China Escorted Tour Including Zhangjiajie

Welcome to Beijing! Upon arrival, you will find your local tour guide waiting for you by holding your name sign. Then you will be escorted to the hotel. During your escorted tours in China, your tour guide will always accompany you and deal with all the problems for you. So you don’t need to worry about your journey, all you need to do is have a good rest for the coming journey.

Free time suggestion:

After arriving in Beijing, if you are not so tired and want to go out for a walk, you can go to Qianmen Street, one of the most famous commercial streets in Beijing. When you come to Beijing, we believe that you long for tasting the authentic Peking Roast Duck. Quanjude Roast Ruck Restaurant, the most famous roast duck restaurant in Beijing, is highly recommended for you.

After breakfast, the first stop of your Beijing tour is Tian’anmen Square, which witnesses the founding of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Tian’anmen Square, located in the center of Beijing, is 880 meters long from north to south and 500 meters wide from east to west. Covering an area of 440,000 square meters, it can accommodate about 1 million people for grand gatherings. Monument to the People’s Heroes which is located in the center of Tian’anmen Square was built to commemorate the revolutionary martyrs in modern Chinese history. It is 37.94 meters high and consists of 413 pieces of granite. When you see this monument, you will find that its front is engraved with eight big Chinese characters written by Mao Zedong, the founding father of the PRC, while its back is engraved with the inscription written by Zhou Enlai, the first premier of the PRC. In addition, the most predominant feature of this monument is the eight reliefs on it. The biggest relief is about the People’s Liberation Army’s crossing the Yangtze River victoriously and liberating China during the War of Liberation. I believe that when you see it on site, you will be surprised by its magnificence.

Then we will visit the Forbidden City (closed each Monday). As the imperial palace of the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1636-1912) dynasties in China, the Forbidden City is located in the central axis of Beijing. It covers about 720,000 square meters, with more than 70 halls and more than 9,000 rooms. The main halls of the Forbidden City respectively are the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Central Harmony, and the Hall of Preserving Harmony. When you stroll around the Forbidden City, you will find that there are no trees in the area of the three main halls. Why? It is because trees may be used by assassins as their shelter. Therefore, for safety, there are no trees in this area.

After lunch, the tour guide will take you to the Temple of Heaven. With an area of about 2.73 million square meters, it was where emperors offered sacrifice to heaven and prayed for a good harvest in the Ming and Qing dynasties. The Temple of Heaven is the largest building complex for worshiping heaven in the world. It is divided into inner altar and outer altar. The main buildings are basically built on the north-south central axis of the inner altar. Among those buildings, the Circular Mound Altar in the south is mainly used for holding the ceremony of offering sacrifice to heaven. And the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest in the north is mainly used for holding the ceremony of praying for a good harvest of grain. In addition, there is a story about the origin of the Temple of Heaven. In the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Di (the third emperor of the Ming Dynasty) became the emperor by usurping the imperial power of his nephew, Zhu Yunwen(the second emperor of Ming Dynasty). Such a behavior made his imperial power lack legitimacy. In order to declare the legitimacy of his imperial power to his people, he ordered to build a building, where he could offer sacrifice to heaven. In Chinese tradition, only the emperor had the right to offer sacrifice to the heaven, as the emperor was regarded as the ‘son’ of the heaven. So offering sacrifice to the heaven meant Zhu Di became the then emperor.

Next, we will go to the Summer Palace, a royal garden during the Qing Dynasty. As the largest existing royal garden in China, the Summer Palace covers an area of about 3 square kilometers, of which water area accounts for about three-quarters. The water area refers to Kunming Lake area. This area is designed based on the style of West Lake. In the west of the lake, there is a long causeway called West Causeway where six beautiful bridges are built above it. Moreover, the whole lake is divided into three parts. Each part has an island in the center, which is very beautiful.

Tian’anmen Square

Forbidden City

After breakfast, we will take you to visit Chang Tomb which is located about 55 kilometers northwest of Beijing.  Covering about 120,000 square meters, Chang Tomb is the joint tomb of Zhu Di (the third emperor of the Ming Dynasty) and Empress Xu (the wife of Zhu Di). When you walk into Chang Tomb, you will see the Ling’en Palace. It is the largest existing wood-structure palace in China. The eye-catching 60 pillars and numerous wooden objects in it are all made of golden nanmu(Nanmu is a precious wood that is unique to China and South Asia. Golden nanmu is the highest grade of nanmu with a bright golden color and a pleasant fragrance). Among them, the 60 pillars are more than 1 meter in diameter and more than 10 meters in height. What is more magical and spectacular is these 60 pillars support the 2,300-square-meter roof. Now, I believe that you already have a basic image in your mind about this unique building in Chang Tomb.

After lunch, we will go to Mutianyu Great Wall which is 40 kilometers northeast of Chang Tomb. The Mutianyu Great Wall is 5,400 meters long, with a vegetation coverage rate of over 90%. We will take the advanced cable car up and down the Mutianyu Great Wall, which will save your energy and leave you more time to admire the scenery. As a military defense building in the past, there are a large number of defense towers on the Mutianyu Great Wall. Among those towers, there is a tower called Da Jiao Tower(Da Jiao means big footprint in Chinese). About its name, there is a legendary story. It is said that when Qin Shihuang (the first emperor of China) instructed the construction of the Great Wall, he ordered to build a defense tower at the most steep and dangerous cliff. During the construction process, many builders fell to their death for such a dangerous terrain. So no body wanted to do that work. At that time, a woman who actually was a lizard goddess took over the task of building the tower. She only did the work at night. As night fell, this woman would stick to the cliff with her feet to build this tower. And one night, when a cowboy was looking for one lost cow, he saw hazily the woman building the tower. When he got closer to this tower, the woman disappeared suddenly, and he only saw several big footprints. After he returned to the village, he told people what he had seen, and they said, “The woman must be a goddess. She was scared away by you.” Since then, people called this building “Da Jiao Tower”.

Chang Tomb

Mutianyu Great Wall

After breakfast, we will take you to Hutongs. Hutongs refer to various alleys or small streets. During the visit, you will take a rickshaw, a kind of old Beijing-style transportation, to explore these various alleys. Traveling through those Hutongs, you may see vendors riding tricycles selling things. In addition to visiting these alleys, we can also arrange a family visit for you to see a local family’s daily life. It will be a great chance to know the Hutong culture.

Afterward, we will go to the Lama Temple. It covers an area of 66,400 square meters. More than a thousand halls are built in this temple. Nowadays, the Lama Temple is an important Buddhist temple in China. But in the Qing Dynasty, it was the imperial residence. When you walk into this temple, you will see halls with red walls and yellow roofs, just like the Forbidden City. In ancient China, the combination of red walls and yellow roofs are only allowed for imperial buildings. The reason is that red color symbols luck in China, while yellow is the exclusive color for royals in ancient China.

After lunch, we will escort you to the train station. And you will take the estimated train G57 14:00/18:24 to Xi’an, which is the second city of your China escorted tour. Upon arrival, you will be transferred to the hotel to have a good rest.

Hutong

Lama Temple

After breakfast, we will drive you to the Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses Museum for about an hour. It is located about 40 kilometers northeast of Xi’an. This museum, the large-scale subordinate tomb of Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor(247BC-210BC), covers an area of 20,780 square meters. At present, three burial pits of this museum are excavated and over 8,000 terra cotta warriors and horses are found. When you come to Pit No.1, the largest and most famous one in three pits, you will see more than 600 terra cotta warriors and horses, all of which are of the same size as real people and horses. During your visit, you may see the terra cotta warriors with big bellies. It is said that in the Qin Dynasty (221BC–207BC), there was a law that the more enemies the soldiers killed, the more rewards they would get, and the rewards could also be inherited by their next generation. So these soldiers fought the enemy bravely. Before they went to the battlefield, they would drink a little of Chinese liquor to make themselves braver. And after they got victory, the general would treat these soldiers with sumptuous food and plenty of liquor. So some soldiers had big bellies. And it is also why some terra cotta warriors here are made with big bellies. 

After lunch, we will visit Big Wild Goose Pagoda, one of the landmarks of Xi’an. It is a four-square pavilion-like pagoda with a brick-wood structure. It is 64.7 meters high with seven floors. Now, when you look at the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, you will find it tilts about 1 meter to the northwest. It is said that the Big Wild Goose Pagoda has been tilted since the Kangxi period (1662-1722). More than 70 earthquakes and excessive exploitation of groundwater took place in the early years. The government and the Bureau of Cultural Relics Protection have taken several measures such as strengthening the foundation, refilling groundwater, and sealing up the surrounding groundwater wells to make the Big Wild Goose Pagoda back to its original position. Nowadays, the pagoda straightens to southeast in 1 millimeter every year, but it will still take about 1,000 years to be normal.

Then we will go to Muslim Street, one of the most famous snack streets in Xi’an. The Muslim Street is about 500 meters long. Some of the shops on both sides are designed in the style of Ming and Qing dynasties as well as the Muslim style. As one China-renowned snack street, you cannot miss the various authentic local delicacies, such as Rougamo(Chinese hamburger), Pita Bread Soaked in Lamp Soup, Liangpi(noodle-like Chinese dish made from wheat or rice flour). I believe you will fall in love with these delicious snacks here.

At last, we will take you to the Great Mosque. It is one of the four major Islamic mosques in China, with a total area of 13,000 square meters. And it is famous for its combination of Islamic culture and Chinese culture in architectural layout. In addition, there is a Xingxin Building, which is a two-story octagonal Chinese-style building. It is located in the center of the Great Mosque. Its special design attracts many visitors’ attention.

Muslim Street

Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses Museum

After breakfast, we will tour Xi’an Old City Wall. It is the best-preserved ancient city wall in China. Xi’an Old City Wall is 12 meters high, and it is a closed rectangle city wall with a circumference of 13.74 kilometers. The top width is 12-14 meters, and the bottom width is 15-18 meters. When you stand on the wall and look into the distance, you can enjoy the view of the new and old areas of Xi’an city. And if you are lucky, you will meet the security guards dressed in ancient costume of Chinese soldiers in the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Their duty is to protect the city walls from being damaged and forbid visitors to do any uncivilized behaviors on the city wall, such as smoking, spitting everywhere, climbing the wall.

After lunch, we will escort you to the airport. You will take the estimated flight 3U3271 14:35/16:05 to Zhangjiajie. Upon arrival, the tour guide will pick you up and transfer you to the hotel.

Xi’an Old City Wall

Xi’an Old City Wall

After breakfast, we will tour Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. Covering an area of 4,810 hectares, the park is famous for its various-shaped peaks and also an ideal summer resort for people as the annual average temperature here is 12.8℃(55.04℉), and the average temperature in summer is only 16.8℃(62.24℉). When you come here, Golden Whip Creek is what you can’t miss. It has a total length of 5,700 meters and the water is so clear that you can even see the bottom. In addition, you will visit attractions such as Golden Whip Rock, Huaguo Mountain, Shuilian Cave. Among them, the Golden Whip Rock is about 380 meters high, and it turns golden when exposed to the sunshine, which is very spectacular.

After lunch, we will go to Yuanjiajie. You will take the Bailong Elevator, the world’s fastest and highest sightseeing elevator with the largest carrying capacity to the top of this scenic area. You will be taken by surprise that it will take only 66 seconds to get there. Upon arrival, we will visit the First Bridge of the World. The deck of this bridge is about two meters wide, more than 20 meters long, and it has an absolute height of 350 meters. Walking on the bridge, you will see clouds floating by your side, which is very amazing.

Then we will visit Hallelujah Mountain, where the movie Avatar was filmed. The mountain has an altitude of 1,074 meters and a vertical height of about 150 meters. The vegetation on the top is lush, and the shape of the peak is peculiar. I believe that when you see this mountain, you will understand why Avatar was filmed here. Afterward, you will take an eco-friendly car to Tianzi Mountain from the parking lot of the First Bridge of the World. Then we will visit two attractions in Tianzi Mountain, namely, Helong Park and Yubi Peak. In Helong Park built to commemorate General He Long, you can feel the solemn atmosphere. And when you go to Yubi Peak, you will be surprised by its pen-shaped outline. After visiting these two attractions, we will take the cable car down the mountain.

Zhangjiajie National Forest Park

Golden Whip Creek

After breakfast, the tour guide will take you to Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon. When you walk into the canyon, you will see many springs and waterfalls, and will be surrounded by lush plants and trees, which will make you feel like you are in a fairyland. And there is a story about the river flowing through this canyon. A long time ago, the youngest daughter of the Dragon King (the god in charge of all rivers and seas in Chinese mythology) sneaked out of the Dragon Palace to hang out. When she saw the flowers, waterfalls, and streams all over here, she was immediately attracted by the beautiful scenery in the canyon, so she decided to stay here. She had lived in the river of this canyon for many years and generations of people lived nearby know her. When people nearby mentioned the place she had lived in, they would call it Longnv River (Longnv in Chinese means the daughter of dragon). To today, some elderly people are still used to calling this place Longnv River instead of Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon.

After lunch, we will visit Baofeng Lake. The lake is 2.5 kilometers long and has an average depth of 72 meters. About 0.3 billion years ago, the earth’s crust sank for a few dozens of meters in this place, and the seawater flooded into, which turned it into a vast lake. And this is the formation process of Baofeng Lake. Besides, because of the long-term evolution, various shapes of mountains and rocks were formed here, which is the typical scenery of Baofeng Lake.

Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon

Baofeng Lake

After breakfast, we will escort you to the airport in Zhangjiajie. And you will take the estimated flight MU5196 12:30/14:30 to Shanghai. Upon arrival, the local tour guide will pick you up and transfer you to the hotel, then your Shanghai escorted tour will begin. Have a good rest in the hotel so that you can experience a best escorted tour in Shanghai tomorrow.

After breakfast, we will go to Jing’an Temple, which is the oldest Buddhist temple in Shanghai. It has a total area of 22,000 square meters. The main buildings of Jing’an Temple include Great Buddha’s Hall, Hall of the Heavenly King, and Hall of Three Gods. Besides, there is an ancient well called “Yongquan”(bubbling spring water) in the temple. At first, it was connected to the underground spring. The water gushing out of the well was hot, with bubbling water day and night. So it got its name “Yongquan”. As time goes by, such a scene disappeared. But it still attracts lots of visitors every year to see it.

Then we will go to visit Yu Garden. As a typical garden in southern China, Yu Garden was a representative private garden built in the Ming Dynasty. It covers an area of about 20,000 square meters. Walking into the garden, you will see typical ancient Chinese buildings such as Sansui Hall, Wanhua Tower, Hexu Hall. Among those buildings, you cannot miss the Wanhua Tower(‘wanhua’ means lots of flowers). The tower got its name because there are various flowering plants planted at the foot of the walls on the opposite bank of the stream in the courtyard. Among these plants, there are bluegrass, winter jasmine, rhododendron, etc.

Next, we will go to Shanghai Old Street, one of the most popular attractions in Shanghai. It was once an important place for foreign trade and small commodity transactions. Nowadays, it has become an old-Shanghai-style commercial street. In this commercial street, you will see many tiled houses, which have the characteristics of old Shanghai buildings. Walking on these streets, you will see various century-aged shops such as the Old Shanghai Tea House, Deshun Wine Restaurant, which may impress you.

In the afternoon, we will first go to Shanghai Tower, one of the landmarks of Shanghai. It has a total construction area of 578,000 square meters. This building has 127 floors above ground and 5 floors underground with a total height of 632 meters. Moreover, Shanghai Tower is also a multi-functional skyscraper. Except for the office area, it also has a commercial area with retail stores and restaurants. Inside the Shanghai Tower, there is the fastest elevator in the world, with a speed of 20.5 meters per second. You can take this elevator to the 118th sightseeing platform within 1 minute.

Then the tour guide will take you to Nanjing Road, a famous commercial street in Shanghai. Walking on the streets, you will find various commercial buildings on both sides of the street, such as the Hualian Commercial Building and Shanghai Shopping Mall, which make Nanjing Road very prosperous. In addition, there are also many fashionable shops on this commercial street. For example, you can go to Nike Shanghai 001 to have a look. Here you can customize your own AJ according to your preferences in this store.

After visiting Nanjing Road, we will go to the Bund, which may be the most famous attraction in Shanghai. As a witness of the modernization of Shanghai, there are many landmark buildings, such as the Shanghai Customs House, Asia Building, previous HSBC Building, and so on. Among them, you cannot miss the previous HSBC Building, which is the largest building on the Bund. Inside the building, there are four marble columns made in Italy. There are only six such marble columns in the world, each weighing about 7 tons. Four of them are in the previous HSBC Building on the Bund and the other two are in the Louvre in France.

Shanghai Old Street

Nanjing Road

Today is the last day of your Chinese escorted tour. After breakfast, we will transfer you to the airport on time according to the flight. We believe that this classic escorted tour has left you a good impression of China and many unforgettable memories. But now it’s time to say goodbye, we wish you a safe journey and look forward to seeing you again.

Author: Yufan Zhang

Proofreader: Yan Liu