China Luxury Heritage Tour

Glad to see you in Hong Kong, a highly booming international metropolis! As a Special Administrative Region in China, Hong Kong has a permanent population of about 7.47 million. Located in southern China, it enjoys a subtropical monsoon climate, with an annual temperature averaging between 27℃(80.6℉) and 33℃(91.4℉). Upon arrival in Hong Kong, you will see your guide waiting for you at the airport. And then you will be taken to the hotel. You can have a good rest in the hotel to be well prepared for the journey.

Start the day with a delicious breakfast. Then you will go to Wong Tai Sin Temple. Built in 1921, it is considered a place where prayers’ wishes always come true, thereby enjoying worldwide fame. This way, whenever on the first day of January in the lunar calendar (traditional Chinese New Year), people often strive to be the first to burn incense and pray to the gods so that they can be blessed. In Wong Tai Sin Temple, there is a hall called Main Hall in which a stele stands. Its inscription tells how Wong Tai Sin becomes immoral. If you are interested in this story, you will know more details about it when arriving at Wong Tai Sin Temple.

After that, you will leave for Victoria Peak. Getting to the peak by Peak Tram is an unforgettable journey. As one of the world’s oldest and most famous trams, the Peak Tram reaches an altitude of 396 meters above sea level. During your way upward, with the incline of some slopes even maximizing 27 degrees, you will find yourself leaning backward along the way. When you look out of the window, modern skyscrapers and lush forests seem to lean to one side. You will love this trip!

On Victoria Peak, there is a building called the Peak Tower. Located at an altitude of 396 meters, it is one of the must-see attractions with a fusion of sightseeing, entertainment, shopping, and dining. On the top floor of the Peak Tower, there is a viewing platform called the Sky Terrace 428. It is the best place that visitors can’t miss, with a stunning panoramic view of the city skyline. Standing here, you can see dense skyscrapers, world-renowned Victoria Harbor, and verdant mountains.

In the afternoon, Repulse Bay will be your first destination. Located in the south of Victoria Peak, it is in the shape of a crescent. You can lay on the Repulse Bay, saturated in the sunshine and feeling its soft sand. In Repulse Bay, there is an ancient temple called Tin Hau Temple. People often say that the temple can bless the fishermen to return safely even in the stormy weather. There are statues in the Tin Hau Temple, such as the Tin Hau Statue, beast statue, and Guanyin statue (Guanyin is the Buddhist counterpart of the Virgin Mary). Among them, both Tin Hau and Guanyin statues are as high as over 10 meters. In folklore, Tin Hau, also known as Mazu, is thought to be the patron saint of fishermen. As Hong Kong used to be dominated by the fishing industry, you will see lots of temples dedicated to Tin Hau during your journey in Hong Kong.

Next, you will be driven to Stanley Market which is located on the south end of Hong Kong Island. The market is full of small shops, which have various goods such as jewelry, clothing, antiques, souvenirs, and Chinese handicrafts. Wandering the streets, you can choose to buy what you like and enjoy the pleasure of bargaining.

Peak Tram

Peak Tower

Checking out after breakfast, Lantau Island with a long and tortuous coastline will be your destination. As the largest island in Hong Kong, it covers an area of about 141 square kilometers.

You will take the Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car to Ngong Ping Village. Famed for the world’s most amazing cable car experience, the cable car has a total length of 5.7 kilometers. Along the way in the cabin of the cable car, the splendid landscapes of Lantau Island are accessible. Ngong Ping Village is one of Hong Kong’s most popular attractions, with stunning sceneries and great shopping and dining experiences.

After about a 10-minute walk from Ngong Ping Village, you will see the Big Buddha. As the second largest open-air bronze statue in the world, it wins the interest of visitors. Generally speaking, most of the Buddha statues face the south. However, the Big Buddha is the opposite, facing the north. That means the Big Buddha faces Beijing. There is also a three-story exhibition hall under the Buddha statue, displaying Śarīra (Buddhist relics) and other precious cultural relics. Therefore, it is a holy place for Buddhist lovers to visit.

Opposite the Big Buddha is Po Lin Monastery. As the most important temple in Hong Kong, it boasts a special architectural style that is worth your careful taste. The Main Shrine Hall of Buddha here is modeled after the Palace Museum, with the yellow glazed tiles on the roof and dragon and phoenix patterns on the ridge.

After that, you will be transferred to take the estimated Flight MF382 16:20/17:40 to Xiamen, the capital of Fujian province. Upon arrival, our guide will take you to the hotel.

Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car

Po Lin Monastery

This morning, you will go to Nanjing Tulou, also known as Fujian Tulou, a shooting location of the Chinese animation Big Fish and Begonia. It is about 154 kilometers west away from Xiamen’s urban district. You will spend around 3 hours getting there by car.

Among all the Fujian tulou sites, Tianluokeng Tulou Cluster is the most peculiar and has been considered a landmark in Fujian. It consists of 5 tulous with a square tulou at the center, surrounded by three round tulous and an oval tulou. Viewed from high above, it looks like a wintersweet in full bloom on the earth, integrating humanistic art with natural landscapes.

After lunch, let’s go to Yuchang Building, the oldest tulou in existence. With a history of over 700 years, it is characterized by its tendency to the right side, with a tilt of 15 degrees, thereby being nicknamed the “zigzag building”. It seems that the building will be blown down in a gale. However, having gone through several earthquakes, it remains intact. Yuchang Building’s outer ring is 36 meters in diameter, and it boasts five storeys with each floor equipped with 50 rooms.

Next, you will visit Taxia Village. At the foot of the hill and near a creek, it exudes a sense of tranquility, rendering people feel like stepping into another world. There are 11 bridges with distinctive styles on the creek and 42 tulous along the banks of the creek. Encompassed by green mountains and lucid waters, Taxia Village looks like an otherworldly landscape painting of the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1636-1912) Dynasties.

Chengqi Building is today’s last destination. Founded in the Ming Dynasty, it is a large round tulou with four concentric rings building encompassing an ancestral hall at its center, with 400 rooms in total. If a person stayed for one night in each room, he would spend over one year sleeping in all the rooms. Crowned as “the king of tulou”, Chengqi Building used to be a place where the 57 families lived. At its heyday, over 800 people lived here.

Tianluokeng Tulou Cluster

Chengqi Building

After breakfast, you will be driven to a pier where you will take a 20-minute ferry to Gulangyu Island. Dubbed as a pearl of the Southeast Asian Sea, it teems with a variety of engaging sceneries such as soft beaches, winding lanes, and outstanding architectures.

On this island, Sunlight Rock will be the first travel spot you will visit. Through the gate of this travel spot, you will see Sunlight Rock Temple which was rebuilt in the Ming Dynasty. When the sun rises from the east, the temple is the first place to be bathed in the sunshine on the island, hence getting its name. There is also a mighty granite with a height of 92.7 meters, being the peak on Gulangyu Island. Standing at its top, you can have a panoramic view of the island.

Shuzhuang Garden is another must-go attraction. Facing the sea, it used to be a private villa. In this garden, aside from buildings looming behind dense groves of trees, what your eyes meet are winding paths that seemingly lead to nowhere. But all of sudden, after you pass the path, a new landscape is rolled out before you. There are pavilions, rocks as well as spring, all of which combine to provide you a pleasant surprise.

After lunch, you will go to Nanputuo Temple. Founded in the late Tang Dynasty (618 - 907), it is crowned as one of the most renowned Buddhist resorts in Fujian province. Visitors can not only enter the temple for free but they can also be given incense for free. In front of the temple, there is an eleven-story tower called Longevity Tower which was built with white stones, and a Free Life Pond. Inside the temple, the stone pillars of halls and porches are engraved with couplets. In addition, the cloisters and pavilions are all made of wood, without any trace of nails.

On the back of Nanputuo Temple is Wulao Peak. Surrounded by clouds and lush forests, the five peaks seem like five old people with white hair who are looking at the vast sea. Walking from the foot of the mountain to the top, you will spend about half an hour. Along the way, there are many viewing platforms where you can enjoy panoramic views of Xiamen.

Nanputuo Temple

Gulangyu Island

After enjoying breakfast, your guide will take you to the airport where you take the estimated flight MF8635 08:05/09:50 to Guilin, famed for its engaging natural landscapes. Upon your arrival, you will be taken to the urban area.

After lunch, you will leave for Elephant Trunk Hill. Aside from its stunning landscapes, it also boasts many legends. In ancient times, elephants always helped the residents living near the Li River to plow the field. Therefore, the elephants were treated as friends by residents. The emperor heard about this and also wanted to get the elephants. Then he sent soldiers to capture the elephants. The residents surely disagreed. As a result, a war began between the soldiers and residents, which caused countless deaths. Seeing this chaotic situation, the kind elephants formed a circle to guard the living people, and their leader rushed to the cruel emperor. Unluckily, the leader was stabbed by a sword although the emperor was killed under his feet. Seriously wounded, the lead elephant died by the side of the Li River and its body turned into a hill, which is the Elephant Trunk Hill you see today, protecting the people here forever. Your guide will tell you more about this place during your visit.

Next, Reed Flute Cave will be your destination. Located in the northern suburb of Guilin City, it is characterized by its gorgeous rocks in the cave. The formation of Reed Flute Cave took a long time. One million years ago this area was originally an ancient underground lake. Due to the uplifting of the mountain by crustal movement, the underground water level dropped and the underground lake became a cave. When the rainwater flowed from the crevices of the rocks into the cave, it had a chemical reaction with the rocks in the cave. After years of chemical reactions, the rocks in the cave became stalactites in a variety of forms. People praise Reed Flute Cave as a palace of nature's art.

Elephant Trunk Hill

Reed Flute Cave

This morning, you will go to Zhujiang Pier. It is located in southeastern Guilin and about 32 kilometers away from the urban area. You will spend about 45 minutes getting there by car. At the pier, you will take the 4-star Li River Cruise ship to Yangshuo, which means that the highlight of the luxury Guilin tour starts. There are two types of Li River cruise ships: 3-star cruise ships and 4-star cruise ships. We have arranged a 4-star cruise for you on this luxury tour. During a four-hour journey, you can enjoy a palatable lunch on the cruise ship. Compared to the plainly decorated 3-star cruise ships that offer only Mandarin service and airplane dining standards, the well decorated 4-star cruise ships offer both English and Mandarin service and a buffet.

On the way to Yangshuo, you will be captured by the charm of the Li River. It boasts lucid waters, with exceptional caves in green mountains and ancient villages along the river. When the trees and the mountains are reflected in the water waves under the sunshine, it is like a scroll of landscape painting. People call this scenery Wonderland of Waves and Rocks. As such, the Li River has attracted numerous literati who write poems for its fanciful beauty.

When arriving at Yangshuo, you will go to Yangshuo West Street. As a walking street with a history of over 1,400 years, it has a total length of 517 meters and a width of 8 meters. The bars, restaurants, calligraphy, and painting shops on the street mostly follow a Chinese and Western-style. Even old ladies and gentlemen selling fruits here can speak English fluently, which makes West Street more international. You can talk with them about the history of the street.

After that, you will be driven northward for 1.5 hours back to Guilin by car, about 70 kilometers away from Yangshuo.

Li River Cruise

Yangshuo West Street

After breakfast, you will take the estimated flight MU8565 13:35/15:55 to Shanghai.

Upon your arrival, your guide will pick you up at the airport and take you to visit Nanjing Road which is located in the city center. There are various time-honored shops, hotels, and restaurants on both sides of Nanjing Road. You will have some free time here.

In the east of Nanjing Road is the Bund which is the most charming place in Shanghai. On the west side of the Bund, stands the International Architecture Exhibition Group. Across the Huangpu River, on the east side of the Bund, a series of tall buildings show the modern appearance of this prosperous city. These buildings form an indispensable scenery of the Bund.

As dark falls, you will take the Huangpu River cruise for about 50 minutes to enjoy the dreamy nightscape of Shanghai. When you look around on the cruise ship, the high buildings with European style will be in your sight. On the river surface, various cruises decorated with colored lights add more charm to the Huangpu River.

Nanjing Road

The Bund

Today, you will start the luxury Shanghai tour. The first destination—Yu Garden (Closed on Mondays). Founded in the Ming Dynasty, it represents an ancient Chinese-style garden in South China. In the garden, there is an amazing stone crowned as Exquisite Jade Rock, being the key highlight of this garden. There is a legend about how Exquisite Jade Rock was transferred to Yu Garden. In the Song Dynasty (960 - 128), the emperor wanted to build a garden so that rare flowers and stones were collected. However, with the fall of the Song Dynasty, most of the extraordinary stones were destroyed by soldiers of the Yuan Dynasty (1271 - 1368). Fortunately, Exquisite Jade Rock was preserved. Later, this peculiar stone was brought to the Yu Garden as the dowry of its owner. Ever since it has been settled down in Yu Garden.

Next, you will leave for Shanghai Old Street that teems with time-honored brands. For example, Songyuelou restaurant, built in the Qing Dynasty (1636 - 1921), is a vegetarian restaurant. The original proprietor started to cook vegetarian food when he was in elementary school. Therefore, the dishes he made are extremely popular. Recommended dishes: vegetarian noodles, vegetarian “ham”, and Begonia cake.

After lunch, you will visit Tianzifang Market. With many residents still living here and the green mailboxes decorated with the logo in the 1980s, you will feel its unexpected artistic beauty. Along the streets, you will see street painters, and a lot of boutique shops. The vanishing cream is one of the most popular special local products among shops in Tianzifang Market.

Today’s last destination is Shanghai Tower. As the world’s second highest building, its appearance spirals ever-upward. Viewed from its top, Shanghai Tower looks like a guitar pick, which twists nearly 1 degree on each floor. Taking the world's fastest elevator, you can reach the observation deck on the 119th floor of the Shanghai Tower in 56 seconds. From the observation deck, you can enjoy a panoramic view of Shanghai.

Yu Garden

Shanghai Tower

Today, you will visit Zhujiajiao Water Town. Located in the southwest of the Shanghai city center, the 50 kilometers’ distance will cost you about one hour by car. Surrounded by the lake and river, the town covers an area of 136 square kilometers. There is a variety of ancient tourist spots, especially a bridge called Fangsheng Bridge (Fangsheng in Chinese means free captive animals). About its name, there is a story, the protagonist of which is a monk called Xingchao. His mother was pregnant with him when his father tragically died. To make a living, the mother had to come and go between the two sides of a river, selling vegetables. However, the unexpected could happen at any time. She fell into the water while crossing the river. Trying her best to swim to the shore, she gave birth to him before she died. Since then, he was brought up by the monks of Cimen Temple. As days passing by, he grew up and learned his mother's story. Then, he determined to go out for alms, raising funds to build a bridge to comfort his mother. Eventually, he made it. Later, to show the compassion of Buddhist disciples, many captive aquatic animals would be freed in the water under the bridge on the first and fifteenth day of each month in the lunar calendar. Hence, it got the name “Fangsheng Bridge”.

Besides, you are offered to take a wooden boat to overview Zhujiajiao Water Town for about 15 minutes. It will give you a short yet wonderful trip.

With a delicious lunch in Zhujiajiao Water Town, you will be driven northeast for about 1 hour to Jing’an Temple by car, about 40 kilometers away from Zhujiajiao Water Town. The architectural layout of Jing’an Temple is strictly on a central axis, with the main entrance, the Main Hall, and the Dharma Hall standing from south to north. When looking at the whole temple from a distance, you will find the golden roof is particularly conspicuous.

Zhujiajiao Water Town

Jing'an Temple

This morning, you will be transferred to Suzhou by the estimated train G7268 08:05/08:37.

Upon your arrival, the guide will take you to Humble Administrator’s Garden. Resembling a landscape painting, the garden is of unmatched charm. The Humble Administrator's Garden is the most typical Ming Dynasty garden in China and is known as the "mother of Chinese gardens". It is also the largest private garden in Suzhou. There are a lot of stories about the owners of the garden. If you want to know more, you can ask the guide for more information.

Next, you will visit Pingjiang Road. As an old street in Suzhou, it is located along a river, following an urban pattern of the Tang and Song Dynasties. In the Song Dynasty, Suzhou was called “Pingjiang”, hence its name. Walking on the stone road and listening to the humming of the boatman rowing on the Pingjiang River, you will leave the fast-paced urban life behind, getting away from the hustle and bustle for tranquility. On top of that, the delicacies here are also famous such as bubble wantons, pan-fried buns, and green tea pancakes.

After lunch, let’s go to Tiger Hill. Densely covered with trees, it has seen the vicissitudes of Suzhou. Legend has it that three days after King of Wu (12th century - 473) was buried in Tiger Hill, a white tiger squatted on his tomb. Hence, the scenic place got its name. On Tiger Hill stands Tiger Hill Pagoda. Having been reconstructed many times, the pagoda has shown different architectural styles of the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties.

Next, Suzhou No.1 Silk Factory will be your destination. It has a silk exhibition hall where you can appreciate the irresistible beauty of silk. At the same time, the whole process of silk production is provided. When appreciating it, you will certainly be amazed by the glorious history of Chinese silk.

After that, you will take the estimated train G7281 17:29/18:02 back to the hotel in Shanghai.

Humble Administrators Garden

Tiger Hill

This morning, you will be taken southwest for about 2 hours to Hangzhou by car, around 182 kilometers away from Shanghai’s urban area.

The first destination in Hangzhou is West Lake. Its beauty will never fade, with time going by, though. The broken bridge in winter, the willows in spring, the lotus in summer, and the osmanthus in autumn are always extremely impressive. Besides, West Lake is full of legends. About its origin, there is a story. A long time ago, Yulong (a jade dragon) and Jinfeng (a golden phoenix) in the sky found a piece of white jade on the fairy island by the Milky Way. With constant polishing by Yulong and Jinfeng, the white jade became a shining pearl with magic power. The trees shined by the light of the pearl would be evergreen. However, after the Goddess of Heaven learned of this treasure, she managed to steal it. Yulong and Jinfeng got angry and try to recapture it from the Goddess of Heaven. With a refusal by the Goddess of Heaven, a scramble started. During the fight, the treasure fell on the earth and then became the West Lake.

You will also take a West Lake Boat tour on the West Lake. As the boat moves, you will see beautiful lotus flowers in full bloom in summer.

After lunch, you will go to Feilai Peak that boasts more than 300 Buddhist grotto statues. Among them, the most eye-catching one is Maitreya Buddha, who is smiling and bare-chested. This is the largest statue in Feilai Peak Grottoes, representing the art of sculpture in the Song Dynasty.

On the Feilai Peak, there is a temple called Lingyin Temple, with the main gate never open. Even on the first day of lunar January which is the most important day of the year, all visitors go into the temple from side doors. There is a legend explaining the reason. When Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty visited the south of the Yangtze River, he passed by Lingyin Temple. He wanted to visit the temple. But that day, Lingyin Temple was closed. No matter how Emperor Qianlong proved that he was the emperor, the monk did not believe it and refused to open the gate. Emperor Qianlong got very angry but as he traveled incognito, he did not punish the monk. But after he got back to the Forbidden City, he issued an imperial decree that no one would be allowed to go into Lingyin Temple from its main gate. And this custom pass until today.

After that, we will drive you northeast for about 3.5 hours back to Shanghai by car, about 300 kilometers from Feilai Peak.

Lingyin Temple

West Lake

End up the luxury China tours with a hearty breakfast, you will be taken to the airport. Goodbye.

Author: Xie Peng

Proofreader: Lexie