Day 1 Fly USA to Beijing

Day 2 Welcome to Beijing, China
Upon arrival, you will clear customs and immigration before being transferred by private vehicle to your hotel.

Emperors and entrepreneurs have both called China’s flashy capital, Beijing, home. Although joint venture capitalists have replaced royalty and uniformed school children throng to shopping malls instead of the Chairman Mao Mausoleum, Beijing is still China’s cultural tour de force, boasting more than 50 museums and cultural centers. Evidence of Beijing’s grandiose past is scattered throughout the city and includes the sprawling Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, and the incredible Great Wall of China.

Day 3 Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven and Court Cuisine
This morning depart your hotel for magnificent Tiananmen Square, the largest public square in the world, where Mao's picture hangs over the rostrum at the entrance of the Imperial Forbidden City. Walk in the steps of ancient emperors as you tour the powerful Forbidden City, hidden from public view for over 500 years. This is where Chinese emperors resided and ruled the country for 700 years until the year of 1911. The Imperial Palace provides outstanding examples of the greatest palatial architectural ensembles in China. They illustrate the grandeur of the imperial institution from the Qing Dynasty to the earlier Ming and Yuan dynasties, as well as Manchu traditions, and present evidence on the evolution of this architecture in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Continue to the masterpiece Temple of Heaven, an embodiment of grace and harmony. This is where Ming and Qing emperors prayed for good harvest and it is the largest temple complex remaining in China today. The pomp and grandeur of imperial China lives on in this historic landmark so integral to the nation's soul.

Lunch is at Beijing Fang Shan Restaurant. Set in Bei Hai Park a former imperial garden, Beijing Fang Shan Restaurant offers exquisite food from former Chinese dynasties. Waitresses in period garb lead you to the main dining room, which is splendid, with high painted ceilings and traditional Chinese art.

Day 4 Great Wall at Mutianyu and Summer Palace
A walk along the Great Wall of China ranks high on the wish list of many travelers and today's excursion will confirm it is one of the world's greatest travel experiences.  Travel 43 miles by private vehicle northeast of Beijing to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall, known for its beautiful surroundings of dense woods and rich pastures changing colors with each season of the year. It winds its way over a thousand meters to the crest of a mountain before turning sharply and dipping downhill, forming a triangle known as 'Ox-Horn Wall'. Linger at the towers and broad promenades; contemplate on the spectacular scenery and the lives lost in building this monumental construction that never truly fulfilled its purpose. There is ample time to stroll along its ancient stone promenade and photograph the wall as it winds across impossibly steep mountain areas. A cable car is available to help visitors and is included in today's tour.

Stop for lunch at Xiaolongpu Restaurant nearby, where their specialties include Sturgeon from neighboring Dongting Lake.

Continue on to the Summer Palace, formerly an imperial garden and palace for the Qing emperors. First built in 1750, largely destroyed in the war of 1860 and restored on its original foundations in 1886 - is a masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design. The natural landscape of hills and open water is combined with artificial features such as pavilions, halls, palaces, temples and bridges to form a harmonious ensemble of outstanding aesthetic value.

Stroll along the famous 700 meter Long Corridor, with its beautiful Painted Gallery (each archway depicts a different scene), and enjoy some peaceful time on Kunming Lake by boat, soaking in the majesty of China's imperial past.

Day 5 Fly Beijing to Xi’an
Transfer from your hotel to Beijing airport by private vehicle for your onward flight. Upon arrival you will be met and transferred by private vehicle to your hotel.

In 1974 a farmer from the dusty town of Lintong was digging a well when he unearthed a chamber that housed one of the most significant archaeological discoveries of the 20th century. Today the ancient army of more than 7,000 life-sized terracotta soldiers that guard the entombed Emperor Qin Shihuang is considered the “eighth wonder of the world”.

Day 6 Terracotta Warriors and Provincial Museum
Transfer by private vehicle to the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, home of the world renowned Terracotta Army, an archeological site of unimaginable size and importance. No doubt thousands of statues still remain to be unearthed at this archaeological site, which was not discovered until 1974. Qin (d. 210 B.C.), the first unifier of China, is buried, surrounded by the famous terracotta warriors, at the centre of a complex designed to mirror the urban plan of the capital, Xianyan. The small figures are all different; with their horses, chariots and weapons, they are masterpieces of realism and also of great historical interest.

The statues remain where they were uncovered, protected by a large hangar-like hall. Individual soldiers can be studied more closely in a museum exhibit in an adjacent building.

Following a Chinese lunch onsite, continue with a visit to the Shaanxi History Museum for a cultural and historical overview of the province, beginning with the great Emperor Qing. You'll re-live the rise of the city's greatness as guardian of the wealth that came from the Silk Road. After a comprehensive historical overview at the museum, you will travel to the walled city itself and walk atop the 600-year-old fortification.

Day 7 Fly Xian to Shanghai
Transfer to the airport by private vehicle.  On arrival you will be met and transferred by private vehicle to your accommodation.

Shanghai is an architect’s playground. Colonial and Art-Deco architecture grace one side of the Huangpu River – Shanghai’s very own Mississippi – while the world’s tallest hotel, the Grand Hyatt, casts a late afternoon shadow over the opposite bank in Pudong. Pudong, nicknamed “East Shanghai,” is a steel city of monuments to materialism, and is home to China’s largest financial district and would-be Wall Street.

Day 8 Shanghai city tour
Immerse yourself in the culture and sophistication of Shanghai on a half-day tour of the city's premier attractions. Your sightseeing this morning features a tour of the Yuyuan Garden, the old area of the city, and a stroll along the lively waterfront, known as the 'bund'.  Continue to visit Shanghai Children's Palace, which is an institution for after school education for children between six & sixteen. Children can choose to participate in any of more than 100 interest groups, ranging from music, dance, painting and calligraphy to airplane and ship modeling, automatic control, radio and computer technology.

Day 9 Fly Shanghai to USA

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