12-Day
Tours of Beijing/ Xian/ Lhasa/ Shanghai |
day
1 | Beijing
Arrive at Beijing airport,
where our guide will greet and transfer you to the 5-star Prime Hotel in which
you will stay for three nights. This newly decorated hotel is located in the famous
Wangfujing Street. You can have a stroll in the vehicle-free street after you
check in. |
day 2 | Beijing
Today
you will see some of the contrasting sights of Beijing, our capital city. Your
first stop will be at Tian'anmen Square, the largest public square in the world.
Dominating the north side of the square is the massive red Tian'anmen Gate through
which you will pass into the fabled Forbidden City and another age, where you
will be shown the home to the members of the royal family and their court in China's
Ming and Qing Dynasties. After lunch you will visit the imposing Temple of Heaven
where the Emperor came each year to intercede with the Gods for a good and plentiful
harvest. To round off a memorable start to your tour, you will have Beijing Duck
Dinner at the most famous and century-old Quan Ju De restaurant followed by the
fascinating Peking Opera performance. (B+L+D) |
day
3 | Beijing
After breakfast, you will
make your way to the Badaling Great Wall where you will have the opportunity to
not only see one of the most impressive sections of the Great Wall of China but
you will be able to take a walk along it. After lunch you will travel some 30
miles (50 kilometers) northwest of Beijing to the Sacred Way with its fabulous
stone animals. It leads you to the Ming Tombs in the shadow of Longevity Mountain.
A visit to the Underground Palace of Dingling, will allow you to see imperial
coffins, burial artifacts and treasures. We arrange you to have a fresh and a
buffet dinner in your hotel after you have a big day to the Great Wall and the
Ming tombs. (B+L+D) |
day
4 | Beijing/Xian
This morning you
will visit the favourite haunt of the Dowager Empress, the Summer Palace. Walking
in this veritable museum of classical Chinese garden architecture that the royal
family could relax away from the formal ceremony of the court is quite a pleasant
experience. There are a number of pavilions as well as the Long Corridor that
is now a popular place for people to spend the day on. After lunch, we take an
internal flight to the ancient former capital city of Xian. Visit the ancient
Xian City Wall from the 14th century, one of the most important city walls in
China on your way downtown to the 5-star Hyatt Regency Hotel that is to be your
home for the next two nights. To celebrate your arrival in Xian you will enjoy
a local speciality, the Dumpling Dinner, the popular food in the Chinese Lunar
New Year. (B+L+D) |
day
5 | Xian
Following breakfast in the
hotel, you set out for yet another highlight of your tour; the Terracotta Warriors
Museum. The thousands of life size soldiers and horses were created to guard the
tomb of Qin Shi Huangdi, the first Emperor to unite China under his firm rule.
The royal tomb itself has yet to be opened but the rank upon rank of Warriors
is a sight that is unrivalled anywhere in the world. After lunch, you will visit
the Provincial History Museum with its richest collection of artifacts in China.
Your last visit for the afternoon will be to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. The square,
seven-storey pagoda was built in 652 AD and is a fine example of Tang Dynasty
Buddhist architecture. Tonight, you will attend the deluxe Tang Dynasty Dinner
Show at the famous Tang Dynasty Palace where fine food and spectacular entertainment
bring another outstanding day to a close. (B+L+D) |
day
6 | Xian
To start your morning, you will
have a unique chance to approach the mysterious and ancient art of Tai Chi Chuan,
a 300-year old traditional Chinese martial arts, also known as shadow or Chinese
Tai Chi Boxing. Now it is a popular exercise for Chinese to keep health. Gain
the real experience of playing Tai Chi with local Chinese before your exploration
of some of the sights. Freshly stimulated in body and mind, drive 70 miles west
of Xian and you will then visit Qianling, the joint mausoleum of Emperor Gaozong
and Wu Zetian, the only woman to rule China in her own right and Qianling Museum.
While the main tomb has never been excavated, the tomb of Princess Yongtai, granddaughter
of Empress Wu, has been opened and is of great interest. As a contrast you visit
the farmers' caves before you move on to Xianyang Terracotta Museum. Situated
on the site of the capital of the Qin Dynasty that unified China in 221 BC, the
exhibits include a model of the first emperor's palace as well as other artefacts
from the site. Then you are transfered back to Xian. Having visited the sites
and the family, you are served the most famous Xian local food named Yang Rou
Pao Mo for your dinner. After the dinner, you must have a thorough understanding
of this old city as well as its people. (B+L+D) |
day
7 | Xian/Lhasa
After breakfast you drive
to the airport for your morning flight to Lhasa via Chengdu, situated 3,650 metres
above sea level. You have lunch on the plane and upon landing you will visit the
Nietang Buddha prior to being invited into the home of a typical Tibetan family.
Unique local Tibetan tea will be offered. Your home here will be the 4-star Lhasa
Hotel, the best in the city. We arrange the dinner in your hotel to ensure you
have better appetite to acclimate the high altitude condition in that region.
(B+D) |
day 8 | Lhasa
Today you will see some of the wonderful sights of Lhasa, commencing with the
magnificent Potala Palace, Tibet's best-known landmark. Your second stop will
be the Tibet Museum and the third stop will be at the Jokhang Temple, home of
the most precious of the Buddha images in the region. Brought from Chang'an (what
is now Xian ) by the Tang Princess Wen Cheng when she married Tibetan King Songsten
Gampo, the Sakyamuni Buddha is truly magnificent. Then walk through the colourful
bazaar on Barkhor Street known as the Pilgrims' Way prior to visiting a carpet
factory where you can marvel at the skill of the carpet weavers and admire the
Buddhist designs. Finally, before returning to the hotel you will pay a visit
to the Tibetan Traditional Medicine Hospital (Mentsikhang) where herbal remedies
abound and are considered highly beneficial. (B+L+D) |
day
9 | Lhasa
Lhasa is famous for its monasteries
and this morning you will visit both the Drepung Monastery and Sera Monastery.
Drepung was once the largest and wealthiest and a Yellow Hat monastery where the
Dalai Lamas were trained. Sera was a strong rival for importance and had three
Tantric Colleges, famous for their Bon tradition of teaching. Your tour will then
take you to Norbulingka Park ( Jewel Park ). This is the old summer palace of
the Dalai Lamas and has fine palaces, pavilions, gardens and ponds. This evening
you will have a traditional Tibetan Dinner with entertainment provided by a small
group of Tibetan dancers. (B+L+D) |
day
10 | Lhasa/Shanghai
Take flight to Shanghai
via Chengdu. On arrival in Shanghai; you will transfer to the 5-star Hua Ting
Hotel & Towers, which was formerly the Sheraton Hotel for a two-night stay.
(B+D) |
day 11 | Shanghai
Shanghai is a city that must be seen to be appreciated. You will see something
of its history at the Shanghai Museum on People's Square with its fine collection
of cultural relics. Then you go to the Yuyuan Garden. Laid out in the 16th century
by a Ming official, this small (2 hectares) garden is a delight of pools, pavilions
and rock gardens.Strolling through the bazaar surrounding the garden, you will
find lines of stores that sells traditional Chinese arts and crafts. Next comes
The Bund, one of the most famous thoroughfares in China and here you will see
a collection of buildings dating from the 1930's displaying their western influence
and fulfilling the role of the commercial heart of Shanghai. Leaving the ancient
for the modern you visit the TV Tower of the Oriental Pearl situated in the thriving
Pudong area of the city dominated by the 88-storey Jin Mao building. This evening
you will mark the end of your tour with a Farewell Dinner at the famous Seagull
Palace, which allows you to enjoy gourmet food while appreciating the fascinating
view of both the old Bund and the new Shanghai. Upon returning to the Hotel our
tour guide will see you in the lobby to say a last goodbye. (B+L+D) |
day
12 | After breakfast you will go to the airport
for your homeward flight by yourselves. If you have no plans to go home right
away, we would suggest you choose optional private city tours to extend your adventure!
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