China Splendors 17 days

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	BEIJING • XIAN • GUILIN • HANGZHOU • NANJING   WUXI-CRUISE ON THE GRAND CANAL • SUZHOU • SHANGHAI

Day 01 (Fri) US / BEIJING Take an international flight from the US to Beijing, China. Meals and snacks will be served on the plane. Movies will also be available during the flight. Day 02 (Sat) BEIJING Upon arrival in Beijing, you will be met and transferred to your hotel by our tour guide. Day 03 (Sun) BEIJING (AB, L, SD) Today you will tour the delicately crafted Temple of Heaven, where the emperors used to pray for good harvest. After lunch, you will tour the Hutong (Chinese alleyways) by riding aboard a rickshaw pedicab through the narrow lanes of the old residential quarters. You will have the opportunity to take a glimpse of the local residents' daily life. Attend a welcome Peking Duck Dinner Party in the evening. Day 04 (Mon) BEIJING (AB, L, D) The highlight today is a trip to the astonishing Great Wall of China, the only man-made structure on Earth that can be observed from the moon. After lunch, you will visit the Ming Tombs, burial sites for 13 of the Ming emperors. Day 05 (Tues) BEIJING (AB, L, D) The excursion today includes a visit to Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the largest and most intact conglomeration of ancient structures of the imperial palace. This was the palace for 24 Ming and Qing Dynasty emperors who ruled China for over 500 years. Lunch is followed by a visit to the Summer Palace, the famous resort of Empress Dowager Ci Xi. Feast your eyes on the Long Corridor, Longevity Hill, and Kunming Lake. You may also have the opportunity to see pandas at the zoo in Beijing. In the evening you will attend an acrobatic show. Day 06 (Wed) BEIJING / XIAN (AB, L, SD) After breakfast, you will take a flight to Xian, the ancient capital city for 11 dynasties in Chinese history. Visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda upon arrival in Xian. Enjoy a dumpling dinner banquet, followed by an on-stage show of Tang Dynasty dance and music. Day 07 (Thurs) XIAN (AB, L, D) After breakfast, visit the Tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang and see the awesome Terra-Cotta Warriors and Horses, widely regarded as the eighth wonder of the world. After lunch, visit Hua Qing Spring Pool, the favorite resort of the famous Lady Yang, one of the four great beauties in Chinese history. Day 08 (Fri) XIAN / GUILIN (AB, L, D) This morning you will visit the Shaanxi Provincial Museum of History before taking a flight to Guilin, famous for its picturesque limestone peaks and rivers. Day 09 (Sat) GUILIN (AB, L, D) Today you will take a relaxing cruise on the Li River to Yangshuo. Enjoy the haunting beauty of the mist-wrapped monolithic peaks along the riverbanks en route. Return to Guilin by bus. Take a tour of Elephant Trunk Hill, and enjoy a "Garden Night" folk dance and music performance in the evening. Day 10 (Sun) GUILIN/ HANGZHOU (via Shanghai) (AB, L, D) After breakfast, you will take a tour of the Reed Flute Cave, a fairy land of limestone known as the "art gallery of nature", before flying to Shanghai. Upon arrival at Shanghai airport, you will be met and transferred to the city of Hangzhou, the most beautiful city in the world as praised by Marco Polo. You will tour the Pagoda of Six Harmonies, built in the year 970, and view goldfish at Flower Harbor at the West Lake, which is considered one of the top ten scenic attractions of the West Lake. DAY 11 (Mon) HANGZHOU / NANJING (AB, L, D) After breakfast, you will cruise the scenic West Lake and enjoy fascinating sceneries around the lake. Visit a tea orchard and learn the Chinese tea culture. Then take an afternoon bus ride to Nanjing, one of the most famous ancient capital cities in China. Upon arrival, you will be taken to your five star deluxe hotel for check-in. DAY 12 (Tues) NANJING (AB, L, D) The excursion today takes you to Dr. Sun Yat Sen's Mausoleum, and the Ming Tomb for the first Ming Emperor which has been designated as the World Cultural Heritage Site by the United Nations. After lunch you will have a tour of the city wall of more than 600 years and the well preserved and the biggest city gate in the world-Zhonghua City Gate. In late afternoon, you will be taken to the Confucious Temple and Qinhuai River scenic belt for sightseeing. Enjoy the night view of Qinhuai River. DAY 13 (Wed) NANJING / WUXI (AB, L, D) After breakfast you will take a two-hour drive to Wuxi, a water town of "fish and rice". After lunch, you will visit the clay figurine studio and sightsee the beautiful Tai Lake. Stay overnight at one of the deluxe hotels in Wuxi. DAY 14 (Thurs) WUXI / SUZHOU (AB, L, D) This morning you will take a one hour bus ride to Suzhou, which is often referred to as the "Venice of the East". Cruise on a small part of the world famous, 2400 years' Grand Canal to experience the unique cultures and glimpse the daily life of the local residents. You will also visit Tiger Hill, one of the landscaped classic gardens and the silk embroidery factory. DAY 15 (Fri) SUZHOU / SHANGHAI (AB, L, SD) Today you will take a bus ride back to Shanghai. On your way, you will spend a few hours at Zhouzhuang, a village of more than one thousand years history near Suzhou, where you will experience the serene country lifestyle of the local residents, and enjoy the "old world" architecture and the local customs that have been so well reserved. After your arrival in Shanghai, attend the farewell dinner party in the evening. DAY 16 (Sat) SHANGHAI (AB, L, D) Today you will visit the Bund, Yu Garden, bustling Nanjing Road and the famous Shanghai Museum of Art & History. DAY 17 (Sun) SHANGHAI / US (AB) The morning will be free for your leisure. You will be transferred to the airport for your flight back home in the afternoon.

Roundtrip international air transportation All domestic air and ground transportation 15 nights hotel accommodations at five-star deluxe hotels Escorted tours and sightseeing with admission and English speaking tour guides in each city 43 meals: 15 breakfasts, 14 lunches, 14 dinners including Peking duck dinner, dumpling dinner banquet in Xian, and Shanghai cuisine farewell dinner party Cultural entertainment: Acrobatic show in Beijing; Tang Dynasty dance and music in Xian and "Garden Night" folk dance and music in Guilin AB: American Breakfast | L: Lunch D: Dinner | SD: Special Dinner