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2-Week Riches of China

Riches of China

2-Week Shanghai-Suzhou-Hangzhou-Guilin-Xi'an-Beijing Private Tour

Enjoy the deep-rooted cultural and historical sites in Beijing and Xi'an, relax at breathtaking karst scenery in Guilin and Yangshuo, and taste the exquisite lifestyle by wandering in beautiful gardens, along the West Lake and water town in Suzhou and Hangzhou. Immerse into the rich and diverse China.

Visit six cities in 13 days to touch the diverse Chinese culture and real people's life at your own travel pace. We understand that our customers do not need to be herded.

Shanghai-Suzhou-Hangzhou-Guilin-Xi'an-Beijing Tour Map

Shanghai Suzhou Hangzhou Guilin Xian Beijing tour map

Tour 'Wow' Points

Unveil the Lives of China's Royal Family in their Hidden Halls

Get off the ordinary sightseeing route in the Forbidden City. Listen to the interesting stories of  famous personalities that are not told by typical tour guides.

the red gate of the Fobidden City
the palace for empress dowagers

Climb up upon the Greatest Project of Ancient China

Explore the most beautiful section of the Mutianyu Great Wall, where there are fewer tourists.

the Great Wall
walking on the Great Wall

Lingering in the Best Representative of Chinese Classical Gardens

Enjoy a peaceful walk through the Humble Administrator's Garden. Learn about the principles of gardening in old time and understand the Chinese aesthetics.

Humble Administrator's Garden
the ancient building in the garden

Take a Wooden Boat to Explore a Lovely Water Town

Skip the crowded ones and visit the less touristy Longli Water Town. Experience the slow-paced life of locals .

the old houses with the red lanterns
walking on the Great Wall

Paint Your Own Oiled-Paper Umbrella

Skip the crowded ones and visit the less touristy Longli Water Town. Experience the slow-paced life of locals .

oil umbrella making
paint on the oil umbrella

Be a Tea Farmerin the Tea Plantation

Visit a tea plantation producing the best green tea. Experience picking tea leaves and learn how to process different kinds of tea.

Meijiawu Tea Village
pick tea leaves

Unveil the Secrets of the Terracotta Army and Make Your Own Terracotta Warriors

Unlock some stories of the world wonder, which can't be googled. Visit a traditional cave dwelling and learn how to make warriors.

The Terracotta Army
Make Warriors

Experience Minority People's Life at the Incredible Longji Rice Terrace Fields

Unlock some stories of the world wonder, which can't be googled. Visit a traditional cave dwelling and learn how to make warriors.

A yao lady sitting by the paddy
havest the rice

Cycle through the Splendid Landscapes

Drop the 'set menu' made for ordinary tourists and see more of Guilin's amazing countryside.

biking in the countryside
Xitang Reservoir

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Suggested Itinerary

Here is a suggested itinerary. We are happy to customize a tour according to your interests and schedule.

Day 1 Shanghai Arrival

Private Transfer from Airport to Hotel
After your flight lands at Shanghai airport, you will be met by your tour guide at the arrival hall, and will transfer you to your hotel by private car and driver. They will assist you with your luggage, hotel check-in, and ensure your trip in Shanghai will go smoothly and worry-free.

Hotel options:
Sunrise On The Bund
Les Suites Orient, Bund Shanghai

Day 2 Shanghai | A Unique Fashion of East and West

Breakfast & Lunch

Shanghai's colonial legacy combined with Chinese culture has created a unique fusion of East and West, and ancient architecture to modernistic buildings. You will visit the Yuyuan Garden, located in the center of Shanghai's old city! From there, you will head to Shanghai Tower, where you can get a magnificent view of the city's ever-changing modern skyline.

Take a look at Shikumen which means "Stone Warehouse Gate", is a traditional Shanghainese architectural style building combining Western and Chinese elements that first appeared in the 1860s.

Then relax at the Bund to look at the high buildings on the other bank of the River.

the bund The Bund
Day 3 Shanghai to Suzhou | Garden and Water Town

Breakfast & Lunch

Head to Suzhou by a private transfer. Visit the Tongli Water Town on the way. Get a glimpse of the lives of the locals. Relax on a wooden boat as you are winding through waterways and under many stone bridges.

In the afternoon, enjoy a peaceful walk through the Humble Administrator's Garden that is the best representative of Chinese classical gardens, constructed in the Ming dynasty, which focuses on a central pond with pavilions, terraces, chambers, and towers located nearby.

Hotel options:
Hotel Soul Suzhou
Pan Pacific Suzhou (Deluxe Room)

the Humble Administrator's Garden The Humble Administrator's Garden
Day 4 Suzhou to Hangzhou | The West Lake

Breakfast & Lunch

Take a bullet train from Suzhou to Hangzhou. Enjoy a cruise on the famouse West Lake. Appreciate the secenery around the lake, which gave chinese poets a lot of inspiration.

At Chenghuang Pavilion you can have a bird's-eye view over Hangzhou and West Lake. You will have a break and enjoy a Southern Song Dynasty Snacks here. Then visit a workshop of making oil umbrella to learn about this traditional Chinese craftsmanship and paint your own umbrella.

Hotel options:
Haihua Hotel Hangzhou(Standard Room)
Sofitel Hangzhou Westlake (Deluxe Room)

west lake The West Lake
Day 5 Hangzhou to Guilin | Dragon Well Tea Culture

Breakfast & Lunch

Drive to the place of origin of the best Dragon Well teaMeijiawu Tea Village. A local tea specialist will welcome you with bamboo baskets, and accompany you to the tea plantation. Your first task will be to choose appropriate tea leaves and pick them in the right way. After tea-picking, the tea specialist will take you home and show you the process of stir-frying tea. This process dehydrates the leaves and helps preserve their beautiful green color. If you like, you can have a go—be careful, though, the huge iron pot is very hot (around 200℃). The tea specialist will show you the art of the tea ceremony, and introduce you to the proper way to taste tea.

fly to Guilin in the afternoon.

Hotel options:
Lijiang Waterfall Hotel
Shangri-La Hotel Guilin

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The Tea Platation
Day 6 Guilin | Longji Terraced Fields

Breakfast & Lunch

Your guide and driver are ready to escort you to the Longji Terraced Fields that are built into the hillsides, and look like great chains or ribbons as they wind round the contours in tiered bands. Beautiful when the sun reflects in the water of the paddy fields and glowing with yellow ears when the harvest is ripe, Longji (Dragon's Back) is a feast for the eyes.

The Chinese ethnic minorities, Zhuang people and Yao people live there for generations in wooden house. You will have a chance to interact with them and have a glimpse of their lifestyle.

Longji Rice Fields Longji Rice Terraces
Day 7 Guilin to Yangshuo | Li River Cruise

Breakfast & Lunch

One Day Karst Scenery Tour
Enjoy the beautiful surroundings of karst mountains, bamboo groves, buffaloes bathing in the river during summer and the sound of children swimming along the river banks. The boat will pass the scenery that printed on the Chinese 20 Yuan bank note. The trip along the Li River is a must. You will have a Chinese buffet lunch on the boat. To ensure a better quality of food, we also prepare western lunch box for you which include sandwich, French Pastry, salad.

Arrive at Yangshuo at about 13:30, walk through the West Street, your guide help you check-in at hotel. Take a short break and start the cycling along the Yulong River.

Hotel options:
Yangshuo Mountain Retreat
Yangshuo Ancient Garden Boutique Hotel

Li River Cruise The Li River Cruise
Day 8 Yangshuo to Guilin to Xi'an | Cooking Class

Breakfast & Lunch

For this day, we arrange a Chinese cooking class, which lasts for about 3 hours. It begins with going to the local food market to buy materials and ingredients for your cooking class, and then cook 2 or 3 popular Chinese dishes with guidance of a tutor, and taste fruits of your labor in the end.

In the afternoon, transfer to Guilin airport to catch the flight to Xi'an.

Hotel options:
Somerset Xindicheng Xi'an
Wyndham Grand Xi'an South

The Bund Yangshuo Cooking Class
Day 9Xi'an | The Terra-Cotta Warriors and Horses

Breakfast & Lunch

Today we will take you to see the famous Terracotta Warriors buried more than 2,200 years ago. A must visit while in Xi'an. You will get some information and listen to some interesting stories about this world wonder, which can not be googled. Then, you will visit a local workshop to learn how to make a terra-cotta warrior and make one for yourself.

After lunch, You will head back to the city. There you can walk on the Ancient City Wall, or if you prefer, we can rent a bike and cycle along the city wall for a good view of the city.

The Terracotta Army The Terracotta Army
Day 10 Xi'an to Beijing | Xi'an City Highlights

Breakfast & Lunch

Visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda in the morning, one of China's most famous Buddhist pagodas built during the Tang Dynasty. Then visit the Muslim Quarter, walk around the many stalls and sample some of their local delicacies.

Catch HSR to Beijing in the afternoon.

Hotel options:
Penta Hotel Beijing
Crowne Plaza Beijing Chaoyang U-Town

west lake The Muslim Quarter
Day 11 Beijing | The Forbidden City

Breakfast & Lunch

Start your tour with the Tian'an Men Square. Then walk in to the magnificient Fobidden City.

Usually people spend 2 hours in the Forbidden City and walk along the central axis which is the same with the crowds. To give a much better experience, China Highlights expert escort you in the emperors' house and show you some interesting places you would never find by yourself in the Forbidden City and guide you away from the noisy parts and crush of other tour groups.

The Temple of Heaven was the place that emperors went to worship heaven for good harvests. Nowadays It becomes an ideal place that local people do morning exercises, such as Tai Chi, playing shuttlecock, ball-room dance.

forbidden city The Forbidden City
Day 12 Beijing | The Great Wall

Breakfast & Lunch

Visit the Mutianyu Great Wall. This less-crowded section of the Great Wall is about 2.5 hours' drive from downtown Beijing. A cable-car takes you to a good section (avoiding a very steep climb), where you can walk along the wall, through the watch towers and enjoy superb views as it snakes across the hills and mountains. You can return by cable car, walk down or walk along the wall for about an hour to descend by chairlift or toboggan. Wear good walking shoes and protection from the weather.

Go back to city to visit the Summer Palace. Have a pleasant stroll at luxury garden of royal family. Different kinds of pavilions and long corridors give you full flavor of China.

mutianyu great wall The Mutianyu Section of the Great Wall
Day 13 Beijing Departure

Transfer directly to the Airport for your departure flight. Your guide will accompany you till the point of security check and wave goodbye.

Trip Notes

Extension based on the tour

Extend the tour:

  • Yangtze River Cruise: add 4–5 days (Chongqing to Yichang or vice versa)
  • Chengdu: usually add 2–4 days —visit a Panda research center, the Giant Buddha, Mt. Emei, Panda Keeper Program and Jiuzhaigou natural scenery. Choose your favorite.
  • Hong Kong: add 2–3 days — visit Victoria Peak, Disneyland, and day tour Macau

Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Hong Kong are China's major entry cities.

Optional Activities

It must be clearly understood that enjoying these extras is your own decision. They are not included in the itinerary or tour price, so you will need to pay separately. The ticket price depends on seating. Ask your guide to book tickets if you want to see any of the following.

  • Beijing — Legend of Kungfu Show
  • Xi'an — Tang Dynasty Cultural Show plus Dumpling Banquet
  • Yangshuo — Impression Third Sister Liu Night Show on the Li River (outdoor)
  • Hangzhou —Impression the West Lake (outdoor)
  • Shanghai — Chinese Acrobats Show
FromUSD 3,366p/p Based on a private tour for 2 people. Price varies depending on program, travel date, number of people and chosen hotel

Price includes:

  • Private air-conditioned business car with big windows and ample space
  • English speaking local guide
  • Activities, hotels, and meals listed in the itinerary
  • 24/7 helpline for while you are traveling

Your 1:1 travel consultant will reply within 1 working day.

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