Chinese Fine Arts & High Cuisine Tour
A Taste of Refined Elegance

Duration: 11 day tour • 1 domestic flight
Priced From:   $6,730 pp, do.
Single Sup Fee: $2,530
Visits: Beijing, Hangzhou, Fuchun Resort, Shanghai

Over the last decade, the culinary arts of China have been rediscovered in spectacular fashion.  We can say without exaggeration that Chinese cuisine is the world’s most refined and complex cooking tradition.  Our tour itinerary features the finest restaurants in both north and south China, each one renowned for its lovely interior and distinctive culinary style.   In our view, fine touring means a feast for the palate as well as for the eyes. Below are some of the restaurants we will enjoy and their culinary specialties:

Beijing Restaurants

Tiandiyijia         Imperial and southern style-cuisine    First Dinner Banquet
Da Dong           Peking duck and northern delicacies 
Naoki               French-Japanese inspired-cuisine      Second Dinner Banquet

Hangzhou Restaurants

Hubin 28  Yangzhou, Ningbo, Suzhou style-cuisine  
Fuchun Resort Asian Corner  Huaiyang style-cuisine    Third Dinner Banquet

Shanghai Restaurants

Whampoa Club      Shanghainese cuisine    Fourth Dinner Banquet
Lu Bo Lang            Shanghai dim sum

The key for a successful tour is to choose the best hotel locations.  In our view hotels should be located in historic districts where city life is so rich.  A few steps outside the lobby, we enter a completely new world.  We have selected hotels with this idea in mind; and below you’ll find some of the highlights you may enjoy during free time:

Grand Hotel in Beijing - So much to explore here, including: Tiananmen Gate (you can ascend to the observation deck) • Tiananmen Square and Mao’s Mausoleum • lovely Changpuhe Park • shopping on neon-lit Wangfujing Street • Legation District and fine western dining • new Qianmen market street with old-time cable cars • National Performing Arts Center and 3 world-class theaters

Hyatt Hotel in Hangzhou - Explore:  Picturesque views of West Lake • water fountains choreographed to music • Hangzhou people’s lakeside cultural life • elegant fashion boutiques • lively arts-and-crafts market

Ritz Carlton in Shanghai - Explore:  Huangpu River and Shanghai lovers’ lane • colonial Bund and its old cosmopolitanism  • audacious Pudong skyscrapers • city life at People’s Park

Day 3 • Beijing
After breakfast, we begin our China exploration with a tour of the Capital Museum, jointly designed by French architect Jean-Marie Duthilleul and Chinese architect Cui Kai. Tour their special collections of art and antiquities from the early dynasties.
 
Then, go to the picturesque Houhai District, where well-preserved courtyard homes and narrow hutong alleys border tree-lined lakes. Tour the district by “pedicab” for a closer and more engaging experience of traditional Chinese life. We enjoy delicious home cooking at the home of a local family.  

Next, visit the 798 Dashanzi Art and Culture District. This renovated factory area is known as the “Soho” of Beijing.  More than 80 gallery spaces, as well as artist studios, fashion boutiques, and design ateliers make this contemporary Chinese art scene one of the most exciting in the world. Exhibitions feature an international range of established and emerging artists, providing a concentrated glimpse of the “new art” of China.

This evening we saunter through Changpuhe Park, one of Beijing’s most successful new gardens; and later, enjoy our first dinner banquet at the prestigious Tiandiyijia Restaurant.   The set menu includes more than 12 dishes in the imperial and southern styles. (b,l,d)
Breakfast (b), lunch (l) and dinner (d) are included in the day’s program.

Day 4 • Beijing
An optional early-morning walk to Changpuhe Park offers an opportunity to observe local residents practicing taiji and qigong.  

Our touring begins today as we enter the gate of the Forbidden City, the abiding symbol of imperial China. Truly one of the great achievements of civilization, its construction employed hundreds of thousands of workers between 1406 and 1420. Marvel at its expansive architecture, magnificent imperial gardens, and many museums of Chinese antiquities and treasures.

Stop by the Olympic Village to marvel at the new stadiums made famous by the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Herzog & de Meuron designed the National Stadium–the “Bird’s Nest;” and the firm PTW designed the National Swimming Center–the “Water Cube.”

For lunch, savor the imperial city’s most famous delicacy, Peking duck, at the renowned Da Dong Restaurant.

After lunch, we explore the Temple of Heaven, one of the finest creations of the Ming Dynasty. This stunning architecture realizes the great Chinese desire to incarnate heaven in material form, and represents the most advanced principles of mechanics and geometry of the time.

Dinner is on one’s own this evening. Your guide can assist with recommendations and arrangements.

** Our recommendation is to explore the fine restaurants at the Legation Quarter.  After dinner, walk to the nearby Qianmen emporium, a newly renovated old market district complete with cable car.

** Or, you may choose to attend a performance at the new National Grand Theater, lovingly dubbed the “Big Egg.” Designed by French architect Paul Andreau, the building took ten years to construct. This complex is built with 25,000 titanium plates and 15,000 glass panels and houses three state-of-the-art theaters.  Not unexpectedly, it is the most expensive theater facility ever built in the world. (b,l)

Day 5 • Beijing 
Today, we head north from Beijing for the Great Wall of China. Encounter this extraordinary rampart at Mutianyu, a rugged section of the wall that offers easy access by foot or cable car. As is usually the case, the Great Wall presents a visual experience that dramatically exceeds visitors’ expectations. Construction of a few miles of the wall on such jagged peaks seems near miraculous, but the rampart stretches for 3,700 miles and passes through 16 provinces.

Lunch is at Xiao Long Pu Restaurant, a local favorite with foreigners.

In the late afternoon visit the Summer Palace.  Explore the beautiful grounds, cruise the lovely Kunming Lake, and stroll through the royal gardens. Also, walk the Painted Gallery, the longest covered walkway in China famous for its exquisite landscape paintings.

Then enjoy an optional wine tasting event at the new Aman at Summer Palace, a luxury property operated by Aman Resorts–one of the world’s premier boutique hotel proprietors.  We will savor international wine favorites as well as taste acclaimed Chinese wines.

Then, our second dinner banquet is at Naoki, the French-Japanese restaurant in the Aman at Summer Palace.   The set menu of 11 dishes is the creation of the resident Japanese chef, Naoki Okumura, who combines the best of French haute cuisine with the artistry and tastes of Japanese kaiseki.  (b,l,d)

Day 6 • Hangzhou
This morning, we fly to Hangzhou and check in the Hyatt Hotel located on West Lake.  Lunch is on one’s own.

Tour the elegant Qing Dynasty Guo Zhuang Garden near the hotel and stop by the lovely Quyuanfenghe Park, end our walking tour on the famous Su Causeway built by the famous Song Dynasty artist Su Dong-po.

Then we enjoy a boat ride to the elegant Santanjingyue Isle in the middle of West Lake.

Dinner is at Hubin 28 Restaurant, one of the best restaurants in Hangzhou, and located in the Hyatt Hotel. With the emphasis on the very best, freshest ingredients, the menu features uncomplicated, seasonal fare highlighted with classic dishes prepared by specialty chefs from the surrounding cities of Hangzhou, Nanjing, Suzhou and Wuxi. An example may be Beggars Chicken, a dish served at the table still encased in clay and cracked open with a mallet.  (b,d)

Day 7 • Hangzhou
Morning walk in the lovely Huagang Park, an elegant tree-lined park along West Lake.

Then, tour the National Silk Museum, the best museum in the country for the history and cultivation of silk production.

For lunch, we visit Meijiawu Tea Plantation, growing the most famous Chinese longjing tea.  Meet tea farmers and learn about the ancient traditions of tea cultivation.  Enjoy lunch at a tea farmer’s home.

Then we tour the Buddhist Lingyin Temple. Built in 326 CE, this temple gained importance during the Five Dynasties (907-960 CE) and remains a significant Chan Buddhist center in south China today.

In the afternoon we visit the South Song Imperial Ceramics Museum, the site of a 12th century dragon kiln.

Before dinner, tour the grand mansion of the famous Qing Dynasty merchant, Hu Xueyan. There are hundreds of courtyard rooms with traditional architecture and landscape. Renovation work is newly finished and the old grandeur returns to this lovely place.

Dinner is on one’s own this evening. Your guide can assist with recommendations and arrangements. (b,l)

Day 8 • Fuchun Resort
After breakfast, take a 45 minutes drive to Fuchun Resort, a deluxe 5 star resort with 18-hole golf course nestled in a gorgeous tea plantation.  The reason this is a must visit location is that the hotel and clubhouse buildings are based on the principles of Song dynasty architecture. All spaces at the resort carry through the Chinese architectural style with an unparalleled elegance.

Lunch is on one’s own at the clubhouse. The afternoon is devoted to personal exploration of the extensive facilities.  One may avail oneself of golfing opportunities and/or spa treatments.

Our third dinner banquet is at Asian Corner Restaurant in the resort.  The set menu of 10 courses features Huaiyang cuisine.  The Asian Corner menu offers a mouth-watering array of traditional and contemporary Asian cuisines and styles, featuring light, health-conscious regional dishes and incorporating the freshest ingredients from the Hangzhou and Fuyang areas. Signature dishes include Fuchun ‘Dong Po’ Pork and the renowned Fuchun Longjing Tea Chicken and Shrimp. (b,d)
Day 9 • Shanghai
This morning, drive to Shanghai, about three hours via expressway. Upon arrival, check in the Ritz Carlton Hotel located in the heart of downtown.

Lunch is at the rooftop restaurant Kathleen 5 in the Shanghai Art Museum with a view of People’s Park.

We also visit the Shanghai Urban Museum, which showcases models of old Shanghai and a 360 degree virtual theater tour.

This evening tour Xintiandi, a stylish restaurant, gallery, and shopping complex in the old French Concession. The developer Ben Wood is famous for recycling the original warren of the old apartments torn down for this new development. You may enjoy dinner here from a wide selection of restaurants. (b,l)

Day 10 • Shanghai
In the morning, tour Shanghai Museum, viewing its extensive and superb collections of Chinese bronze, jade, ceramics, furniture, painting and calligraphy.

Lunch is at Lu Bo Lang Restaurant, famous for Shanghai dim sum.

After lunch, go to Yuyuan Gardens, which is designed in six unique parts, which makes the garden seem much larger than it really is.  We find one of the best Ming rockeries here, and wending the zigzag bridge to Huxingting Teahouse is a delight.

Since there is so much to do in Shanghai, and so little time to do it, the afternoon is free for shopping and personal exploration.  There is an optional visit to #50 Moganshan Artists Compound, where many of Shanghai’s leading artists showcase their works.

This evening we enjoy our fourth dinner banquet at the Whampoa Club, one of the most sought-after dining experiences in the city.  Here Shanghai cuisine is the specialty.

After dinner enjoy a final walk on the Bund, taking a last look at the European-styled bank buildings and trading houses on one side of the river and the brand new contemporary Pudong skyline on the other. (b,l,d)

Day 11 • Shanghai – U.S.
Today transfer to the airport for your flight home.  Arrive in the US on the same day.  (b)

This tour features both pre- and post-tour extensions.

Our tour extensions are based on the travel principle of focusing on distinctive regions of China to absorb their individual character.  Rather than rushing through the country, we prefer to spend an extended period in one place and get to know the nuances of its culture and natural environment.  China lends itself to this kind of touring for its regions vary immensely from each other, and so reward the traveler interested in the subtle beauties to be found there.

Pre-tour extensions include the 1-day What’s New in Beijing Day Tour & the 3-day Imperial Grandeur at the Chengde Imperial Resort.

Post-tour extensions include the 5-day Grand Mountains and Ancient Villages in Anhui & the 5-day Elegance of South China in Guilin. 

Please see promotional literature for each of these extensions.

12/09