The Hidden Treasures Tour of China will introduce the great wonders of Beijing to you – the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, the Summer Palace and the Temple of Heaven. Xian will leave you in wonder looking at the Terracotta Warriors and other archaeological treasures unearthed around what once was Changan the ancient capital. Datong, Pingyao and Lijiang present temples, monasteries, murals, grottoes, pagodas, unique streetscapes, walls, mansions, cave houses, statuary. Along the way you enjoy cultural shows and superb food. You will also see minority people with their unique ethnic cultures. And wherever you travel on this tour you will marvel at unique and remarkable scenery and plant life culminating in Guilin which is wondrous to behold especially as you travel along the Li River to Yangshuo. Your final destination, Shanghai will provide you an insight into the emergent China with its ultra modernity and vitality. A wonder to behold.
You transfer to your hotel.
After breakfast you will visit Tiananmen Square, look across the vast space to the Great Hall of the People and stand before the massive Tiananmen (Heavenly Peace) Gate. Lying behind is the Forbidden City, as the former Imperial Palace is called, where the magnificent marble courtyards, huge halls, gilded temples and ornate pavilions, the residence of the emperors and their families, are now open to your wonderment. This evening a traditional Peking Duck dinner completes a very special day. (B/L/D)
You will be taken north today to pace the ramparts of China’s famed Great Wall, originally constructed over 2000 years ago to keep northern invaders at bay. On your return, you will make a photo stop at the National Olympic Stadium. (B/L)
This morning you will visit the Temple of Heaven, where the emperors, for the good of the empire, carried out the most important sacrifices and ceremonies of the year. Set in a huge park planted with conifers, the beautiful blue-tiled buildings here represent the epitome of Ming architecture. After lunch you will visit the Summer Palace, the famed pleasure gardens of the Qing emperors, originally constructed by the emperor Qianlong to celebrate his mother’s 60th birthday in 1751 and later the favourite retreat of the dowager empress Cixi until her death in 1908. Beautiful ornamental plantings, languid willows and painted pavilions surround a scenic lake, across which are enchanting views to the pagoda-capped Jade Spring Hill and the mountains beyond. (B/L)
This morning you travel by train to Datong where you 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 Mt.Hengshan above, Jinlong Canyon. Located south of Datong, 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. You will later also visit the cave houses and meet some of the local people. (B/L)
This morning you will explore one of China’s most spectacular holy sites, the Yungang Grottos. From thumb sized figurines to a 17 metre colossus, the Buddhist carvings at Yungang are remarkable. Once you have finished exploring the Grottos, you will travel on to Pingayao, the famous World Heritage, Walled City of Antiquity. Pingyao retains its Ming:Qing city walls and layout, shop fronts and more than 4000 domestic residences dating back centuries. En route you will visit the Qiao Family House, home to a powerful trading family. It was in this mansion that award-winning Chinese director Zhang Yimou set interior scenes for his film Raise the Red Lantern (B/L/D)
The past is alive in Pingyao. As the morning sun bathes its 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 Dynasty emperor Hongwu in 1370 in all its imposing glory. In 1986, Pingyao was declared a national historical city, which protects it from ever being demolished. The old walled city is an architectural treasure trove (B/L)
You travel to Taiyuan airport for your flight to Xian and transfer to your hotel. Over 1,000 years ago, Xian was the capital city of the Tang Dynasty and the largest, most cosmopolitan city in the world. (B/L)
This morning you will view the excavated Terracotta Warriors and Horses, buried over 2000 years ago to guard the tomb of the first emperor Qinshihuang who died in 210 BC.
Later you will walk along Xian’s massive City wall, which of old encircles the inner city and is o
ne of the best preserved in China. This evening you will enjoy the lavish spectacle of the Tang Dynasty Dinner and Show. (B/L/D)
Today you will fly to Lijiang via Kunming, an 800-year-old city lying at 2400m at the foot of the imposing Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. (B)
Today you drive north along the eastern flank of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, descending again after a short walk around an alpine meadow, and go on to tour around the small town of Baisha. Here there are several buildings with fascinating murals depicting Buddhist and Daoist scenes painted in the 15th and 16th centuries in a style that fuses Tibetan, Naxi and mainstream Chinese elements. You will also visit the Yuhu Village to see examples of authentic ethnic cultures. (B/D)
This morning you visit the Black Dragon Pool Park with its interesting plants, architectural features and stunning mountain backdrop. The rest of the day is at your leisure. (B)
Today you travel by air to Guilin, renowned for its fantastic landscape of limestone peaks and visit the magnificent Reed Flute Cave. This is Guilin’s largest and most impressive cave, filled with stalactites and stalagmites, and gets its name because local people used to collect reeds here to make their unique flutes. You will also take a chairlift to the peak of Yaoshan and enjoy a spectacular view of the city’s limestone hills and peaks. (B/L)
This morning you embark upon an enchanting cruise down the Li River to the picturesque river town of Yangshuo. The cruise provides a unique opportunity to view the array of extraordinary peaks which rise side by side along the banks. Here you will also see picturesque villages, chestnut orchards, bamboo plantations and fishermen using cormorants. (B/L)
Today you fly to Shanghai. Dominating the Yangtze Delta, Shanghai is the pulsating commercial heart of China. Walk along the famous Bund past the facades of the colonial buildings lining the Huangpu River and look across to the fantastic skyscrapers of the Pudong district on the opposite side. After lunch you will 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. Later you will ascend the Shanghai World Financial Centre Observatory Tower, one of the world’s tallest buildings, for an astonishing view over the whole city. This evening you will be entertained by one of Shanghai’s famous acrobatic troupes. (B/L)
Enjoy a free day today. Perhaps you will want to explore the fabulous shops along Nanjing Road and Huaihai Road. (B)
You transfer to the airport for your onward flight. (B)
| Daily Departure | **** | ***** | ||
| Twin Share | Single Supplement | Twin Share | Single Supplement | |
| Apr, Nov 12 | $5215 | $1090 | $6040 | $1865 |
| May, Sep-Oct 12 | $5370 | $1175 | $6299 | $2050 |
| Jun-Aug 12 | $5215 | $1090 | $6040 | $1865 |
| Dec 12, Jan-Feb 13 | $4995 | $940 | $5790 | $1685 |
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