake is also a pilgrimage site for Tibetans. Every summer, gangs of pilgrims trek there to pray and receive blessings. Pilrims believe that its water can make the old young again, grant the middle-aged a longer life and make the children smarter. Being a sacred lake, the color of its water may be taken by the devout as having spiritual meaning. Then comes to Palkhor Monastery. This monastery is very different from other monasteries with its unique structure. It lies at the foot of Dzong Hill, 230km south of Lhasa and 100km east of Shigatse. The main assembly hall of Palkhor was built between the end of 14 th century and the beginning 15 th century. The ground floor of the three-story building is a Chanting Hall with 48 columns decorated with old silk ‘tangkas'. An eight-meter high bronze statuary of Maitreya is also on display and the gilded figure is made from 1.4 tons of bronze. On the second floor, ‘Bodhisattva Manjushri' and ‘Arhats' from the Ming Dynasty, were enshrined in the chapels. Its Arhat Chapel is famous throughout Tibet. On the roof, a chapel houses a collection of 15 ‘mandala' murals, which are three meters in diameter. The monastery collects about 100 robes and costumes worn in Tibetan opera, all of which were made of silk, embroidery and tapestry during the Ming Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty. Palkhor also features its Kumbum in Tibet. Deemed as the symbol of the monastery, the spectacular ‘stupa' consists of hundreds of chapels in layers, housing about a hundred thsoud images of various icons, in total there are about 33,000 statues.

The first spot in the morning will be Tashilumpu Monastery. As one of the six big monasteries in Tibet, Tashilumpu located at the foot of Tara's Mountain. It was found by the First Dailai Lama in 1447 and was expanded by the Fourth and successive Panchan Lamas. The monastery covers an area of nearly 300,000 square meters including the main structures of the Maitreya Chapel, the Panchan Lama's Palca and the Kelsang Temple. Tashilumpu is the seat of the Panchan Lama since the Fourth Panchan Lama took charge in the monastery, and there are now about 800 lamas. Standing on the entrance of the monastery, you can see the grand buildings with golden roofs and white walls. The remarkable Tangka Wall which is nine floors high, displays the images of Buddha on the 14 th, 15 th and 16 th of May every year following the Tibetan Lunar Calendar. Besides this, Tashilumpu also treasures characteristic wall paintings. Because of the variety of shapes, resplendent colors and exquisite painting, the murals are considered to be another masterpiece of Buddhist art. Rare sutras, thangka, china and glass of Ming and Qing Dynasties are also invaluable assets found in the monastery. These are good relics of researching the history and society of Tibet.

Today continue the trip to Tingri via Lhatse. On the way visit Sakya Monastery, another place worth visiting. The monastery, 160km from Shigatse, is known as the second Dunhuang with so many valuable relics. The road to be covered is about 250km, which will take 6 hours or so. Stay overnight at Tingri. Even though the hotel is simple, the people are very friendly.

Further drive into the Base Camp of Mt. Qomolangma in the morning. The road condition to the camp is bumpy and dusty, and it will take about 5 hours back and forth.

The Base Camp is a small flat piece of land in front of the north face of Mt. Qomolangma. It is at an altitude of 5200m and many people might experience difficulties with the high altitude. Located at the border between China and Nepal, Mt. Qomolangma (also known as the Mt. Everest) with its north slope belongs to China and the south one to Nepal. The peak has been a dreaming attraction for world' s mountaineers. Recently more and more mountaineers start off from the Base Camp trying to conquer the world's highest peak while travelers trek to the foot of the peak to enjoy its beauty through their own eyes. Around Mt. Qomolangma, there are four peaks above 8,000 meters high, including Mt. Makarluh, Gosanthain, Zhuoyo, Shishabanma and other 14 peaks above 7,000 meters, which form a soul-stirring picture of Mt. Qomolangma natural scenery area.

After visiting, continue to drive another 250km back to Shigatse.

Different from your coming from Lhasa to Shigatse, this time drive along Yurlong Tsangpu River back to Lhasa, which will cost about 6 hours. So you'll have the chance to enjoy the different view out of the window. Lunch will be served on the way.

Today board the tourism train No. T166,163/T266,263 (10:00-20:49, +1) to Xi'an. This is the start of your on- rail sightseeing trip of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. A great advatage of taking train out of Tibet is that you'll have the hard-won chance to enjoy the soul-stirring plateau scenery in the day time. The ride offers views of snowy mountains before cutting through Hoh Xil, then it darts through the grasslands of northern Tibet. The train will reach Golmud at 23:00. Golmud is a Mongolian word meaning a place contentrated with rivers. It is situated in the central south Tsaidam Basin on Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. There are nine sightseeing platforms designed on the Golmud-Lhasa section.

The total length of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway is 1,956km. The train covers the 1000 kilometers between Golmud and Lhasa in 14 hours. It may seem like a long ride, but it does help people get used to the altitude. Starting from Golmud, the train supplies oxygen and becomes smoke-free. But some passengers still get queasy around the Tanggula Mountain pass which is more than 5,000 meters above sea level.

Since the railway went into operation, it's brought nearly 700,000 people to Tibet, and about one fifth are foreign travellers. On board each train is an interpreter who speaks Chinese, Tibetan and basic English. Train tickets are difficult to come by in peak seasons.

Xi'an is a city of time-honored history. It is the city can bring you back in time to ancient Chinese civilization. During its 3,100 years development, 13 dynasties have occupied the region. Besides, the city was the start point of the famous Silk Road. You'll find Xi'an a large city with a much more relaxed atmosphere than that of Beijing. There are lots of cars but without the traffic pace of Shanghai. One of the important reason for no subway in the city is that there is large part of the wealth of ancient treasures buried here.

After the good rest, today's trip is started by Terror-cotta Army Museum, regarded as the '8 th Wonder of the World', is located at 30km east of Xi'an City. The site was discovered by farmers in 1974. It was created to guard Emperor Qin Shihuang's tomb that's to protect him in his afterlife in the mind of ancient Chinese. Three excavation pits have been opened to the public with a fourth underway. During his visit to China, US former President Clinton came to visit the dig. The fine troops, horses and carriages in battle formation are ancient art treasure and complete illustration of the history of Qin Dynasty.

Then comes to Great Wild Goose Pagoda and Shaanxi History Museum, this two are not far from each other. The former site is where the sixty-four meter high multistoried brick structure erects. The pagoda was built in the Tang Dynasty in 652AD to house and protect Buddhist scriptures collected in India by Xuan Zang, a famous Chinese monk. The Though simple, it is very much an appealing structure considering its sacredness especially to Buddhists. Besides, climbing the building rewards you with a bird-eye view of the whole city. In the ancient city like Xi'an, the museum should be an indispensable part of your visit. Shaanxi History Museum is a showcase of the civilization from Emperor Qin Shihuang to the present day. The museum is housed in a striking Tang Dynasty-style pavilion and features an enormous collection of 113,000 historic and cultural relics. We continue the trip to the nearby Ancient City Wall. It is the most complete city wall that has survived in China as well as one of the largest ancient military defensive systems in the world.

This evening you could choose Jiaozi Banquet which covers over 10 kinds of Jiaozi in China as your dinner. The shapes of Jiaozi various from one to another, such as rabbit, duck, shrimp, peanuts and so on. Or you can enjoy Tang Dynasty Show with Dinner that was made for emperors only in ancient China. You'll enjoy the sumptuous dinner while watching a fabulous dancing and singing performance of Tang Dynasty. This is not only a performance of Chinese traditional dancing and singing but also a recurrence of Chinese ancient society and culture.

It will take about 1.5 hour from Xi'an to Beijing by air.

Beijing, China's capital and a well-known tourist city of the world, offers sights and cultural relics found no where on earth. The city has its own individuality, that's the flavor of Beijing. The quadrangle, small alley, tricycle, boiled mutton, roast duck, Peking Opera, arts and crafts you can see, hear and feel them all only when you come to the city yourself. After a good rest in a comfortable hotel TCT recommended, you are ready for the incoming exciting tour with full energy.

The half-day Hutong Tour reflects the lives of ordinary Chinese and the history of Beijing as a whole. You have dreamed of visiting Beijing's lanes and experiencing life, history and culture first-hand in this city for a long time. The Hutong Tour makes it come true.

As the biggest public square in the world, Tian'anmen Square conquers us with its grandeur at the first sight. It is the place where history-changing events and ceremonies took place. Then north entrance gate is the magnificent Gate of Tian'an, meaning Heavenly Peace in Chinese. Your first-day tour Will start from here. Then you are leaded to the Forbidden City, the imperial palace for 24 emperors during Ming and Qing Dynasties and the biggest ancient architecture complex in the world. It represents the splendor and lavishness of the Chinese Imperial Court and features elaborately-carved buildings, exquisitely-painted rooms, temples and gardens. After enjoyed a nice Chinese lunch, continue to visit the Temple of Heaven, the largest temple in China and the sanctuary where the emperors worshiped for a good harvest. The magnificent Qinian Dian(Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest) is one of the most important and impressive buildings in China and the traditional landmark of Beijing City. Different from the red and golden in the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heave is based on a color of blue, which stands the color of sky. The perfect harmony can be felt between the architecture and nature and the peace spirit of Chinese people.

At night, it is lucky that you'll have an opportunity to enjoy the opera of nation- Peking Opera. Skillful performers convey their exact feelings to you through various facial making-ups and featured musical instruments. The Chinese culture is completely revealed.

The Great Wall (Badaling Section) is located in the suburb 75km northwest of Beijing. The highway from Beijing to the Great Wall is smooth and comfortable. The Great Wall is the symbol of China and the wisdom of Chinese people. It is very unbelievable that Chinese succeeded in building such a great architecture with simple tools in ancient time. The construction of the Great Wall began in the 5th century BC. The wall has a total length of 6,700km, traveling up and down over numerous mountains and valleys. Starting in the east at Shanhaiguan Pass, it cross Heibei Province, Beijing, Shanxi Province, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Shaanci Province, and ending up in Jiayuguan at Gansu Province. It is said the Great Wall is the only man-made project which is visible from the moon. Badaling Section is one of the best preserved and most accessible parts with the essence of the whole Great Wall.

The Ming Tombs are located in the northern suburbs of Beijing, consisting of 13 tombs of the emperors of the Ming Dynasty after the capital was moved from Nanjing to Beijing. Now there are only two tombs, Changling and Dingling, open to the visitors. The Lingsi Palace in Changling Tomb's second yard as really deserves a visit. This is unique as it is the only huge palace made of camphor wood. The ceiling is colorfully painted and supported by sixteen solid camphor posts. The floor is decorated with gold bricks.

Today's dinner should be a highlight of your tour if you desire to taste the most famous Peking Roasted Duck. From the whole roasted duck to the soup of duck tones, you'll enjoy a banquet of every part of duck. Moreover, the chef shows his skill of cutting the skin of duck on live. Not only your taste is fulfilled but also your eyes are entertained.