Classic China Tour from Beijing for Seniors

Welcome to Beijing, the capital of China! Your amazing China 8-day tour will start here. You will arrive at Beijing Capital International Airport or Beijing Daxing International Airport. Our guide will hold your name tag and wait for you at the arrival hall and then transfer you to the hotel. Then the guide will help you check in the hotel and you have a nice rest.

As the capital of the People’s Republic of China and one of the six ancient cities in China, Beijing performs as the nation’s political, economic, and cultural center. It boasts a lot of tourism resources such as the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, and the Temple of Heaven. It is also famous for the decent Chinese food, Peking Roast Duck.

Optional Activity: If it is not too late after arrival in Beijing, you can go to WangfujingSnack Street, the famous Chinese snack bizarre which gathers delicious and popular food in Beijing and other parts of China. Here, you can taste some special snacks, such as kebabs, sugar-coated figurine, tea soup, and Tortilla Flat. Also, you can hang around in the main Wangfujing Street where more than one hundred shops run business for tourists. You can buy some souvenirs for your friends and family members.

Today, your 8-day China tour begins. As an ancient city, Beijing has a history of more than 3,000 years. Nowadays, it is not only the capital of the People’s Republic of China, but also a good place for people to travel and chase their dreams.

This morning your tour will start from Tian’anmen Square, which is the largest city square in the world. It equals the size of 61 FIFA football fields and can accommodate 1 million people or so to get together to celebrate the big and important Chinese festivals. On October 1, 1949, Chairman Mao Zedong, standing on the Tian’anmen Gate Tower and waving to about 300,000 people, solemnly proclaimed to the world “the Central People’s Government of the People’s Republic of China is established today!” The first five-star red flag of new China was raised here. It symbolized the end of the Chinese emperor system that had lasted for 2,132 years from the first emperor Qin Shi Huang (256 BC – 210 BC) to the last emperor Aisin-Gioro Puyi (1906 - 1968).

After walking through the Tian’anmen Gate and the Meridian Gate (Wu Men), you will enter the Forbidden City (closed each Monday). The Forbidden City, also known as the Palace Museum, lies in the center of Beijing’s central axis. It is the palace of 24 emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368 - 1912) in China. As one of the best-preserved ancient wooden building complexes in the world, it was listed as a world cultural heritage in 1988.During a stroll in the Forbidden City, you may see lots of lovely cats in some corners of the Forbidden City, or on the glazed tile roofs. Every day, visitors around the world go to the Forbidden City to play with cats. If you are lucky, you can take photos with these cats. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, some princesses and queens in the Forbidden City kept cats, which were called royal cats. Some of today’s cats may be descendants of them.

After lunch, you will go to the Summer Palace, which is also called the Royal Garden Museum. The Summer Palace, the royal garden in the Qing Dynasty in China, formerly known as Qingyi Garden, is located in the northwest of Beijing, 15 kilometers away from the Forbidden City. The Summer Palace was built by Emperor Qianlong (1811 -1899) to commemorate his mother. It was completed in 1864. It is famous for one of the spots, the Long Corridor, which allows both you and the emperors to enjoy the garden view even on rainy or snowy days.

Optional Activity: If you do not know where to have dinner, a Peking Roast Duck dinner will round off your one-day Beijing tour. With a history of about 1500 years, Peking Roast Duck is a royal dish in the past. The chief will slice the duck up beside your table, and maybe you will feel confused about how to eat it. Do not worry, the guide will help you to enjoy it in the Chinese way. The best way to eat the duck is to take a pancake in one hand, then with another hand holding chopsticks to pick up a slice of duck and coat it in the plum sauce. Then, spread the sauce onto the pancake using the duck, and add some more slices of duck and some cucumber and green onion. Then roll the pancake tightly and eat it all together. The wonderful taste will make you can't stop eating.

The Forbidden City

Summer Palace

This morning, you will visit the Temple of Heaven, which liesin the south of Beijing, covering an area of about 2.83 million square meters. Since its set-up in the Ming Dynasty in 1420, it was rebuilt several times during Emperors Qianlong and Guangxu (1885-1908) periods of the Qing Dynasty. In the past, it functioned as the place for the emperors to worship the God of Heaven and pray for a good harvest. If you are lucky, you will meet some Tai Chi enthusiasts, and they may be willing to teach you some Tai Chi movements. And you will have lots of fun learning it. Lunch is not included, but your guide will be happy to offer suggestions.

After lunch, you will take the estimated flight CA1388 14:55-19:00 to Sanya. After you arrive in Sanya, your Sanya guide will pick you up at the airport and transfer you to the hotel. Sanya, the southernmost city on Hainan Island, is one of the four prefecture-level cities of Hainan Province in Southeast China. As a coastal tourism city with beautiful tropical scenery, Sanya is known as “the oriental Hawaii” and “sunshine city” like a pearl dotted on Hainan Island.

Temple of Heaven

Temple of Heaven

This morning, you will visit Dadonghai. It lies between Yulin Port and Luhuitou in Sanya City embraced by hills on three sides, with another side being a crescent-shaped bay, which enjoys a coastline as long as 2.9 kilometers. Boasting a superior location, Dadonghai has agreeable weather all year round. The water temperature is about 20°C(68°F) even in winter. It is abundantly endowed by nature with blue sky and seawater, vernal sunshine, soft breezes, fine sand, and verdant hills. With such comfortable conditions, Dagonghai is favored by tourists from home and abroad. No matter what the season is, thousands of visitors from every corner of the world visit here.

Then you will visit Luhuitou Scenic Area. Located at the foot of the Luhuitou Mountainin the south of Sanya City, Luhuitou Scenic Area is embraced by sea on three sides. Climbing to the top of the hill 285 meters above sea level, you can see the breathtaking scenery and coastal beauty of Sanya City. Also, the top of Luhuitou Mountain is theperfect site to catch an overall view of the nearby sea, and a perfect site towatch sunrise and sunset. The vast sea and the pleasant natural scenery make it a perfect resort for your travel.

Before we continue our tour in the afternoon, we will have an authentic cuisine at a local restaurant for lunch.

After lunch you will go to the First Market. As Sanya’s biggest seafood selling and processing cluster, it generally refers to the market and surrounding commercial streets. Except buying seafood, here you can also taste a lot of local snacks, such as shrimp cake and Hainan noodles. There are also many pearl vendors. You can buy some gifts at an affordable price.

You will enjoy the rest of the day by yourself.

Luhuitou Scenic Area

Dadonghai

Today we do not have any arrangement for you. You will spend the whole day in Sanya and enjoy its beauty and food.

This morning, you will say goodbye to Sanya and take the estimated flight 9C8880 11:35-14:55 to Shanghai. In the afternoon, after arrival in Shanghai, your Shanghai guide will pick you up at the airport and transfer you to the hotel. Then you can distribute your time and activities freely in the afternoon.

After breakfast, we will drive you to visit the Yu Garden (closed each Monday). It lies in the center of the Shanghai city, a few blocks south of the Bund. Since its birth in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1642), Yu Garden has a history of more than 400 years. Since the garden boasts an exquisite layout, immeasurable beauty, and artistic architecture style, it becomes one of the top attractions of Shanghai. There are many other scenic spots as well, such as the Yule Pavilion, Hexu Hall, Wanhua Chamber, Exquisite Jade Rock and Dongtianfudi Pavilion.

After Yu Garden, you will visit the Shanghai Old Street. As soon as you enter Old Street, you will have a feeling of staying in the bustling market in Shanghai 100 years ago. Shanghai Old Street, formerly known as Miaoqian Street, is an old commercial street integrating tourist attractions, shops, entertainment, and cultural exhibitions. The earliest banks, gold shops, jewelry shops, wineries and teahouses in the city are all here, with unique social charm and rich commercial background. The architecture and shop layout of Shanghai Old Street show that its development began in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) until the influence of Europe influenced the city. The west of this old street starts from Henan South Road and continues to Guanyi Street. The architecture here reflects the style of Ming and Qing(1644-1912) Dynasties, and the architecture demonstrates elegance in classical simplicity. Red poles and white walls, black roofs and upturned eaves set each other off with Yu Garden architecture. The eastern end of Shanghai Old Street, 500 meters long, ends at Renmin Road. After renovation and decoration, it retains the residential features of the late Qing Dynasty. Although there are several European buildings, they do not contradict the styles of old Shanghai.

After lunch, you will visit the Oriental Pearl TV Tower. Located in Pudong Park in Lujiazui, it is surrounded by Yangpu Bridge in the northeast and Nanpu Bridge in the southwest. Since it was built in July 1991, the 468-meter tower is one of the remarkable landmarks in Shanghai. You can take a double-decker elevator, which can rise and fall at a speed of 8 meters per second and accommodate up to 50 people.

Then you will visit the Bund. As one of Shanghai’s most popular landmarks (also known as Waitan in Chinese), for a century, the Bund has been one of the most recognizable symbols and the pride of Shanghai. The 52 classical buildings with different architectural styles along the Bund are just a living museum of the old Shanghai. The Bund is 1.5 kilometers long, starting from Yan’an East Road in the south, Waibaidu Bridge on Suzhou River in the north, Huangpu River in the east, and financial and foreign trade institutions in old Shanghai in the west.

At last, you will visit Nanjing Road. It is the earliest commercial street established after Shanghai opened its port. It starts from the Bund in the east and ends at Yan’an West Road in the west. It spans Jing’an and Huangpu Districts, with a total length of 5.5 kilometers. It is divided into east and west sections by Tibet Middle Road. This is a treasure land where thousands of businessmen gather, a window for Shanghai to open to the outside world, and a paradise for shoppers around the world. It has always been known as the first commercial street in China. The two sides are full of various time-honored shops and shopping malls in Shanghai. On every holiday and weekend, there is always crowded and bustling.

Optional Activity: If you are interested in the night view of the Huangpu River, you must take part in Huangpu River Night Cruise. Cruise operating hours: 11:00 am to 9:30pm. On the cruise ship, you will see the sharp contrast between classical European architecture and towering modern skyscrapers on both sides of the Huangpu River. In addition to enjoying the bridge across the Huangpu River, you can also enjoy the famous colonial buildings on the Bund on the east coast, as well as the unique Peace Hotel with a green pyramid roof and the Customs Building with a big bell tower. On the western bank, you will see a bustling metropolis full of modern skyscrapers and towering buildings, such as Jinmao Tower, the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, and the Shanghai World Financial Center.

oriental pearl TV Tower

Nanjing road

Today, we will take you to the airport according to your flight and you will fly back to your sweet home. We are looking forward to serving you again in other cities of China.

Our service ends here.

Author: Yu Zhang

Proofreader: Lexie Jia