Day 1: Leave LAX or SFO for Beijing. The adventure begins! (Other departure cities are also available)
Day 2: Arrive in Beijing. You will be transferred to the hotel.
Day 3: Today you will visit TianAnmen Square and Forbidden City, including the Emperor's Clock Collection and the Jewelry and Relic collection. After lunch, we will take you to the Beijing Opera University for a discussion of the Beijing opera, masks, demonstrations from students on the choreography, and music. Then we will take you to the costume room where you can try on some of the costumes. Evening option: Beijing Opera.
Day 4: Today we will walk on the incredible Great Wall and visit the Ming Tombs.
Day 5: We will take you on a tour of a Hutong. This is the traditional Chinese residence in old Beijing. The Hutongs are disappearing in modern China. We will take you on a bicycle-driven rickshaw into the neighborhood and then into one of the residences. Then you will be taken to either Antique Street or the 2nd Hand Street Market. After lunch, we will take the afternoon flight to Xi'an and transfer to the hotel.
Day 6: The day tour today includes visits to the City Wall and the Wild Goose Pagoda with its Bell and Drum Towers. Then, you will go to the incredible Shaanxi Provincial Museum - rarely seen by Westerners - with sculptures, ceramics, brass and art of Chinese dynasties in chronological order. Evening option: Street Market.
Day 7: Visit the Terra Cotta Soldiers Museum. Return to the hotel.
Day 8: You will take a morning flight to Guilin. Afterward you will go on a city tour, including Elephant Trunk Hill and beautiful Reed Flute caves. Afternoon Option: World famous therapeutic foot massages.
Day 9: Today you will take a 3-hour Li Jiang River cruise.It ends at a small village, Yangzhou, with a delightful street market. Afterwards you will stop at a Zhuang Minority village to meet the local people and see some of their culture.
Day 10: Morning is free. After lunch we will take you to Fubo Hill, where a climb up the staircase of the hill will give a great view of the city and the small grottoes below with Buddha statues carved into the wall. Then you will go to the University to see the paintings of students, professors, and some major Chinese artists. In the late afternoon, we will visit the Minorities concert costume room. You will eat dinner at the showhouse and then watch the Evening Minorities Concert (Minorities represented by costumes, dance, music, acrobats).
Day 11: Fly to Shanghai, transfer to hotel. You will go to private Lotus Show Museum for tiny lotus shoes plus Qing Dynasty costumes, follow by a visit to the private Blue Batik Museum and shop. Evening option: The Shanghai Acrobats.
Day 12: The entire morning is devoted to the world-class Shanghai Museum, which has many fine exhibits, including the ethnic minority exhibit of costumes, masks, and other artifacts. After lunch you will visit the Jade Buddha Temple and the Jade Factory, especially the Minorities exhibit w/costumes. Then you will go to the garment and fabric district. In the late afternoon we will take you to the historic Bund, with its European seafront on the Chinese harbor. You will have dinner there and watch the Bund transform magically in the evening lights.
Day 13: The day begins with a tour to the beautiful Yu Yuan Gardens. The exit goes into the main shopping center of Shanghai, with many new and old shops, as well as a classic Chinese teahouse complete with its zigzag bridge. You will have some free time to shop. After lunch you will take a bus to Suzhou. While taking you to the hotel, you will be given a brief tour of the city area, including some of the canals.
Day 14: We will start the day by taking you to the Silk Factory, which has many fine examples of silk. Then you will go to the Embroidery Institute, where the Chinese Masters do in thread what our Western Masters have done in oil paints.
Day 15: After breakfast we will take you to Tiger Hill and the Leaning Pagoda. After lunch we will take you to the Humble Administrator's Garden. This is a spectacular example of the Chinese garden, with its reflective ponds, trees, bushes, stones, small bridges and buildings woven into a serene tapestry of nature. Then we will take you to the Cloisonne Factory, where you can see the process of making Chinese Cloisonne. We then will return you to the hotel.
Day 16: Today you will be taken to the airport for your return flight to the USA with a lifetime of wonderful memories!
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Exact price is dependent on the international airfare prices Business Class Upgrade on international flights available for excellent rates.
* Note: Other departure cities can be substituted or connection flights included for a reasonable fee.
* Tour price includes: Domestic Chinese flights, buses, jeeps, private transportation, all tours, guides, drivers, transfers, 4-star hotels (double occupancy) in China, meals as listed.
* Not included: International air flight round trip USA-China, items listed as "optional" Airport tax *(Chinese visa, next-day air, service and handling), tips.
* Note: We do provide visa service for China. We can provide international flights at excellent rates.
Also see tour packages in:
Asia
China
Cultural Journey
Textile Arts
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