In-Depth Discovery of Chinese Culture and Art
16-Day Beijing, Mount Tai, Luoyang, Xian and Shanghai Tour
Suggested Itinerary
You can get on a relaxed mood as soon as you arrive; your guide and driver will be waiting and ready to take you to the hotel.
The Great Wall in Mutianyu is famous for having the most watchtowers, but not so crowded as many other parts; yet for convenience there is a cable car to take you to the top.
The Temple of Heaven is a magnificent complex of unique circular buildings, designed to please the heavens with an annual sacrifice performed here by every dynasties emperors. The surrounding parkland is thick with ancient pine trees, adding to the mysterious atmosphere.
Nowhere was Chinese art patronage more concentrated than in Beijing. Tiananmen Square has two magnificent gates intricately decorated in Ming Dynasty style, and the same theme continues into the Forbidden City. The rich symbolism through the arts is intimately connected with the culture,it can be seen everywhere in the former palace, and in the precious artifacts displayed in the Treasure Houses. Your guide will make sure you get the most out of the experience.
A Hutong Tour is a chance to see a world fast changing and disappearing; the narrow alleyways lined with old trees leading to traditional courtyard houses. Your visit to a local family gives you a rare insight into life here.
The Summer Palace was the Imperial families' favorite relaxing place, with pavilions and theaters in a beautiful landscape by a lake. It is still a delight to eyes, and a calm place to have a leisurely walk; except at weekends when local families arrive to have picnics.
In the afternoon a train ride takes you to Jinan, where you will be met by the local guide.
This morning your private car takes you up to Mount Tai, the first among the holy Buddhist Mountains with stone steps leading through magnificent gates to temples and shrines. It was believed to be the entrance to heaven and therefore a site for rituals and sacrifices by the Emperors. There is a cable car ride to ascend to Nantianmen, where you can see the mountain from bird's eye view.
Dai Temple at the foot of Mount Tai is where the God of the Mountain was worshipped. It is a smaller scale copy of the Imperial Palace in Beijing, or Forbidden City as it is also called. Afterwards, your journey continues to Qufu.
Qufu is the birthplace of Confucious, and the home of the famous Three Confucians, or Confucian Sites. Confucius Temple was originally his home, consecrated as a temple soon after his death. Confucian Mansion was then built for his direct descendants, who were bestowed favor and even imperial princesses as wives, and had the largest private estate in China in their time. Confucian Family Graveyard has a 2300 year history and has Confucious' grave among others.
In the afternoon you will return to Jinan in the comfort of your own vehicle.
Daming Lake has been the subject of poems for 1,500 years due to its scenery, and still is a beautiful place to have a stroll. Baotu Spring Park in built around some of the springs that keep the lake's water clear all year round; the delicate pavilions and flowering trees make it a refreshing place to stroll.
After dinner you will board a train to Zhengzhou, where on your late arrival you will be met at the station and taken directly to the hotel.
Anyang was the last Bronze Age capital of the mysterious Shang Dynasty, also called Yin Dynasty. Yin Xu Museum displays the finds from excavations; especially interesting are the oracle bones which explain the cultural and religious practices of the time.
Shaolin Temple has been the subject of legends and mystery for centuries, and the home of martial arts. The monks display their prowess during the shows in a small theater on the temple grounds. Pagoda Forest is a densely packed memorial place; each pagoda commemorates an accomplished master of Shaolin.
This day is dedicated for lessons in learning the basic techniques of Kungfu in Shaolin Temples.
Longmen Grottoes, carved into the limestone banks of Yi River, are a marvelous art gallery in beautiful natural surroundings. The styles of the statues change through the centuries, ending at Tang Dynasty elegant carvings.
White Horse Temple is considered to be the cradle of Chinese Buddhism; its history stretches over 2,000 years, although the buildings are mainly from Ming Dynasty. Guanlin Wholesale Market on the way back is an interesting experience of a true countryside market, where villagers come for their goods.
Xi'an City Wall is a stunning place to get an overview of the old part of town. You have a chance to circumnavigate the whole 14km circuit by bike, but there are also rickshaws available. If it rains, going to see the Bell Tower is an alternative.
Good to Know:
If you're not up for the whole ride that's fine also, you guide can take you to the most interesting parts.
Shaanxi History Museum has a collection of finest artifacts found in the province, including remarkable Tang Dynasty murals. This area was the center of China and a capital during the first 13 dynasties, so the exhibitions tell of the development of a nation as well.
The Terracotta Warriors and Horses are the most stunning archeological find in a single location. It is not only culturally important to understand warfare but also an artistically unique creation of production line combined with unique detailing added to each soldier as final touches. In short, it is a marvel.
Big Wild Goose Pagoda was built on the 7th century to house Buddhist relics, and is still a very elegant structure despite the wear from hundreds of years of visitors and pilgrims.
Your morning flight takes you to Shanghai, and to explore its two most famous streets: Nanjing Road, the shoppers' heaven with all its glamorous shops, and the Bund, an elegant promenade and architectural show room in one. Make sure you stay in the area until after dark; it is particularly charming in the evenings.
Yuyuan Garden is a wonderful example of Ming Dynasty design, built by an official after his retirement and then lost in a card game by his son. Jade Buddha Temple is named after two priceless white jade statues decorated with precious stones.
Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall showcases the proud city of the future, whereas the Shanghai World Financial Center lets you admire the present cityscape from 474m above ground on its observation deck.
Price includes:
China Highlights, Asia Highlights, and Global Highlights collaborate to provide families and couples with personalized and stress-free experiences in diverse destinations.
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Olivia Tian, a sunshine tour guide!
In October, my friend Amy booked a tour with Chinahighlights, Olivia Tian was our guide in Beijing, she is such a sweet n happy person to be around, not only she gave us the best guide service, also very accommodating, alter the plan as per our interest, took us to very local shopping n food district. Above all, she takes awesome pics, very patient!! Thank you so much for such pleasant 5 days in BJ, look forward to see you when we are back in China, Olivia!! more
Dec 2023,
Venture216019
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One whole of a good experience !
Kevin was always making flexible arrangements for us making sure we meet our needs. Kevin also walked us to our desired restaurant daily making sure all are well before he left. Kudos to the whole team. Highly recommend ? more
Dec 2023,
Cornelius C
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China is Amazing Wonders that do not stop coming at you.Great country
Great job,Loved every minute of it,Ethan did an amazing job,True Ambassador of China,Just like the Chinese people,Friendly, dignified and hardworking,Very happy.China Highlights exceeded expectations and then some,I will never even think of travelling with another company. more
Dec 2023,
Philip Sardar /Maps10321171537
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Wonderful trip to Beijing and Xian
Had a great trip to bejing n xian. Our guide lily liu is so well versed in english and we have no worry here at all. We managed to dine in great halal restaurants though out our trip. Highly reccomended to all muslims travellers. more
Dec 2023,
Efen Reyes
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Great experience, highly recommended!
Additionally, she helped me with all my personal needs like getting a SIM card, finding an ATM, shopping, dining, checking in at the train station, hotel, suggested a couple additional very entertaining art events. Was also punctual and spoke good English. more
Nov 2023,
Wayne S.
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Excellent tour with Tom from China Highlights
We used China Highlights for the 3 days of our Beijing trip. Tom was a fantastic guide. Very knowledgable with excellent English. He was able to accommodate changes to our tour at short notice, allowing us to make the most of our limited time. Couldn’t recommend highly enough more
Nov 2023,
Ross
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Magical Adventure
Wow this tour was honestly the best tourI have ever taken! Our guide Simon Yao was simply superb! His English was excellent and he was very easy to talk to. He was personable and friendly but not overpowering or overbearing. Very knowledgeable about history. Thankfully the weather was good so we were not super hot !Finally at the wall we were amazed by it's beauty and grandeur. It really is something and pictures don't do it justice. more
Nov 2023,
Annika M
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Excellent two day visit to Great Wall
Our guide ‘Mark’ was incredible. So friendly, knowledgable and funny. The itinerary was perfect, we got to see two different parts of the Great Wall (one of which at night which was magical) and our hotel stay in Gubei was wonderful. Highly recommend to anybody visiting Beijing more
Nov 2023,
James_Wolstenholme
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Great Experience from start to finish!
Jack was my guide and his local knowledge and English skills were fantastic. He was punctual, friendly and willing to flex as we went about our tour. Couldn’t recommend China Highlights more! more
Nov 2023,
Scott Smith
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Family tour
Helen in Beijing - thanks for paying great attention to details, for your small surprises for the children every day, for selecting amazing restaurants, and leading wonderful walking tours. Your cheerfulness added to our enjoyment. more
Nov 2023,
Kamila
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Great day out with Mark, thanks China Highlights!
We did a 1 day private tour with China Highlights to see Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, and the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall. Communication was great throughout - from trip planning/booking with Roger and from our guide Mark who contacted us the day before to confirm meet up time/location. Avoided a lot of the queues and definitely learned quite a bit of history from our guide Mark…thanks again! No language barriers/issues…highly recommended. more
Nov 2023,
ykeezy
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China Three (3) Cities Tours
To the tour guides, Ethan, Jason and Tony, you guys have made my visit an awesome and memorable experience. All the tour guides spoke english and communicated very effectively. They are knowledgeable about all the sites visited including, Great Wall of China, The Forbidden City, Panda Breeding and Research Center, Leshan Giant Buddha, Hallelujah Mountains, Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon and Glass Bridge, and Tianmen Mountain. The tour guides ensured I got the most out of my time I stayed in the various cities Beijing, Chengdu and Zhangjiajie. more
Nov 2023,
Kadar
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13 days in China
We booked a 13 day’s tour of China with China Highlights. Our travel advisor, Ms Leah Zhou organised an itinerary that suited what we wanted. She was really helpful and patient will all our needs. Leah helped us organised our 30th Wedding Anniversary Dinner and my 60th Birthday celebration?? in Beijing. For this to be possible, she had to liaise with our guide in Beijing. The flowers and cake were a real surprise. My husband and I, were really touched at the good service provided by China Highlights and Ms Leah Zhou. Thank you China Highlights and Ms Leah Zhou for your constant care of your customers. I will certainly recommend China Highlights to my friends. more
Nov 2023,
Eda Adams
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Perfect Beijing experience
Covering all major sights our exploration of Beijing and surroundings was flawless guided by Lily, along with her knowledgeable and balanced information on Chinas culture and history. In particular, Lily was able to adjust the tour according to personal preferences, e.g. focus on photography, as well as suggesting additional activities like an impressive authentic artistic show. I highly recommend China Highlights as China tour operator and Lily Liu as excellent guide regarding the Beijing area. more
Nov 2023,
Perfect Beijing experience
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Our first trip to Beijing
Our tour guide was Lucy Yubo. She was awesome. Very friendly, informative and passionate about her job. We really enjoyed her company and guidance. more
Nov 2023,
Sreelatha Reddy
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Anne and Bob’s tour of Beijing
We did the China Highlights tour of Beijing with our excellent guide Mark and his driver. We thoroughly enjoyed seeing the Beijing highlights including the Lama Temple, the Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and the Lama Temple. The Summer Palace with the boat ride and the Garden of Virtue and Harmony were memorable also and the Mutianyu Great Wall was a highlight. We were impressed with Mark as a guide. He knew his history and he was kind and thoughtful. He took us to some excellent restaurants and we were introduced to some beautiful food. We enjoyed his company and will always remember him. more
Nov 2023,
BendigoBob
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Excellent end to end service
Helen is a positive, full of knowledge, experienced guide.She provided us an implacable service abd experience for 3 days .Highly recommended more
Nov 2023,
Sariel Engel
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Amazing Beijing Tour with Risa!
Risa gave us a wonderful tour of the city! She thoroughly explained the cultuaral importance of each exhibit while also educating us on the Chinese culture. Appreciated having this wonderful Beijing trip with Risa:) more
Nov 2023,
Angelica M.
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Amazing Beijing Tour With Risa!
We were very kindly received in Beijing by our tour guide Risa. She gave us a very thorough tour of the city and showed us wonderful places, while also explaining the important history/culture of China! Very beautiful city filled with many things to do and full of culture! This was very well planned and made it very easy for us to visit the city and foreigners:) Thank you Risa! more
Nov 2023,
Angelica M
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Do Beijing like a local
They organised my trip very quickly and efficiently. On the day, Anna was very friendly to me, my mum and my baby. Very accommodating to our needs. The car was immaculately clean and very comfortable. We visited everything we initially wanted and more. Also, Anna took us to the best meal we had in China. It makes a difference to have a local choosing the dishes! more
Nov 2023,
Natali A
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