Essential China Luxury Tour

Today you will arrive in Beijing. Your tour guide will hold your name sign and wait for you at the airport. After you meet your guide, your China luxury tour will begin. You will take the luxury car (Mercedes Benz car or similar class vehicle) to the five-star hotel in the city center that we have arranged for you, where you can spend a good night.

After breakfast, you will start your Beijing luxury tour by visiting Tian’anmen Square. Tian’anmen Gate was the main gate of the imperial city of Beijing during the Ming (1368 – 1644) and Qing (1636-1912) Dynasties. It was built in 1417 in the Ming Dynasty and Tian’anmen Square undergone many renovations after its completion. It was here that Mao Zedong proclaimed the founding of the People’s Republic of China. So, you can see the portrait of Mao hanging above the middle door of Tian’anmen Gate. It is worth mentioning that over the past 60 years, 8 versions of Mao Zedong’s portrait have been replaced here. The reason why did Mao’s portrait undergo so many changes is that based on the needs of different ages, artists painted Mao Zedong in different versions. And every time the portrait version is changed, some details will be optimized to make Mao’s portrait look more natural. In Tian’anmen Square, you can see the Monument to the People’s Heroes in the middle, the Great Hall of the People and the National Museum of China on the east and west sides. In addition, the flag-raising ceremony held every day in Tian’anmen Square also attracts countless tourists. If you want to experience this ceremony, you need to come here to watch it according to the sunrise time of the day.

After visiting Tian’anmen Square, you will continue to visit the Forbidden City (closed each Monday). The Forbidden City was the imperial palace of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in China, and it’s located in the center of Beijing’s central axis. Twenty-four emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties all lived and worked here. According to legend, there are 9,999 and a half rooms in the Forbidden City. This is a strange number. Why is there still half a room? The reason is that the Jade Emperor in the heaven owns 10,000 rooms, and the emperors on earth call themselves the son of the Jade Emperor. To show the respect to the Jade Emperor, the specification of the Forbidden City is lower than that of Jade Emperor’s palace. That is how 9999.5 comes. When you come to the Forbidden City, the Treasure Gallery (closed each Monday) is one of the places you must visit. Located in the east of the Forbidden City, the Treasure Gallery opened to the tourists in 1958 and is also one of the important exhibition halls of the Forbidden City. The Treasures Gallery is divided into three parts and more than 440 cultural relics are exhibited here. The main collections here are the gold, silver, jade, ritual vessels, sacrificial vessels, clothes, decorations, daily necessities and furnishings from the royal palace in Qing Dynasty. But the most prominent thing you can see here is a pagoda, a large jade sculpture weighing 5,000 kilograms, which will greatly shock you.

After lunch, you will go to visit the Summer Palace. The Summer Palace, a royal garden during the Qing Dynasty in China, is located in the western suburbs of Beijing. We will drive for about 49 minutes (21KM) to get there.

In the 15th year of Qianlong (1750), to honor his mother, the Empress Dowager Chongqing, Emperor Qianlong spent 4.48 million taels of silver (about 150 million dollars) in building four imperial gardens in Qingyi Garden (the predecessor of the Summer Palace). In 1888, it was renamed the Summer Palace. The Summer Palace has been destroyed several times in history. Therefore, the Summer Palace you see today is largely not the original appearance of the year. However, there are still more than 40,000 cultural relics in the Summer Palace today. The categories involve bronze, jade, porcelain, calligraphy and painting, ancient books, enamel, etc., covering almost all categories of cultural relics handed down in China. In addition, there are also many foreign cultural relics such as foreign bronze mirrors, clocks and so on. So, you can feel the changes in history and the traces left by the years while visiting the Summer Palace.

Forbidden City

Summer Palace

Today we will continue our journey in Beijing. After breakfast, you will take a rickshaw to visit Hutong. Hutong refers to the alleyways between the main streets in towns or villages. There are thousands of Hutongs in Beijing and most of them were formed in the Yuan dynasty in the 13th century. Hutongs look the same from the outside, but their internal structures are different. For example, there is a Hutong whose width is only 0.44 meters, while there is another Hutong whose width can reach 32.18 meters. Hutong is not only the pulse of the city but also the place where traditional Beijingers live in. You can see people who go for a walk with a bird and people who play chess in Hutong, which will help you experience Beijing’s cultural atmosphere.

After visiting Hutong, you will be driven northward to Mutianyu Great Wall, which is about 73 kilometers away from downtown Beijing. It will take about two hours to get there. The 5400-meter-long Mutianyu Great Wall is the longest section in China and one of the most famous sights in Beijing. Former British Prime Minister John Major, former US President Bill Clinton and many other foreign leaders have visited it. Of course, our China luxury tour will allow you to have an experience that is difficult for ordinary tourists to enjoy. You will enjoy the fascinating view of Mutianyu Great Wall from two angles. You will first take a helicopter to overlook Mutianyu Great Wall in the air, which will last 10 minutes. Our helicopter pilots are well-trained, so there is no need to worry about the safety. After the helicopter tour, you will take the cable car to Mutianyu Great Wall for a closer look. By visiting it at long and short distances, you can have a better feeling about the majesty and grandeur of Mutianyu Great Wall. In addition, Mutianyu Great Wall also set up a graffiti zone for visitors. You can paint on the graffiti area instead of on the wall, which greatly protects the wall.

Hutong

Mutianyu Great Wall

After breakfast, you will be driven to visit the Temple of Heaven. Built in 1420, the Temple of Heaven was a place where emperors worship the God of heaven and pray for bumper grain harvest in the Ming and Qing dynasties. The Temple of Heaven consists of two parts, the Circular Mound Altar and the Hall of Prayer for good Harvests, which are used for winter and spring sacrifice respectively. The most interesting attraction in the Temple of Heaven is the Echo Wall. The Echo Wall is the wall of the Imperial Vault of Heaven (an attraction of the Circular Mound Altar). Why is the wall of the Imperial Vault of Heaven named the Echo Wall? The arc of the echo wall is very regular, and the wall surface is extremely smooth and tidy, which facilitates the propagation of sound waves. So as long as someone speaks against the wall, no matter how loud or low the voice is, it can be heard on the other end. People mistakenly think that it is the echo formed by the reflection of sound waves, and therefore it is commonly called the “Echo Wall”.

After visiting the Temple of Heaven, you will take a break for lunch, and then you will be transferred to the train station and head to Xi’an by taking the estimated train G57 14:00/18:24. Your tour guide will be waiting for you at the station and will transfer you to the hotel. Your next journey is about to begin in Xi’an. As we all know, Xi’an is the ancient capital of the 13 dynasties, one of the important birthplaces of Chinese civilization and the Chinese nation, and the starting point of the Silk Road. There are many places of interest and delicious food here, which you will experience one by one.

Temple of Heaven

Echo Wall

Today you will start your journey in Xi’an. The first attraction you will visit today will be Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum, which is 43 kilometers northeast of Xi’an. It will take about an hour to drive there. Terracotta Warriors and Horses are a type of ancient burial objects. In ancient times, slaves were the attachments of the slave owner during their lifetime. After the death of the slave owner, the slave was buried as a burial object for the slave owner. Emperor Qin Shihuang, the first emperor in Chinese history, abolished the system of burial of living slaves and replaced it with pottery figurines. Therefore, the Terracotta Warriors and Horses are funeral objects built for the first emperor. The Terracotta Warriors and Horses are exquisitely made and have been visited by more than 200 foreign heads of state and government. Former French President Chirac once marveled at the Terracotta Warriors and Horses as the eighth wonder of the world. 

After a short break for lunch, you will visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. The Big Wild Goose Pagoda is located in the Daci’en Temple in the south of Xi’an, also known as the “Pagoda of Ci’en Temple”. In 652, to enshrine the Buddha statues, relics and Sanskrit scriptures brought back from Tianzhu (now India) by Master Xuanzang, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda was built in the Ci’en Temple in Chang’an (now Xi’an). The Big Wild Goose Pagoda has become a popular sightseeing spot for a long time. For example, during the Tang Dynasty(618-907), scholars would climb the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and write their names and birthplaces on the wall with ink pens, symbolizing that they would have a meteoric rise. Today the Big Wild Goose Pagoda is a good place for people to learn about the culture of the Tang Dynasty, which also attracts countless tourists. In addition, next to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, there is the largest fountain square in Asia. There are fountain performances every day. If you are lucky, you may happen to meet the show.

In the afternoon, you will go to Muslim Street. Muslim Street is not a separate street, but a food district composed of several streets. It is named after a large number of Muslims gather here, but it is famous for a large number of gourmet snacks. Muslim Street is not just a tourist spot for tourists, residents here have always regarded it as a main place for eating, shopping and leisure. For example, Chinese Hamburger is one of the traditional specialties in Xi’an. Chinese Hamburger is a wonderful combination of two foods: meat and bread. Unlike the hamburgers you have seen, the meat in Chinese burgers is not cutlet. The chef will chop up the stewed meat and sandwich it into the baked pie. If you want to get a spicy taste, you can add some chopped green peppers inside. It will be more delicious.

Big Wild Goose Pagoda

Muslim Street

After breakfast, you will go to visit the Old City Wall. The existing old City Wall was built between 1374 and 1378 and was on the foundation of the imperial city wall in the Tang Dynasty. It is also the largest and best-preserved old City Wall in China. Initially, there were four gates on the city wall, named Chang Le Gate, An Ding Gate, Yong Ning Gate and An Yuan Gate. If you read the first character of each gate’s name in order, you will get “Chang An Yong An” which means “Xi’an will enjoy forever peace”. So, you can see the gate’s name carries people's hopes for a safe and happy life at that time. The old City Wall is 13.7 kilometers long, so you may think walking to visit is too tiring and taking a lot of time. You can choose to ride a bicycle on the old City Wall. In addition, because the old City Wall is located in the city center, you can also enjoy the scenery of downtown Xi’an by the way when biking on the old City Wall.

After visiting the old City Wall, you will be sent to the airport and take the estimated flight 3U3269 15:45/18:10 to Guilin. Your local tour guide will pick you up at the airport and transfer you to the hotel where you will have a good rest.

Old City Wall

Old City Wall

After breakfast, you will be driven to Zhujiang Pier, which is 32km southeast of Guilin city. It will take about 45 minutes to drive there. With a total length of 164 kilometers, the Li River flows through Guilin City. It is famous for its unique and beautiful natural landscapes. Today you will cruise the Li River. Unlike the three-star Li River cruise that ordinary tourists take, our China luxury tour will allow you to take a more luxurious four-star Li River cruise. You will enjoy a more comfortable service and experience on the four-star Li River Cruise. For example, the lunch provided for you on the cruise is a buffet lunch that will provide you more kinds of food, and the seats you rest on will also be more comfortable sofas, which are not available by ordinary tourists. You will spend a wonderful four hours on this four-star Li River cruise. During this time, you can visit the beautiful scenery on both sides of the Li River. For example, you can see the spectacular mountains, cliffs, shoals and waterfalls on both sides of the river. The scenery of the Li River is like a beautiful oil painting, and I believe it will feast your eyes.

After four hours, you will arrive in Yangshuo and head to Yangshuo West Street. With a history of more than 1,400 years, Yangshuo West Street is the oldest street in Yangshuo County. It is an ancient street exuding a strong historical and cultural atmosphere. Here you can see the buildings of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the former residences of celebrities, etc. The street is nearly 800 meters long, with a marble pavement that is curved S-shaped. Most of the buildings here are old houses from 60 to 70 years ago, and some of them are from the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Therefore, walking along this street, you can feel what Yangshuo was like in the past. In addition, the famous revolutionary Sun Yat-sen once gave an important speech here; some Chinese art masters used to live here; and leaders of more than 150 countries also left their footprints here. That makes Yangshuo West Street much more popular.

After visiting Yangshuo West Street, you will return to Guilin by car.

Li River Cruise

Yangshuo West Street

After breakfast, you will be transferred to the airport and head to Shanghai by taking the estimated flight FM9350 13:35/16:05. Your local tour guide will be waiting for you at the arrival lobby and then transfer you to the hotel.

The first attraction you will visit today is Yu Garden (closed each Monday) Yu Garden is located in the Huangpu District of Shanghai. It was built in the Ming Dynasty and has a history of more than 400 years. Yu Garden is a classical garden that covers an area of more than 20,000 square meters. There are various buildings in Yu Garden, with halls, pavilions, corridors and bridges almost everywhere. In addition, there are 27 ancient and famous trees in Yu Garden, of which 20 trees are more than 100 years old. The oldest ancient ginkgo tree is more than 430 years old and 26 meters high, just like an upright giant. In some places of Yu Garden, there are also various flowers and potted plants. Walking in the garden, you will feel cosy and relaxed.

After visiting Yu Garden, you will continue to visit the Jade Buddha Temple. The Jade Buddha Temple is located in Putuo District, Shanghai. It is named after the Jade Buddha enshrined in the temple. The Jade Buddha Temple imitates the palace of the Song Dynasty and it covers a building area of 8856 square meters. There is a story about the origin of the Jade Buddha in the temple. In 1882, a famous Chinese monk named Master Huigen started to travel around the world. When he visited Myanmar, he participated in excavating the mountain to collect jade and carving five jade Buddhas with the sponsorship of local overseas Chinese, and he brought these jade Buddhas back to China. When he passed by Shanghai, the local governors requests if they can get two Buddha statues, so that the Shanghai people can get blessed by Buddha. Therefore, one sitting Buddha and one reclining Buddha were left here. Then a temple was built to enshrine the Buddhas, which is the Jade Buddha Temple. In addition to the enshrined jade Buddhas, there are also many precious Buddhist classics and cultural relics, for example, Buddha statues from different dynasties. Many government officials and famous people from all walks of life have visited the Jade Buddha Temple, such as the wife of former US President Ronald Reagan and former French Prime Minister Pierre.

After lunch, you will visit the Shanghai Tower, which is 632 meters high and it is the tallest building in Shanghai. The ordinary tourists will visit the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, that makes it very crowded. But joining this luxury tour, you can avoid crowding by visiting the Shanghai Tower. Standing on the upper floors of Shanghai Tower, you can get the best view of Shanghai with surrounding buildings and the nearby Huangpu River.

After visiting the Shanghai Tower, you will continue to Nanjing Road. Nanjing Road is the first commercial street established in Shanghai after the opening of the commercial port. It spans the two districts of Jing’an Districts and Huangpu Districts, with a total length of 5.5 kilometers. The Road has a history of more than 100 years. It was formerly known as “Park Lane”, which was officially named Nanjing Road in 1865. Nanjing Road in a broad sense includes Nanjing East Road and Nanjing West Road. Today you will mainly visit Nanjing Pedestrian Street on the side of Nanjing East Road. It is a shopping paradise for tourists and residents. In addition to various shops for the international brands, there are also many time-honored brands. For example, Laodafang, a pastry shop with a century-old history, features smoked fish and fresh meat moon cakes. You can buy them to have a try or take them back as gifts.

Today’s last attraction is the Bund, which is also the last attraction of this China luxury tour. The Bund is located on the bank of the Huangpu River, and is a Chinese historical and cultural sightseeing spot. Because Shanghai used to be a concession, many of the buildings here are in architectural features of other countries. For example, there are 52 classical buildings with different styles on the Bund, which is known as the World Architecture Exhibition Group. Among them, the classical style Asia Building and the British classical style Shanghai General Assembly Building are very representative buildings.

Nanjing Road

The Bund

Today your 10-day China luxury tour is coming to an end. Your guide will send you to the airport and you will board your flight back home. We look forward to your visit to China again.

Author: Yongchang Zhang

Proofreader: Betsy He