An Adventure into China’s Spirit & Soul Tour
Wending our Way through an Ancient Walled City,  Sprawling Family Mansions, Song Dynasty Imperial Halls, Sacred Religious Mountains, & Astounding Buddhist Grottoes

Duration: 12 days tour •  2 domestic flights
Priced From:   $6,090 pp, do.
Single Sup Fee: $2,140
Visits: Beijing, Taiyuan, Pingyao, Wutai Mountain, Datong

An Adventure into China’s Spirit & Soul Tour Itinerary

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.  This evening is a good time to adjust to Beijing life with a stroll to nearby Tiananmen Square or Wangfujing Street.

Day 3 • Beijing
Old and new China beckon outside our hotel and nearby is the imperial architectural axis that runs from Qianmen Gate, to the grand halls of the Forbidden City, to Jingshan Hill. This line demarcates the center of the Chinese universe–which is to say, all things cultural, social, political, and spiritual find their source here.  For the next few days we will experience the immense power of the city that radiates from a layout designed years ago in the Ming Dynasty.

This morning, we enter the precincts of the immense complex 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.
 
Afterwards, visit the beautiful grounds of the Summer Palace. The Palace was built in 1888 for the Empress Dowager Ci Xi, using funds originally intended for the Qing Imperial Navy. Saunter through the exquisite royal gardens and cruise on lovely Kunming Lake. Also walk the Painted Gallery, the longest garden walkway in China, famous for its lake views.

On the way back, drive 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.”

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.

Next, head northeast 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.

In the afternoon, 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.

Tonight, we enjoy a special banquet at the Shanglinyuan Restaurant in lovely Beihai Imperial Park. (b,l,d)

Day 5 • Taiyuan
We take a flight to Taiyuan. Upon arrival, we are met by our local guide and visit Shanxi Museum, where important collections showcase the province’s priceless artifacts.

Then, visit Jinci Temple, an elaborate complex featuring a classical garden. Goddess Mother Hall, built in the Song Dynasty (960-1279AD), encodes a spiritual ambition rarely found in the world today.  At once delicate and monumental, the huge structure inspires contemplation as to what purposes Chinese set for themselves years ago.
  
Our accommodations are at the World Trade Hotel. (b,l,d)

Day 6 • Pingyao  
After breakfast, we make our way into the Shanxi heartland.

Our first stop is at the Chang Family Mansion, where we learn of a singular characteristic of the Chinese family:  if possible, build a residential complex for the family the size of a small city.  In many areas of China, entire villages are named after a single family and keep this identity for hundreds of years.  But in Shanxi, wealthy families went one step further:  they created estates that covered an immense area and walled them off to the outside.  That is, they made their family mansion a city, so large that exploring its unending courtyards and countless rooms give us a sense of Confucian “family values” and their power.

Then, we go to the Qiao Family Mansion and prepare to be amazed.  Here, 313 rooms grace 19 courtyards and create a world within worlds.  The elegant wood detail and stone monumentality of the architecture provided the backdrop for Zhang Yi-mou’s Raise the Red Lantern.  The grandeur of the patriarchal vision is exquisitely clear.

Next, visit Shuanglin Temple, a world heritage site. It contains numerous statues dating from the Song through Qing dynasties.  Arriving in Pingyao, we check in our accommodations at the Yunjincheng Hotel. (b,l,d)

Day 7 • Pingyao
Pingyao is a well-preserved city with its Ming Wall intact.  It offers a rare glimpse into the architectural styles and town planning of imperial China.  Once a thriving merchant town with a concentration in banking, it rose to prominence in the late Qing.  Named a Unesco World Heritage Site, several hundred traditional homes have been deemed worthy of cultural preservation. 

Visit the Bell Tower to get a commanding view of the city.  We will also walk the city wall or ride its length in a pedicab, something to write home about as few people in the world have even seen a city wall.

Next, go to Rishengchang Museum to learn of Pingyao’s gloried banking past.  And explore the Lei Lutai Residence to see how wealthy financiers lived. 

Wandering through the streets and crooked lanes, we’ll encounter small museums, Daoist temples with incredible design, traditional courtyards (go ahead and walk in), and even a Catholic church.  Vendors hawk their wares and local people busy themselves with the characteristic rhythms of Chinese life. We’ll lose ourselves in the wonders of Pingyao, truly a one of a kind experience in today’s China. (b,l,d)

Day 8 • Pingyao – Wutai Mountain 
After breakfast, we make the six-hour sojourn to Wutai Mountain. This is a long drive and we’ll stop en route, but it’s the only way to reach the sacred mountain.  Fortunately, as the Loess Plateau gives way to rolling hills, visual pleasure dramatically escalates.  Soon, the wild beauty of Wutai envelopes us and we heartily congratulate ourselves for making the trip.  Our accommodations are at the Huahui Hotel. (b,l,d)

Day 9 • Wutai Mountain
A dozen or more important Buddhist temples lie in the valley and twenty lesser temples on the hillsides.  They are all accessible on foot, so “mountain climbing” is not necessary in these peaks.  Wutai is sacred to Manjusri Bodhisattva and this makes many of the monasteries here principal pilgrimage sites for Mongolians, Tibetans, southeast Asians, as well as hordes of Chinese.  But the grand serenity of architecture and nature conquers all.  It is relatively easy to feel the pull of Buddhist meditation, especially since daily practice has been ongoing for over a thousand years.

We first visit Tayuan Temple with its white, bottle-shaped pagoda.  Xiantong Temple has seven rows of halls, with countless rooms.  Guangren Temple is run by Mongolian and Tibetan monks and Cifu Temple offers a contemplative mien.

Pusha Ding is the biggest and most complete lamasery on Mount Wutai. It is located at the top of Lingjiu Peak where, according to legend, Manjusri Bodhisattva lived. Xiantong Temple is believed to be one of the first constructed after Buddhism was introduced to China and is also the oldest and biggest in Mount Wutai.

Shuxiang Temple is one of the five well-know Buddhist temples on the mountain. The courtyard is not large as temples go, but it has the greatest hall in the region. A famous bodhisattva statue sits in the main hall. (b,l,d)

Day 10 • Datong
In the morning, we drive out of the Wutai wilderness to Datong, a journey of three and a half hour.  En route, we visit two amazing wooden buildings.

The first is Hanging Temple with a 1400-year history.  The entire temple is attached to a cliff by means of beams and pillars, and the buildings are interconnected with bridges, boardwalks, and covered corridors.  This is one of the most famous temples in all Asia.

Next, we stop at Wooden Pagoda, built in 1056 and over 200 feet high.  Constructed with expert mortise-and-tenon construction, it exudes an unforgettable sense of serenity.

Arriving in Datong we transfer to the Hong An International Hotel. (b,l,d)
  
Day 11 • Datong
Our touring in Datong focuses on the Yungang Grottoes that date from the Northern Wei dynasty.  The caves are cut into the southern cliffs of Wuzhou Mountain and stretch for a third of a mile.  They contain over 50,000 Buddhist statues, countless religious murals, and many altars.  Some of the finest stone sculpture in the country is found here.

Our primary focus are caves 5 through 13, where we find colossal buddhas, 45-foot pagoda pillars, relief carving of Shakyamuni’s life, representations of Indian deities, and on and on.  Like the Dunhuang grottoes in Gansu province, Yungang was a center of immense spiritual effort.  Thousands of monks sought to realize spiritual value and the splendid artistic expressions give evidence of their success.  Such efforts define a substantial period of Chinese history, only brought to a close in the 20th century. (b,l,d)

Day 12 • Datong -- Beijing – U.S.
After breakfast, transfer to Datong Airport for our flight to Beijing Airport; we arrive at noontime.  Later, board your international carrier for an afternoon flight home.  Arrive in the US 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 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