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Our feature hotel in Beijing - Park Plaza in Downtown Wangfujing, Beijing


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Beijing-Xi'an-Shanghai 9 days 8 nights

 

Our most classic tour with new sensation

 

Beijing and Xi'an probably has one of the most cultural attractions of all of China. Beijing, having 500 years, and Xi'an having 1500 years of history, these two cities are a must-see. On this tour we also added Shanghai to see the difference as Shanghai is a very young city compared to the two with about 20 years of development.

 

In Beijing, this tour will take you to all major attractions no one can miss; including the Great Wall, Ming Tombs, Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, and Temple of Heaven. We will also take you to one of the biggest Silk Alley to be able to purchase and view the great quality Silk of China. The last portion of this tour will also take you to the Beijing Zoo to be able to see the Pandas.

 

And of course for Xi'an is the Terra Cotta Warriors. we will take you for a whole day in Xi'an allowing you to spend much of your time to observe the three pits. Following day we will take you to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. See the 1500 years of culture and existence of Xi'an and sink yourself into the past.

 

After touring Beijing and Xi'an, you will be taken to the largest city of China; Shanghai. Here you can see many newer built and designed architecture  where the New China resides. While driving through Shanghai, you will be taken to the old parts of Shanghai; visiting the Jade Buddha Temple, the Yuyuan Garden and Shanghai Museum. These are historical sites of Shanghai before it became the fast growing city of China.

 

Highlights:

 

• This tour will take you through the three most famed cities of China: Beijing, China’s cultural and political center, Xian, China’s ancient capital, and Shanghai, China’s biggest and most cosmopolitan city.
• You will get to visit the best attractions in China, such as the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, the Terracotta Warriors, and the Bund, among many others you will get to see.
• At each city you will have a local English-speaking guide who will give you the best advice and information in order to give you the best tour experience possible.

* This package can be customized to fit your schedule best. Group itinerary can vary from this package.

 

Private Tour and Group Tour Packages Available

B=breakfast; L=lunch; D=dinner  Departure: Upon booking

 

TOUR ITINERARY

   
 
DAY 01 Arrive in Beijing

Upon arrival at the Beijing airport, you will be me by your local English-speaking guide, and he will take you to your hotel, the Park Plaza Hotel, a 4 star hotel located in downtown Beijing. If time permits, we can get started with some sightseeing, but if not, you are free to spend the night at your own leisure, and resting up for the days ahead.

DAY 02 Great Wall Adventure (B, L)

At 7:00am you will be picked up at the subway station nearest to your hotel by your English-speaking guide and driver. From there we will make the approximate 2.5 hour drive to the Great Wall at Jinshanling. The Great Wall at Jinshanling is one of the best preserved parts of the Great Wall with many original features. It got its name because it was built on the Greater and Lesser Jinshan (Gold Mountain) Ranges. A tablet with the Chinese inscription for Jinshanling Great Wall was set into this section. The Jinshanling Great Wall has not been repaired since 1570. It is a remote and relatively isolated section of the Great Wall. As there are relatively few tourists at Jinshanling Great Wall, it is a good place to explore on foot.

The Jinshanling Great Wall was initially built from 1368 to 1389 in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), and in 1567 and 1570 rebuilding of the Wall was mainly directed by General Qi Jiguang (1528-1588). Poems and tablet writings can be found on the Jinshanling Great Wall left from the time when Qi Jiguang directed the rebuilding of this section of the Great Wall. There are more than 100 watch towers along the Jinshanling Great Wall. The Watching-Beijing Tower is on the highest point, from which you can see Beijing. The Jinshanling Great Wall is second only to the Badaling Great Wall in its completeness.

 
You will then be dropped of at the hotel, and the rest of the evening can be spent at your discretion
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DAY 03 Beijing (B, L)

After breakfast in the hotel we will head over to the center of Beijing, Tiananmen Square. The largest public square in the world, Tiananmen Square is seen as China’s political center. Its grounds have seen some turbulent moments, from the May 4th Movement of 1919 to the political turmoil of 1989. The south of the square is marked by the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall, while the center of the square is dominated by the Monument to the People’s Heroes, an imposing 10-story granite obelisk. To the east is the National Museum of China, and to the west is the Great Hall of the People, home to China’s legislative bodies. The north of the square is dominated by the Gate of Heavenly Peace, known for its iconic portrait of Mao Zedong, and is the national emblem of China.

After walking across the street, we will enter what is perhaps the greatest attraction in China, the Forbidden City. After walking across the square we will enter the Forbidden City (known in Chinese as Gu Gong), the largest surviving palace complex and the former home of the emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasty. The Forbidden City is one of the greatest attractions in the world. Built by the third Ming emperor between 1406-1422, the Forbidden City served as the official residence to the Emperor of China until the last emperor, Puyi, was forced to evacuate in 1924. The Forbidden City is divided into two parts. The southern section, or the Outer Court was where the emperor exercised his supreme power over the nation. The northern section, or the Inner Court was where he lived with his royal family. Consisting of 980 buildings and with 8,707 bays of rooms, the Forbidden City is the best example of classical Chinese architecture in the world, and is a wonder to behold.

To continue our theme of imperial royalty, we’ll go from the Forbidden City to the royal family’s retreat from the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace. Being northwest of the city center, the Summer Palace has the largest royal park and being well preserved, the Summer Palace is ranked amongst the most noted and classical gardens of the world. In 1998, UNESCO listed it as one of the World Heritage Sites. Like most of the gardens of Beijing, it could not elude the rampages of the Anglo-French allied force of 1860 and was destroyed by fire. In 1888, Empress Dowager Cixi embezzled navy funds to reconstruct it for her own benefit, changing its name to Summer Palace (Yiheyuan). She spent most of her later years there, dealing with state affairs and entertaining.

Highlights not to be missed are climbing Longevity Hill, viewing the Empress Dowager Cixi’s extravagant Marble Boat, and talking a walk down Suzhou jie, a canal meant to resemble the beautiful river city of Suzhou.

You will then be dropped off at your hotel for the evening.

DAY 04 Beijing-Xian (by train) (B, L)

Following breakfast we’ll make the short drive to the Temple of Heaven park. The complex was visited by the Emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties for annual ceremonies of prayer to Heaven for good harvest. The Temple of Heaven park is best known for the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, an iconic building famed for its magnificent triple-gabled circular roof. You will also have an opportunity to walk the same imperial walkway that the same emperors walked hundreds of years ago in their holy rites. You will also see Beijing’s senior citizens using the park grounds for everything from tai chi and ballroom dancing to bullwhip practice!

Next you will have the chance to get some great bargains on clothing at Silk Street. Silk (Xiushui) Street is one of the famous clothing markets in Beijing. It attracts domestic and foreign tourists with varied styles, colors and materials as well as an inexpensive price. Remember to always haggle, as you can regularly get 50% off the asking price. If you need some help your guide is more than happy to help!

At about 7 PM, you will be driven to the Beijing West Train Station, and you’ll take an overnight bed train to Xian. You will be in a soft-sleeper compartment (upgradeable to deluxe private compartment), so your train journey will be both peaceful and comfortable.

DAY 05 Xian (B, L)

You will arrive at the Xian train station in the morning, and upon arrival you’ll be met by your local English-speaking guide. You’ll then be taken to Xian’s greatest attractions, and one of the greatest sites in all of China, the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum. The Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses Museum is the result of the most significant archeological excavations of the 20th century. Work is ongoing at this site, which is around 1.5 kilometers east of Emperor Qin Shi Huang's Mausoleum. It is a sight not to be missed by any visitor to China. Upon ascending the throne at the age of 13 (in 246 BC), Qin Shi Huang, later the first Emperor of all China, had begun to work for his mausoleum. It took 11 years to finish. It is speculated that many buried treasures and sacrificial objects had accompanied the emperor in his after life. A group of peasants uncovered some pottery while digging for a well nearby the royal tomb in 1974. Life size terracotta figures of warriors and horses arranged in battle formations are the star features at the museum. They are replicas of what the imperial guard should look like in those days of pomp and vigor.

The museum is divided into three sections: No. 1 Pit, No. 2 Pit, No. 3 Pit and the most-recently opened No. 4 Pit respectively. They were tagged in the order of their discoveries. No. 1 Pit is the largest, first opened to the public on China's National Day, 1979. There are columns of soldiers at the front, followed by war chariots at the back. No. 2 Pit, found in 1976, contains over a thousand warriors and 90 chariots of wood. It was unveiled to the public in 1994. Archeologists came upon No. 3 Pit also in 1976. It is the command center of the armed forces. It went on display in 1989, with 68 warriors, a war chariot and four horses.

Following our visit with the Terracotta Warriors, we’ll then step back to an even earlier time at the Banpo Neolithic Museum. Located in the eastern outskirts of Xi’an city, the Banpo Museum is the first prehistoric excavation site museum in China. Banpo (half slope) Village was a typical Neolithic Matriarchal community of the Yangshao (Respect Splendid) culture (5000-3000 BC) around 6000 years ago. The Yangshao culture was named after the first discovery of this civilization in Yangshao, Henan Province. About 400 sites of this type have been discovered around the Yellow River Basin, and the Banpo site is the largest one. The site was discovered in 1953 during the construction of a power plant. The excavation work lasted four years, and the Banpo site was first opened to the public in 1958. Since then, two million people have visited it.

The Banpo site, occupying an area of approximately 50,000 square meters, was divided into three parts: the living area, the pottery making area and the cemetery area. Among the ruins are 46 dwellings, two domestic animal pens and over 200 storage pits, 174 adult tombs, 73 burial jars for kids, six pottery making kilns and many production and domestic tools. The site delivers visitors a vivid picture of the long ago lifestyle of the primitive Banpo people.

After visiting the Banpo Museum you’ll be taken to your hotel, the 4 star Jianguo Hotel, which is just a 15 minute walk to the old city center.

DAY 06 Xian-Shanghai (by air) (B, L)

After breakfast we’ll make the short drive to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, a pagoda surrounded by a still functioningBuddhist temple (named Da Ci’en Temple). The Big Wild Goose Pagoda is one of the most famous Buddhist pagodas in China. The Pagoda was built in the Tang Dynasty (618-907) for the study of Buddhist scriptures. Although it has been attacked by centuries of weather, war and seismic activity, which destroyed most of the original material of the structure, a pagoda by this name and style still exists on the site. The Tang regime gave orders to build a chamber for the translation of Buddhist scriptures in an effort to have the then widely renowned Master Xuanzang agree to be the head of the temple. Xuanzang was a Buddhist monk who traveled to India, translated Sanskrit scriptures and developed theories of consciousness, karma and rebirth that were adopted by some later popular schools of Buddhism.

The hallowed pagoda is an architectural marvel. It was built with layers of bricks without any cement. The bracket style used in traditional Chinese architecture was also used in the construction of the pagoda. The seams between each layer of bricks and the " prisms' on each side of the pagoda are clearly visible. The grand body of the pagoda with its solemn appearance, simple style and high structure, is indeed a good example of Chinese traditional architecture.


Then you can unwind a bit by taking a leisurely stroll on the Xi’an City Wall. It's the most complete city wall that has survived in China, as well being one of the largest ancient military defensive systems in the world. Xi'an City Wall was erected in the 14th century Ming Dynasty, under the regime of Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang. When Zhu Yuanzhang captured Huizhou, long before the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, he was admonished by a hermit named Zhu Sheng, who told him to "build high walls, store abundant provisions and take your time in proclaiming yourself emperor." If you like, you have the option of renting a bike or a rickshaw on the wall in order to cover more ground in a shorter time.

In the late afternoon, you’ll be driven to the Xian airport, where you will have an evening flight to Shanghai. Upon arrival at the Shanghai airport, you will be met by your guide, who will take you to your hotel. Your lodging will be the 4 star Holiday Inn Downtown Shanghai.

DAY 07 Shanghai (B, L)

Following breakfast, we’ll start our day in Shanghai with a visit to the Jade Buddha Temple. The Jade Buddha Temple is one of the richest and most frequented Buddhist Temples in Shanghai. Jade Buddha Temple in Shanghai is an active temple, with 70 resident monks at the last count. The 70 monks who live and work there can sometimes be seen worshiping. inside, the centerpiece is a 1.9-meter-high white jade Buddha, which was installed here after a monk brought it from Burma to Zhejiang Province in 1882. The seated Buddha, encrusted with jewels, is said to weigh about one thousand kilograms. A smaller, reclining Buddha from the same shipment lies on a redwood bed. In the large hall are three gold-plated Buddhas, and other halls house ferocious-looking deities. Artifacts abound, not all on display, and some 7,000 Buddhist sutras line the walls.

Afterward you’ll have a chance to stroll along Yuyuan Garden. Yuyuan Garden is a famed classical garden, and even though it may be small, it contains numerous pavilions, halls, rockeries, ponds and cloisters, and all have unique characteristics. There are six main scenic areas in the garden: Sansui Hall, Wanhua Chamber, Dianchun Hall, Huijing Hall, Yuhua Hall and the Inner Garden. Each area features several scenic spots within its borders.

Following a Chinese lunch we’ll cap off our day of touring with a visit to the city premier museum, the Shanghai Museum. The Shanghai Museum is a world famous museum of ancient Chinese art and culture. The exterior design of the round dome and the square base symbolizes the ancient idea of a round heaven and a square land. The museum is divided into eleven galleries and three exhibition halls. The eleven Galleries cover most of the major categories of Chinese art: Ancient Bronze, Ancient Ceramics, Paintings, Calligraphy, Ancient Sculpture, Ancient Jade, Coins, Ming and Qing Furniture, Seals, and Minority Nationalities. The museum is a wonderful primer on ancient Chinese culture, and is a must-see when coming to Shanghai.

You will then be dropped off at your hotel for the evening, and you have the option of further exploring shanghai on your own. With all the shops, cafes, and street performances there is more than enough to keep you busy for the night.

DAY 08 Shanghai (B, L)


Your first stop on today’s touring will be the Bund, Shanghai’s most famous and recognizable landmark. The Bund is a waterfront embankment and has been regarded as the symbol of Shanghai for hundreds of years. It affords marvelous views across the river of the Pudong district and its numerous towers. The most famous and attractive sight which is at the west side of the Bund are the 52 various buildings of different architectural styles including Gothic, Baroque, Romanesque, Classicism and the Renaissance.

Across the river we’ll visit he Oriental Pearl TV Tower, the most distinctive landmark of the Shanghai skyline. From the top of the tower you can get marvelous views of the Bund and the east bank of Shanghai.

You will then have free time for the rest of the day. You might want to stroll along West Nanjing Road, which is near the Bund and is Shanghai’s most famed shopping street. In addition to high-street fashion and the usual outlets and stores, open-air bars, abstract sculptures, and lingering sounds from street musicians will enhance your experience. At night flashing neon signs illuminate the magnificent buildings and spangle the night skyline of this lively city.

DAY 09 Depart Shanghai (B)

Following breakfast in the hotel you will be driven to the Shanghai airport, and from there you will fly on to your next destination, ending your tour through the three great Chinese cities.



Package includes:
1.Pickup service from train station to hotel.
2.The transportation between scenic spots
3.Seven nights accommodation based on two persons sharing one standard room in the four star hotel
4 .Soft-sleeper train ticket from Beijing to Xi’an and Flight ticket from Xi’an to Shanghai.
5.Professional local guide
6.Meals indicated in the itineraries
7.The admission of the first gate

 

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