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14 Days Best of China with Yangtze Cruise and Panda Visit

Shanghai - Yichang - Yangtze Cruise - Chongqing - Chengdu - Xian - Beijing

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Tour Code: TCT-CTSH-14B
Tour Type: Private Tour with Private guides & vehicles

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OVERVIEW
You will literally be impressed after spending 15 days on this all-around China tour. You will Explore Shanghai to see how the city rolls the traditional ingredients and the modern into one; Cruise on Yangtze River and Li River, the beloved attractions of China’s poets; Visit the sumptuous historic heritage that Beijing & Xian, two ancient capitals of China grant.
  • Day 1Pickup at airport and escort to hotel
  • Day 2Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center, Yuyuan Garden and Bazaar, Jinmao Tower:
  • Day 3Visit the Bund, Nanjing Road, fly to Yichang and board on the cruise
  • Day 4Yangtze River Cruise
  • Day 5Yangtze River Cruise
  • Day 6Yangtze River Cruise
  • Day 7Disembark at Chongqing. Bullet train to Chengdu
  • Day 8Visit Chengdu Panda Base, Wenshu Temple, Jinlin Old Street. hotpot dinner
  • Day 9Fly to Xian
  • Day 10Visit Terra-Cotta Warriors, Ancient City Wall
  • Day 11Visit Shanxi Provincial Museum, Muslim Quarter. Bullet train to Beijing
  • Day 12Visit Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Summer Palace, evening Kungfu Show
  • Day 13Great Wall, Changling Tomb, Sacred Road, Peking Roast Duck Dinner
  • Day 14Visit Temple of Heaven, fly home
14 Days Best of China with Yangtze Cruise and Panda Visit Map
ITINERARY
Day 1Shanghai Arrival
Transfer Via: Flight arranged by you

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 today is at your leisure.

Accommodations: Overnight in Shanghai
    Day 2Shanghai (B)

    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.

    Accommodations: Overnight in Shanghai
    • shanghai urban planning exhibition center

      shanghai urban planning exhibition center

    • jinmao tower

      jinmao tower

    Day 3Shanghai - Yichang (B,L)
    Transfer Via: Flight arranged by us

    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 Yichang. Welcome to Yichang! Upon your Yichang arrival be met by our guide and escorted to the pier for boarding.  

    The Bund: is a waterfront area in central Shanghai. The area centres on a section of Zhongshan Road (East-1 Zhongshan Road) within the former Shanghai International Settlement, which runs along the western bank of the Huangpu River, facing Pudong, in the eastern part of Huangpu District. 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. Building heights are restricted in this area.

    Nanjing Road: China's premier shopping street, 3.4-mile-long Nanjing Road, starts at the Bund in the east and ends in the west at the junction of Jing'an Temple and Yan'an West Street. Today it is a must-see metropolitan destination attracting thousands of fashion-seeking shoppers from all over the world. 

    Accommodations: Overnight on the ship
    • the bund

      the bund

    • nanjing road

      nanjing road

    Day 4Yangtze River Cruise (B,L,D)

    Highlights: Today you will have a shore excursion to visit the well-known Three Gorges Dam. As the biggest hydropower project in the world, the dam provides tremendous power generation and flood control service. Visit the Tanziling Park, Gorges Exhibition and have close look at the dam to know better of the largest construction projects. The cruise continues upstream through the Xiling Gorge, the first of these dramatic slices through the surrounding mountains. The new reservoir has altered the landscape, and with more than a million people relocated, the picture is now of a wild countryside – the physical embodiment of thousands of beautiful Chinese landscape paintings. Watch the fog move in that turns the mountains into ghostly sculptures and enjoy our sumptuous Captain’s Dinner for your evening meal.

    Accommodations: Overnight on the ship
    • yangtze river cruise

      yangtze river cruise

    • yangtze river cruise

      yangtze river cruise

    Day 5Yangtze River Cruise (B,L,D)

    Highlights: Today you will take smaller vessel to visit Shennv Stream. Shennv Stream, also called Goddess Stream, is an original virgin valley of Yangtze River where you could not only see the beautiful and legendary gorges, hanging coffins, but also enjoy local sampan trip and Tujia minority culture.   

    Note: Some ships go to the Shennong Stream where you could not only see the beautiful and legendary gorges, hanging coffins, but also enjoy local sampan trip and Tujia minority culture. You have the final say on which excursion to make, as we can book any of the cruise ships at great rates!

    Accommodations: Overnight on the ship
    • yangtze river cruise

      yangtze river cruise

    • yangtze river cruise

      yangtze river cruise

    Day 6Yangtze River Cruise (B,L,D)

    Highlights: Today is the shore excursion to visit Fengdu Ghost City. This ancient complex is full of shrines to the gods of the underworld. Surrounded by misty mountains, this area was revered as a crossing-over point, a mix of the material and spiritual worlds. On this day, you will also enjoy Captain’s Farewell Party, Chinese Folk Dance and other cultural activities onboard. 

    Note: Some cruise ships make the shore excursions to Shibaozhai Pagoda, a Pearl on Yangtze River. The 12-storey, 100-foot high red pagoda stands in front of a mountainous area full of shrubs and trees. It needs some walk to climb up the pagoda stairs to experience the spectacular scenery from above. (Note: Wear comfortable shoes when visit Shibaozhai ashore.)

    Accommodations: Overnight on the ship
    • yangtze river cruise

      yangtze river cruise

    • yangtze river cruise

      yangtze river cruise

    Day 7Chongqing - Chengdu (B)
    Transfer Via: Bullet train arranged by us

    Highlights: You will disembark in Chongqing at around 9AM, and your local tour guide will meet and escort you to the Chongqing train station for the train to Chengdu. Welcome to Chengdu---home of giant pandas. Upon arrival, your personal guide will meet you and escort you to your hotel. Rest of the day will be free for you to relax.

    Accommodations: Overnight in Chengdu
      Day 8Chengdu (B,L,D)

      Highlights: On this day, you will visit the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, followed by a trip to the Wenshu Temple where you can spend some time sitting in its tea house enjoying a cup of traditional Chinese tea and absorb the special atmosphere of Chengdu and Jinli Old Street.  

      Note: Recommended optional night show---Sichuan Opera with face–changing. (RMB260=USD43/per)

      Chengdu Panda Base: The Giant Panda Breeding Research Base is about 10 km away from downtown Chengdu, and it can be reached in about 35 minutes by taxi. The Giant Panda Museum is located at the base, and it is the world’s only museum that focuses entirely on the critically endangered giant panda.  The museum’s collection includes displays of panda habitat and of pictures of pandas, and there are many scientific displays that give visitors a comprehensive education on their characteristics, habitat and distribution in the wild, and China’s conservation and breeding efforts.  The museum also exhibits books and scientific literature that authors around the world have written about giant pandas throughout history.

      Wenshu Temple: The Wenshu Temple is a famous Buddhist temple located in the northwest of Chengdu. Its predecessor was the Tang Dynasty Miaoyuan Pagoda Temple, which was renamed “Xinxiang Temple” in the Song Dynasty. Later it was destroyed in war. It is said in the Qing Dynasty red light was reported to have appeared at the place. The government officers then assigned personnel to find out about it. And it was discovered that the image of Bodhisattva Manjusri (Wen Shu) appeared in the red light. So in the 36th year of Emperor Kangxi’s reign (1697), fund was raised to rebuild the temple, which has been since then named the Wenshu Temple. There were two Chinese characters “Kong Lin” (empty forest) autographed by Emperor Kangxi, together with an imperial seal inscribed with “Konglin Chici (Kong Lin bestowed by the Emperor)”. Emperor Kangxi’s writing is still kept in the temple.

      Jinlin Old Street: Jinli Old Street is one of the oldest shopping streets in Sichuan Province, and it can be traced back to the Three Kingdoms Period, over 1,800 years ago.  Being one of the oldest commercial streets in China, Jinli Old Street is also a great place for people to fully appreciate Sichuan's customs, and folk arts. Visitors can try the indigenous foods and snacks, witness paper-cutting, clay figurines, and Shu embroidery.

      Recommended Optional Sichuan Opera Show:  Sichuan Opera (paid add-on show (RMB260=USD43/per)) is an important part of Chengdu culture. Besides the normal singing, and martial arts, Sichuan Opera has many unique features that set it apart, features such as fire breathing, changing faces, and juggling pottery. When enjoying the performance, visitors always amaze at different facial make-ups that are changed fast and mysteriously.

      Accommodations: Overnight in Chengdu
      • chengdu panda base

        chengdu panda base

      • chengdu hotpot

        chengdu hotpot

      Day 9Chengdu - Xian (B)
      Transfer Via: Flight arranged by us

      Highlights: You will be free until your local guide escorts you to the airport for your flight to Xian. Upon arrival in Xian, your local guide will meet and escort you to the hotel in Xian, and the rest of today is free at your leisure. 

      Accommodations: Overnight in Xian
        Day 10Xian (B,L)

        Highlights: This morning you will visit the incredible life-size Terracotta Warriors ---a lifetime view of the extraordinary 2200-year-old terra-cotta Army of China' First Emperor-Qin Shihuang., and then pay a visit to the Ceramics Factory to learn the Chinese ceramics culture. Afterwards you will visit the Ancient City Walls--a symbol of great significance of the famous historic cultural city of Xian, you might have a biking tour on the wall by paying addtional RMB45=USD7/per person, it could be very special experience. 

        Terra-Cotta Warriors: As the most important site in Xian and China, the Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses are the most significant archeological excavations of the 20th century. It took 11 years to finish, a group of peasants uncovered some pottery while digging for a well nearby the royal tomb in 1974. It caught the attention of archeologists immediately. The museum covers an area of 16,300 square meters, divided into three sections: No. 1 Pit, No. 2 Pit, and No. 3 Pit respectively. They were tagged in the order of their discoveries.

        Ancient City Walls: As the first landmark you will encounter in Xi'an, the ancient city wall stretches round the old city. Xi'an was originally a walled city, and even today the wall is considered a landmark dividing the city into the inner part and the outer part. The wall is massive - tall, long and thick. The South Gate and North Gate are the two main entrances to the inner city. Having a biking tour on the wall is special experience you should not miss.

        Accommodations: Overnight in Xian
        • terra cotta warriors

          terra cotta warriors

        • xian ancient city wall

          xian ancient city wall

        Day 11Xian - Beijing (B)
        Transfer Via: Flight arranged by us

        Highlights: Today you will visit The Shanxi Provincial Museum---a large modern museum of the national level. Then move to visit the Muslim community before your guide escorts you to the airport for your flight to Beijing. Welcome to Beijing, the capital of China! Your local guide will escort you to your hotel in a private vehicle. The rest of today is free for you to explore the vast metropolis on your own.

        Shaanxi Provincial Museum: As the largest comprehensive museum in Shanxi province, the museum was built at the site of a former Confucian temple in the southern of Xian, it occupies an area of 70,000 square meters, and exhibits historical relics and stone carvings of ancient China. If you are history lovers, Shaanxi Provincial Museum is a must on your Xian trip

        Muslim Quarter: Xi'an, was the capital in Tang Dynasty (618–907), Muslim merchants followed the silk road and settled down to start their business there, and their traditions and belief have been well preserved. Muslim quarter is the community of the Muslims, and a fascinating area where you can find exotic food, interesting people and great souvenir stalls.

        Accommodations: Overnight in Beijing
          Day 12Beijing (B,L,D)

          Highlights: Today you will visit Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Summer Palace. Evening is a Kungfu Show for you to learn Chinese martial art culture. 

          Tian'anmen Square: Literally means Gate of Heavenly Peace, is great cultural significance as several important events of Chinese history happened here. With 440,000 m² - 880 m by 500 m, the Tiananmen Square is the largest city square in the world . 

          Forbidden City: As the seat of Imperial power, the Forbidden City was built between 1406 and 1420 by the 3rd Emperor of Ming Dynasty, it is also known as the Imperial Palace Museum. Being ruined and renovated for many time, what you can see today is the buildings date from the 1700’s and onwards. The complex is totally 183 acres, there are total 9999.5 rooms in the Museum, some of them are not open for visitors yet. 

          Summer Palace: As the largest and best preserved imperial garden, the Summer Palace is also known as the Royal Garden Museum. It was used by royal family for 800 years, in 19th century, the famous Empress Dowager Cixi ordered massive renovations and restore by using the funds of Chinese navy. The garden is totally 293 hectares, of which the water takes 220 hectares, the highlights are Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake. 

          Kungfu Show: Which a great show telling a story of Chin Yu entering the monastery and making his way through life to finally becoming the Abbott. The show are with many demonstrations of Kungfu and various costumes. The show lasts about 1 hour and 15 minutes, visitors are not allowed to take photos or videos, but DVD of the show are available to be purchased.

          Accommodations: Overnight in Beijing
          • tiananmen square

            tiananmen square

          • forbidden city

            forbidden city

          Day 13Beijing (B,L,D)

          Highlights: This morning tour will take you to size up the world-famous Great Wall (Mutianyu section which is less crowded, round-way cable car fee is INCLUDED), the key symbol of China. Flexible visiting time allows you to enjoy a lifetime trekking trip (1-2 hours' hiking). On the way to the Great Wall, you may have a distant view of the Olympic sites--Brid's Nest and Water Cube. Afterwards is a visit to the Changling Tomb and Sacred Road. In the evening, try the flavorful dish of Peking Roast Duck Dinner.

          Great Wall of Mutianyu section: In the northern part of Huairou County some 70 kilometers north-east of Beijing City, the Mutianyu (Mu Tian Yu) section of the Great Wall stretches its way for over 2 kilometers. This section is well preserved and is a good alternative for visitors who would like to avoid crowds along the highly popular Badaling (Ba Da Ling) section during holiday and peak seasons.

          Bird's Nest:  Which is also known as the National Stadium, due to its iconic design was the key competition venue of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and the 13th Paralympic Games. The opening and closing ceremonies of the two Games have taken place here, together with the football, and track and field competitions. The stadium is the world's largest steel structure

          Water Cube: which is also called the National Aquatics Centre, is one of the dramatic and amazing venues to host Beijing Olympics in 2008. This is the first building of its kind in China and it is also an economical and water-saving creation. The structural design is based on the natural formation of soap bubbles which give a random, organic appearance and helping to link the structure to its aquatic function.The swimming pool is deeper than most Olympic swimming pools, allowing swimming at faster speeds, while the gutters to the side of the pool disperse wave energy.  A consequence of this was the breaking of 25 world records during the 2008 Olympics.

          Sacred Road: Affiliated with the Ming Tombs, the Sacred Road was originally built to lead to the Changling mausoleum. It was considered to be the road leading to heaven. Chinese emperors were known as the Son of Heaven. During their reign they often passed through the sacred road to the sacrificial altar in order to converse with heaven. After their death, the funeral procession also took the path through the Sacred Road as a symbol of the passed emperor 's journey to heaven in the afterlife.

          Changling Tomb: Fifty kilometers northwest from Beijing City lies the Ming Tombs – the general name given to the mausoleums of 13 emperors of the Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644). The mausoleums have been perfectly preserved, as has the necropolis of each of the many emperors. Because of its long history, palatial and integrated architecture, the site has a high cultural and historic value. The layout and arrangement of all thirteen mausoleums are very similar but vary in size as well as in the complexity of their structures.

          Peking Duck Dinner: Peking Duck or Beijing Roast Duck is regarded as one of the most delicious dishes throughout the world; It is a must for most visitors coming to Beijing to have a bite.

          Accommodations: Overnight in Beijing
          • mutianyu great wall

            mutianyu great wall

          • peking roasted duck

            peking roasted duck

          Day 14Beijing Departure (B)
          Transfer Via: Flight arranged by you

          Highlights: Today you’ll visit the Temple of Heaven where the emperors worshipped heaven and prayed for peace and harvest. Then you will be escorted to the airport for your flight home.

          Temple of Heaven: Located in southeastern urban Beijing, Temple of Heaven is a dignified complex of fine cult buildings set in gardens and surrounded by historic pine woods,. The Emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties visited the complex annually and prayed to Heaven for good harvest. Now, the Temple of Heaven, as a symbol of the city, is one of the must-see attractions in Beijing and has been listed as an UNESCO'S World Cultural Heritage site in 1998.

          • temple of heaven

            temple of heaven

          • temple of heaven

            temple of heaven

          WHAT IS INCLUDE

          Meals as listed in itinerary

          Accommodation as listed in itinerary

          Domestic flights/trains if listed in itinerary

          Lisenced local English-speaking tour guides

          Private transportation with experienced drivers

          Entrance ticket fees for attractions listed in itinerary

          WHAT IS EXCLUDE

          China Visa

          Personal expense

          Travel insurance (Recommended)

          International flights to and out of China

          Tips and gratitude to tour guides and drivers

          Meals if not specified in the itinerary (Average meals cost is USD5-8/per)

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