Sophistication of Beijing & Shanghai Tour
Absorb the Quaint Rhythms of Old Beijing through Living in Houhai Courtyards & Reawaken 1930’s Shanghai Style in a French-Chinese Mansion

Duration: 9 days tour • 1 domestic flights
Priced From: $5,870 pp, do
Single Sup Fee: $2,350
Visits: Beijing, Shanghai

Boutique hotels exude romance and luxury.  And this will be our experience during our days of fine touring.  Below are the boutique hotels that will be our home away from home:

Han’s Royal Garden Courtyard in Beijing - Once upon a time the residence of a Chinese noble family, Han’s Royal Garden radiates the ambience of classical architecture in its elegant courtyards and luxury accommodations.  With Western and Chinese style suites, splendid restaurants, and recreational facilities, this boutique hotel exudes the feeling of old Beijing.  Its numerous courtyards and covered corridors induce a sense of unending discovery, particularly as the renovation has focused on restoring the authentic detail of an elite family residence.

The Mansion in Shanghai - Originally designed by French architect Lafayette in 1932, the Mansion Boutique Hotel captures the essence of old Shanghai, a period when the city positioned itself as the ‘Paris of the Orient'. The villa design reflects this evocative era with its fusion of Classic French and Asian architecture and makes the establishment a heritage site in Shanghai.  With 30 exquisitely decorated guest rooms, each with its own individual design, the Mansion offers guests a refinement unmatched by any other hospitality property in the city.

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

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

Shanghai Restaurants

Lu Bo Lang            Shanghai dim sum style
Kathleen 5             Chinese fusion style
  

Day 3 • Beijing
We arise this morning to find ourselves in the middle of old Beijing--the narrow lanes and hutong architecture of Houhai go back to the Ming and Qing dynasties.  This is where the “old Beijinger” (lao Beijing ren) lives and continues his unique customs that have evolved over centuries.  The voices you hear around you intone “old Beijing dialect” (lao Beijing hua), an accent as recognizable to Chinese as a Southern accent is to Americans.

First, we’ll mount our pedicab to explore picturesque Houhai, visiting well-preserved courtyard homes opening onto hutongs.  We observe how traditional Beijing life organizes itself in a succession of courtyards, each divided by high walls and gates.  As we can see, privacy is a very important value for Chinese.  For lunch, we enjoy delicious home cooking in a local family home.

We will have ample time to explore the vast region that comprises Houhai.  For the next few days, take time in the early morning or late evening to explore out-of-the-way hutongs or sit by the tree-lined lakes where fisherman meditate on their lines.  Enjoy tea in a local teashop or a beer in the many bars that attract the locals. 

Our guide will give us directions to some good art galleries or crafts shops retailing up-and-coming ceramicists’ wares.  We will also visit important sites in the district including Madame Sun Yatsen’s courtyard home and a local kindergarten.

Each time we return to our courtyard inn we experience the Chinese longing to seclude oneself in a “little universe” (xiao tiandi).  For Chinese, passing through the front gate is a ritual act of leaving the world behind and renewing oneself through the refinements of courtyard life.  This is the experience extolled by Chinese philosophers for millennia.

Now securely settled in our Chinese “base,” we explore greater Beijing.
 
This afternoon, 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
In the morning we enter the gate 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.

Lunch is at Ken de Rouge, famed for it’s fusion cuisine.

After lunch, 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.

Later, 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 • Beijing
This morning, 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.

If time allows, we go to Silk Alley and get carried away by the enthusiasm to buy world-class clothes at bargain-basement prices.

This evening is at leisure with dinner on one’s own. 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 6 • Shanghai
After breakfast, fly to Shanghai and transfer to the Mansion Hotel, located in the heart of the city.

Now, we accustom ourselves to a different ambience than that of Beijing.  The interiors of the Mansion speak of Shanghai’s confidence in engaging the world, wanting to add to it its own richness and vivacity.  Shanghai says to the world, we speak your language, but we’ll make of it a light and airy song.  Surprisingly, style is key for the city of commerce.  And this is what we’ll experience each time we return from our city explorations. 

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

After lunch, go to Yuyuan Gardens, which is designed in six unique parts, making 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.

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

Then, tour the Confucian Temple with its quiet gardens and ambience. 

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

Day 7 • Shanghai
This morning, we divert ourselves among the wonderful collections of the Shanghai Museum, including its world-class displays of Chinese bronzes, jade, pottery, ceramics, furniture, paintings, and calligraphy.

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

Then, enjoy a walk on the Bund, observing the contrast between the European-styled bank buildings and trading houses on one side of the river and the contemporary Pudong skyline on the other.

Later, step into new China at the Pudong Economic Zone, with its spectacular skyscrapers reshaping the horizon.  A who’s who of multinationals have taken up residence here, turning the former marshland into a center of world commerce.

The arrival of the “future” is confirmed by the magnetic levitation train, or “maglev,” which links Pudong to the international airport at speeds of 260mph.  We jump aboard for the ride, which lasts only a matter of minutes. (b,l,d)

Day 8 • Shanghai
Continuing our study of Shanghai vitality, we explore Xintiandi—a stylish restaurant and shopping district designed by MIT architect Ben Wood.  Filled with restaurants, clubs, and fashion boutiques, Xintiandi exudes artistic sophistication and is widely imitated throughout China today for chic redevelopment projects.  Enjoy lunch on one’s own here.

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.
    
In the evening, we bring our journey to a memorable close with a farewell banquet at Dingxiang Restaurant, famous for Shanghai cuisine. (b,d)

Day 9 • Shanghai – U.S.
Today transfer to the 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 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