12 day China Highlights Signature Tour

Day 1

Place & Transport: Arrive in Beijing, Flight not included
Today's Activities: Airport to Hotel Transfer (Beijing)
Detailed Itinerary: Beijing is a city of amazing contrasts - an ancient capital with some incredible historical sites, and a bustling modern metropolis getting ready to host the 2008 Olympics. Upon your arrival in Beijing, our guide will meet you and transfer you to highly regarded Raffles Beijing Hotel. The rest of the day is free to rest and recover from any jetlag. We have arranged a body massage to help you relax. Your guide take you to a popular local restaurant to sample some of the delight of Beijing’s great food culture.

Day 2

Place & Transport: Beijing
Today's Activities: Mutianyu Cable Car(One way), Mutianyu slideway(One way), Great Wall at Mutianyu, 2 hours Chinese Learning at Tea House,
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch, Chinese Dinner at Roasted Duck at Hepingmen Quanjude
Detailed Itinerary: After breakfast, our guide will accompany you to visit the Great Wall -Mutianyu Section which has unique characteristics compared to the other sections of the wall. It is situated among wonderful landscape. This section is formed by three connected watch towers and has comfortable safe cable car ride to the top. You can choose to come down by toboggan if you dare. Lunch is at local restaurant near the Wall. In the afternoon, we will teach you some simple Chinese language and explain the culture in a 2 hour class at a Tea House where local people enjoy meeting their friends. The experienced bilingual teacher will teach you the simple but practical words and phrases and introduce you to local culture. We can guarantee you will have impressive stories to tell your friends after this short class. Dinner is at Quanjude Restaurant, which reputably serves the best Peking Duck in the world.

Day 3

Place & Transport: Beijing
Today's Activities: The Forbidden City, Treasure Houses, Hall of Clocks and Watches, The Tian'anmen Square, The Tian'anmen Gate Tower, Beihai Park,
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch, Chinese Dinner
Detailed Itinerary: Today you experience ancient Emperor's daily life. First we will visit the Forbidden City, from which the Emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties governed for over 500 years. The magnificent and solemn palace will feed your imagination with the life of Chinese emperors past. We have arranged a private viewing of the Treasure Houses of the Qing Dynasty royalty and Hall of Clocks and Watches. These areas are off limits to most tour groups.
Lunch is at a famous local restaurant-Wahaha.
In the afternoon, we continue to Tian'anmen Square, the symbol of Beijing.
Dinner will the fabulous Imperial Dinner at Beihai Park. All dishes are selected from the favorite foods of the Ming & Qing Royal family and served in a famous old restaurant in the park.

Day 4

Place & Transport: Beijing
Today's Activities: Temple of Heaven, Hutong Tours in Rickshaw, 2 hour Chinese Knotting learning,
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch, Chinese Dinner
Detailed Itinerary: After tasting the royal lifestyle, today is also a great chance to experience the lives of Chinese people today. We begin by joining the thousands of old people at the Temple of Heaven as they practice their taichi. Afterwards we head off to take a rickshaw ride to Hutongs where we visit the local flea market. You may find some interesting things and practice your bargaining skills. After a local lunch, rest in a local house in the Hutong and review the Chinese words and sentences you have learnt previously. Talk with a family if you like. Under the watchful eye of a 70 year old Grandma you can learn the ancient art of Chinese knot tying.
Finish the day with a spectacular Kongfu show.

Day 5

Place & Transport: Beijing to Xian, Air China CA2115 Dep 2:10PM - Arr 4:00PM
Today's Activities: Hotel to airport Transfer (Beijing), Airport to Hotel Transfer (Xian)
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Dinner
Detailed Itinerary: A free morning to explore more of the city or to sample some of Beijing shopping.

Day 6

Place & Transport: Xian
Today's Activities: Terracotta Warriors(include golf carts), Great Mosque, Evening Show at Tang Yuegong
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch, Chinese Dinner
Detailed Itinerary: After breakfast in the hotel, you will set off for the incredible 2000 year-old Terra cotta warriors which are part of the underground tomb of the Emperor Qin. Well over 7000 figures were in full battle array are housed in several large pits. Many of the figures, including soldiers, archers, horses and chariots, have been restored. Repairs and excavations continue at the site where you can see both repaired and broken warriors in a truly impressive display. During your visit, you will be given the VIP privileges to get a close view in the lowest pit which is not available to the ordinary tourists. After the visit, we will drive back to the city to taste China's unique food, dumplings. If you are interested, the chef can also show you how they are made. In the afternoon, we will drive to the Grand Mosque which is one of the four grand Islamic mosques in China with history of more than 1,200 years. One of the highlights today will be the evening show, which presents the palace dances and songs of the Tang Dynasty when Xi'an was the capital of ancient China.
During dinner at the show we include wine with your meal and invite you to sample some of China’s famous rice wine.

Day 7

Place & Transport: Xian to Chongqing to Yangtze, China Eastern Airline MU2628 Dep 3:40PM - Arr 4:40PM
Today's Activities: Hotel to airport Transfer (Xian), Airport Transfer (Chongqing), Cruise pier Transfer (Chongqing), City Wall, Taiji Learning on the Ancient City Wall, Board the ship from 5:00pm to 7:00pm and departs Chongqing at 9:00pm.
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch, Chinese Dinner
Detailed Itinerary: Before setting out for the Yangtze cruise, You have the opportunity to take part in a TaiChi class. Your guide will supply you with Taichi costume. This is yours to keep practice. Your Taichi lesson will be held on the Ancient City Wall, a landmark of Xi'an city. The professional trainer also has a good English. He will introduce this martial art to you as a method of relaxation and of enjoying life. For the energetic, we recommend a bike ride along the top of the wall. After lunch at a local restaurant, your guide will transfer you to the airport for your flight to Chongqing where you will board the luxury Victoria Cruise ship. Before boarding we introduce the famous Chinese dish “hot pot”. Hot pot is one of the most popular foods in China.

Day 8

Place & Transport: Yangtze
Today's Activities: shore excursion to Fengdu Ghost City.(1:00-3:00pm)
Meals: Chinese Lunch, Chinese Dinner, Chinese Lunch, Chinese Dinner

Day 9

Place & Transport: Yangtze
Today's Activities: Shore excursion to Lesser Three Gorges(8:00-1:00pm).
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch, Chinese Dinner, Chinese Lunch, Chinese Dinner

Day 10

Place & Transport: Yangtze to Yichang to Shanghai, Shanghai Airlines FM9366 Dep 4:00PM - Arr 5:30PM
Today's Activities: Cruise pier Transfer (Yichang), Airport Transfer (Yichang), Airport to Hotel Transfer (Shanghai), Shore excursion to The Three Gorges Dam Site. Arrive in Yichang at 1:30pm.
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch, Chinese Dinner

Day 11

Place & Transport: Shanghai
Today's Activities: Shanghai Museum, French concession region, Yuyuan Garden
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch, Chinese Dinner
Detailed Itinerary: Today you visit the lovely old Yuyuan Garden, the Shanghai Museum, the Jade Buddha Temple, and the famous Oriental TV Tower (also known as the Pearl Tower, for its distinctive shape). We take you to the very top where you can have wonderful views over Shanghai and the Huang Pu River. In the afternoon, you can have a relaxing walk through the French Concession Region to enjoy the beautiful old homes and gardens. We have arranged to have lunch served in the original old consulate building.

Day 12

Place & Transport: Depart Shanghai, Flight not included
Today's Activities: Hotel to airport Transfer (Shanghai)
Meals: Breakfast
Detailed Itinerary: Free time until your flight to enjoy a final walk around Shanghai to partake of its delights.