Among the big cities in China, Shanghai maintains the look of a Western metropolis. It is fascinating and sophisticated. The city started out in the 4th century as a fishing village and became a town till the middle of the 13th century. After the Opium War, Shanghai was gradually opened as a 'treaty port' in the mid year of the 19th century when it had been opened to the foreign trade and led to its partition into British, French and later Japanese concessions. From that time on, foreigners began to flood into this paradise for adventurers. Covering out their own sphere of influence, England, France, the US and Japan settled here by seizing their respective concessions which was known as the territory of each country. It was considered as the colonial period with number of the featured buildings and architectures of cosmopolitan by those owners of the concessions which made Shanghai as a fascinating mixture of East and West. After a good rest in a comfortable hotel TCT recommended, you are ready for the incoming exciting tour with full energy.

Today you'll find a Buddhism shrine - Jade Buddha Temple, located in a crowd of Shanghai City. It was first built in 1882 in Jiangwan on the southern outskirts of Shanghai. In order to make it convenient for the adherents to visit , it was bodily moved to Shanghai City at the present sire in 1918. It is named for its two bejeweled white jade Buddha. It receives thousands of visitors and worshipers everyday while keeps its sanctity and charming. Carved from a whole piece of white jade, the sitting jade Buddha statue is translucent with a solemn expression, displaying the excellent skill and extraordinary art of Chinese people. Yuyuan Garden has a lot of stories for it was severely damaged in the 19th century and was restored in 1961. This garden was first built in the 16th century by provincial governor, Pan Yunduan, in honor of his father who was the then government minister. It has many scenic courtyards decorated with baroque rockery, pools, and flora that are all connected by corridors and passageways. The delicate design and exquisite layout of the whole garden reveals a strong impression of 'garden in the garden, whole in the part.' Coming back from the nature, the shopping trip will begin in Nanjing Road which is starts at the Bund and runs westward, with People's Square in the middle. Renown for its bustling and modernization, Nanjing Road earns its reputation as the 'First Commercial Road in China', which is the good shopping heaven for your trip as the same as the Fifth Avenue in New York and Avenue des Champs-Elysées in Paris. Some of the traditional food and handicrafts of Shanghai can be found here. Then you come to the Bund, the showcase with the old buildings of colonial-era leftover along Huangpu River. The renowned waterfront district is the city's most famous landmark. The word BUND is of Anglo-India origin meaning embankment on the waterfront. It is also the popular site to enjoy the night view of the city.

Shanghai offers colorful leisure and recreational activities with rich contents and creative form. If you are interesting in, your night will be filled with an interactive old form of art known as the Acrobatics as your optional night show. The cost is excluded in quotation. You are told that those professional performers were trained of as early ad age six or seven so that they play so well and excellent. You are conquered again by Chinese people. Definitely, it is an unforgettable night in your memory.

Soft-seats are common on most inter-city trains, tourist trains and high-speed trains. The tourist train between Shanghai and Suzhou is very fast and clean. It looks like you are going almost as fast as the Japanese bullet train. Founded in 514 BC, Suzhou is one of the oldest towns in the Yangtze basin, founded in about 600 BC. It achieved its fame 1000 years later when the Grand Canal was constructed. Suzhou remains one of the most beautiful cities in China with its blue web of interlocking canals and classical gardens as well as famous silk industry that inspired the Chinese to name this area ' paradise on earth'. After arrival, you see there are many canals in Suzhou, and it‘s easy to understand why Marco Polo called the city the 'Venice of the East' during his visit. Built for drainage rather than transport purposes, the canals nevertheless offer a romantic and lazy way to get around the city.

Besides, Suzhou is famous for its silk production. You see a display of the life-cycle of the silk worm, as well as demonstrations of how the silk is harvested from the cocoons and eventually woven into fabric in Silk Factory. Silk has a history of some 4,500 years in China, so they have become adapted to producing many different types of silk, as well as dyeing it and weaving different patterns into the fabric. It is quite mind-blowing to learn that one cocoon can produce about 2 km of silk strand, and that several of these strands are twined together to make a single thread. The process is so slow and painstaking; it is no wonder that genuine hand-made silk articles are so expensive.

Different from some Western gardens where the entire garden unfolds before one’s eyes, Suzhou gardens reveal themselves step by step along a winding route. The Canglang Pavilion with the longest history among other gardens in Suzhou is a typical example. Another feature of Suzhou Gardens is contrast. Tress, bushes, architectures and oddly shaped rocks are arranged in a way to create interesting and elements.

Today, you leave your hotel in the morning to begin your trip from Tiger Hill, known also as the Surging Sea Hill. It is amazing since it was used to be an isolated island caused by volcano eruption. It is a large hillock, standing 36 meters high and covering an area of some 14,100 square meters. Going up to the hill, you find a number of historical sites, including some from 2,500 years ago, which are as old as the city of Suzhou.

Near the Tiger Hill, you have another important spot to view. Suzhou, like many other Chinese cities, was once surrounded by a ring of walls and gates from ancient time. Since commence and transport of entire city depended heavily on its canal network, land transportation of the city was impractical. As a result Suzhou created a system of ' water gate'- small forts that opened for both land and water tarrif. The three scenic gates of Panmen Gate are the oldest gate as a fortification still preserved today.

Own to the extensive canal network, Suzhou has been an area where high-ranking officials stationed. As a result, all kinds of delicious food were cooked in various ways to delight the rich politicians. You enjoy a typical lunch with cook style of Huaiyang Cuisine in a local restaurant. Then you continue your trip to one of Four Famous Classic Gardens in China-Humble Administrator’s Garden. From your point of view, it is not humble at all. On the contrary, it is the best representative of Chinese classical gardens in the Ming dynasty. Its design is duplicated in many gardens throughout China, and there‘s even a replica in the New York Metropolitan Museum. Focused on a central pond with pavilions, terraces, chambers, and towers located nearby, the garden is divided into three parts: the east, middle and west.

When you are indulging in the exquisite garden, you are informed that you have to leave for next destination- Hangzhou, known as the heaven on earth. The soft-seat train is still perfect for you. You arrive in Hangzhou on time and have a good rest in your hotel. From Suzhou to Hangzhou, what seems the same is the quietness and elegance of two cities, but what is the difference? You will find the answer tomorrow by yourselves.

Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang Province, is by the Qiantang River at the Southern end of the Grand Canal on the east coast of China. It is one of the most beautiful cities in China with its West Lake and almost year-round green surroundings. You believe that what made Hangzhou so famous is West Lake at great extend since you cannot say a proper word to describe the beauty of West Lake at the first sight. The picturesque lake deserves its fame, with ten scenic views adding natural beauty to the unique cultural value of the environment. This lake was originally a shallow bay where the Qiantang River met the sea. It is surrounded on three sides by mountains and on the fourth by the city. In whose western region it now sits, hence the name “West Lake”. You board a boat to some islands in the lake. One called Small Yingzhou Islet built in 1607, impresses you most. The concept of this island is: 'an island within the lake and a lake within an island'. The layout of the whole island is quite impressive and reflected a huge amount of planning and forethought by those who constructed it. Just off the southern shore of this island are three gourd-shaped pagodas. Each is about two meters high, erected since 1621. Each pagoda has five round holes in it and when lit candles are placed into each pagoda, the light from these candles together with the moonlight reflecting off the water give rise to the naming of this feature as 'Three Pools Mirroring the Moon'.

Next you move to Lingyin Temple, truly a spot to behold. It is said that in 326 A.D. a monk named Hui Li came to Hangzhou for the sake of finding an ideal valley for a soul retreat. He built a temple there, naming it the 'Monastery of the Soul’s Retreat'. The Chinese word for soul is 'ling 'and retreat is 'yin', therefore the monastery came to be known as Lingyin Temple. In one of the temples you see China‘s largest sitting statue of Buddha. Carved out of 24 pieces of camphor wood and gilded with 104 ounces of gold, it measures an impressive 19.6 meters high.

In the afternoon Six Harmonies Pagoda is waiting for you. It is one of the most prominent wood-and-brick structures of ancient China. The name of the pagoda relates to the six codes of Buddhism. Huqingyu's Traditional Pharmacy and Tea Museum display you two Chinese traditional cultures: Chinese Traditional Medicine and Tea Culture.

Hangzhou Dish belongs to Huaiyang Cuisine as well. When you enjoy the beautiful sightseeing, you continue your food trip too because Hangzhou is also a heaven of delicious food. As a result, you could choose Huaiyang Cuisine as your optional dinner tonight. The cost is excluded in quotation. Huaiyang Cuisine is a style prevailing in Shanghai, Hangzhou, Ningbo and Suzhou. The basin of the lower reaches of the Yangtze and the coast are blessed with the produce of rivers, lakes and the sea- everything for seekers of fine food. Huiyang dishes are characterized by the addition of a relatively high proportion of soy sauce. You can have a taste of nice food while enjoy the beautiful view at the same time.