7 Days East China Garden Tour with Mt.Huangshan Climbing

Highlights: Welcome to Shanghai, the most metropolis of China! Upon arrival, you’ll be met by our guide and escorted to your hotel. The rest of is free for you

Highlights: After breakfast, you'll visit the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center, a must-see for all true Shanghainophiles to witness how Shanghai became a cosmopolitan city from a shabby fishing village. Continued is a tour to the beautiful Yu Garden, a pleasant enough,well-contained classical Chinese garden, and savor some local flavor snacks at the Yu Garden Bazaar.Continued you will pay a visit to a Silk Factory to learn the Chinese silk culture. Then ascend the Jinmao Tower to get an amazing bird's eye view of this metropolis.

Note: Recommended optional night show---Acrobatics Opera (RMB260=USD43/per)

Shanghai Urban Planning and Exhibition Center: If you want to see what a city of the future is really going to look like, come and visit Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center on the eastern end of People's Square. Housed in a striking modern five-story building made of microlite glass, this is one of the world's largest showcases of urban development and is much more interesting than its dry name suggests. The highlight is on the third floor: an awesome vast scale model of urban Shanghai as it will look in a couple of decades, a master plan full of endless skyscrapers punctuated occasionally by patches of green. The clear plastic models indicate structures yet to be built, and there are many of them.

Yu Garden: Yuyuan Garden (Happy Garden) is one of the highlights of Shanghai. It isbelieved to have been built in the Ming Dynasty, more than 400 years ago, with an exquisite layout and beautiful scenery. The inner and outer gardens were both built in the Ming Dynasty classical style, with numerous rock and tree garden areas, ponds, dragon-lined walls and zigzagging bridges separating various garden areas and pavilions. It is in the center of Shanghai's Old City, a few blocks south of the Bund. The surrounding bazaar area has good shopping opportunities for traditional Chinese products, gold, and jewels.

Jinmao Tower: The Jin Mao Building symbolizes Shanghai emerging into the 21st century. It was the tallest building in the country and third tallest in the world until 2007, when the World Financial Center was finished, In 2014 the Shanghai Tower will become China's tallest building. With an east-meets-west design signifying Shanghai's emergence as a modern global city, Jin Mao follows a multi-use model, offering retail shopping at its base, offices above, and the Grand Hyatt  occupying the upper 38 floors.

Highlights: Today you will be driven from Shanghai to Suzhou and visit the Lingering Garden, No.1 Silk Factory, cruise the Grand Canal, and evening enjoy the garden show. 

Lingering Garden: located to the northwest of Suzhou, Lingering Garden, as one of the four most famous classical gardens in China, In 1997, the garden, along with other classical gardens in Suzhou, was listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Constructed during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), it is famous for the way it artistically dealt with space, and seamlessly combined various pavilions into the picturesque landscape.

No.1 Silk Factory: Suzhou is famous for its silk production. Suzhou No.1 Silk Factory has been a leader in local silk production. A complete silk manufacturing facility, the No. 1 Silk Factory handles every facet of production from raising silkworms and cocoon boiling to reeling and packing. In this factory you can see a display of the life-cycle of the silk worm and demonstrations of how the silk is harvested from the cocoons and eventually woven into fabric.

Grand Canal: Connecting Beijing and Hangzhou for 1,770 km, Grand Canal is the oldest man-made canal in China and the world. The oldest sections dates back to the Spring and Autumn Period--over 2,400 years ago. The Grand Canal Suzhou Section is the essential part undertaking transportation of coal, constructional materials, rice, oil and various agricultural products. It is easy for visitors to travel to Hangzhou from Suzhou City by ship, and appreciate these sights along the canal.

Humiliating Night Show: The show is a fun night time excursion into the garden, which dates back to the Song Dynasty (960-1279). At nighttime, the colored lights reflecting in the ponds makes it amzing atmosphere. The show is 8 performance sections in different parts of the garden. You wander from place to place, watch a ten minute performance of Chinese opera, instrumental music, dance or singing and move on. It is available from mid-March to mid-November.

Highlights: Today you will be driven to visit Tongli Water Town, then drive back to Shanghai airport for the flight to Mt. Huangshan. Welcome to Huangshan! Upon arrival, be greeted by our tour guide and escorted to your hotel in Tunxi (Huangshan downtown). The rest of the day is on your own to discover this beautiful city.

Tongli Water Town: As one of the many ancient water towns in China, Tongli is well preserved water town with a history of more than 1,000 years. Located 18km from Suzhou City,  Tongli occupies an area of 51 square miles with a population of 50,000. The town is separated by 15 rivers into seven islets, which are connected through 49 ancient bridges. Tongli is a wonderful destination where you can really relax yourself and experience traditional Chinese culture.

Highlights：Today you will be driven 80km (1.5 hours) to Mt. Huangshan, take cable car from Yungu Station to the top of the mountain. Along the way, one can see the views Fairy Maiden Peak, Begining-to-Believe Peak, Lion Peak and Stone Monkey Gazing over the Sea of Clouds. Afternoon, you will visit the Purple Cloud Peak and part of the most spectacular Xihai Grand Canyon. Stay overnight at the summit.

Mt. Huangshan: Also called Yellow Mountain, is the most beautiful & loveliest mountain in China and a World Heritage Site of UNESCO. It is known for its “Four Wonders” - beautifully-shaped pines trees, fantastic rock peaks, sea of clouds and hot springs. Each vista is different and unique.

Highlights: Today you will get up early to see the magical sunrise at Beihai. After breakfast, you will visit the Flying-over Peak, Bright Summit, Lotus Peak and see Welcoming-guest Pine, Celestial Capital Peak etc. After check out, you will descend by the cable car from Yungu Station down to the foot, then drive back to Huangshan city to visit Tunxi Ancient Street and Hu Kaiwen Ink-stick Factory. After the tour, be escorted to airport for the flight to Shanghai. Upon arrival, be greeted by our Shangahi tour guide and escorted to your hotel. 

Tunxi Ancient Street: First built about 900 years ago, during Song Dynasty (960-1279), it is a 100% “old” street with well-preserved houses in Huizhou style. The style of architecture is called the Anhui style or Huizhou architecture. The look of these structures is similar to that of the Hongcun merchant houses. It is the best-preserved section of Huangshan City.The buildings are made of brick and wood and have two or three floors. Although the shops on Tunxi Old Street are not big, but they are deep inside, which allow for a shop in the front and the back for a home, workshop, or storeroom.

Hu Kaiwen Ink-stick Factory: The Four Treasures of the Study, namely the brush, ink, paper and ink stone, are cultural symbols of traditional Chinese academy. Ink sticks produced in Anhui Province are considered to be the finest in the world, and are called Hui Ink sticks. First opened in 1782 during the reign of Emperor Qianlong of Qing Dynasty, Hu Kaiwen Ink Factory is the oldest and most famous factory for Hui Ink in China, where visitors can see the whole working process of ink sticks.

Highlights: After breakfast, head to the famous Bund to witness Shanghai’s skyline, and stroll along China's No.1 shopping street, Nanjing Road. Then be escorted to the airport for the flight to next city. 

The Bund: Which is a 1.5 km waterfront area of in Huangpu District of downtown Shanghai. The Bund usually refers to the buildings and wharves on this section of the road, as well as some adjacent areas. It is one of the most famous tourist destinations in Shanghai, on the east of this area, you can see the mother river of Shanghai----Huangpu River; and on the west of it, you will see rows of western architectures from 1930s. Building heights are restricted in this area. 

Nanjing Road: Starts at the Bund in the east and ends in the west, Nanjing Road is 3.4 miles and regarded as China's premier shopping street, it is a must-see metropolitan destination for shoppers from all over the world. Buildings with distinctive features erect on both sides of the street, huge signboards and advertisements show prosperity, and when the night falls, dazzling neon lights flicker with bright colors.