Essential China Panda Tour

Upon arrival at the Beijing International Airport, your amazing China panda tour will begin! Our friendly guide will be waiting for you at the airport. They won’t leave until you appear. Then, you will be taken to the hotel in downtown Beijing. You are free for the rest of the day, whether to have a good rest at the hotel or to stroll around to discover the surroundings. Feel free to ask any questions to the guide, the guide would be happy to share some information about the city.

After breakfast, our tour guide and driver will meet you at your hotel lobby. First, you will go to see the famous Tiananmen Square, which owns a sacred place in every Chinese heart. Because on October 1, 1949, the People’s Republic of China held its founding ceremony here. A lot of people go there every year to commemorate that special day. The guide will show you where is the best place to take a photo in front of the Tiananmen Gate Tower. That photo would be a nice souvenir.

Then, going through the Meridian Gate (Wumen in Chinese), you will enter the Forbidden City (Closed each Monday), also known as the Imperial Palace. It covers an area of 720,000 square meters, with a construction area of about 150,000 square meters. That allows the Forbidden City to accommodate up to 10,000 people at the same time during Qing Dynasty(1636-1912). Since there were so many people lived in the Forbidden City, they have to eat and cook every day inside the Forbidden City. But look at the roof of each house inside the Forbidden City, you won’t find any chimney. Because all the houses in the Forbidden City are made of wood. If there’s a fire, all the houses could easily burn down. So, people use a kind of no-smoke carbon to cook instead of firewood. It is much safer for the emperors. The guide will tell you some other interesting stories while visiting. Our lunch will be at a local restaurant nearby.

In the afternoon, you will enjoy a pleasant time in the Summer Palace, it is a royal garden of the Qing Dynasty in China and located in the northwest suburb of Beijing,15 kilometers away from the city center – Tiananmen Square. It covers an area of 290 hectares, which is 4 times the size of the Forbidden City. 3 lakes occupy 2/3 of the Summer Palace. The largest lake is called Kunming Lake. If the weather is fine, we will take a boat tour on Kunming Lake to enjoy the beautiful view of the Summer Palace on a dragon boat. Summer Palace is built in the style of the gardens in the southeast of China. Because the emperor family all liked the scenery in the southeast of China very much, but it was impossible to go often because it’s too far. So, they built a similar garden near the Forbidden City to spend their summer vacation. From here, you can find that the royal life in Qing Dynasty was very luxurious.

Before we head to the hotel, we will spend some free time at Qianmen Street. The street is 845 meters long and 20 meters wide. It is a very famous commercial street back from Ming and Qing Dynasties. There are many special old stores, like Quanjude Peking duck restaurant which has a history of more than 100 years, Qingfeng Steamed Bun restaurant which is a preferred food of our President Xi, there are also gift stores, all kinds of specialties, you can both stroll and taste the culture here! We will give you some free time to walk around, then we will go back to the hotel.

Optional activities:

1. Watching a Kungfu Show at Red Theater would be a nice experience.
2. If you are interested in Chinese Opera, you could watch a Chinese Opera at Liyuan Theatre.
3. Enjoying a Peking duck dinner is a must-do while you are in Beijing. Quanjude restaurant is a good choice.

Tian'anmen Square

Summer Palace

Today, you will have an experience of visiting the Great Wall. First, we will drive for about 1 hour to visit the Ming Tombs which are located 50 Km from the Forbidden City. Ming Tombs is the general name for the tombs of 13 emperors of the Ming Dynasty(1368-1644). At present, only 4 scenic spots are open in the Ming Tombs scenic area: Chang Tomb, Zhao Tomb, Ding Tomb, and Sacred Road.  We will visit the Chang Tomb which is the head of the Ming Tombs, it is located in the middle of all the 13 tombs. The area of the Chang Tomb is about 1/6 of the Forbidden City. It is the tomb of Emperor Zhu Di and Empress Xu of the Ming Dynasty. Then we will have lunch at a local restaurant.

In the afternoon, we will drive about half an hour to the Badaling Great Wall which is a world cultural heritage, the most famous part of all the Great Wall sections, and an ancient Chinese military defense project. Badaling Great Wall was visited by the most heads of state and government from all over the world among all the Great Wall sections. In 1957, the Badaling Great Wall received its first foreign guest. In the next 70 years, Badaling Great Wall has received more than 400 heads of state and government, including Nixon, Reagan, Bush, Elizabeth II, Margaret Thatcher, Emperor Akihito, Yeltsin, Putin, Mandela, and many other world figures.

After admiring the Great Wall, on the way back to the hotel, you will have a picture stop at the National Stadium (Bird Nest) and Water Cube. We will drive slowly around these two buildings for you to have a closer look, then we will stop at a bridge and leave you 5-10 minutes to take some pictures. Then we will keep driving to the hotel overnight.

Ming Tombs

National Stadium

This morning, you will first visit the Temple of Heaven, which is located in the south of the Forbidden City. It covers an area of 2.73 million square meters which is almost 4 times the Forbidden City. It was built in 1420 when the emperor is Zhu Di – the owner of the Chang Tomb.  It is a place for the emperor Zhu Di to worship the god of heaven and pray for a good harvest. And this custom was continued by all the emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Right now, it is a popular park for Beijing citizens to do morning exercises.  Such as Tai Chi, dancing, playing instruments, Singing, etc. If you are lucky, maybe you could learn some Tai Chi movements from the locals.

Then you will visit Hutong. It’s best to ride a bicycle or take a rickshaw to visit the Hutongs. Most of the hutongs are narrow, so it's not easy to drive through them and there's no place to park. We will stop by some famous houses in Hutong which were old residences of the royal princes back in the Qing Dynasty. The guide will explain to you some interesting knowledge about the gate of the houses in the Hutong. You will also visit a local house to get in deep touch with the local owner. Talk with the owner and get to know their story in the Hutongs.

Then you will be transferred to the train station and take the estimated train:  G87 14:00/18:20 to Xi’an. When you arrive in Xi’an, our professional local guide will wait for you at the train station and then transfer you to the hotel.

Option activity:

Muslim Quarter is a good place to taste local snacks. If you are a fan of Chinese food, pay a visit to the Muslim Quarter, which you won’t regret.

Temple of Heaven

Hutong

Today you will explore the Xi’an city which is the starting point of the Silk Road, has been the capital of more than ten dynasties throughout history.

This morning, we will pick you up at the hotel and drive for about 1 hour to visit the Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses Museum. It is located in the pit of the tomb of the first emperor of Qin in Lintong District, Xi'an City, and has been listed in the world heritage and is known as the "Eighth Wonder of the World". It is said that the Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses were all painted in bright colors. But after they were unearthed, the colors fell off quickly due to the dry air. So, what you can see now are only the residual traces of the painting on their bodies.

After lunch, it will take you about 50 minutes to get to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. In 652, master Xuanzang hosted to build the Big Wild Goose Pagoda to store his classics brought from India along the Silk Road. The Big Wild Goose Pagoda has seven floors, each of which hides some treasures. Climb the pagoda with the guide, he will tell you interesting stories. When you reach the top, you can overlook the Xi'an City. Then we will go back to the hotel.

Option activity:

The traditional food in Xi’an is dumplings. You could enjoy a Tang Dynasty Dancing show while having a dumpling dinner. That would be a memorable experience in Xi’an. The dumpling dinner usually starts from 18:00 – 19:30. And the Dancing show is 20:00 – 21:20.

Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses Museum

Big Wild Goose Pagoda

In the morning, we will climb on the 600 years old City Wall, which is located in the center of Xi'an. The City Wall was built in 1370 and completed in 1378. It is the largest and most complete ancient city wall in China. Every year in November, there will be a Xi’an City Wall International Marathon organized by the Xi’an Sports Bureau. The route of the Xi’an City Wall International Marathon starts from 200 meters east of the Yongningmen Tower and ends at the west of the Yongyingmen Tower, the total course is 13.6 kilometers. It has attracted marathon enthusiasts from more than 60 countries and regions. You could also try a bicycle on the City Wall. It’s a very good activity for the family because they have different bicycles, like double-riding and triple-riding bicycles.

After that, the guide will take you to the train station and take the estimated train G1887 13:54/17:54 to Chengdu. The local guide in Chengdu will pick you up from the train station and take you to your hotel in Chengdu downtown. The rest time would be your free time to discover the surroundings.

City Wall

City Wall

After breakfast, we will first go to visit the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. It is one of the main research bases for the Chinese government to implement the relocation protection project of the giant panda and other endangered wild animals. If you arrive in the morning, it is recommended that you first go to the panda kitchen at 8:00~9:00 to watch the preparation of steamed bread for pandas. Then we will go along the road in the scenic area to each panda villa to watch the different ages of the pandas eat and play. If you want to see the cutest panda, of course, you have to go to the Baby Giant Panda Villa, where the soft and cuddly creatures will completely capture your heart. After spending some quality time with the cute pandas, we will have lunch at a local restaurant.

After lunch, we will visit Du Fu Thatched Cottage, located in the western suburbs of Chengdu, which used to be the former home of Du Fu, one of the greatest poets in the Tang Dynasty. Du Fu had a profound impact on Chinese literature and is revered by later generations as the "Saint of Poetry". Dufu lived here for nearly 4 years and composed hundreds of poems. So, this place is also considered a "holy place" in the history of Chinese literature.

Then, we will visit Jinli which is an antique commercial street. Here you can admire the crafts of making clay figures and sugar paintings, and also browse the stores with extremely rich characteristics of the Three Kingdoms Period. The street also has a variety of Sichuan specialty snacks, and various teahouses, cafes, bars, etc. We will spend some free time here.

Our last stop is the Wuhou Temple of Chengdu. It is the relics museum of the Three Kingdoms Period(220-280), known as "Three Kingdoms Holy Land". It is also a temple in memory of Liu Bei (emperor of Shu Dynasty), Zhuge Liang (minister of Shu Dynasty), and other heroic figures of the Three Kingdoms Period.  Then we will escort you back to the hotel.

Du Fu Thatched Cottage

Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding

After checking out from the hotel, our local guide will transfer you to the airport, then you will take the estimated flight MU 5404 10:00/12:40 to Shanghai. When you arrive in Shanghai, our local guide in Shanghai will wait for you at the airport and take you to the hotel in downtown Shanghai.

After a short rest, the guide will take you to walk at the Bund which is adjacent to Shanghai's mother river, the Huangpu River, on which huge ships pass through, and on the other side of the river stand skyscrapers such as the Jinmao Tower and the World Financial Center.

And you can also visit Nanjing Road, it is the busiest shopping area in Shanghai. You could have some free time to walk around there. Then we will go back to the hotel overnight.

the Bund

Nanjing Road

Today, you will first visit the Jade Buddha Temple, which is located at 170 Anyuan Road, Putuo District, Shanghai. As one of the top ten tourist attractions in Shanghai, although it is located in a bustling urban area, it is a pretty quiet place in Shanghai.

And then, you will visit the Shanghai Museum (Closed each Monday), founded in 1952 with a total area of 39,200 square meters. Shanghai Museum's collection of cultural relics includes bronze, ceramics, calligraphy and painting, sculpture, oracle bones, symbols and seals, currency, jade, furniture, weaving and embroidery, lacquerware, bamboo, wood, and horn, minority relics, and other 31 categories. It’s a good place to understand better Chinese history and culture.

After lunch, you will visit the Yu Garden (Closed each Monday). In China, gardens are divided into three main categories: royal gardens, private gardens, and temple gardens. Yu Garden belongs to the private gardens. Yu Garden was built 400 years ago back in the Ming Dynasty. The owner of the garden, surnamed Pan, was a high-ranking official during that time. He wanted to build the Yu garden to delight his parents and let them enjoy their old age. So, the word "Yu" in Chinese means pleasure. Unfortunately, his parents died before they could see the completion of the garden.

Then, we will go to visit the Oriental Pearl TV Tower. It is located in Lujiazui Financial area in Pudong with a height of 478 meters. The best location for viewing the Oriental Pearl Tower is the fully transparent glass walkway, through the transparent glass under your feet, overlooking the panoramic view of both sides of the Huangpu River, feel the feeling of walking in the clouds.

Yu Garden

Jade Buddha Temple

Your memorable China panda tour will come to an end today. The local guide will pick you up at your hotel and transfer you to the airport to catch the estimated flight to your home.