Sublime Mountains & Ancient Villages of China Tour
A Family Tour of China that Leaves You Speechless

Duration: 12 days tour  1 domestic flight
Priced From:   $6,680 pp, do. Under 16: $6,180
Single Sup Fee: $2,270
Visits: Beijing, Anhui Villages, Huang Mountains, Hangzhou, Shanghai

This Sublime Mountains & Ancient Villages Family Tour includes numerous events that enliven the character of China. It is especially designed to reveal Chinese life and culture through hands-on experience.  Some of these activities include:

• Eat a specially prepared lunch at the home of a local Beijing Family

• Enjoy a daily Mandarin phrase class with our tour director

• Meet Giant Pandas face-to-face at the Beijing Zoo, an unforgettable experience

• Fly Chinese kites in the Temple of Heaven

• Practice martial arts at China’s most famous martial arts school

• Wander the streets of 500-year old rural villages; drop by a tofu-making shop

• Learn how silk worms are cultivated in an rural Anhui village

• Ride bicycles in the countryside of rice paddies and tea plantations

• Hike the bamboo forest where the movie “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” was made

• Wander in China’s most stunning scenery in the Huang Mountains

• Learn how longjing tea is made and walk in the tea fields, learning the secrets of picking leaves

• Explore the Hu Xueyan mansion with its dozens of corridors and rooms

• Exchange ideas with the brilliant Chinese students in Shanghai

• Explore the interactive exhibits at Shanghai Science & Technology Museum

• Go to the top of Shanghai’s World Financial Center, the tallest building in Asia.

• Ride the Maglev, China’s fastest train

Beijing Restaurants

Da Dong            Peking duck and northern delicacies style
Ken de Rouge    Chinese fusion style   
Shanglinyuan     Imperial style

Shanghai Restaurants

Dingxiang           Shanghai style     
Lu Bo Lang         Shanghai dim sum style

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’ll 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 culture street with old-time cable cars • National Performing Arts Center and 3 world-class theaters

Shangri-la Hotel in Hangzhou -  Explore:  Picturesque views of West Lake • world-class art museums • Hangzhou people’s lakeside cultural life • boating and water activities • lively arts-and-crafts market

Ritz Carlton Hotel 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 1-2 • U.S. – Beijing
Independent departure from the U.S. on a flight to Beijing. Cross the international dateline and arrive in China the next day. Transfer to the Grand Hotel located in the heart of Beijing.

Day 3 • Beijing
After breakfast, we visit Beijing Zoo and the adorable 8 young Giant Pandas transferred from Wolong in the summer of 2008.  Meeting the pandas face-to-face is a life altering experience.  No one should underestimate the power these “animal deities” have over human beings!

Later, explore Beijing’s 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 lunch at the home of a local family.  

In the afternoon, 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.

We will then learn to fly beautiful Chinese kites on the temple’s grounds.  Kite flying is a Chinese passion and we will learn how it is done (it’s not as simple as it looks).

This evening, savor the imperial city’s most famous delicacy, Peking duck, at the renowned Da Dong Restaurant. (b,l,d)

Day 4 • Beijing
An optional early-morning walk to Changpuhe Park offers an opportunity to observe local residents practicing taiji and qigong.   This newly-constructed park features numerous traditional buildings and pavilions facing onto a variety of Chinese gardens, one of the most successful landscape creations in the country.

Within a matter of minutes we arrive at 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.

Enjoy a fabulous lunch at Ken De Rouge Restaurant featuring fine fusion cuisine.

Later we visit the site of the Beijing Olympics and see the Olympic stadiums known for innovative design. Herzog & de Meuron designed the National Stadium, known as the “Bird’s Nest,” while the firm PTW designed the National Swimming Center, the “Water Cube”.

Tonight dinner is on one’s own. Your guide can assist with recommendations and arrangements.

In the evening we attend a Peking Opera performance, which always proves a crowd-pleaser with the colorful costumes and martial arts routines. (b,l)

Day 5 • Beijing
In the morning we visit the Beijing Martial Arts School. Here, we meet students, practice with the resident teacher, and observe a martial art demonstration.

Then drive to Great Wall of China at Mutianyu. Enjoy the astounding views of the Wall as it winds over the surrounding hills. The Great Wall of China presents a visual experience that consistently exceeds visitors’ expectations.

In the early evening, depart Beijing on the flight to Tunxi in Anhui province.  Where we transit to the International Hotel.  Anhui Province boasts an idyllic landscape of rice cultivation unspoiled by industrialization. Unending greenery gives the impression of vast, well-tended parkland. (b,l,d)

Day 6 • Tunxi
In Anhui, three UNESCO World Heritage Sites are located within short drives of one another. Wander the lanes of Hong Village and Xidi Village, authentic Ming and Qing dynasty villages that preserve some of China’s best rural architecture.

Originally built by rich merchants and imperial officials, Huizhou architecture is famous for its elaborate woodcarvings that embellish small, open courtyards.  After five hundred years, many of the original families still occupy their ancestral estates and are proud to welcome foreign guests into their homes. 

These two villages sit amidst tranquil rice fields and are formed by narrow lanes of family compounds whose walls rise twenty feet or more.  Drop by a local tofu-making shop and see how tofu is made.  Explore the many shops in the village where life goes on as it has for hundreds of years.

Enjoy a traditional lunch at a courtyard home, prepared by the proprietors in Anhui style. (b,l,d)

Day 7 • Tunxi
This morning we ride bikes in the lush countryside of rice paddies and tea plantations.

Stop by a local village that specializes in silk worm production and see how silk is produced.

Then hike the bamboo forest where the movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was filmed.

In the Afternoon, visit Shexian town, famous for its memorial arches, narrow angular lanes, and merchant homes. The old town center of Doushan is noted for its concentration of old homes and stone-lined alleyways

On returning to Tunxi, wander the streets of Laojie, a traditional shopping district begun in the Song era, most of whose buildings today date from the Ming and Qing eras.  The numerous broad, open storefronts convey the welcoming boisterousness of traditional China and the love of moneymaking.  We can see here the roots of the entrepreneurial spirit for which Anhui is famous. (b,l,d)

Day 8 • Huang Mountains
Today we drive to Anhui’s crown jewels, the incomparable Huang Mountains. The cable car ride to the summit reveals the staggering beauty of granite precipices emerging from fog banks.  We walk twenty minutes to the West Sea Hotel and check into modest, yet adequate rooms.

The Huang Mountains are one of the world’s most stunning visual experiences; which explains its listing as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and its sister park relationship with Yosemite National Park in California.   Rising thousands of feet, numerous peaks balance granite escarpments in air and are crowned by solitary pines half-hidden in mists. A short walk from the hotel allows views of stunning scenery in every direction.

Although the highest peak only measures 6,200ft above sea level, the 70 sheer rock cliffs are spectacular to view.  Almost everyone experiences the blissful feeling of departing mankind and entering paradise.  Once at the summit, we can understand why Chinese landscape painters had no need to exaggerate to create their wondrous effects; they merely convey the actuality of Huang granite peaks!

During our time at the summit, choose between short strolls on nearby paths or longer hikes along the summit ridge.  This is precious time for individual exploration and family outings. (b,l,d)

Day 9 • Huang Mountains-Hangzhou
This morning is free to explore the mountains on one’s own.  At points of visual beauty, we may find a few Chinese artists painting the scenery.  Other times, dozens of Chinese students from faraway provinces will be seen converging on a particular place to sketch a homework assignment.  And then, foreigners and Chinese may both be found meditating or performing spiritual rituals to commune with nature.

After lunch we descend the mountain by cable car and then set off to Hangzhou on the new highway, a beautiful journey through undeveloped mountain scenery. Arrive Hangzhou and check in the Shangri-la Hotel by the West Lake. The evening is free and dinner on one’s own. Your guide can assist with recommendations and arrangements. (b,l)

Day 10 • Hangzhou-Shanghai
After breakfast, enjoy a boat ride to the elegant Santanjingyue Isle in the middle of West Lake with traditional architecture and gardens.

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.

At lunch we visit Meijiawu Tea Plantation known for its superb longjing tea.  Meet tea farmers and learn how this ancient art is carried on today.  Walk the tea fields and learn the fine art of leaf picking (the leaf quality determines tea quality).  Then, we enjoy lunch at a tea farmer’s home.

In the early afternoon we tour the grand architectural mansion of the Qing Dynasty merchant, Hu Xueyan.  Countless courtyards lead from one to another, culminating in a grand garden with monumental rock and architectural design.

Then we drive to Shanghai (2 hours).  Check in the Ritz Carlton Hotel downtown. Evening is free and dinner is on one’s own. Your guide can assist with recommendations and arrangements. (b,l)

Day 11 • Shanghai
In the morning we go to Pudong District and visit the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum. This hands-on interactive museum, opened in 2001, has received rave reviews from expatriate families with children. There are five main interactive exhibits, which can be visited in any order.

The "Earth Exploration" exhibit is a journey to the center of the Earth, complete with fossils. "Children's Technoland" has a walk-in heart and brain, as well as a simulated construction zone with soft foam bricks. The vast "Light of Wisdom" area has over a hundred interactive stations that bring scientific principles to life.

"Cradle of Designers" gives you the chance to design your own cards or create your own video. "Spectrum of Life" is a simulated tropical rainforest with robotic beetles and a bat cave. There are also two IMAX 3D cinemas and an iWerks theatre.  The whole family will have a great time here!

Then, take the elevator to the top of the new World Financial Center, the highest building in Asia, for a bird’s eye view of Shanghai, both the new Pudong and the old Puxi districts.

Later, we ride on the famous German technology Maglev Train (magnetic levitation train) speeding at 260 miles an hour. It takes only 8 minutes to reach the Pudong Airport, normally an hour’s drive by car!
 
After lunch we stop by the famous Shanghai Children’s Palace. Here, many talented Shanghai youngsters learn art, music, science and gymnastics after school.  Interact with some of China’s most brilliant children who have been selected for special training here.

This evening, enjoy a memorable farewell banquet at Dingxiang Garden Restaurant.

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 12 • Shanghai – U.S.A.
Transfer to Shanghai airport for your flight home. Arrive in the US on the same day. 
(b)

**Breakfast (b), Lunch (l) and Dinner (d) are included in the day’s program.

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 Elegance of South China in Guilin. 

Please see promotional literature for each of these extensions.

12/09