11 Days China Magical Tour with Avatar Mountain

Welcome to Beijing! Your guide will meet you at the airport and take you to a five-star hotel in downtown Beijing where you can have a good rest.

Option Activity: Would you like to try a Foot Massage after getting a nice rest? As part of traditional Chinese medicine, Foot Massage has a long history of more than four thousand years. During the Qin Dynasty (221-207 BC) and Han Dynasty (202 BC-220AD), it was very popular in relieving people of their bad backs and treating some diseases, such as insomnia and constipation. In the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), many medical scientists regarded it as a good way to preserve people’s health. For example, Li Shizhen (a famous physician in the Ming Dynasty) pointed out that illness was caused by the cold in our body and the cold come into the body from the feet. Regular Foot Massage can get rid of the cold and keep us healthy. Foot Massage can relieve fatigue, improve blood circulation, detoxify the body, promote metabolism, and make you feel refreshed! If you often feel tired, stressed, and have backaches from sitting for a long time and poor sleep, why not come and get a foot massage? A massage lasts about half an hour, during which you can listen to music to enjoy the process.

After breakfast, you will visit Tian’anmen Square. Covering an area of 440,000 square meters, it is the largest city square in the world as well as the political and cultural center of Beijing. In the center of the square stands the Monument to the People's Heroes and the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall. To its west is the Great Hall of the People, the east is the National Museum of China, and the south is two ancient towers built in the 14th century. Tian’anmen Gate Tower is located in the north of the square. Below the tower is the Golden Water River, on which are five exquisitely carved white marble bridges called Golden Water Bridge. Are you curious about the two stalagmites in front of the tower? Actually, they are called Marble Pillar that has a long history. In ancient times, in order to ask people for advice on policies, the emperor would put a piece of wood in the street and ask people to write their ideas on it so that he could make better policies. The Marble Pillar just grew out of the wood. Since the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty (221-207 BC), the Marble Pillar, made of stone instead of wood, was often built at the entrance of the royal palace as a warning to the emperor. The Marble Pillars here, have dragons carved on the body, auspicious clouds on the upper part, and a monster named “hou” on the top. The monster turns its back to the gate of the palace to warn the emperor not to go out frequently for pleasure, but to focus more on the state affairs.

Then, you will head for the Forbidden City (Closed on Mondays). It has red walls and yellow tiles, which make it splendid and magnificent. In addition, it is one of the best-preserved ancient buildings with wooden structure. According to legend, there are 8,707 rooms in the Forbidden City. In fact, the builder of it, the famous Yongle Emperor, originally planned to build 10,000 rooms. But one day, Liu Bowen, one of his ministers, had a dream in which the Jade Emperor summoned him to the heavenly palace and told him angrily not to build ten thousand rooms, or there would be a disaster. Later Liu told the emperor about the dream. The emperor thought it would offend heaven to build ten thousand houses, so, he reduced the number of rooms to 8,707. Now there are about 9,999 rooms in the Forbidden City after continued expansion.

Next, you will go to Hutongs. Hutongs are narrow streets and can lead into a residential area. They are integral parts of local transportation. The main buildings in Hutongs are Quadrangle dwellings, which are cultural symbols of ancient Chinese tradition. The buildings of the dwelling are very elegant and the structure is also unique. Quadrangle dwellings are surrounded by houses on the four sides: east, west, north and south and the shape of the dwellings seems like a Chinese character “口”. Most of the families living in the Quadrangle dwellings are relatives. Besides Quadrangle dwellings, you can also see courtyard complexes, which were built on the basis of the Quadrangle dwellings. There are usually dozens of families living in the courtyard complex, and all of whom do not know each other before. After living together for a long time, people in the courtyard will share their family trifles, and also share the food. They live a lively and happy life. Your rickshaw tour will enable you to enjoy the folk customs of Beijing’s Hutongs, and your Hutong Family visit will give you an opportunity to get close to the lives of people living in Quadrangle dwellings.

Next, you will visit the 798 Art Zone, a new landmark of urban culture in Beijing. The art zone gathers galleries, art centers, artists’ studios, design companies, restaurants, bars and so on. Now, it has become an important place to understand Chinese contemporary art. I am sure that you will feast your eyes when you come here!

Then you will be transferred to the hotel to have a rest.

Forbidden City

Tian’anmen Square

Today, you will visit Mutianyu Great Wall, which is the start of your luxury Great Wall tour. It takes you around 1.5 hours (75KM) to drive there. Located in the northeast of Beijing city, Mutianyu Great Wall enjoys beautiful scenery. No matter what season you come here, it will show you its most beautiful look. In spring, it is surrounded by blooming flowers, just like a shy princess. The Great Wall in summer is covered with verdant trees, like a young boy showing his strength. In autumn, the leaves make the whole mountain seem red, and in winter, the whole Great Wall becomes a silver world. You will be surely intoxicated by the scenery.

After today’s visit, the guide will take you to the hotel.

Mutianyu Great Wall

Mutianyu Great Wall

This morning, you will go the place where the emperor used to offer sacrifices to the heaven and earth, the Temple of Heaven. Located in the south of Beijing, the Temple of Heaven was built in the 18th year of the reign of Ming Emperor Yongle and included the Circular Mound Altar and the Altar of Prayer for Good Harvests. Here, in addition to visit the magnificent buildings, many tourists also go to the Heavenly Center Stone to make wishes. In the center of the Circular Mound Altar stands a raised round stone called the Heavenly Heart Stone. Why is it called the Heavenly Center Stone? It is said that the stone was the center of the universe and the emperor can communicate with the gods in the celestial realm when he stands there. And, if you stand on the stone to speak softly, you will hear the sound rise from the ground and reflect back from the surrounding railings, which seems that heaven is speaking to you.

There are many people playing Tai Chi at the Temple of Heaven every day. As a kind of traditional Chinese boxing, regular Tai Chi can stretch the physique and prolong life. Today we will not only invite English-Speaking Tai Chi Master to teach you to do Tai Chi, but also provide you with Tai Chi clothes. In order to help you play Tai Chi well, I will first give you a few action tips. Concentrating on correct posture and breathing control, Tai Chi’s movements are soft and well balanced, promoting the complete harmony of body and mind. So, when you do Tai Chi, you should keep your mind focused on it, move softly and slowly, and avoid using excessive force. Second, the movements of Tai Chi were spread out with arc. It is necessary for you to get the hip always naturally curved and had certain radian. At the same time, the completion of the former action is the beginning of the latter one, and therefore the two movements should be consistent. Do you find it interesting? Come and try it!

After lunch, you will take the Estimated Flight EU2112 15:30/17:45 to Xi’an. After arriving, your tour guide will meet you at the airport.

At night, you can enjoy Tang Dynasty Singing and Dancing Show with Dumpling Dinner. The name of the show is “Empress of the Great Tang”, which not only shows the legendary story of the first Empress of China, but also brings the audience the sensory stimuli with the use of unique stage design and a number of special effects technology. If the show brings you a visual feast, then the Dumpling Dinner is sure to tickle your taste buds! Dumpling Dinner in Xi’an can be said to be luxury Xi’an dinner. The reason why the dumpling dinner is luxurious is that it is rich in materials, taste, shape and cooking skills. At the dumpling dinner, there are 108 fillings for dumpling, as well as dumplings of various shapes, such as flower-shape, bird-shape, fish-shape, and so on. The taste of dumplings is extremely delicious. If your mouth water, come and enjoy it!

Temple of Heaven

Temple of Heaven

After breakfast, we will drive northeast for about 50 minutes to get to Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses Museum. It covers a total area of nearly 20,000 square meters and includes almost 8,000 Terra Cotta warriors and horses. According to history, the First Qin Emperor believed that he would continue to rule in the underworld after his death. So, he built an army of baked pottery as sacrificial objects. How were these terra cotta warriors and horses discovered? In 1974, the farmers from Xiyang village found many clay fragments by accident while they were drilling a well. The local Cultural Relics Bureau attached great importance to this matter and organized an archaeological team to investigate and excavate here. At last, the archaeological experts excavated many pottery figures and confirmed them as part of the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor. After that, the government built a Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses Museum to protect them from being damaging. This is the museum that you see today.

After lunch, we will visit Small Wild Goose Pagoda (Closed each Tuesday), which is located in the southwest of Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses Museum and it will take you 50 minutes (46KM) to get there. Located in the Jianfu Temple, the Pagoda is used for storing the Buddhist scriptures and Buddha figures, which were brought from India by the eminent monk named Yijing. In order to distinguish it from the pagoda in Ci’ en Temple, the pagoda here was called the Small Wild Goose Pagoda, and another one was called the Big Wild Goose Pagoda.

Then you will visit the Xi’an Old City Wall. Built based on the imperial city of the Tang Dynasty, it is the most complete ancient wall in China. Many famous people have come to visit the wall. For example, when Clinton visited there, he was so fond of the wall and the view of the ancient city of Xi’ an that he stayed on it for an hour longer than planned despite the advice of his staff. The city wall is an important witness of the historic evolution and you are sure to learn something here.

Next, we will send you back to your hotel.

Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses Museum

Small Wild Goose Pagoda

After breakfast, you will visit the Great Mosque, which covers an area of 13,000 square meters. With a history of more than 1,300 years, the Great Mosque is the oldest Mosque in Xi’an and the best-preserved one in China. The most distinctive thing about the Mosque is that there is a nine-meter-high arch in it, and the top of the arch is made of glazed tiles with brilliant colors. In ancient times, most of the existing temples are roofed with black tiles. You will be amazed by the Great Mosque.

Then, you will go to Muslim Quarter, a famous food street in Xi’an. The quarter is a tree-lined area and the buildings on both sides of the street are similar to those of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It is a Hui (an ethnic minority in China) community and all the shops and restaurants here are run by the Hui people. In this quarter, there are three very famous snacks, respectively Rice and jujube cake, Cold noddle with Sesame, and Bread in the soup. Rice and jujube cake is a kind of sweet cake made of glutinous rice and jujube. It has bright color and tastes sticky. It is a traditional breakfast food in Xi’an. With rich sesame, the cold noddle is tasty and refreshing and leads to endless aftertaste for you. Bread in the soup collectively refers to: bread in mutton and beef soup. It is full of nutriments, has a beautiful flavor and keeps you feeling full longer. In recent years, it has become the name card of Shaanxi cuisine.

Next, your tour guide will lead you to the airport to take the Estimated Flight 3U3271 14:35/16:05 to Zhangjiajie. After arriving, a local guide will meet you at the airport and send you to the hotel in Yuanjiajie.

Great Mosque

Muslim Quarter

This morning, your tour guide will lead you to visit Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. Located in Zhangjiajie, a city in the northwest of Hunan Province, this park was established in 1982 as China’s first national forest park. It is well known for its wonderful peaks and beautiful rivers. Uncanny workmanship of nature manifests incisively particularly there.

Then you will take a cable car to visit Huangshi Village, the largest viewing platform in the air in Zhangjiajie. Here you can have a panoramic view of all kinds of wonderful sights, such as “Luo Han Ying Bin” (a pine tree that seems to welcome guests), and “Tianshubaoxia” (a rectangular stone like a treasure box). In addition, there is a short story about the name of the village. Legend has it that Zhang Liang, a minister of the Han Dynasty (202 BC-9 AD), resigned and cloistered himself in Zhangjiajie. The Empress Lu Zhi wanted Zhang Liang to come back to help her son take the throne. Reluctant to engage in a power struggle, Zhang rejected her request. The empress Lu was very angry, so, she sent her soldiers to arrest him. Zhang Liang had nowhere to hide but in this village. As the days went by, Zhang Liang had run out of food, but soldiers were still waiting outside to catch him. When Zhang Liang was desperate, his master named “Huangshi” came and repelled the enemy. The empress feared his master's power and never sent anyone to capture Zhang Liang again. In order to commemorate his master, Zhang Liang named here “Huangshi Village”. You can also ask some interesting stories from your guide.

Then you will take the cable car down the mountain to visit the Golden Whip Stream, which has a total length of 6.5 kilometers. The two sides of the stream are full of wonderful peaks, playing birds and other animals, ancient big trees, and leisurely fish, making the scene unusually quiet. The place that the golden Whip Stream passes through is regarded as “the most beautiful canyon in the world”. A lot of TV shows have found a view here. It is said that “Mountain of Flowers and Fruits” in the TV play “Journey to the West” was shot here.

Your next stop is Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon, which is cool and comfortable with lush vegetation and fresh air. It abounds by breathtaking waterfalls that will make you dizzy. There is a nice stream in the canyon and the stream was always filled with a layer of mist. Actually, this canyon has another name “the Canyon of Dragon Girl”. According to the legend, a long time ago, the youngest daughter of the Dragon King secretly left the Dragon’s Palace to visited man’s world everywhere. She accidentally came to this canyon, where flowers give out fragrance, bees fly, butterflies dance, and the water flows slowly. Attracted by the beautiful scenery of the canyon, she decided not to return to the Dragon Palace and to concentrate on practicing spell nearby the stream. In the end, she became an immortal. It is believed that daughter of the dragon brought more aura here, so people also called here “the Canyon of Dragon Girl”.

Then you can go to Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge, which is 430 meters long and 6 meters wide, and about 300 meters above the bottom of the canyon. It is the world’s largest and longest glass pedestrian bridge. Everyone who has been to the glass bridge will never forget the thrilling feeling of walking on the bridge. When you come to the bridge and look down, you will have a panoramic view of the wonderful peaks and beautiful streams and feel like you are walking on the clouds. People say that if you dare to walk across this bridge, you are a brave man. Do you want to experience it? Come to show us your courage!

Next, we will send you to your hotel.

Golden Whip Stream

Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge

Today, you will take the highest outdoor elevator, Bailong Elevator, which has an operational height of 326 meters. The completion of the elevator makes it very convenient for people to go up and down the mountain. In addition, it is a perfect combination of natural beauty and man-made wonder and has become a unique sight in Yuanjiajie Scenic Area. As a new attempt of scenic transportation, it has got full recognition of Chinese state leaders.

After getting to the top of the peak, you will come to the core scenic spot of Zhangjiajie——Yuanjiajie Scenic Area. Many wonderful sights, such as, small streams, plunging waterfalls, lush bamboo forest and green pines, are all concentrated there. Therefore, Yuanjiajie is regarded as the “back garden” of Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. Moreover, “QianKun zhu” (a very high peak in Yuanjiajie Scenic Area), is the prototype of the floating Hallelujah Mountains in the American science fiction movie——“Avatar”. With a vertical height of about 150 meters, the peak towers into clouds and is higher than other surrounding peaks. Seen from a distance, it looks like a pillar connecting heaven and earth, which is extremely spectacular. After the film “Avatar” hit the world, hundreds of millions of visitors at home and abroad are attracted to Yuanjiajie Scenic Area to see the Hallelujah Mountain every year.

Then, you will take the green car to Tianzi Mountain, which covers a total area of 5,400 hectares. It is famous for its thousands of wonderful peaks. Some of these peaks are like swords and some are like halberds. They arranged in an orderly manner, which seems that a thousand soldiers clustered together, giving you a sense of vigorous momentum. In addition, the scene there will bring you endless fantasy and enable you to marvel at the uncanny workmanship of nature.

Next, you will take the cableway for 10 minutes to get to the Ten Mile Gallery, a ten-mile-long valley with lush trees, wildflowers, and grotesque peaks and stones on both sides. When you come here, you will feel that you are walking in an oil painting.

Today, your Luxury tour to Zhangjiajie comes to an end. You will be transferred to the airport to take the Estimated Flight FM9342 20:40/22:50 to Shanghai. When you arrive in Shanghai, your guide will lead you to the five-star hotel in downtown Shanghai.

Bailong Elevator

Ten Mile Gallery

This morning, you will head for Yu Garden (Closed on Mondays), a typical Jiangnan classical garden. Covering an area of more than 20,000 square meters, it is located in the northeast of the Shanghai Old City Area and was built in the Ming Dynasty. Upon entering the garden, you can see various buildings of antique beauty, which will make you find yourselves travelling back to ancient times. Walking along the path in the garden, you will be dazzled by the sights: beautiful rockeries, small pools, winding paths, and unique pavilions. Besides these, just as remarkable are the Dragon Walls. The Dragon Wall is decorated with giant dragon sculpture, which distinguishes Yu Garden from other classical gardens. There are five dragon walls in the garden, and each dragon on the wall has its own name. The dragon on the west wall of the Dianchun Hall is called Chuanyun Dragon (a dragon seems to pierce the cloud and fly into the sky). The name of the dragon that lies behind the Huge Rockery is “Crouched Dragon”, and “Two Dragons Frolicking with a Pearl” are next to Hexu Hall. In front of the Inner Garden named “Sleeping Dragon”. Moreover, all the dragons on the wall in Yu Garden have only three paws. Why is it so? This is because in ancient China, the dragon is a symbol of the emperor’s authority, and only in the imperial palace can build five-claw golden dragon. In order not to offend the imperial power, three-claw-dragon was built. Vivid dragon sculptures make Yu Garden more delicate and elegant.

Then, you will go to Shanghai Old Street. Walking into Shanghai Old Street, you will feel like going back to the bustling market of Shanghai 100 years ago. It is divided into eastern and western sector by Guan Yi Street. After decoration and renovation, the eastern section retains the building characteristics of the late Qing dynasty and the early Republic of China, while the western section keeps the architectural features of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, highlighting the folk customs of Shanghai old city area. There are many specialties here with the stinky tofu as the most famous one. The tofu is crispy outside but tender inside. Covered with a secret sauce, it is sure to make your mouth water. Other snacks, such as Thai bamboo-tube-cooked rice and plum cake, are also sure to satisfy your taste buds!

After lunch, you will go to Tianzifang Market. It is like a labyrinth of alleys. When walking there, you will inadvertently see various featured shops and art workshops with their own character. Nowadays, this market has become a creative industry cluster and if you love art, this place will surprise you!

Your next stop is Shanghai Tower. Standing in Finance and Trade Zone of Lujiazui, Pudong New Area, Shanghai Tower is 632 meters high and has 132 floors. It is currently China’s tallest building as well as world’s fourth highest skyscraper. It has a spiral appearance, just like a dragon breaking through the clouds, or a snow mountain surrounded by clouds and mist. As a comprehensive skyscraper, the tower is divided into five functional areas, including the mass commercial entertainment area, office area, the Business Guildhall area, the hotel area and the top functional experience area. The tower is also equipped with the world’s fastest elevator, whose speed can reach 18 meters per second, and it only takes you 55 seconds to come the 118th floor (the sightseeing hall), where you can get a bird’s-eye view of Shanghai. Before entering the tower, you can see that the exterior of the building is a layer of glass, which keeps a certain distance from the internal construction. In effect, the exterior glass acts as insulation to reduce the heating and cooling needs of the skyscraper. The reduction of the energy consumption of skyscrapers is not only beneficial to protecting the environment, but also makes such large building more economical. The glass was made with rubber sheet. Even if the glass was cracked in an accident, all the pieces would stick to the rubber sheet and not fall to the ground, making the building safer.

After finishing your visit, you will be transferred to your hotel.

Shanghai Old Street

Tianzifang Market

Today is the second day of your Shanghai luxury tour. The first stop is Zhujiajiao Water Town, which is about 50 kilometers away from Yu Garden. We will drive southwest for about 1.2 hours to get there. Known as “Venice on the sea”, the town covers an area of 47 square kilometers, is crisscrossed with waterways and enjoys an elegant environment. In addition, it is a veritable thousand-year-old town with a history of more than seven thousand years. The bridges in this ancient town have their own characteristics. Taian Bridge, for example, symbolizes the prosperity of the country and happiness of the people. It is said that if people stand on the bridge for a short time, they can live safely and everything goes well throughout the year. We’ve also arranged a boat tour to show you the sights of the town. Zhujiajiao Water Town is rich in river delicacies. You can have lunch here to enjoy yourself.

Then, we will drive you back to the downtown to visit the Bund, which is located in the northeast of Zhujiajiao Water Town and it will take you one hour (48 KM) to get there. We can credibly describe the Bund as pride of Shanghai because it best reflects the prosperity in Shanghai. You can see 52 old buildings of diverse styles. These buildings, built 150 years ago, were the work of different Western architects, but their colors are basically uniform and the contours are amazingly coordinated. In any way you look at them, they will give you a sense of dignity and noble. Here you can feel Shanghai of different ages, the combination of tradition and modernity, and the clash of Eastern and Western cultures. At the same time, Huangpu River (the landmark river of Shanghai), located on the east of the Bund and mingled with these buildings in perfect harmony, adding beauty to the place!

Your next stop is Nanjing Road. It is one of the top ten commercial centers in Shanghai and has a history of more than one hundred years. With a total length of 1200 meters, it can give you urban scene in the modern city: colorful paving stones, lovely sightseeing train, exquisitely designed public sculptures, unified kiosks on the road, and all kinds of boutiques. Prospering with thousands of businessmen, it is a paradise for domestic and foreign shoppers as well as a window for Shanghai to open to the outside world. More than 4,600 brands are known to have started their own business there, which not only included many world-famous fashion brands, such as Louis Vuitton, Cartier, and Dior, but also a lot of old Chinese brands, such as “Lao Fengxiang” Jewelry store, Zhang Xiaoquan scissors store and “Laojiefu” cloth store. As one of the famous commercial roads in Shanghai, it is certainly worth your visit!

After today’s visit, you will be transferred to the hotel.

Zhujiajiao Water Town

Nanjing Road

Today, your whole journey comes to an end and your tour guide will lead you to the airport for your returning.

Author: Yan Ran

Proofreader: Lexie