Recommended China train tour together with Zhangjiajie

Today you will arrive in Shanghai, and your guide will wait for you patiently at the airport. And then you will be transferred to the hotel. The total area of Shanghai is 6340.5 square kilometers, about five times that of New York, and its population is about 24 million, about three times that of New York. Shanghai has a subtropical marine monsoon climate. It is warm and humid with four distinct seasons. The highest temperature in Shanghai is in July and August. In recent years, the summer in Shanghai is getting hotter and hotter, and there is often a high temperature of more than 35 degrees centigrade in summer. However, Shanghai is very cold and humid in winter, and the wind is biting, so you should take essential measures to keep out the cold if you visit Shanghai in winter.

After enjoying your breakfast, the guide will take you to the famous Yu Garden (closed each Monday). Yu Garden was originally a private garden in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1664). It locates in the northeast of Huangpu District, Shanghai. It is said that Pan Yunduan, the owner of Yu Garden, once was accused by a royal officer that Pan wanted to build a royal palace. In Ming Dynasty, building a private palace would be sentenced to death. But Pan didn’t panic. He immediately filled the garden with Buddha statues and bribed the officers and soldiers who came to investigate him. He told them that he had just built a temple, so he escaped from death. After Pan Yunduan’s death, most of his family property was sold off by his descendants. The garden was bought and given to Western missionaries, which was transformed into a Catholic Church. Later, the Yu Garden was deserted, destroyed, and became a temple once. It was finally restored to what it is now in 1961.

After visiting Yu Garden, the guide will drive you to Jing’ an Temple, it is on the western side of the Yu Garden, and it will take you about an hour to arrive there. Jing’an Temple is located in Jing’an District of Shanghai. Its history can be traced back to the Three Kingdoms Period (220-280), and it is the oldest Buddhist temple in Shanghai. It is said that during the Three Kingdoms period, an eminent monk came to Shanghai and built a temple. At that time, it was named Hudu Chongyuan Temple and located at the north band of the Suzhou River. During the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), this temple was renamed Jing’an Temple. In Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), Jing’an Temple was moved to its present address.

Between the main gate and the main hall of the temple, there was an ancient well, and the water in the well was always bubbling, just like boiling water. And there is a mystical story of Jing’an Temple’s well. There was a period of turmoil in China (1966-1976), during which the ancient well of Jing’an Temple was filled up. In 1998, the Shanghai government was to build the No.2 metro line. When the engineering team was carrying out a digging operation, they discovered a spring with unknown water that kept pouring out. The water could not be stopped, so the project was suspended for several days. Because of this, the ancient well was discovered again. It is said that Buddhist characters are engraved on the guardrail of the ancient well. Some people point out that the underground well could be the link with hell and there were spirits of demons and ghosts beneath it, so it must be suppressed by the ancient well and must not be moved. Therefore, the metro line was diverted out of the intention of protecting the ancient well. 

After lunch, you will be driven to Shanghai Tower, which is a skyscraper with a total height of 632 meters. It is about 190 meters higher than The Empire State Building. You can enter it and take its high-speed elevator to the sightseeing floor on the 118th and 119th floors to enjoy the beautiful scenery. Then we will cross the Huangpu River and go to Nanjing Road, which is one of the earliest and most prosperous streets in Shanghai. Here, you can enjoy not only local cuisine like Shengjian (Pan-Fried Dumplings), desserts from Shen Dacheng (Shanghai time-honored dim sum brand), and spring roll, but also special food from all over China. In addition, you can also enjoy shopping time and the unique neon night scene here.

Then you will head to the last destination of this day-the Bund by the Huangpu River. Just like Shanghai, an international metropolis, the Bund landscape also integrates the characteristics of countries all over the world. You will see various buildings on the Bund such as French Classical building, Baroque building, British Classical building. You can also enjoy the splendid Huangpu River night view and take some photos with the Oriental Pearl TV Tower as the background.

Jing'an Temple

The Bund

After breakfast, you will be transferred to the railway station and take an estimated train G1501 10:03/18:55 to Guilin. The max speed of a Chinese high-speed train can reach 350km/h. But you don’t have to worry about its safety performance, because the safety and stability of China's high-speed train are assured, and you can enjoy the beautiful scenery along the way and spend the journey comfortably on the train. Your guide will patiently wait for you at the destination. After your arrival, you will be transferred to the hotel and have a good rest. Guilin, the city you are going to visit, belongs to Guangxi Province of China. It is located in low latitude and has a mild climate. So, it is suitable for traveling in any season. 

Yangshuo, about 70 kilometers south of Guilin, is the most beautiful town along the Li River with a history of more than 2000 years. Today, we will take the Li River Cruise to visit Yangshuo.

After breakfast, the driver will take you to Mopanshan pier, which is 35 kilometers southeast of Guilin. It takes about an hour to get there. And then you will start your Li River Cruise tour. There is a famous line from a poem by Wang Zhenggong of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), “East or west, Guilin’s scenery is the best.” Li River is one of the most representative scenic spots in Guilin. On the way, you will see the famous Nine Horses Mountain. It is said that the nine horses were originally from heaven. However, due to the neglect of Sun Wukong, who was the “Protector of the Horses” at that time, the horses sneaked down to the earth and came to drink by the Li River. They were later found by a painter on the riverside and were frightened. Unfortunately, they wrongly strayed into the stone wall when they ran away and remained there forever. According to the local people’s words, people who can see nine horses here are not ordinary people but genius. You can have a try and see how many horses you can recognize from the stone wall on your own. In addition to the natural landscape, you will also have the opportunity to see the idyllic scenes beside the river, where there are hard-working farmers with baskets on their backs, and water buffaloes cultivating the farms. The diligent farmers and buffaloes are integrated with the beautiful scenery of the Li River, forming a pastoral scenery

You will have lunch with the spectacular river view on the cruise ship.

After visiting the Li River, you will arrive at Yangshuo and visit Yangshuo West Street. Yangshuo West Street has always been popular with tourists. Located in the center of Yangshuo County, Yangshuo West Street is 517 meters long and 8 meters wide, with curved S-shape marble pavement and antique buildings. There are many arts and crafts shops, painting and calligraphy shops, hotels, cafes, bars, and Chinese Kungfu schools on the street. Among them, more than 20 owners of the shops here are foreigners, and about 100,000 foreign tourists come here every year for traveling and studying. Therefore, Yangshuo West Street has a nickname of “Foreigner Street”. Among the foreigners living here, “Donald Duck” is a quite famous person. Everyone knows the name of “Donald Duck” in Yangshuo West Street. Some people say that he is the permanent representative of foreign travelers on West Street. His name is Karl Charlie and he began to call himself “Donald Duck” in 1990. There is an interesting story about this nickname. When Karl first came to China, he went to Hainan Province. Local people there always found that it is difficult to remember the names of foreigners. It was the American cartoon “Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck” that swept the world at that time. Chinese people always have no good feelings for mice, but they are very interested in Donald Duck’s funny style. Therefore, Karl chose Donald Duck to be his nickname for the convenience of people’s memory. “Donald Duck” is an ordinary decorator in Germany. He works for half a year and travels abroad after he earns travel expenses. When he arrived in Yangshuo, he was shocked by the splendid scenery here. Moreover, he is very grateful that he has been accepted by the local people as a foreigner and is enjoying freedom and ease here, so he feels at home here. And then he tries to repay the people of Yangshuo with his love. For instance, he helps many students here to learn English and German for free.

After visiting, you will say goodbye to Yangshuo West Street, and our driver will take you back to Guilin.

Yangshuo West Street

Li River Cruise

After enjoying your breakfast, we will take you to the railway station and you will take an estimated train G2856 11:27/16:00 to Chongqing. This time, you can still take steady China’s fast train and enjoy a comfortable journey. Your guide will wait for you at Chongqing station with a warm welcome. Chongqing is the only province-level municipality in central and western China, and it situates at the intersection point of Yangtze River and Jialing River. Besides, Chongqing has a precipitous geographical condition, especially for the gorge area you are going to visit next, so the cruise is the best choice. We will drive you to the dock, and then you can board the Yangtze River cruise.

After enjoying the delicious breakfast, you can walk to the deck and play Tai Chi with the rising sun. Our professional Tai Chi teacher will guide you in the whole process. And I am sure the Tai Chi exercise will bring you a fresh morning.

After relaxation, you will welcome the first sightseeing spot, Shibaozhai Pagoda, which is known as one of the best tourist attractions on the Yangtze River. Shibaozhai Pagoda is located on the north bank of the Yangtze River in Zhongxian County, Chongqing. It is built against the mountain. Besides a pagoda, Shibaozhai Pagoda is also a passageway to the top of the mountain. Walking from the first floor to the top of the pagoda, you will arrive at the top of the mountain directly. There is a temple on the top of the mountain. However, the temple was built earlier than the Shibaozhai Pagoda. That means at that time, there was no passageway to help people to climb up to the mountain top. So ancient people dug many holes on the mountain and used the most traditional way of unarmed climbing to get to the mountain top. It is similar to today’s rock climbing. When you visit the Shibaozhai Pagoda, you can still see the holes on the mountain walls. In the middle of the Ming Dynasty, the local people hired architects to explore a more convenient way to replace the previous dangerous way of unarmed climbing. Therefore, they built this nine-floor pagoda so that people could safely reach the top of the mountain.

Option:

The cruise passes by Fengdu Ghost City, which you can choose to visit at your own expense.

Fengdu Ghost City is an ancient city famous for its tales. It has a history of more than 2000 years since the Han Dynasty (202 - 220). It has always been regarded as the destination of human souls after death. There is a famous scenic spot called Naihe Bridge. In Chinese folk mythology, the soul needs to walk across the Naihe Bridge before it gets reincarnation. On Naihe Bridge, there is a kind woman named Mengpo, who will provide a bowl of soup for souls. After drinking the soup, all the things that happened before death will be forgotten. And they will get reincarnation to start a new life. Therefore, many travelers here in the Fengdu Ghost City will drink a bowl of soup from “Mengpo” and hope it can help them forget all the unhappy things.

Shibaozhai Pagoda

Shibaozhai Pagoda

The Three Gorges of the Yangtze River is one of the top ten cultural symbols in Chongqing. The Three Gorges is the general name of Qutang Gorge, Wu Gorge, and Xiling Gorge. The Three Gorges starts from Baidi City of Chongqing in the West and ends at Nanjinguan of Yichang city in the East. 

You will first visit Qutang Gorge. It is about 8 kilometers long. It is the shortest of the Three Gorges, but it is the most spectacular and precipitous one. The river here is only one or two hundred meters wide, and the narrowest place is only a few tens of meters, but the peaks on both sides can be as high as 1000-1500 meters. If you look closely at the peaks on both sides of the gorge, you will find that they have different shapes. In one place, the peak looks like a rhinoceros looking up. People call it the Rhino Looking at The Moon. We believe that you will be impressed by the Qutang gorge when you visit it.

Pass through Qutang Gorge, you will enter the Wu Gorge. Its length is about 46 km and it is famous for its Twelve Peaks, among which there is a famous Scissor Peak. As you can tell from its name, this peak is shaped like a pair of open scissors. Don’t forget to look for it when you pass by Wu Gorge.

After that, you will visit Xiling Gorge. With a total length of 66 kilometers, it is the longest gorge in the Three Gorges. There are many small gorges hidden in Xiling Gorge. For example, there is a white boulder shaped like a dog, so this place is called White Dog Gorge. There is a place where the peak looks like a sword inserted into the ground. This place is called Sword Gorge. 

Qutang Gorge

Xiling Gorge

After breakfast, the guide will pick you up from the cruise and drive you to Yichang railway station. You will take the estimated train K1473 12:58/17:54 to Zhangjiajie. Your guide will also wait for you at the station. After meeting your guide, you will be transferred to the hotel.

After breakfast, you will visit Zhangjiajie National Forest Park which is to the north of Zhangjiajie City center. We will drive about 50 minutes(30KM). In December 1992, it was listed in the world natural heritage list by the United Nations for its peculiar quartz sandstone peak forest. In addition to its unique peaks, valleys, and dense forests, it is also famous for the Golden Whip Stream. It is 7.5 kilometers long and runs through the forest park from west to east. There are lush old trees on both sides of the stream. And it is known as the most beautiful stream in the world. Traveling eastward along the stream for about 200 meters, there is a stone peak about 100 meters high on the left bank, resembling a middle-aged female. The head and waist are well-defined, and you can even recognize her facial features. She looks to the southeast as if she was looking at her husband in the distance. A small mountain is close to her, looking like a son cuddling his mother. These two peaks are also called Mother and Son Peaks.

After lunch, you will go to Tianzi Mountain. The total area of the Tianzi Mountain nature reserve is more than 9,000 hectares, nearly 100 square kilometers. Its highest point is 1,262.5 meters above sea level, while its lowest point is 534 meters above sea level. First, you will take the cable car up the mountain and visit Yubi Peak. The peak here looks like a writing brush, and there is another peak beside it which looks like a pen holder. After that, you will visit the Natural Stone Bridge which can be called the most magical bridge in the world. It looks like someone has built a bridge between the two peaks, but the bridge is actually formed naturally. The bridge is about 350 meters high and is the highest stone bridge in Zhangjiajie. When you walk on it, it seems that you are walking in the air. Don’t miss such an exciting experience here.

After that, you will go to Hallelujah Mountain. In the film Avatar, the boulders that suspend in the air on the Pandora are called “Hallelujah Mountain” (also known as Montas Volans). And the scenery in the film is taken from the mountain in Zhangjiajie. The original name of Mt. Hallelujah is Nantianyizhu, with a vertical height of 150 meters and an altitude of 1,074 meters. With the popularity of the Avatar, more and more tourists from all over the world come to Zhangjiajie to find the original form of Hallelujah Mountain. Therefore, its name was officially changed to Hallelujah Mountain in 2010.

At the end of today’s visit, you will take the Bailong Elevator, the fastest and highest outdoor sightseeing elevator in the world, to go down the mountain. Its vertical height difference is 335 meters, and its running height is 326 meters. You can go down the mountain within 66 seconds. 

Zhangjiajie National Forest Park

Golden Whip Stream

After breakfast, you will be driven to the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon. It is located northeast to Tianzi Mountain. And we will drive for about 1 hour (33KM). Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon is a newly developed tourist attraction. It is known by tourists as a place where people can forget their troubles. The vegetation here is lush, the oxygen content in the air is high, the temperature is suitable, and occasionally you will see monkeys and other wild animals appear. Such a pleasant attraction attracted countless tourists once it opened to the public.

In addition to these natural scenes, the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Glass Bridge is known as the world’s longest and highest transparent glass bridge. The total length of the glass bridge is 430 meters and the width is 6 meters. The bridge is about 300 meters from the bottom and there is the world’s highest bungee jumping platform in the center of the bridge. The bridge deck is paved with transparent glass. Walking on the bridge, you can see the scenery under your feet clearly. For people who are afraid of heights, this may be a difficult part. But for those who pursue excitement, this place will definitely bring you an unforgettable experience.

After lunch, you will visit Baofeng Lake. Baofeng Lake is an artificial lake. In the 1970s, local villagers there intended to build dams to generate electricity. With the completion of the dam, a beautiful lake appeared. Because the lake is backed by Baofeng Mountain, it got the name Baofeng Lake. Beside Baofeng Lake, there is a mountain that looks like a toad with an open mouth from a distance. Every Mid-Autumn Festival, the full moon in the sky happens to appear above the toad’s mouth, and it looks like the toad is keeping the moon in its mouth.

Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Glass Bridge

Baofeng Lake

After breakfast, you will be transferred to the airport and take the estimated flight SC2122 12:35/14:55 to Beijing. The guide in Beijing will pick you up from the airport and deliver you to the hotel. Have a good rest. 

After breakfast time, you will head to the heart of Beijing --Tian’anmen Square.

Tian’anmen Square, located in the center of Beijing, covers an area of 4800 square meters. It has attracted worldwide attention for its outstanding architectural art and special political status. Tian’anmen Square was the royal square in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. At that time, common people are not allowed to walk into Tian’anmen Square. After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Tian’anmen Square was opened to the public as an important square. In 1958, Tian’anmen Square got its largest expansion. Since then, various grand national events have chosen to be held in Tian’anmen Square. Nowadays many tourists like to take a photo in front of Tian’anmen Square to prove that they have visited China. 

After visiting Tiananmen Square, we will go to the Forbidden City (Closed on Mondays). The Forbidden City is one of the largest and best-preserved ancient wooden buildings in the world. It was built in 1406 and completed in 1420. It served as the palace of 24 emperors in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. With three main halls as its center, it covers an area of 720000 square meters. A 10-meter high wall and a 52-meter wide moat surround it. There are more than 70 palaces and 9000 houses inside. Here you will feel the magnificence and solemnity of the Chinese imperial palace, as well as the idea of the supremacy of power. There are many animal-shaped sculptures in the Forbidden City, such as lions, cranes, tortoises, and elephants. These animals have different meanings. The lion symbolizes guarding, the crane and the tortoise symbolize longevity, and the elephant symbolizes auspiciousness. These are the expectations of ancient emperors for a better life.

After lunch, you will visit the Temple of Heaven which is located in the southeast of Beijing. It was built in 1420. The Temple of Heaven is the largest existing royal buildings for emperors to worship heaven in the world. Agriculture was an important industry in ancient China. The ancient emperors would hold a grand sacrificial ceremony in the Temple of Heaven every spring to pray for a good harvest today and happy life for the people. Nowadays, the Temple of Heaven has become a park for locals to do morning exercise. 

Then you will visit the Summer Palace. The Summer Palace, known as Qingyi Garden in the past, was a royal garden in the Qing Dynasty. It is located in the northwest of Beijing, 25 kilometers away from the Temple of Heaven. It will take us about 1 hour to drive there. The whole garden covers an area of 3 square kilometers. Kunming Lake is an important part of the Summer Palace. Its water area accounts for three-quarters of the total area. In addition to the Kunming Lake, the Grand Theater is also a famous sightseeing spot here. Peking Opera performance is an important part of every celebration in the Qing Dynasty, so the theater became an indispensable building in the royal garden. The Grand Theater is 21 meters high and the stage on the ground floor is 17 meters wide. It is the largest and best-preserved ancient theater in China.

Temple of Heaven

Tian'anmen Square

This morning, you will take a rickshaw tour in Beijing Hutongs. Hutong is a small alley in old Beijing. The hutongs divide the old Beijing into a chessboard layout. According to records, there are more than 1,000 hutongs in Beijing. And each hutong has its own name. If there used to be stores selling fish, this Hutong would be called Fish Hutong; if it was flower stores, the Hutong would be called Flower Hutong; and if there was a celebrity, this hutong would name after this person. So, based on the name of the Hutong, you can roughly guess its history.

You may also be interested in the rickshaw. The earliest appearance of rickshaw in China was in the Guangxu period (1871-1908) and was originated from Japan. It was the main means of transportation in Beijing at that time. Some rickshaws were waiting for guests at crossroads and hutongs. And only need a little money, they can transfer you to the destination safely. Now, rickshaws have been eliminated from people's transportation choices. But you can still get the unique rickshaw experience here in Hutongs and feel the history in person. 

After visiting the Hutongs, you will visit the Lama Temple. It is a famous Tibetan Buddhism temple. The Buddha statues enshrined in the temple are exquisitely crafted. One of the bronze Buddha statues is Master Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelug Sect of Tibetan Buddhism. This Buddha statue is 6.1 meters high, and it took 2 years for the craftsmen to complete it. In addition to the Buddha statues, the two bronze lions at the gate of Lama Temple are also known as the best-made bronze lions in Beijing. It is said that there was a foreign tourist who wanted to buy these two bronze lions for 500,000 US dollars. But Premier Zhou Enlai told him that if you like, you can come to China to see it and declined the request of the foreign guest.

After lunch, we will drive about 1.5 hours to the Mutianyu Great Wall, which is about 66 kilometers north to Beijing city center. The Great Wall, which stretches for thousands of miles, is known as the longest defensive project in the world. It effectively resisted foreign aggression during the war and defended China's territorial integrity. The Mutianyu Great Wall you see today is a relatively intact section of the existing Great Wall. The beacon towers, watchtowers, and crenels on the Great Wall are well preserved. You can even see the traces of the war on it. You can choose the round way cable car to the Great Wall. You can also take a chairlift up and then a toboggan down. That will be much exciting. 

Mutianyu Great Wall

Lama Temple

Today, you are about to finish your 14-day-trip to China. After breakfast, your guide will accompany you to the airport. It’s time to say goodbye. At the same time, we look forward to seeing you again in China!

Authour: Qingqian Wang

Proofreader: Betsy He