This tour will provide you with interesting contrasts. You will visit China’s capital Beijing and savour the wonders of its imperial past and contemporary growth and development. Shanghai will show you its colonial past and its contemporary dynamism that is taking this remarkable city into the 21st century almost at the speed of light. Hangzhou is an ancient city that is blessed with beautiful scenery and sites, notably Lingyin Temple and the incomparable West Lake. Nanjing’s Sun Yat Sen Mausoleum and tree lined avenues will not fail to impress. At Datong you will be amazed by the Hanging Monastery at Jinlong Canyon on Hengshan Mountain. You will marvel at Pingyao – a Ming Dynasty fortress replete with intact city walls, shops and mansions as they have been for centuries. This is a relatively short tour that will fascinate.
You transfer to your hotel.
Today you will take a walk along the famous Bund past the facades of the colonial buildings lining the Huangpu River and look across to the soaring TV tower and fantastic skyscrapers of the Pudong district on the opposite side. Later take a cruise across the river to ascend the Shanghai World Financial Centre Observatory, one of the world’s tallest buildings, for an astonishing view over the whole city. Tonight you will be entertained by Shanghai’s famous acrobatic show. (B/L)
This morning you visit the beautifully maintained Yu Garden, an outstanding example of a classical garden dating from the 16th century, now surrounded by a bustling market area. You transfer to the station for your fast train to Hangzhou. Your dinner is at the hotel. (B/L/D).
Today you will visit the Lingyin Temple, one of the most famous Chan (Zen) temples in China. The temple was founded in 327 AD beside a mountain believed to have 
arrived miraculously by air from India. Carved into its side are the most famous Buddhist sculptures south of the Yangtze. Then you will take a cruise on the incomparable West Lake, for centuries one of China’s best known scenic attractions.
(B/L)
Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu Province, has been the capital of several regimes including the early period of the Ming Dynasty; in the mid 19th century the Taiping Rebellion; and, more recently, that of Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalist government. Many relics of the Ming period remain and the fine avenues lined with plane trees are a reminder of the development the city underwent during Chiang Kai-shek’s time. This afternoon, you will visit Sun Yat-sen’s Mausoleum. Sun Yat-sen who established the Republic of China after the overthrow of the Qing Dynasty in 1911, is regarded as the father of modern China. You will then visit one of the great sights of Nanjing, the 4500m, 7 road and rail bridge spanning the Yangtze. A major engineering feat, it is high above the river, and the views from it are impressive. (B/L/D)
Today you fly to Beijing. The rest of the day is at your leisure. (B)
At your leisure. (B)
This morning we take the train to Datong and arrive in the late afternoon. This evening you will have time to relax in your hotel and enjoy a leisurely dinner. (B/D)
One of the most interesting sights you will visit today is the gravity defying Hanging Monastery, 80km from Datong. The complex is built on the extremely sheer cliffs of the mountain above, Jinlong Canyon. You will truly be awed by the magnificence of the Hanging Temple, which is the most amazing sight on Hengshan Mountain. You will also visit the Wooden Pagoda, the oldest and highest wooden structure in China. It is regarded as the “First Pagoda in the World” and a gem in the architectural field. (B/L/D)
This morning you will explore one of China’s most spectacular holy sites in China, the Yungang Grottos. From thumb sized figurines to a 17 metre colossus, the Buddhist carvings at Yungang are remarkable. The carvings took 40,000 labourers almost half a century to complete.
Once you have finished exploring the Grottos, you will travel by car onto Pingayao, the famous World Heritage Walled City of Antiquity. (B/L/D)
The past is alive in Pingyao. As the morning sun bathes it grey city walls in warm tones, you will find yourself flung back in time, as your eyes behold a Ming Dynasty fortress built by the Ming Emperor Hongwu in 1370 AD, in all its imposing glory. Watchtowers, cast iron cannons, intimidating wooden gates and sturdy walls render an impenetrable feel. Locals are bustling about on bicycles, rickshaws and scooters. Here in Pingyao, modernity lives with centuries old relics. (B/L)
This morning you will visit the Qiao Family House, home to a powerful trading family. It was in this mansion that award-winning Chinese director ZhangYimou set interior scenes for his film Raise the Red Lantern. You will then be transferred to Taiyuan station for your train back to Beijing. (B/L)
You transfer to the airport for your onward flight. (B)
| Daily Departure | **** | ***** | ||
| Twin Share | Single Supplement | Twin Share | Single Supplement | |
| Apr, Nov 11 | $3325 | $825 | $3925 | $1385 |
| May, Sep-Oct 11 | $3398 | $882 | $4095 | $1535 |
| Jun-Aug 11 | $3325 | $825 | $3925 | $1385 |
| Dec 11, Jan-Feb 12 | $3210 | $725 | $3755 | $1235 |
The prices of above tour are based on the basis of a minimum of 2 persons travelling together.
For more details on what is included in this tour please click here