Day 1 Arrival Beijing

Meals: No Meals
Accommodation: Sunworld Hotel Beijing ★★★★

Arrive in Beijing, the capital city of China, you will be greeted by our local guide at the airport with TCT signboard. Then our guide will transfer you to check in hotel. Free at leisure for the rest of the day for you to get over the jet lag.


Forbidden City View

Day 2 Beijing

Meals: Hotel Breakfast, A la carte Chinese lunch
Accommodation: Sunworld Hotel Beijing ★★★★

TCT local guide will meet you at your hotel lobby at the appointed time. It will be an exciting day as we will explore the world well-known wonders today. The 1st stop is Temple of Heaven, the existing largest structure for sacrifice to heaven and a place where the emperors prayed for a year of abundance. In the visit of Temple of Heaven, you will be astonished by the exquisite ancient Chinese architectures. Besides, you will see local seniors doing morning exercises in the square and full of vigor. You will have chance to watch Chinese Kongfu, Taichi, square dancing, playing cards, playing chess etc.

Then our group will move to a less commercial Hutong nearby. A short walking along the authentic Beijing Hutong will give you a deep impression of the local residents’ live. A la carte lunch is served at a local restaurant to have a taste of the authentic Chinese food at noon time and have a break at the restaurant.

Then continue this Beijing city treasure city by a visit to Tian'anmen Square, the world's largest city center square, the locality of numerous major political and historical events. It is the witness of Chinese development. It is only a walking distance from Tian'anmen Square to Forbidden City, the world's existing largest and most complete ancient wooden structure buildings. You will explore the glorious palace halls and gardens for more than 2 hours in Forbidden City, learning the legendary story of the emperors and how the royal family lived there. You will be stunned by the numerous old art treasures exhibited in halls. Drive back to hotel, we will have a stop at pearl store en route. Please feel free to consult with your local guide about the evening activities in Beijing, such as the night shows of Beijing.


Temple of Heaven

Day 3 Beijing

Meals: Hotel Breakfast, A la Carte Lunch
Accommodation: Sunworld Hotel Beijing ★★★★

It will be an exciting day today. In the early morning, guide will pick you up from your hotel lobby. Today we will visit the must-visit spot in Beijing--- Mutianyu Great Wall, one of the famous sections of China Great Wall. It takes about 2 hours driving from the downtown of Beijing to Mutianyu Great Wall. Mutianyu Great Wall was first built in the mid-6th century during the Northern Qi, making it older than the Badaling section. (***Cable car and slideway are available at Mutianyu Great Wall. It is optional and excluded from our price***)

A la carte lunch is arranged at a good restaurant at the foot of Mutianyu. Drive back to downtown of Beijing. We will have a stop at a tea store en route. When we reach Beijing, we will have a photo stop outside the Bird Nest and Water Cube, which were the famous sites constructed for 2008 Beijing Olympic. The tour finishes by dropping off at your hotel. If you would like to try local specialty tonight, you could ask for some suggestion about Peking Roast Duck Restaurant.


Mutianyu Great Wall

Day 4 Beijing Xian

Meals: Hotel breakfast, A La Carte Lunch
Accommodation: Grand Noble Hotel ★★★★

In the morning, check out from hotel and start to visit the last spots in Beijing --- Summer Palace, the existing largest, best-preserved imperial garden in China. The Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake are regarded as the representative of Summer Palace. In the park, you could choose to take a boating trip on the lake, enjoying the beautiful royal garden view. Walk along the Long Corridor--- the longest corridor in the world, admiring the extremely rich and prestigious paintings on the beams of the corridor.

A la carte lunch will be arranged at a local restaurant on the way to Beijing West Railway Station to take high speed train (2nd class seat, duration: about 5-5.5 hours) from Beijing to Xi'an. TCT guide will wait at the exit of Xi'an train station with our signboard and transfer you to check in hotel. Free at leisure for the rest of the time.


Summer Palace

Day 5 Xian

Meals: Hotel breakfast, A La Carte Lunch
Accommodation: Grand Noble Hotel ★★★★

Today we will have a full day to explore this historical and cultural city in China. Pick up from hotel in the morning, and then have a visit to the landmark of Xi'an---Xian City Wall. You could choose to have a bicycle riding on the city wall (***Bicycle riding is optional and excluded from our price***). An impressive Tai Chi Chuan course is arranged at the City Wall for you. Originating from the roots of classical Chinese culture, Tai Chi Chuan absorbed a variety of sources including the Book of Changes, Taoism and Buddhism. With a professional Tai Chi Master's teaching, you will understand Chinese culture better.

After that, we will drive to the highlights in Xi’an ---the Terracotta Warriors. On the way to Terracotta Warriors, we will have a stop at a pottery workshop, where you will have chance to learn how to make a pottery figure.  A la carte lunch is arranged at a local restaurant nearby Terracotta Warriors. In the afternoon, we will have enough time to visit this world wonder --- Terracotta Warriors, one of the world’s most important archaeological finds, with troops, horses and carriages in battle formation.

The tour finishes by dropping-off at the hotel lobby. You could ask your local guide for some information about evening entertainment or night show, such as Tang Dynasty Show.


Terracotta Warriors in Xi'an

Day 6 Xian  Guilin

Meals: Hotel breakfast, A La Carte Lunch
Accommodation: Lijiang Waterfall Hotel Guilin ★★★★

You will have a leisure morning for your to walk around. We will check out at noon time and drive to have lunch directly. In the afternoon, Visit the Small Wild Goose Pagoda ,  one of the most well-preserved Tang Dynasty buddha temples. It is  reputed as the Tang Dynasty elaborate and valuable Buddhist architectural heritage. While visit the Small Wild Goose Pagoda, you will have chance to watch the traditional shadow play, visit Jianfu Temple as well as Xi'an Museum.

Take a night flight or late afternoon from Xi'an to Guilin, a small city in Southern China with the best natural beauty of China.


Xian Ancient City Wall Trip

Day 7 Guilin

Meals: Hotel breakfast, A La Carte Lunch
Accommodation: Lijiang Waterfall Hotel Guilin ★★★★
Good to know: Comfortable sneaker and clothing is necessary today as tourists need to walk for a while to the village, which is located at a hillside. Sedan chair is available as an option for those who walks at mountainous area with difficulty or has a bad knee. Sunglasses, sunscreen and hat are suggested if you travel in summer and autumn.

We will have an exciting day to visit the ethnic group villages and the stunning rice terraces today. The local tour guide picks you up from hotel lobby in the morning. It takes about 2 hours driving from downtown of Guilin to Longji Rice Terraces Scenic Area (Dragon's Back). The magnificent terraces are built into the hillsides and look like great steps cut into the slopes as they wind around the mountainsides.

Lunch will be arranged at a local restaurant in Ping'an Zhuang Village, which is just located in the rice terraces. You will have chance to try the local food cooked in bamboo, such as bamboo rice, chicken, ect. It tastes with the light fragrance of bamboo, quite different from which we eat in downtown.

After lunch, you will have enough free time to explore the ethnic villages, where the Yao and Zhuang people have been dwelling for generations in wooden houses. You will understand how the locals' life is, and you will see the locals working in the paddy fields, the women in their national costumes doing needlework by the village path or beneath her roof, ect. We will drive back to downtown of Guilin from Longji at around 15:00 and you may arrive at hotel about 17:00. A Four Lakes Night Cruise is recommended as an optional activity in Guilin.


Longji Rice Terraces

Day 8 Guilin  Yangshuo Guilin

Meals: Hotel breakfast, Lunch-box
Accommodation: Lijiang Waterfall Hotel Guilin ★★★★

In the morning you will be driven to the Zhujiang Pier for the Li River Cruise (about 4 hours from Guilin to Yangshuo). Savour the fairy-tale scenery while cruising down the meandering river to Yangshuo. After disembarkation, you can have a walk along the famous West Street and enjoy the free leisure time there before driving back to overnight in Guilin. If you would like to stay in Yangshuo longer and know more about the night show or evening entertainment, do not hesitate to ask your local guide, who'd be very willing to help you. The Show of Impression Liusanjie is highly recommended as an optional activity in Yangshuo if you are interested in.


Li River Cruise

Day 9 Guilin Chongqing, Embark

Meals: Hotel breakfast, A La Carte Lunch
Accommodation: Victoria USA Cruise or President Cruise or China Goddess Cruise ★★★★★

After breakfast, take the morning train to Chongqing for about 4.5-5 hours. Your Chongqing tour guide will wait for you at the train station. After lunch, we will go to know more about Three Gorges and Yangtse River by visiting Three Gorges Museum, not only the largest monographic museum in China, but also a public undertaking for the preservation, education, scientific research in respect of cultural relics and the natural environment of Chongqing and the Three Gorges area. The Chongqing People Hall is just located opposite to the Three Gorges Museum. You can take a picture of this construction like Temple of Heaven from the apperance. Then we will go to visit Hong Ya Dong at  the riverside area of the Yangtze River.  It is the best place to visit group of stilted buildings, appreciate Hongya Dicui, stroll mountain city old street, watch ba-yu culture, and taste delicious food, and it is also the Jiangbei lounge.
Then transfer to Chaotianmen wharf and check-in at the Victoria cruise. The check-in time is between 18:00 and 20:30. The Yangtze River cruise boat departs from Chongqing at 21:00.

► The embark time of Yangtze River Cruise is 19:00. And the depart time of the cruise is 21:00.
► If you have enough free time in Chongqing before embark, you can have a try of Chongqing Hot Pot


Chongqing City View

 Day 10 Yangtze River Cruise

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Victoria USA Cruise or President Cruise or China Goddess Cruise ★★★★★

Enjoy a full day Yangtze cruise! In ther morning, you will have an optional shore excursion short visit to Fengdu (depends on river condition) . Fendu is known as the 'Ghost City' to most Chinese people. In the afternoon, we will take the shore excursion to Shibaozhai- a wooden architecture stands on the riverside.

Victoria Cruise Itinerary: (A bit different from the itinerary of other cruises):
06:30-07:00 Early bird coffee and tea/ practice Tai Chi at upper deck
07:00 - 08:30 Breakfast (Buffet)
09:00 - 11:30 Optional Shore excursion - Fengdu (at your own expense RMB295 P.P)
12:00 - 13:30 Lunch (Buffet)
16:00 - 18:00 Shore excursion - Shibaozhai
18:15 - 19:00 Captain's Welcome Reception
19:00 - 20:30 Dinner (Buffet)
21:00             Minorities and Dynasty Costumes Show
 

Yangtze River Cruise
 

Day 11 Yangtze River Cruise

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Victoria USA Cruise or President Cruise or China Goddess Cruise ★★★★★

Today, an optional excursion will be arranged at around 07:30 to the White Emperor City - a place offers a view looking toward the Qutang Gorge is depicted on the back of the Chinese 10-yuan bill. Back to the ship and then pass through Three Gorges that namely Qutang Gorge - considered the most dramatic by many visitors, Wu Gorge - known for its deep valleys and forest covered mountains, and then after lunch, you will have a boat excursion to Goddess Stream .

Victoria Cruise Itinerary: (A bit different from the itinerary of other cruises):
06:30 - 07:00 Early bird coffee and tea/ practice Tai Chi at upper deck
07:00 - 08:30 Breakfast (Buffet)
07:30 - 10:15 Optional Shore excursion - White Emperor City (at your own expense RMB295 P.P)
10:45 (Est.)    Sailing through Qutang Gorge
12:45 (Est.)    Scenic cruising - Wu Gorge
12:00 - 13:00 Lunch (Buffet)
15:15 - 18:15 Shore excursion - Goddess Stream (or Shennong Stream depends on river condition)
19:00 - 20:30 Captain's Farewell Banquet (set-menu table dinner)
21:00 - 21:45 Crew cabaret

► Excursion trip to White Emperor City, you would take the coach directly to Baidi Temple in 20 minutes’ drive. You will have two hours for your White Emperor City visit to appreciate the rich historic story and mysterious land.


Wu Gorge

Day 12 Disembark, Yichang Shanghai

Meals: Breakfast, A La Carte Lunch
Accommodation: SSAW Boutique Hotel ★★★★

In the morning, you will firstly visit the Three Gorge Dam (2.5 - 3 hours) - planned to be by far the largest hydroelectric project in the world. After the visiting , the local tour guide will pick you up and transfer to a good local restaurant to have a lunch before being transferred to the airport for your 2 hours’flight to Shanghai. Your Shanghai tour guide will wait for you at the airport and help you to transfer to the hotel.


Three Gorges Dam

Day 13 Shanghai

Meals: Hotel Breakfast, A Chinese Lunch
Accommodation: SSAW Boutique Hotel ★★★★

The last day but still an inspiring day to explore the city of Shanghai,the largest and most modern city in mainland China. We will start the tour by short trip to Yuyuan Garden which is a Chinese classic garden in city downtown. And then we will enjoy a Chinese tea ceremony at nearby tea house. After that, we will walk to visit Confucius Temple, which is not far from Yuyuan Garden. Before lunch, walk along the Bund, admiring the illuminated buildings lining the Huangpu River. From the Bund, Multinational Classic Buildings Complex, you could see the landmark of Shanghai--- The Oriental Pearl TV Tower as well as other high-rised buildings from the Bund.

A Chinese lunch is arranged for you at a local restaurant, and then drive to visit Xintiandi & Former French Concession,  to enjoy the traditional Shanghai architecture like Shikumen. Then we will visit Jade Buddha Temple, one of the Shanghai must-see attractions, and till now, it is still an active one that with 70 resident monks at last count. In order to make it convenient for the adherents to visit, it was bodily moved to Shanghai City at the present sire in 1918. Then you will have a chance to visit Silk Museum where you will how silk is produced.  Then our group will drive by Shanghai People's Square to visit Shanghai Museum, a large museum of ancient Chinese art and just sited on the People's Square of Shanghai. Then the tour is finished by a drop-off at your hotel.


The Bund