Code:	TQ 20
Routes:	Beijing - Xian - Chongqing - Yangtze River Cruise - Yichang - Shanghai - Beijing
Duration:	11 Days

Itinerary in brief

Day 1   : Arrival - Beijing
Day 2   : Beijing
Day 3   : Beijing
Day 4   : Beijing - Xian
Day 5   : Xian
Day 6   : Xian - Chongqing
Day 7   : Yangtze Cruise
Day 8   : Yangtze Cruise
Day 9   : Yichang -Shanghai
Day 10 : Shanghai
Day 11 : Shanghai

Detail Itinerary

Day 1:  Arrival - Beijing
Upon arrival at Beijing airport, you will be met by our English speaking tour guide and transferred to hotel. Leisure on your own for the rest of the day.

Day 2: (B, L, D)
Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square,  Summer Palace, Summer Palace. Enjoy Peking Roasted Duck at night.

Tian'anmen Square, the symbolical heart of China and gathering place for the masses. It is the biggest public square in the world, which can hold one million people. Having a free walk there, imagining the great historic events of the 20th century took place there. You will also see legendary landmarks including the Great Hall of the People and the towering 125 foot granite obelisk, Monument to the Peoples Heroes, honoring those who died in revolution.

Walking across the Golden River Bridge, enter the Forbidden City, the inner sanctum and palace where for centuries Chinese emperors ruled their world. It has 9000-room maze of courtyards, places, and ceremonial halls, where 24 emperors used to live. Forbidden City was indeed a forbidden place, where commoners were kept out for nearly 500 years in the past. Tour the palace and imagine the mystery, intrigue and incredible power that reigned here.

The Summer Palace with its cool features - water, gardens and hills - was the palace of choice for vacationing emperors and Dowager Empresses. It was badly damaged by Anglo-French troops during the Second Opium War (1860)

Along with the grand view of the Great Wall, travelers to Peking shouldn't miss trying the Peking Roasted Duck. To enjoy the famous duck, the Restaurant QuanJuDe is the best choice for you. It has multiple outlets in Peking (Beijing). The old restaurant first opened in 1860. The duck here is said to be the best in Peking, and the service is very good as well.

Day 3: Beijing (B, L, D)
Great Wall Tour, The Ming Tombs , watch Peking opera in the evening.

The Great Wall of China is the longest structure ever built. It is about 4,000 miles long, and it was built entirely by hand. About 1, 200 - 1, 500 miles of the Great Wall were built during the reign of Emperor Shi Huangdi (Qin Dynasty). The Great Wall crosses northern China from the east coast to the central part of China.

Visit the fabled Ming Tombs, the resting places of thirteen emperors and their splendid treasures, passing down the Spirit Way, a road lined with statues of dignitaries, as well as huge elephants, lions, camels and horses, you will encounter the marble tombs of the Ming Dynasty emperors. Visit one of the spectacular tombs- Dingling featuring an underground palace.

Peking Opera or Beijing Opera is a synthesis of stylized action, singing, dialogue and mime, acrobatic fighting and dancing to represent a story or depict different characters and their feelings of gladness, anger, sorrow, happiness, surprise, fear and sadness.

Day 4 : Beijing - Xian (B, L, D)
Transfer via: by air
Visit Temple of Heaven, Hutong Tour, transfer to airport for your flight to Xian, be met and transferred to hotel.

Temple of Heaven was built in the 15th century, a sacred site for ancient Beijing, where the emperor and his 1000 member entourage would retreat twice a year for religious ritual. Surrounded by enormous grounds designed in accordance with fengshshui, the Temple complex consists of the Celebrated Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, a unique wooden and blue-tiled structure built without a nail. It is considered the supreme achievement of traditional Chinese architecture.

A jaunt down the intricate maze of Beijing's hutongs. You will be taken by pedicab (a tricycle cab), which was very popular in the old days to visit the Bell and Drum Towers, Prince Gong's Mansion and even to pay a visit to an ordinary Beijing family in the compound houses. You will visit a Chinese family to learn how to make Jiaozi - Chinese Dumplin.

Jiaozi looks like shoe-shaped gold and silver ingots so when people eat it during festivals they really hope it could bring fortune and good luck to them, and this, of course, is their best wishes. Sometimes people will add some sweets, Chinese dates and chestnuts in fillings of some dumplings to express their wishes...

Day 5: Xian (B, L)
Terra-Cotta Warriors,  Wild Goose Pagoda.

Today will be your highlights in Xian. The Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses are the most significant archeological excavations of the20th century. It has been regarded as THE 8TH WONDER OF THE WORLD! Over 2,200 years ago, the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang in search of immortality, ordered the construction of a vast army of 8,000 life-sized Terra Cotta warriors and buried with him to protect his empire after his early death. They were discovered accidentally in 1974 by farmers digging a well. For history lovers, the sight is truly breathtaking.

Day 6: Xian - Chongqing (B, L, D)
Visit Shaanxi Provincial Museum, Old City Wall, Muslim Quarter. Transfer to Chongqing by air.

Have city tours to visit the Shaanxi Provincial Museum, which is the largest comprehensive museum in the province. It is also the fist national level grand museum equipped with modern facilities. It exhibits primarily historical relics of past dynasties and displays precious art treasures and stone carvings of the Han and Tang dynasties. Walking through the exhibits in the museum is like walking through the 3000 years of China history.

Visit the Old City Wall. It is the most complete city wall survived in China as well as one of the largest ancient military defensive systems in the world. The wall was built in the Tang dynasty (618 -907) and enlarged in the Ming dynasty (1368-1644).

Later today you will be transferred to Chongqing and get on board on  Cruise Ship. Our cruise begin to leave Chongqing at 20:00.  We are going down the mighty Yangtze, third longest river in the world and the lifeblood of this vast country.

Day 7: Yangtze Cruise (B, L, D)
Departs Chongqing at 0800. Shore excursion to Fengdu Ghost City or New Wanxian County.

-Fengdu is where the devil lives, according to Chinese legend. They say that spirits go to heaven, and evil goes to Fengdu. The town is overlooked by Ming Shan Hill, home of Tianzi, the King of the Dead. The whole place has an eerie feel to it with deserted streets, tower blocks, empty shops and banks. The only people here are those who make a living from visiting cruise boats.

Day 8 : Yangtze Cruise (B, L, D)
Shore excursion to Lesser Three Gorges.

At the town of Fengjie, see impressive bird's-eye views of the first of the gorges, Qutang Xia. Be on deck as we sail through the might of the remaining two gorges, Wu Xia and Xiling Xia, and enjoy a small boat ride up into Lesser Three Gorges.

Day 9: Yichang -Shanghai (B, L, D)
Shore excursion to Three Gorges Dam site. Witness the enormity and scale of the Three Gorges Dam and ship lock.

Arrives in Yichang at 1300, transfer to airport for your flight to Shanghai.

Day 10: Shanghai  (B, L, )
Visit Yu Garden, Old Town Bazaar, Museum. Watch Acrobatic Show at night.

Visit the Shanghai Museum.As a museum of ancient Chinese art, Shanghai Museum possesses a collection of 120,000 precious works of art. Its rich and high-quality collection of ancient Chinese bronze, ceramics, painting and calligraphy is specially celebrated in the world. The present Shanghai Museum has eleven galleries and three special temporary exhibition halls.

Yu Garden. This delightfully restored labyrinth of tiny specialty shops, tea and snack houses centered around a Ming - dynasty mandarin Suzhou-style garden is a fascinating spot to people-watch over a pot of tea, to shop for unique souvenirs

and to get a feel for Old Shanghai. It is well worth a meander through the Yu Garden, which has many scenic courtyards decorated with baroque rockery, pools and flora, all connected by corridors and passageways.

Day 11: Shanghai (B, L, )
Jade Buddha Temple, the Bund, Oriental Pearl TV Tower, Transfer to airport for return flight to sweet home..

Visit The Bund. Have a stroll along the waterfront to experience the smells, sights and sounds of the old "Wall Street" in Shanghai. Banks, trading houses, residences, hotels and clubs all had a view of bustling Huangpu River traffic as they shared in the city's rising and falling fortunes. Then walking along the famous shopping street-Nanjing Road. It is said that shopping in Shanghai is the most varied and rewarding in China

Oriental Pearl TV Tower. With its 468 meters high (1,536 feet), the tower is the third tallest TV and radio tower in the world as well as the tallest structure in Asia. It is the best place to have a birds-eye-view of Shanghai City. With its unique and amazing design, it has become the new landmark of Shanghai and a big magnet for tourists. The viewing area is half-way up and offers a splendid unparalleled view of the Bund, the emerging new modern Shangha. The view of Shanghai from this height fills you with wonder at the beauty that surrounds you.

Tour finish.    Later today, you will be transferred to airport to catch the flight to Home.