China Tour to Top-Rated Cities in 2022

Welcome to Beijing! Today you will begin your China Tours 2022 from Beijing. As soon as you arrive in Beijing, your tour guide will warmly welcome you at the airport arrival hall and pick you up. Then you will be transferred to the hotel and check in. If you are puzzled about the schedule, just ask your tour guide and I’m sure he will try his best to help you. If it’s your first time coming to Beijing, you will be amazed by the city’s unique charm. Beijing is the capital city of China, covering an area of about 16,410 square kilometers with a population of about 21.89 million. Beijing is also a world-famous ancient capital city as well as a modern metropolis. If you are interested in China’s history, Beijing is a place that you can’t miss.

In the morning, your tour guide will take you to Tian’anmen Square. Tian’anmen Square is at the center of Beijing with an area of 440,000 square meters. It was built in the 15th year of Yongle Period in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). From south to north , you can see the Zhengyangmen Gate Tower, Chairman Mao Zedong Memorial Hall, Monument to the People’s Heroes, and the Flagpole. On each day, the national flag of China will be raised. The Flagpole, which was first used in 1949, was originally 22 meters high. In 1991, the Flagpole was rebuilt with a height of 32.6 meters. However, the national flag will not be raised to the top. You may wonder why. It is related to the founding date of the Communist Party of China. The Communist Party of China is the backbone of the whole country. The People’s Republic of China (the PRC) was founded on 1st, October 1949, while the Communist Party of China was established in July 1921, which was 28 years and 3 months earlier than the founding of the PRC. Therefore, to commemorate these 28 years and 3 months of hard work, the flag is raised 28.3 meters high.

After visiting the square, you will go to the Forbidden City (closed each Monday). The Forbidden City was the imperial palace of the Ming(1368-1644) and Qing (1636-1912) Dynasties. It lies at the center of Beijing. The Forbidden City was built in 1406 (in the Ming Dynasty). With 10-meter-high city walls surrounded, the Forbidden City is 961 meters long from north to south and 753 meters wide from east to west. It is the largest imperial architecture in the world. In 1406, Zhu Di (the third emperor of the Ming Dynasty) ordered his officials to build the Forbidden City in Beijing which was not the capital at that time. Therefore, the officials went to the countryside to exploit precious stone and wood materials, and moved them to Beijing. The preparation work had lasted for 11 years. Then, in 1417, Zhu Di gathered skilled craftsmen around the country to build the Forbidden City. After its completion, Zhu Di moved the capital from Nanjing to Beijing. As the home of 24 emperors, the Forbidden City is a collection of luxuries and the emblem of the supreme position of ancient emperors. I can assure you that you will have a better understanding of Chinese history at this place.

After lunch, you will visit the Temple of Heaven. The Temple of Heaven was built in 1420 with an area of about 2.73 million square meters. Emperors went to this place to pray for a good harvest in Ming and Qing Dynasties. The main attractions here include the Circular Mound Altar, the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, the 72-Space Long Corridor, and Seven Stars Rocks. The Seven Stars Rocks lie on the grass next to the 72-Space Long Corridor. There are eight rocks but it is called Seven Stars Rocks. Legends went that Emperor Yongle dreamed about the bright dipper stars which were said to be the symbol of authority. Therefore, Emperor Yongle believed that he was the one to rule the country. He decided to put seven rocks in the shape of the Big Dipper here to show his supreme position. Later, in the Qing Dynasty, a smaller rock was added to symbolize the unity of the whole country. Come to this attraction and you will learn more about Chinese culture and history.

The Summer Palace is your next destination. The Summer Palace was built in 1750 and was rebuilt in 1888. It is an imperial garden located in the west of Beijing. This attraction includes two parts, which are Wangshou Hill and Kunming Lake. The lake occupies about an area of 2.2 square kilometers inside the Summer Palace, which is three-fourths of the whole area. There are more than 3,555 ancient buildings here with an area of 70,000 square meters. If you come here, the Hall of Joyful Longevity is a must-visit. The Summer Palace was originally built by Emperor Qianlong to please his mother at her 60-year-old birthday (Ancient people had a short life-span because of the poor medical condition. Therefore, they valued the 60-year-old birthday and would celebrate it in a great way.) This hall is the best place to live in the whole garden. Come and visit the Hall of Joyful Longevity, and you will feel the luxurious life the empress used to enjoy.

Forbidden City

Summer Palace

After enjoying your breakfast, you visit the Ding Tomb of the Ming Tombs. It will take us about an hour to get to the Ding Tomb which is 50 kilometers away in the north. The Ming Tombs is located at the foot of Tianshou Mountain covering an area of about 40 square kilometers. Since 1409, 13 tombs of dead emperors have been built here. Besides, 7 tombs of concubines and 1 tomb of eunuch also stand here. Until now, the Ding Tomb, Chang Tomb, Zhao Tomb, the Sacred Way, and the Kang Tomb are open to the public. The Ding Tomb is the tomb of the 13th emperor(Zhu Yiyun, also called Emperor Wanli) of the Ming Dynasty and his two empresses. It was built between 1584 and 1590. As the only excavated tomb among the 13 tombs, it covers an area of 182,000 square meters. A Guituo Stele (a symbol of everlasting) stands in front of each of the 13 tombs except for the Si Tomb. However, at the back of the one in the Ding Tomb, there is a white round mark, which resembles moon. Therefore, this stele is also called Moon Stele. There is a legend about this stele. Emperor Wanli started to build his tomb at the age of 21. After the completion of his tomb, he didn’t attend to his proper duties as an emperor and stopped working with his officials for later 25 years. His nonfeasance irritated the God of Fire. The God of Fire warned the emperor that if you continue to be irresponsible, I will burn your tomb. Emperor Wanli was very frightened and passed away not long after. When he was dead, people found that they can’t close his right eye and a white round mark appeared at the back of the stele at the same time. It was said that the white round mark was the right eye of Emperor Wanli. He kept his right eye open to make sure the God of Fire would not burn his tomb. However, the Ding Tomb was still burned several times.

After lunch, you will go to the Juyonguan Pass Great Wall. The Juyongguan Pass Great Wall is located west of Ding Tomb, and we need to drive about 30 minutes (25 KM). The Juyongguan Pass is an important gateway to Beijing from the north. The Juyongguan Pass Great Wall was built in the 15-kilometer-long valley with mountains on either side. The width of the Great Wall is from 1.2 meters to 16.7 meters. The inner side of the wall is lower and the outer side is higher, making the soldiers safer when beating back the enemies. Several defensive facilities were constructed here acting as blindage when war broke out. If you stand on the Juyongguan Pass Great Wall and look far, you will feel amazed.

On our way back, you can take some pictures of the Bird’s Nest and Water Cube. They were built to be the main sites for the 29th Olympic Games in 2008. The Bird’s Nest is a national stadium with an area of 200,000 square meters. In 2008, the opening and closing ceremony as well as some competitions like football were held in the Bird’s Nest. And the swimming and diving were held in the Water Cube. I believe this stop here will make your tour to Beijing in 2022 more colorful and meaningful.

Optional Dinner: You can taste the Peking Roast Duck tonight. This cuisine originated from the Northern and Southern Dynasties (420-589). It is said the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang had a favor for roast duck, so the roast duck became more popular at that time. Peking Roast Duck is featured by its delicate taste and red appearance. It is baked with charcoal fire and the duck has a crisp skin and tender meat. Anyway, Peking Roast Duck is so delicious that you can’t miss it.

Juyonguan Pass Great Wall

Bird’s Nest

Today, you will say goodbye to Beijing. After breakfast, your tour guide will escort you to the train station and you will take the estimated train G307 09:38/15:16 to Xi’an. I am sure you have enjoyed yourself in Beijing and learned a lot about Chinese history and culture. Xi’an is also an ancient capital city with a long history. By visiting Xi’an in 2022, you will further understand Chinese history. You will not regret being here. Once you arrive in Xi’an, your tour guide will take you to a comfortable hotel reserved for you. You can refresh yourself and get ready for the journey tomorrow.

Your first stop in Xi’an is the famous Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum. We will drive northeast for about 50 minutes (about 42 kilometers). Archaeologists found three pits here and excavated thousands of terracotta warriors and horses. The terracotta warriors and horses are the sacrificial objects of the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty (221-207), Qin Shihuang. The warriors and horses were put there because the emperor wanted to show his supreme position even when he was dead. There is an interesting story about the terracotta warriors and horses. There was a Chinese history lover from Germany. He was so obsessed with the terracotta warriors and horses that he went down to the pits and pretended to be one of them by wearing clay colored clothes. The staff discovered him soon and he was arrested by police.

In the afternoon, you will visit the Small Wild Goose Pagoda (closed each Tuesday). The Small Wild Goose Pagoda was built in the Tang Dynasty (618-907). It is located in a temple, called Jianfu Temple. The appearance of this pagoda resembles the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and the size of it is smaller. Therefore, it was named Small Wild Goose Pagoda. There are many cultural relics stored here such as Tang Dynasty Dhvaja and Tang Dynasty Stone Buddha Statue. These statues are precious and important in researching Buddhism of the Tang Dynasty. You can fully understand Chinese Buddhism better after visiting here.

Then you will visit the Ancient City Wall of Xi’an, the largest and best-preserved ancient city wall in China. Standing on the wall, you can enjoy the stunning city view of Xi’an. Here you can choose to rent a bike on your own and ride your bike on the wall. Then, you will be transferred back to the hotel.

Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum

Ancient City Wall

Today, you will leave this historical city for Chengdu. After breakfast, you will be transferred to the train station and take the estimated train D1923 10:03/13:59. After four hours, you will be in Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan Province. Chengdu is called the land of abundance because of its rich resources. You can see the adorable pandas and taste the spicy hot pot in this city. I can assure you that both your taste bud and eyes will be satisfied. When you get off the train, your tour guide will pick you up and if you have any questions about Chengdu, you can ask him or her.

In the morning, your first destination in Chengdu is the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. This research base was built based on Chengdu Zoo to feed, save, treat, and breed the endangered giant pandas. Here you can see the cute giant pandas with your own eyes. Some of the panda babies are very lively, and you may see them running happily and even climbing to the top of the tree. However, when they are eating, no matter who talks to them, they will not be bothered. Visitors here are often amused by the lovely pandas.

After enjoying the precious time with the giant pandas, you will go to Du Fu Thatched Cottage. The Du Fu Thatched Cottage was where Du Fu, a great poet of the Tang Dynasty, lived for 4 years. During the four years, this great poet had created about 240 poems. In 1955, Du Fu Museum was built here in memory of Du Fu. If you mention his name in China, even a primary school child can recite some of his poems. His poems are characterized with realism because of the frustrating life. Even though he was talented, he was not appreciated by the then emperor of the Tang Dynasty. The ruler at that time only wanted to enjoy an extravagant life and treated normal people like dirt. With the social reality, Du Fu created many poems to show his ambition and his view about the social turbulence. His excellent poems are widely spread and have a great influence on Chinese and Japanese literature. Walking through the cottage, you will have a strong feeling of this poet’s patriotism and ambition.

After lunch, your tour guide will take you to Wuhou Shrine Museum. Wuhou Shrine was built in 221 in memory of Zhuge Liang, Prime Minister (in ancient China) of the Shu-Han Kingdom (221-263) for his sparing no effort in the performance of his duty. The museum includes four parts, Hanzhaoling Temple, Wuhou Shrine, Hui Mausoleum, and Sanyi Temple. There are many figures carved on the stones inside the Sanyi Temple. The carved paintings describe the stories happening in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms ( one of China’s four great classic novels), for example, the story of Liu Bei, Zhang Fei, and Guan Yu ( figures in this book) taking an oath to become sworn brothers and founding the Shu-Han Kingdom together. If you are interested in these stories, your tour guide will tell you more.

After visiting Wuhou Shrine Museum, you will have a better understanding of the history of Chengdu. Then, your next stop is Jinli Street. Jinli Street has an area of 30,000 square meters. The whole street is 550 meters long, integrating tourism, shopping, and entertainment. It is one of the oldest commercial streets in Chengdu. You can go to the tea house, inn, wine shop, and theater stage to taste the local snacks and experience the local customs. If you have a walk along this street, you will see sugar-figure blowing and sugar-painting craftsmen showing their unique skills. You may ask them to paint your picture with sugar. I can assure you that it will be an unparalleled experience in your Chengdu Tour in 2022.

Optional Dinner: If you are still energetic, I strongly recommend you to have a taste of the Hot Pot. No matter it is winter or summer, having a hot pot is seen as a way of remaining healthy. Put various kinds of foods, such as beef, mutton, vegetables, eggs, and seafood in the hot water, wait for several seconds, take the food out, and eat them before they get cold. According to traditional Chinese medicine, eating hot pot can help people remove the spare moisture in your body, and is good for your body. Being here, you must try the spicy hot pot and see if you can stand it. I am sure you will have an experience that you never had before.

Du Fu Thatched Cottage

Wuhou Shrine Museum

On your second day in Chengdu, you will go to visit Leshan Giant Buddha. We will drive southward for about 2 hours to this attraction, which is 152 kilometers away. Leshan Giant Buddha is a sitting Buddha with a height of 71 meters. It was carved in 713 in Tang Dynasty and was finished in 803. You can imagine how much money and manpower had been consumed during that 90 years. Buddha in China is seen as the symbol of mercy. It will show kindness to the people in danger. It is said that Leshan Giant Buddha has closed his eyes and shed tears four times and each time he cried, disasters were happening in China. The first time was in 1962 when China encountered a natural disaster never seen in a century and millions of people were starved to death. Actually, the truth of the Buddha crying is that the acid rain corroded the black paint on the eyes of the Buddha, making it look like dropping tears. However, some of the Buddhism believers explained this phenomenon as the miracle of the Buddha. Here you can have a closer look at the sitting Buddha and know better about Chinese Buddhism.

After lunch, you will go to the Huanglongxi Ancient Town. The town is 153 kilometers away. We will drive northward for about 2 hours to get there. As early as 219, the town existed and was named after the Huanglongxi River. This ancient town has a long history with picturesque scenery. It is also well-known as a natural photography base for its beautiful landscape. Walking through the Huanglongxi Ancient Town, you can see the ancient streets, trees, and temples, and experience its simple folk customs. The architecture in the town is still preserved well even after 1,800 years. In the town, there are six 300-year-old banyan trees, which have witnessed the changes of this place.

After a long day, you must be exhausted. After the visit, you will go back to the hotel. You can have a enjoyable bath and start to pack your luggage. After the packing, you can have a sweet sleep at the hotel and prepare for the next day’s flight.

Leshan Giant Buddha

Huanglongxi Ancient Town

After breakfast, you will go to the airport and take the estimated flight CA4764 11:20/13:05 to Guilin. Your tour guide will help you check-in and wave goodbye to you. When you arrive in Guilin, your local tour guide will be waiting for you at the arrival lobby and take you to the hotel. You can start to expect an interesting journey tomorrow!

After breakfast, we will drive northwest for about 40 minutes to the Mopanshan Wharf and take the Li River Cruise for 4 hours from Guilin to Yangshuo. Sitting on the cruise ship, you can enjoy the gorgeous scenery along the river. The rolling hills on either side of the river will bring you a visual feast. Many legends are about the Li River. Along the river erects a Husband-Gazing Hill. It is said that a couple used to make a living by punting to take the passengers across the river. They lived a poor life, however, they still gave their last food to a woman who had several children. Without food, they couldn’t continue working. After days of starving, the husband climbed to the mountain to see if there are other boats nearby to help them. However, the wife waited for several days and the husband never returned. It turned out that the husband was frozen on the cold winter night and starved to death. The wife went to the mountain, seeing the scene of her husband’s death, desperately dying near her husband. Later, the couple turned into a pair of stones and accompanied each other. Local people call the husband stone as Celestial Hill and the wife stone as Husband-Gazing Hill. The couple’s story has touched many visitors and people respect them for their unselfish kindness.

After having lunch on the cruise, you will go to visit Yangshuo West Street. Yangshuo West Street is located at the center of Yangshuo Ancient Town. It is 8 meters wide and 800 meters long with a history of more than 1,400 years. Yangshuo West Street is the oldest and the most prosperous street in Yangshuo. The inscriptions, ancient temples, pavilions, former residences of celebrities, and other architectures are still preserved well. At this place, you can have a glimpse of what the ancient town used to look like and have a better understanding of Chinese history by seeing the historical remains. In the 1970s, Yangshuo opened to the public and visitors showed their interest in Yangshuo West Street. If you are a food lover, you can’t miss the delicious snacks on the street. You can have a taste of the world-famous cuisine, Braised Beer Fish. Sweet Scented Osmanthus Cake and Wine Fermented with Osmanthus Flowers are also good choices. I bet the local food will bring a new experience to your taste bud.

After visiting Yangshuo West Street, we will drive an hour and a half back to Guilin. You will be transferred to the hotel. Today will be your last day in Guilin. Tomorrow you will be on the way to Hong Kong. You can start packing your luggage as soon as you get to the hotel and have a good rest at night.

Li River

Yangshuo West Street

After breakfast, you will be transferred to the train station and leave Guilin for Hong Kong. You are going to take the estimated train G319 12:38/15:57. When you arrive in Hong Kong, your tour guide will pick you up and take you to the hotel. Hong Kong is a highly prosperous free harbor and international metropolis. You can experience the combination of Chinese and western culture in Hong Kong. Your tour to Hong Kong in 2022 will give you a distinctive experience and make you feel the unique charm of beautiful Hong Kong.

After breakfast, you will take the Peak Tram to Victoria Peak. Speak of attractions, the Victoria Peak is second to none in Hong Kong. It integrates sightseeing, entertainment, and shopping. You can stand at the viewing platform to overlook the scenery of Hong Kong. You can also have a walk around the Victoria Peak Garden, which used to be the residence of the former governor of Hong Kong. Walking in the garden, you will have a moment of inner peace and feel relaxed. Air on the peak is fresher than in the downtown area. this place is like a natural oxygen bar. You should notice that smoking is forbidden here.

Then you will go to the Stanley Market. The sun is shining brightly and the breeze is flowing here. If you are a shopping-lover, the Stanley Market is a must-visit place for you. You can buy all kinds of souvenirs here and enjoy bargaining with the sellers. If you patiently explore the market, you are sure to find something you like. You can also pick some gifts for your families and friends here. You can send postcards with the scenery of Hong Kong on the back to your friends. The Chinese oil paintings and traditional clothes are also nice choices. On the second weekend of each month, a Stanley Artsmart will be held to exhibit the works of artists, including paintings and handicrafts.

Your next stop will be Repulse Bay. Repulse Bay is located in the south of Victoria Peak in the shape of the new moon. It enjoys a good reputation and is called Hawaii in the East. Its name originated from a Britain royal warship, which was stationed here to repulse the pirates. There are many bars, restaurants, and supermarkets nearby. People living here like to appreciate the sunset near the sea while enjoying a barbecue. There is a Zhenhai Tower Park near the Repulse Bay. Two 10-meter-high statues in the park stand in the face of the sea. The two statues are figures of the Goddess of the Sea and Goddess of Mercy. The local fishermen put the statues here to pray for good weather on the days of their fishing.

Victoria Peak

Repulse Bay

Today is your last day in China. After breakfast, your tour guide will take you to the airport. You are going to say goodbye to China. You certainly know better about China after the 13-day journey. I hope you have had a good time in China and wish you a safe journey. Welcome to China next time!

Editor: Chi Mengdi

Proofreader: Summer Hou