Itinerary:
1. Arrive
Beijing; transfer to hotel; visit Temple of
Heaven
 , a
place where the "sons of heavens" used to come to
pray for bountiful harvest; sightseeing of the
vanishing small streets and lanes of Old Beijing;
dinner - Beijing Duck, local
specialty
(optional).
2. Full day sightseeing
of the Great Wall
, one
of the largest structures ever built by mankind;
evening performance of the Beijing Opera
(optional)
3. Beijing: sightseeing
Summer Palace
of
Chinese emperors on the banks of Lake Kunming in the
foothills of the Western Mountains, as well as other
historical gems of the town - Temple of Confucius.
4. Beijing: sightseeing
of Forbidden City
, one
of the largest temple complexes in the world; stroll
through
the Tiananmen Square (Gate of
Heavenly Peace); night
transfer by train.
5. Xi'an (Si-an):
visit the legendary
Terracotta Army
of
Emperor Qin's tomb (the
First Chinese Emperor of the Qin (Chin) Dynasty)
- 8,000+
life-sized terracotta figures, warriors and horses,
speculated that many contained treasures and
sacrificial objects that were to accompany the
emperor in his after life;
monumental fortification, Grand Minaret, evening
stroll through the Muslim quarter.
6. Xi'an: Taoist
Monastery of Eight Immortals, Pagoda of Little Wild
Goose (7th century); afternoon and night transfer by
train.
7. Chengdu (Tchheng-tu): the unique panda
breeding and research center; sightseeing the temple
complex of Giant Buddha
, the
largest Buddha statue in the world – 71 m); transfer
to Spa Baoguosi (Pao-kuo-s').
8. – 9. Ascent of
Mount
Emei
(3099
m), or by vehicle, one of the five holy Buddhist
mountains, overnight in pilgrims rest house; watch
impressive sunrise, sightseeing of temples on the
summit as well as along the way; descent/or
drive down to Baoguo; night transfer by sleeper train.
10. Full day transfer by
hired minibus to Lijiang (Li-ťiang), through
stunning landscape of south-western China; en route
cross Yangzi River, the Long River; stroll through the town.
11. At the threshold of
Tibet: sightseeing of
600 year old Lijiang
,
inhabited by Naxi minority; cyclo or taxi tour of
surrounding villages and temples; visit local
holistic doctor.
12. Lijiang: easy and
unforgettable hike of the nearly 4 km-deep
Leaping Tiger Gorge - one of the deepest
chasms in the world, where the Yangzi River flows
16km between the 3,900 meter tall mountains,
and the nearby 5596 m-high
Snow Mountain of Jade Dragon; palace of the
former governing family Mu.
13. Transfer to small
town of Dali (Ta-li) on the banks of Lake Erhai (Er-hai); cable car or on horseback to the
Temple of Harmony and Justice, great view of the
lake below.
14. Dali: boat ride on
the Lake Erhai (optional), visiting local
fishing villages and markets; Three Pagodas -
temple complex of pagodas dating back to 9th
century, largest of which is 70 m high; nigh
transfer to Kunming.
15. Kunming (Khun-ming)
– "city of perpetual spring": trip to the unique
Stone Forest with 30 m-high limestone towers.
16. Flight to Guilin
(Kuei-lin) and transfer to Yangshuo (Jang-shuo),
small town in fairy tale landscape of limestone
mounds; boat ride on River Li navigating in between
the picturesque mountains.
17. Yangshuo: full day
trip sightseeing of the terraced rice fields in the
region called Dragon's Back with a lunch in a
traditional house of a minority group called Zhuang
(Chuang) or rest and shop for souvenirs in town.
18. Yangshuo: full day
but easy trip by bicycle or car in between the rice fields;
ascent of Moon Mountain (380 m) offering stunning
views of endless limestone mounds all around; night
transfer by bus.
19. Shenzhen (Shen-chen):
Chinese super-modern city, harmony of
subtropical nature with modern architecture;
sightseeing circuit ending at the beach of South
China Sea.
20. Hong Kong:
morning cross the border to Hong Kong, transfer to
hotel; Hong Kong park with the Museum of Tea
Porcelain; cock railway to Victoria Peak with
fantastic views of the entire island, busy streets
of a city of a third millennium, shopping for
souvenirs or electronics; enjoying nighttime
atmosphere of Kowloon; departure or continue on
extended version of the tour (return back to
Shenzhen.)
Extended version of the Grand China tour:
21. Shenzhen - fly to Shanghai; sightseeing Bund
along Huangpu River, a showcase of Shanghai city
center, a hangout of Shanghai elite in the thirties
of 20th century; commercial boulevard Nanking;
22. Shanghai: old China town; French
and British colonial architecture;
Temple of the Jade Buddha.
23. Suzhou (Su-chou):
world-famous gardens
,
which
were actually the villas of retired court officials
and wealthy merchants; boat
ride on the Emperor's Canal ("Chinese
Venice"); possible visit of silk
factory.
24. Suzhou - Zhouzhuang (Chou-chuang):
morning meditation in the Master
the Fishnet Garden; transfer to a small
picturesque town of
Zhouzhuang of
many canals and architecture of Qing and Ming
dynasties.
25. Shanghai:
sightseeing of a
"City of the Next Millennium" -
Putong (Phu-thung); 421m high Jinmao
building; optional ride on the fastest magnetic
train in the world; departure.
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