In-depth China Tour with High Speed Train Experience

Welcome to Beijing, the capital city of China! Beijing serves as not only the capital of China but also the city boasting the most World Cultural Heritage Sites in the world. Our guide holding your name sign will wait for you at the airport. If you have any questions, feel free to ask your guide. He or she will then send you to the hotel so that you can have a rest and prepare for the next day’s trip!

Free Time Suggestion:

You can take a walk around Sanlitun Bar Street after your short break. Located in Chaoyang District, it is 260 meters long and is open from the afternoon to the early morning every day. After years of development, it has become a well-known food and cultural street at home and abroad, and is known to almost all foreigners visiting Beijing. Many people would invite their friends or clients here. A wide variety of bars owning different styles can be found here. It is also the best place to bump into celebrities, as a number of them have invested in setting up businesses here. What’s more, the bar street is adjacent to the embassies of 79 countries, such as Canada, Australia, France, Belgium, and Germany. Some foreign embassies even changed their doorplates from NO.XX Sanlitun Road to NO.XX Sanlitun Bar Street. 

After breakfast, you will head for Tian’anmen Square accompanied by your guide. Tian’anmen Square acts as an important landmark of the People’s Republic of China. It is the largest city center square in the world, and can hold about one million people for grand gatherings. The 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC) was held here on the morning of July 1, 2021. 

Then, the Forbidden City (closed on Mondays) is waiting for you. It was the home of 24 emperors in the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368-1912). On October 10, 1925, it went through the transformation from a royal palace to a museum, becoming the largest museum of ancient culture and art in China as well as one of the most famous museums in the world. Visitors can not only marvel at the beauty of the architecture in ancient China, but also see a collection of countless national treasures. On the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Forbidden City, an expert seminar was held to select the 10 most representative pieces of precious porcelain in China. Among them, the jade vase built in the Qing Dynasty (1636-1912) that is stored in the Forbidden City is very eye-catching. The vase is featured in claborate-style painting and freehand painting style. More importantly, the Qianlong Emperor (an emperor in the Qing Dynasty) was personally involved in its creation, so it is a representative of the imperial artistic taste, showing the emperor’s high artistic accomplishment, and also a perfect presentation of the style of palace painting during that time. It possesses irreplaceable artistic value in Chinese porcelain art history.

After lunch, you will pay a visit to the Summer Palace. The original purpose of building the palace was to build a place for the royal family to avoid the summer heat. It is the largest existing imperial garden in China, with many historical places of interest inside. There is a site you should not miss—the Long Corridor. First built in 1750 and rebuilt in 1886, it has a total length of 728 meters, making it the longest corridor in Chinese classical gardens. What’s interesting about this place is that you can find more than 14,000 paintings on its square beams. The contents in these paintings include landscapes, flowers, birds, and scenes in Chinese folk stories.

Tian’anmen Square

Summer Palace

In the morning, your driver and guide will take you to the northest of Beijing to visit Mutianyu Great Wall. It will take about 1.5 hours(about 73 KM). The Great Wall is the longest defensive project in the world, with a length of about 5,400 meters. The vegetation coverage rate here is about 96%, and there are various types of plants grown here. That’s why the scenery here is different throughout the year. In spring, tens of thousands of acres of peach and pear flowers, as well as lilac will dress up this place. In summer, it will be decorated with a green color full of vitality. It will be a sea of maple in autumn. In winter, it will be covered with snow, forming a winter wonderland. The former British Prime Minister John Major and the former United States President Bill Clinton as well as many other foreign leaders have visited here. If you are not interested in climbing the Great Wall, there are several other options to go up and down the wall. You can go up and down the wall by round trip cable car/chairlift. Or you can go up by the chairlift and come down by a special type of vehicle called toboggan. Please kindly note that you will have to be under 60 years old to take the toboggan.

In the afternoon, your guide will accompany you back to the city center and then you will visit Hutongs, which have long attracted people from all over China and the world. There are thousands of Hutongs in Beijing, which were formed during the Yuan (1271-1368), Ming (1368-1644), and Qing Dynasties in China. Most of them were formed during the Yuan Dynasty in the 13th century. Hutongs look similar on the outside, with grey walls and tiles, but their internal characteristics are different. They are not only the witnesses of old Beijing, but still the living place of ordinary people. The widest Hutong in Beijing is about 32.18 meters in width, which is accessible to buses, while the narrowest one is only about 0.4 meters in width. The longest Hutong is about 3 kilometers, and the shortest is about 30 meters. The most common way to visit a Hutong in Beijing is by rickshaw, which is a sightseeing vehicle that tourists must have a try. For an in-depth knowledge of Hutong culture, you will also have a visit to one of the local families in the Hutongs.

Mutianyu Great Wall

Mutianyu Great Wall

The last place you will visit in Beijing is the Temple of Heaven. Built in 1420, it was the place where the emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties worshipped heaven and prayed for a good harvest. What’s more, it is the same age as the Forbidden City, but more than twice the size of the Forbidden City. As early as 1918, the Temple of Heaven was officially opened to the public. Statistics show that in 2010, it received 22 million visitors, of which more than 7 million were tourists from home and abroad. While the remaining 15 million were citizens in Beijing. Every morning, many people gather here to exercise, and the most distinctive ones are those practicing Tai Chi, which has become a beautiful scene here. Most of the people who practice Tai Chi are elderly, but many young people come here to have a try. After lunch, you will go to Xi’an by an estimated train G87 14:00/18:19. Our local guide will pick you up at the train station and take you to your hotel.

Free Time Suggestion:

Great Tang All Day Mall is 2,100 meters long from north to south and 500 meters wide from east to west. It is a one-stop shopping paradise integrating shopping, catering, entertainment, tourism, and business. Such a shopping complex, with the flourishing Tang Dynasty (618-907) Culture as the background, has four squares, four cultural venues, and five cultural sculptures, being one of the best places to experience the Tang Dynasty Culture. At dusk, this area will be brightly lit and will be crowded with people. There are a variety of street stalls that sell local snacks. Make sure you have a try! Also, you might see many street performers here, and some of them will interact with the audience, like inviting you to sing a song with them.

Temple of Heaven

Temple of Heaven

After breakfast, it will take about 1 hour (50 KM) to drive northeast to Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses Museum. The museum is the largest ancient military museum in China. There are currently three underground terra cotta warriors and horses pits that are open to tourists. Covering an area of more than 20,000 square meters, there are nearly 8,000 terra cotta warriors and horses similar in the size of real life human and horses. If you look close enough, you will find that the terra cotta warriors have different facial expressions, making them one type of the greatest works of ancient Chinese. The terra cotta warrior and horses are collectively praised as “the eighth wonder of the world” and “one of the greatest discoveries in archaeology in the 20th century”. The discovery of them is actually a coincidence. In March 1974, when the farmers were digging a well in their village, they stumbled upon some pieces of terra cotta figures. Then the archaeologists stepped in. After more than a year of exploration and excavation by archaeologists, the No.1 Pit of terra cotta warriors and horses was excavated. It is 230 meters long, 62 meters wide, and 4.5 to 6.5 meters deep. About 6,000 terra cotta warriors and horses are discovered here, as well as a large number of bronze weapons. In April 1976, another pit was found 20 meters to the north of the first pit, namely the No.2 Pit. This pit is in the shape of a try square. It is 96 meters long and 84 meters wide. More than 1,300 terra cotta warriors and horses are buried in the pit. The second pit boasts more complete types of troops than the first pit. In May 1976, the No.3 Pit was discovered 25 meters north to the first pit. The last pit is small in scale and has a concave shape with totally 72 terra cotta warriors and horses.

More than 200 foreign heads of state and government have visited this place, making the museum a must-visit place when coming to Xi’an.

After lunch, your guide will take you to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. In 652, Xuanzang (an eminent monk in the Tang Dynasty) presided over the construction of the pagoda to preserve the Buddhist scriptures and Buddha statues of that he brought here via the Silk Road from Tianzhu (the ancient name of India). At the beginning, it was built with five stories, and then another four stories were added. In the following years, the number of stories and the height of the pagoda were changed several times, and finally set at seven stories, and a height of 64 meters. It is the largest existing brick pagoda of the Tang Dynasty. It is also a masterpiece of Buddhist architectural art in the Tang Dynasty, acting as one of the landmark buildings in Xi’an and a must-visit site for tourists.

The Great Mosque, built in 742, is an ancient Chinese palace-style building complex with a long history and a grand scale. It represents the combination of Islamic culture and Chinese culture. There are four courtyards in the Great Mosque. The fourth courtyard has an area of about 1,300 square meters, which can accommodate more than 1,000 people for gatherings, and there are more than 400 murals. The Great Mosque is such an amazing combination of Chinese and Islamic architectural art that it has been listed as one of the world’s Islamic cultural relics by UNESCO.

Big Wild Goose Pagoda

Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum

Today, you will head for Chengdu by an estimated flight MU6796 12:40/14:20, where your guide will wait at the airport in advance.

Here, you will first visit Kuanzhai Alley, a relatively large Qing Dynasty ancient street. It is located near Changshun Street, Qingyang District, full of ancient quadrangle courtyards with grey bricks and tiles. Kuanzhai Alley is composed of one wide alley, one narrow alley, and one well alley. It is the most representative historical and cultural commercial block in Chengdu. The wide alley has many buildings from the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China (1912-1949), including some Western-style buildings left by churches. The narrow alley featuring the slow-pace life shows the courtyard culture of Chengdu, is mostly occupied by stylish bars and restaurants. It is a Western-style area with an eatery, coffee shop, healthy living hall and characteristic culture theme shop. In addition, tea parties and music festivals are often held in Kuanzhai Alley.

Kuan Zhai Alley

Kuan Zhai Alley

After breakfast, you will go to Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, for a close contact with the cute giant pandas and many other animals. This place is a noted research institution for the protection of rare and endangered wild animals in China and even the world. It completely imitates the living environment of giant pandas in the wild, including lakes, streams, bamboo forests, and lawns. The best visiting time to this research base is in the morning, because pandas are relatively more active in the morning. There is a giant panda museum in which you can post postcards that are postmarked with pandas, and a movie theater where you can watch documentaries about pandas. In addition to giant pandas, you can also see red pandas, black swans, peacocks, and other animals in the base. What’s more, a series of educational projects themed on protecting animals is often carried out here. From 2003 to 2016, it had received more than 100,000 primary and secondary school students from home and abroad and trained more than 800 volunteers. There are also souvenir shops that you can buy some souvenirs with pictures or shapes of pandas at the end of the tour for your family and friends.

In the afternoon, you will visit Jinli Street. It, with a total length of 550 meters, is a famous commercial street in Chengdu featured by antique buildings in the architectural style of the late Qing Dynasty, and integrating the cultures of the Three Kingdoms (220-280) as well as the customs of Sichuan Province. It is part of the Wuhou Shrine Museum that you are going to visit next. Such an ancient street is orderly in its layout boasting an entertainment area, a food and beverage area, a hotel area, and a characteristic crafts exhibition area. The CNN Travel Channel has selected 21 of the world's most beautiful streets, and Jinli Street ranks first on the list. It is the only street in China that has been selected. The other streets on the list include the Champs-Élysées in Paris, the Fifth Avenue in New York, and the Path of Philosophy in Kyoto. 

Then you will go to Chengdu Wuhou Shrine Museum. It is the museum or temple complex in memory of Liu Bei, who founded the Kingdom of Shu in the Three Kingdoms period (220-280), Zhuge Liang (statesman and military strategist in the Three Kingdoms period), and other heroes. It is now divided into three parts: the Three Kingdoms Historical Sites area, the Three Kingdoms Cultural Experience area, and Jinli Folk Customs area that you just visited. Your guide will take you around the other two areas to have a deeper look into the Three Kingdoms’ culture.

The last place your guide will take you to today is the People’s Park that was built in 1911. It is a comprehensive park integrating garden, culture, cultural relics protection, patriotism education and recreation, including many ancient trees like ginkgo, as well as more than 70 kinds of other trees. Here is a famous attraction – Bonsai Garden, which is south to the central part of the park, and occupies an area of 2,600 square meters with corridors, lotus pools, and so on. More than 200 bonsais are exhibited throughout the year, including elm, ginkgo, yew podocarpus, cherry-apple tree, and other ancient bonsais. In addition, activities such as the chrysanthemum exhibition and the lotus exhibition are often held in the park. More importantly, it is the perfect place to experience the leisurely life of the locals, where people will have tea, chat, have their ears picked, play badminton, etc.

Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding

Wuhou Shrine Museum

Saying goodbye to Chengdu, the estimated train G2885 11:58/18:26 will take you to Guilin. Our local guide there will pick you up and send you to the hotel. 

Guilin, located in south China, is a famous tourist city with a history of more than 2,000 years. It is known for many titles, such as China’s old industrial base and China’s international tourism city. In addition, Guilin is the permanent host of the United Nations World Tourism Organization/Asia-Pacific Tourism Association International Forum on Tourism Trends and Prospects. The climate here is mild, with abundant rainfall and sufficient sunshine. The summer is long and the winter is short here.

Today, you will first cruise along a beautiful river to reach Yangshuo County in about 4 hours. It is Li River.  Flowing through Guilin, the Li River is like a green belt winding among mountains. The picturesque scenery of Li River consisting of clean water and green mountains is like the scene coming out of a landscape painting. Along the Li River, tourists can enjoy the sight of strange peaks, clean water, primitive rural houses, and fishermen fishing leisurely, all of those are so poetic and charming. Lunch will be included for you on the cruise ship.

Upon arrival at Yangshuo, you will head for Yangshuo West Street, a pedestrian street. The Yangshuo West Street, running from east to west, is about 8 meters wide and nearly 800 meters long. With a span of more than 1,400 years, it is the oldest and most prosperous street in Yangshuo, and also one of the most important tourist attractions in Yangshuo. It was once the place where Sun Yat-sen (Founder of the Republic of China and the Chinese Nationalist Party) gave speeches. Leaders from more than 150 countries have also left their footprints here. Every year, a large number of overseas tourists visit the Yangshuo West Street. Some stay for a few days, some live for several years, while some even get married or start their businesses here. So the Yangshuo West Street is also known as “Foreigner’s Street”. In addition, local people of all ages around the Yangshuo West Street can speak some foreign languages, and that is why this area is also called “Global Village”. After some free time here, your guide will transfer you back to your hotel in Guilin. You will be going northwest for about 1.5 hours (about 70 kilometers).

Li river

Yangshuo west street

On the tenth day, you will reach Hong Kong by an estimated train G319 12:58/15:57, where your local guide will pick you up and accompany you to the hotel. 

Hong Kong, the third-largest financial center in the world, is a highly prosperous free port and an international metropolis. Hong Kong is a world-renowned shopping paradise, ranking among the best in the world in terms of price, variety and service. In 1998, U.S. President Bill Clinton made a special trip to Hong Kong with his wife for shopping during his visit to China. You will find all sorts of famous global brands and inexpensive goods in various types of shopping venues like large shopping malls, hotel malls, department stores, clothing stores, markets, and roadside stalls. And most of the imported goods in Hong Kong are not subject to tax (except for alcohol and tobacco). So whether you are a rich man or a commoner, you can find good value for money in Hong Kong.

Free Time Suggestion:

We don’t have tourist attractions arranged for you for the rest of today. If you want to stroll around by yourself, here’s a good choice. You can go to Lan Kwai Fong. It is a bar street that emerged in the 1970s. Such a mid to high-end area of bars and restaurants is popular among the locals and tourists alike. It will be the "happy hour" time every day from 17:00 to 20:00. During this time, the bars here will be crowded with white-collar workers. Drinks are also cheaper during this time than at night. From 21:00 onwards, this place will be mainly dominated by the young people, locals and foreigners alike. On every Halloween, Christmas, New Year’s Eve and so on, Lan Kwai Fong is sure to be one of the busiest places in Hong Kong.

In the morning, you will arrive at Victoria Peak, one of the premier tourist attractions in Hong Kong. The best way to get to the top where you can enjoy the outstanding view of Hong Kong Island is to take the peak tram. The peak tram is the first funicular railway in the world. During your tram ride, make sure that you look out of the window, because not only will you see great scenery, but also feel the illusion of “the buildings are tilted”. You will have some free time here to stroll around on the peak. This is a great place to take some nice pictures to post on your social media!

Then you will go and see the Aberdeen Fishing Village, which is located on the southern coast of Hong Kong Island and used to be a sheltered harbor for pirates more than 200 years ago. It was the first developed area on Hong Kong Island and is still home to hundreds of fishermen, retaining the characters of a traditional fishing village. After years of development, now it has become a famous sightseeing spot in Hong Kong. You will take a sampan to take a closer look at the fishing village.

Finally, you will go to Stanley Market, a famous tourist attraction as well as a market, as its name indicates, in the southeast of Hong Kong Island. You will find all sorts of souvenirs here like Chinese handicrafts, oil paintings, and jade objects. Wandering among the stores, people can buy the characteristic goods while enjoying the pleasure of bargaining.

Stanley Market

Victoria Peak

Today, you will take a ferry from Hong Kong to Macau. Our guide in Macau will pick you up and show you around in Macau! You will first have a visit to the Ruins of St. Paul’s built in 1602. Macau is home to many Western-style Catholic churches, of which the St. Paul's Church was the oldest, largest, and most famous. What you see today is the remaining front wall of St. Paul's Church and is one of the most famous sights in Macau.

Then, you will go to Monte Fortress, one of China’s oldest western-style forts with a height of 222 meters. It was initially owned by the church and was built to protect the clergy of St. Paul’s Church to fight off pirates, but later turned into a place of military facilities. The fortress is surrounded by giant bronze cannons, which have lost long their military role, but are now regarded as ancient relics of Macau and a witness of Macau’s history. You can overlook the city and view the iconic Grand Lisboa Hotel here, making it a good place for taking photos.

You will visit A Ma Temple next. A Ma (a Taoist goddess) is worshipped in coastal areas of China, especially among fishermen. In the culture of these areas, A Ma is a spiritual symbol and female representative of selflessness, geniality, kindness, love, and bravery. It is believed among fishermen that before going fishing in the sea, one should first worship A Ma and pray for safety. The gate at the entrance is made of granite, and is 4.5 meters wide. The entrance lintel is highlighted by three Chinese characters meaning “A Ma Temple” with couplets on both sides. The temple, built along the cliff, faces a sea and is surrounded by ancient trees. At the gate of the temple is a pair of stone lions, which are exquisitely carved and lifelike in shape.

After lunch, you will go to Macau Tower, which was built in 1998 and open to the public after three years. Surpassing the height of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Macau Tower is the tallest steel tower in Asia. It owns the second-highest bungee jump facility in the world. If interested, you can experience a bungee jump from a height of 223 meters on the 61st floor at your own expense. After visiting the Macau Tower, your guide will take you to the ferry port and you will take a ferry to go back to Hong Kong.

Senado Square

Ruins of St. Paul’s

Time flies! We will be looking forward to seeing you again. If you want to learn more travel details about other places in China, just contact us at any time. If it is OK, we will appreciate it if you introduce us to your friends. The guide will take you to the airport according to your flight time and wish you a good journey back to your sweet home!

Author: Li Tingting

Proofreader: Li Yiwen