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13 Days Walking the Wall & Cruising the Yangtze tour package Duration: 13 Days / 12 Nights Priced From: $2,725 (pp , Dbl , Occ ) Dates: Aug 
Lasting just shy of two weeks, our fun-packed China Family Tour gives a comprehensive overview of the intriguing culture and fabulous nature of this, the most populous country in the world. We begin our adventure in the glistening metropolis of Shanghai, a city that predominantly characterizes the country’s modern face, lacking as it does the wealth of ancient architectural legacies of the capital and other major cities. We get our fix of historic exploration on a visit to China’s ‘city of gardens’, which bests all other garden cities both in terms of number and quality of artistry of gardens, and see nature at its most splendid on a boat trip amid spectacular gorges along the Yangtze River. We stop in at historic towns and traditional villages to learn about myths and legends behind ancient settlements and see contemporary life as we glide down the Yangtze to Xi’an, the capital of 11 dynasties and a mediaeval city that was once among the largest and most important in the world. The final few days prove the most memorable on this trip -- quite the feat considering the adventure thus far -- as we have the chance to gaze upon the Terracotta warriors, walk the Great Wall and explore the Forbidden City.
Itinerary Day 1 Arrival in Shanghai Today we arrive in Shanghai and transfer to our hotel. Shanghai, among the two or three largest cities in the world, is China's most populous as well as its most "urban" city. Despite the profound changes in social and economic structure brought on since 1949, Shanghai retains the look and feel of a great Western metropolis, with a population that seems quite at home amidst the press of crowds and the throbbing energy and diversity of city life. In many ways, Shanghai's ambiance is more like that of New York or Rome than that of Beijing or Guangzhou. Overnight in Shanghai. Dinner if required. Day 2 Shanghai: City Tour We spend today exploring Shanghai, starting with the city's famous waterfront promenade, the Bund; and the tranquil Yuyuan Garden. This is possibly the most celebrated classical Chinese Garden in Shanghai. We will visit the Jade Buddha Temple, famous for its two rare statues of Buddha carved out of a single piece of white jade. One depicts Buddha at the moment of his enlightenment and the other as he is passing into Nirvana. The two statues were brought from Burma by a Chinese monk in 1890, eight years after the temple's construction. There are a number of other statues of Buddha, his disciples, angels, and celestial guardians to be seen in the various halls. Many worshippers still attend services here, although most are older people and overseas Chinese. We also visit the world-renown Shanghai Museum which houses sensational works of art from all Chinese periods, beautifully displayed on several floors. Out of a collection of 120,000 pieces, the museum is especially famous for its bronzes, jade, and ceramics. Included in your visit is use of a personal Audioguide which provides an informative commentary on the exhibits. Overnight in Shanghai. Breakfast and dinner. Day 3 Shanghai - Suzhou - Shanghai Today we travel by bus to the nearby historical town of Suzhou, China's well-known "city of gardens", which tops all others in both the number and the artistry of gardens. Dating from Pi Jiang Garden of the Eastern Jing Dynasty, Suzhou's art of gardening has endured for 1,500 years. There were once over 200 gardens in the city, of which 69 are still in good preservation today. Our tour here will include a visit to the Humble Administrator's Garden and the Garden of the Master of Nets. We also visit the Hanshan Temple before returning to Shanghai with the balance of the day at leisure. Overnight in Shanghai. Breakfast and dinner. Day 4 Shanghai - Chongqing - Yangtze Cruise Your morning is free in Shanghai. Later today we fly to Chongqing. Chongqing is the main starting point for downstream cruises along the Yangtze River gorges, a stunning riverine passage. The famous gorges of the Yangtze lie in a 189 km (118 mile) stretch between Chongqing and Yichange: Qutang Gorge, Wu Gorge, and Xiling Gorge. Towering mountains drop almost perpendicularly into the river as if hewn by an axe. The spectacular grandeur of these walls and the turgid river that roars through them have long been the subjects of China's romantic poets and painters. To boatmen and navigators, however, they meant dangerous bends, shallows, rapids, and reefs. Adding to these difficulties are a fast current (prior to recent man-made changes in the "green shallows," the flow reached 7.9 m/s) and a variation of as much as 53 m (175 feet) in the river level between dry and flooded seasons. Yet boats have plied this part of the Yangtze since the Western Zhou Dynasty (1066-771 BC). Foreigners who travelled this fabled stretch in the early 1900s recount that it took anywhere from 20 to 60 days to traverse the 648 km (405 mile) stretch between Yichang at the mouth of the gorges and Chongqing. The first power boat trip up the Yangtze from Yichang took place in 1898. We board our cruise this evening. Yangtze cruise ships are generally about 300 ft long with an average capacity of about 150 passengers. A typical boat will have 4 decks and various amenities such as ballroom, beauty salon, business center, shopping boutique, game room, reading room, satellite phone/TV, restaurants and coffee shop. Cabins are outward-facing with lower twin berths, picture windows, ample closet space, en suite bath and toilet, and air conditioning. PLEASE NOTE: The programme for the Yangtze cruise may vary depending on which cruise ship we have contracted for our tour, ie on some trips this night, or the last night on the cruise, may be spent on shore, on others it may be spent on board the ship. Sailing can either be upstream or downstream, and the start / end points of the sailing can either be Wuhan or Yiching. This itinerary should give you a very accurate sense of the activities over the next few days, though the exact itinerary can be changed without notice and can be affected by such variables as water level, weather, etc. Overnight in Chongqing or Yangtze River cruise. Breakfast and dinner. Day 5 Yangtze Cruise: Fengdu Today we have an excursion to the town of Fengdu, said to be the abode of devils and ghosts. Situated on the northern bank of the river between Zhongxian and Fuling, the city was once depicted as the 'City of Ghosts' in two ancient Chinese classic works: "Monkey King" and "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio". The origin of the town's extraordinary reputation can be traced back to the Han Dynasty (206 BC - AD 220) when two officials, Yin and Wang, became Taoist recluses here and eventually Immortals. Later in Tang Dynasty their names when combined mean "King of the Under World". Today tourists come to visit temples and shrines dedicated to the gods of the underworld. Landmarks here bear horrific names: Last-Glance-at-Home Tower, Nothing-to-be-done Bridge and Ghost Torturing Pass. Later we continue the cruise through the Qutang and Wu gorges. Our river guide will talk about the historic sites, including Ancient Plank Road, Bellows Gorge (Fengxiang Xia), Chalk Wall (Fenbi Tang) and the 12 lofty and misty peaks and precipices in the Wu Gorge. Overnight Yangtze River Cruise. All meals. Day 6 Yangtze Cruise Today we make an excursion along the Shennong Stream, which starts at Mt Shennong Jia in Hubei Province north of the Yangtze. It is comprised of Parrot Gorge and Dragon Boot Gorge, both with breathtaking scenery. Moving through the treacherous gorges with lush pine and translucent water, visitors can see spectacular sights like ancient suspension coffins and aquatic caves. Later today (or tomorrow morning) we have an excursion to the Three Gorges Dam, taking a bus across the Three Gorges Bridge which leads toward the top of the hill for a birds-eye view of the construction from the observation deck. Visitors will observe the five-step ship lock, the diversion canal, the dam in construction, and the power station. Our guide will provide detailed information on the history of the dam and facts on its construction. In addition, an exhibition room displays a model of the dam and surrounding buildings. Overnight Yangtze River Cruise. All meals. Day 7 Yangtze Cruise - Yichang - Wuhan This morning we arrive in Yichang and our Yangtze River cruise ends. We continue to Wuhan by road (there are no direct flights from Yiching to Xi'an). Wuhan is situated at the confluence of the Han and Yangtze rivers. Wuhan's strategic location has also made it the third most important military center in China, a role that has considerable historical precedence. Battles fought here at the turn of the century accompanied the fall of the Qing Dynasty. In 1949, Communist forces in this sector won key victories over the last pockets of Guomindang resistance, paving the way to their final victory. Today, Wuhan is the capital of Hubei Province and the largest city in Central China, with a population of 7.3 million. Overnight in Wuhan. Breakfast and dinner. Day 8 Wuhan - Xi'an Our journey continues with a flight to Xi'an, the ancient capital of 11 dynasties and one of the largest medieval cities in the world when visited by Marco Polo. Of all cities on our itinerary, Xi'an and its history most vividly exemplify the extraordinary continuity of Chinese civilization. Only in recent years, however, has Xi'an become well-known outside of China, owing to the 1974 discovery of the astonishing burial site of emperor Qin Shi Huangdi (3rd century BC). To the north of the city lie the rugged Western Hills, dotted with ancient combs and the Wei River which forms a natural boundary. The entire region south of the river is fertile, suitable for growing cotton and coarse grains. The city's impressive ancient walls and wide avenues are laid out in orderly grid patterns. While in Xi'an, we will visit the museum dedicated to the tomb known as Han Yangling, located near the airport.* Built in 2005 and regarded as one of the best of its kind in the world, the museum showcases not only the resting place of the occupant, Jing Di, but also how he and others lived during his time, the second century BC. The displays are exquisitely and sensitively done; the piles of hundreds of artifacts, in situ, are like a modern work of "found" art. *NOTE: depending on flight times, we may visit Han Yangling today, as above, or prior to our departure from Xi'an. Overnight in Xi'an. Breakfast and dinner. Day 9 Xi'an: Terra Cotta Warriors Today we view the Terra Cotta Warriors, an impressive legion of thousands of life-size terra cotta warriors that has been guarding the emperor's burial site for over 2,000 years. In 1974, a group of peasants digging a well in Lintong County, about 30 km east of Xi'an, accidentally made one of the century's greatest archeological discoveries. What they stumbled upon were thousands of life-size terra cotta warriors; an estimated 8,000 figures have thus far been identified. We will visit pits 1, 2, and 3 as well as the amazing Bronze Charriots. We also visit the Great Mosque, a five minute walk from the Drum Tower in the center of Xi'an. Inscriptions from the stone tablets indicate that the Great Mosque, located at Huajue Lane, was established in AD 742 during the Tang Dynasty. After restorations in the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, the present complex proudly ranks among the largest mosques in China. Unlike Arabic mosques which have splendid domes, minarets reaching into the clouds, and colourful engraved sketches with dazzling patterns, the mosque is built in a Chinese traditional style with the grounds taken up by platforms, pavilions and halls. Finally we visit the Shaanxi Historical Museum, the largest museum in the province. Time permitting, we might also visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and the Bell Tower from where you have a spectacular view of all four of Xi'an's city gates. While in Xi'an, we will enjoy a "dumpling banquet" for which this area is famous. Overnight in Xi'an. Breakfast and dinner. Day 10 Xi'an - Beijing Today we fly to Beijing, the capital of the People's Republic of China. While many of its elements are common to other Chinese cities, the sum of this city--its scope and presence in history--has no equivalent in China or anywhere else in the world. Beijing is not only the political and administrative center of the People's Republic of China, it is also China's greatest repository of monuments and treasures from the imperial era. It is also the second-largest and fastest growing municipality in today's China, the home and workplace of +/-9.3 million people. Overnight in Beijing. Breakfast and dinner. Day 11 Beijing: Great Wall & Summer Palace This morning we travel north of Beijing to the Great Wall of China. A walk along the enormous undulating towered and turreted wall is spectacular. Rising and falling in concert with the ridges of the northern hills and undulating far off into the distance, the Great Wall consistently exceeds visitors' expectations and remains one of humankind's most remarkable accomplishments. The wall's construction began during the Warring States Period (403-221 BC), when separate sections were built in scattered strategic areas. Following China's unification under the first Qin Emperor, Qin Shi Huangdi (221-206 BC), 300,000 men--many of them political prisoners whose bodies are buried in the wall--were put to work connecting the segments into one huge rampart of stone and earth. We will have plenty of free time to explore the wall before returning to Beijing early this afternoon. After lunch we will have a tour of the The Summer Palace, located in the northwest area of the city. During the late Qing Dynasty this was the summer retreat from Beijing's heat for the imperial family and court. Originally created as an imperial garden by Emperor Qianlong, it was destroyed and plundered during the Second Opium War in 1860. In 1888 the notorious Empress Cixi used the money intended for the Chinese Navy to build this opulent summer retreat for herself. In 1900 the Summer Palace was damaged extensively once again during the Boxer Rebellion, but was rebuilt shortly thereafter. Equally famous as the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace is called "Yiheyuan" (Garden of Nurtured Harmony) in Chinese. It is up to now the best preserved and the largest imperial gardens in China. Overnight in Beijing. Breakfast and dinner. Day 12 Beijing: Forbidden City & Temple of Heaven We begin today with a visit to Tian'anmen Square, the place where one million students rallied for democracy in 1989. This is the largest public square in the world. Originally built in 1651, the square was quadrupled in size in 1958 to its present 40.5 hectares (100 acres) during a massive city-wide reconstruction program. Each flagstone is numbered so that parade units can line up in their assigned places. From here we walk to the Forbidden City, a huge complex of palaces, pavilions, courtyards and gardens, which was off-limits to commoners for 500 years. This is where the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties carried out their administration and lived, now open as a Palace Museum. This afternoon we visit the Temple of Heaven, completed in 1420, and expanded over the years by two Qing Dynasty Emperors. Qinian Hall, the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, with the three blue-tiled cone-shaped roofs, has become a worldwide symbol of Beijing. It was hit by lightning in 1889 and completely restored. No nails or pegs were used in the original construction nor in the restoration. Overnight in Beijing. Breakfast and dinner. Day 13 Departure Departure from Beijing. Breakfast. BON VOYAGE! Save time, money and stress! For reservations: Fill out the vacation planner to be contacted by our China vacation specialist. Contact : Travelwizard.com Phone: 1-800-330-8820 or 1-415-446-5252 8/08 |
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