China Photography Tour with Silk Road

After arrival, your guide will meet you at the airport. And then you will be transferred to your hotel. Have a good rest.

Beijing is the capital of China and a famous historical and cultural city. Beijing is rich in tourism resources, with more than 200 tourist attractions open to the public. The transportation here is convenient, the food is diverse, and the people are friendly. In addition, traditional handicrafts such as ivory carvings, jade carvings, cloisonne and carpets produced in Beijing are well-known in the world.

Option: Our standard airport pick-up service includes the common cars with a professional driver and an experienced guide. If you want to get the luxury car pick-up service, that is also no problem. Just tell us what kind of car you want. Maybe a BMW car or a Mercedes-Benz business car, or even more luxury, we will fulfill you needs. Besides, we can also arrange the welcome dinner or welcome letter for you in your hotel. If you want to prepare a surprise for your wife or husband, maybe some flowers or a bottle of wine in your hotel room will be a good idea.

After breakfast, we will take you to visit the Tian’anmen Square and the Forbidden City. Tian’anmen Square is the largest city center square in the world. Many important activities are held here. There are also many other national buildings here around the square, such as the Great Hall of the People, Monument to the People's Heroes and Chairman Mao Memorial Hall. This is an excellent place for taking pictures. Keep looking for a good position and leave your first photo in China here. In Tiananmen Square, you will see some soldiers lined up. They are the guard of Tiananmen Square. At the same time, they are also protecting the safety of all tourists.

Walking through the square, we will walk into the Forbidden City (It is closed each Monday). The Forbidden City is the palace of the emperors in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It can be seen from its ten-meter-high city wall that the Forbidden City was a heavily guarded imperial forbidden area at that time. Now the Forbidden City has become an open national museum. The buildings, sculptures, exhibits, and stories here will tell you the history and culture of a 600-year-old palace. If you love photography, don't miss the red walls and yellow tiles of the Forbidden City. This is a major feature of the Forbidden City. In addition, the sculptures on the Forbidden City are also favorite materials for many photographers. If you want to take pictures of the Forbidden City more vividly, you might as well take a picture of the cats in the Forbidden City. There are hundreds of cats in the Forbidden City. People call them Royal Cats. They are very cute.

After lunch, we will take you to visit the Summer Palace. As the largest existing royal garden in China, the Summer Palace plays an important part in Chinese gardens. The Summer Palace is a large-scale scenic spot, covering an area of 2.97 square kilometers (293 hectares). It is mainly composed of Wanshou Mountain and Kunming Lake, of which the water surface accounts for three-quarters (approximately 220 hectares). Therefore, even if you come here in summer, you will feel comfortable in the temperature. There is a long corridor in the Summer Palace, which is the longest corridor in Chinese classical architecture. It has a total length of 728 meters and is supported by 548 pillars. There are more than 14,000 colorful paintings on each beam, with vivid colors. Its length and rich color paintings were included in the "Guinness Book of World Records" in 1990. The content of the color paintings are mostly landscapes, flower, bird, and stories in the four classics of ancient China.

Option: If you want to see the Forbidden City from a different angle, or want to take a panoramic view of the Forbidden City, we can arrange a tour to Jingshan Park for you in the afternoon. Jingshan Park was once the royal garden of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Jingshan Mountian here was once the highest place of Beijing. So here you can overlook the Forbidden City. In addition, every May, the Peony Festival is held here. Visitors can enjoy more than 500 kinds of peonies. If you love to photograph flowers and plants, this will be a good opportunity.

Tip: Do not miss the Beijing snack when you come here. Bingtanghulu (sugar-coated haws on a stick) is a kind of typical snack here. Its main ingredient is haw. But now many other fruits such as strawberries and bananas are also used as ingredients in Bingtanghulu. The washed haws or other fruits are threaded into a bunch with bamboo sticks, and then topped with boiled syrup. The syrup quickly solidifies on the fruit, forming a hard crust. So, when you bite it down, its is crispy and sweet, and then you will eat the sour haws inside.

Forbidden City

Summer Palace

After breakfast, we will drive about 1 hour (44 KM) to visit the Ming Tombs. The emperors in ancient China cared very much about their graves after death. They believe that a good tomb must be in a very good location, and secondly, it must be large in scale. Only in this way can they ensure that they can enjoy the same life after death as before. Therefore, the ancient emperor would start to build a tomb for himself when he just ascended the throne. Today, you will visit the Ding Tomb. This is the only tomb here that was excavated. Four phoenix crowns were unearthed from Ding Tomb. We take the “Three Dragons and Two Phenixes Crown” as an example. The total weight of this crown is 2165 grams. The crown is decorated with 3 golden dragons and 2 phenixes. In the middle, the dragon and the phoenix hold the jewellery knot together. There are 95 sapphire inlaid on the crown, and 3426 pearls. Even now, this crown is still shining.

After lunch, we will drive about 1 hour (40 KM) to visit the Great Wall. The Great Wall is the largest defense system in ancient China. Starting from the Western Zhou Dynasty, the construction of the Great Wall lasted for more than 2,000 years, passing through 15 provinces in China. After exploration by archaeologists, the total length of the Great Wall reached more than 20,000 kilometers. Because of the magnificence of the Great Wall, some people said that the Great Wall of China can still be seen in the space. Although this statement was later recognized as a rumor, it still reflects that the Great Wall is a grand building in people's minds. After that, we will drive back to the city center. And on the way back, you will have a photo stop at the Bird Nest and Water Cube. They used to be the stadium for the 29th Olympic games in 2008. Because of their unique appearance, many people come here to take pictures.

Option: Have you ever heard Pecking Opera? Do you want to watch the Peacking Opea show, wear Peking opera costumes and draw Peking opera facial makeup? We Can arrange it for you. Beijing Liyuan Theater is a famous place for watch Pecking Opera. There are 800 seats for spectators in the theater, and the spectators can also drink tea while watching the performance. The daily performance time is 7:30-8:40 in the evening.

Great Wall

Bird's Nest

In the morning, we will take you to visit the Beijing Zoo. The most popular part there is the Panda House. The giant panda is China's national treasure. His cute appearance and chubby body attract countless tourists. But you may not know that giant pandas are also called living fossils. Because they have lived on the earth for more than 8 million years. Here you will see many cute giant pandas, they like to play in the trees or in the pool. Do remember to take some photos for them and record the memorable moment. After lunch, you will take an estimated train G87 14:00/18:19 to Xi’an. Our guide will pick you up from the train station and then you will be transferred to your hotel.

Xi'an, Athens, Rome, and Cairo are collectively known as the four ancient capitals of the world. 13 dynasties established their capitals in Xi'an successively, which lasted more than 1,100 years. Xi'an is the starting point of the Silk Road and has the reputation of "Natural History Museum". Everything in this city is closely related to Chinese culture. Only by visiting here can you truly feel the heavy historical civilization of this city and truly touch its culture.

Beijing Zoo

Beijing Zoo

After breakfast, we will take you to visit the Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses Museum. The terracotta warriors and horses are the burial objects of Emperor Qin Shihuang. According to historical records, the construction of the terracotta warriors and horses took 39 years. Such a huge project has achieved the eighth wonder in the world. The unearthed cultural relics include more than 7,000 terra-cotta warriors, more than 100 chariots and more than 100 war horses. Most of them are the same size as the real one. These terracotta warriors also greatly manifest the superb skills of the craftsmen at that time.

After that we will take you to visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. As the beginning city of the China Silk Road, Xi'an is a city with melting culture. The Big Wild Goose Pagoda is a symbol of the introduction of Indian Buddhism into China. Here are enshrined Buddha bone relics and a large number of precious Buddhist scriptures. After that, we will take you to visit the Muslim Street. This is the famous food street in Xi'an. Most of the small shops on both sides of the street are operated by Muslims. You can taste the Chinese Hamburger, cold rice noddles, mirror cakes and other delicacies here. In addition, there are some souvenir shops here. Jade carvings, paper-cutting, shadow puppets and other small gifts can be bought here.

Option: Do you know how prosperous here is in the Tang Dynasty? The Tang Dynasty Singing and Dancing Show can bring your back to that time. This performance respectively shows the scenes of officials meeting with the emperor in the Tang Dynasty, the scenes of sacrifices, and the scenes of the people outing in spring in the Tang Dynasty. There is also a Pai Xiao solo in the performance. This instrument is a kind of almost lost imitated Tang Dynasty instrument with a soft sound. After watching the show, you can eat dumplings here. Dumplings are a traditional Chinese delicacy. The dumplings here are very delicate, with various fillings.

Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses Museum

Muslim Street

After breakfast, you will be transferred to the airport and then take an estimated flight MU2215 12:30/15:05 to Dunhuang. Our guide will wait for you at the airport. And then you will be transferred to the hotel. Rest of the time will be yours. You can have a rest or walk around the city by yourself.

Option: If you want to get more experience in Xi’an before leaving, you can visit the ancient City Wall in the morning. This is the most complete city wall in China. The city wall is surrounded by a moat. You can choose to take a walk on the City Wall and overlook the city view of Xi'an, or you can choose to rent a bicycle to ride on the city wall. The bricks and stones of the city wall are a bit uneven. If you ride a bicycle, please pay attention to safety.

City Wall

City Wall

From today, you will meet something different in China.

As an important city on the Silk Road, Dunhuang is a place where the cultures of India, West Asia and Central Asia meet. Handmade carpets, colored sculptures, luminous cups, and sweet fruits are all hot-selling commodities in trade. In addition, Dunhuang is known as "fruit city". In summer, the sunshine time is long, the temperature difference between day and night is large, and its sandy soil is particularly suitable for the growth of melons and fruits. So the melons and fruits of Dunhuang have a particularly sweet taste.

In the morning, we will take you to visit the Mogao Grottoes. Mogao Grottoes was rated as the most valuable discovery of the 20th century, and it is also known as the Louvre of the East. Mogao Grottoes is famous for its exquisite murals and sculptures. It is the largest and most abundant Buddhist holy place in the world. In the No.148 cave, you will see a reclining Buddha. This is a work from the heyday of Tang Dynasty. The thousands of Buddha scenes painted on the top of the cave are still colorful after thousands of years.

After that you will be transferred to visit the Echoing Sand Dune and the Crescent Lake. The Crescent Lake is nearly 100 meters long from north to south and 25 meters wide from east to west. It is shaped like a crescent moon. Located in the center of the desert, it is known as a desert wonder. In Echoing Sand Dune, tourists also have the opportunity to experience sandboarding, camel riding and other activities.

Mogao Grottoes

Crescent Lake

After breakfast, we will take you to visit the Yumen Pass. Yumen Pass is an important pass on the Silk Road. Chinese goods are exported from here, and foreign jade articles are imported from here. So it is also called Jade Gate Pass. Standing at Yumen Pass, you still seem to be able to hear the camel bells, and it seems that you can still feel the prosperity of the Silk Road at that time. After lunch, you will be transferred to the train station and take an estimated train D55 15:27/18:48 to Turpan. Guide will meet you at the Turpan train station.

Option: If you want to get an in-depth touch of Dunhuang natural beauty, we can exchange the Yumen Pass to Dunhuang Yardang National Geopark. It is also called the ghost city. Yardang landform is a representative landform type in extreme arid regions. The Yardang landform here is peculiar, composed of various Yardang wind-eroded walls, wind-eroded towers, wind-eroded columns, etc., with various poses and changes. Some are like an ancient city, with city walls, streets, buildings, squares, churches, and sculptures, while others are like animals, like a peacock with an spreaded tail. The most famous is the fleet-shaped Yardang landform, which looks like rows of warships.

Yumen Pass

Yumen Pass

In the morning, we will take you to visit the Jiaohe Ruins. The Jiaohe Ruins have a history of more than 2,000 years. It was once the center of Turpan and reached its peak in the Tang Dynasty. Later it was destroyed by war. Although we can only see its ruins now, you can still clearly distinguish its walls, houses, roads, and even government and monasteries. And then we will take you to visit the Flaming Mountains. Flaming Mountain is a famous tourist attraction in Turpan, and the locals also call it Red Mountain. The mountains here have special red rocks, so they look like flames under the sunlight. The highest temperature here can reach 47.8 degrees Celsius. The surface temperature can reach 89 degrees Celsius. So please wear sunglasses and hat to avoid the sunlight.

Option: There is another city ruin in Turpan which is named Gaochang Ruins. Gaochang Ruins means "king city" in Uyghur language. This was once the capital of the Gaochang Kingdom and one of the treasures of the world's religious culture. Gaochang Ruins include the outer city, inner city and palace. There are 9 gates in the whole city, 3 gates on the south side, and 2 gates on each of the other 3 sides. The city gates to the west and north are the best preserved. There are a large number of religious building sites and palace sites in the city. There are Manichae murals and Buddhist murals, statues, etc. in the temple building sites. Many books and classic in different languages have been unearthed here.

Jiaohe Ruins

Flaming Mountains

After breakfast, you will be transferred to Urumqi. It will take about 3 hours to get to the Urumqi Airport. And then you will take an estimated flight GS7563 14:00/16:00 to Kashgar. Your guide will meet you at the airport and then you will be transferred to your hotel. You can have a rest here, or walk around the city.

Kashgar has a recorded history of more than 2,100 years. The residents are mainly Uyghurs. Kashgar is one of the oldest oasis in Xinjiang, known as the "Hometown of Songs and Dances" and "Hometown of Fruits". As the main transportation route of the ancient "Silk Road", Kashgar has always been an international commercial city where Chinese and foreign businessmen gather. It has a border line of 888 kilometers and borders eight countries including Pakistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan, India and so on. The strong national characteristics, unique customs, splendid national culture, and diverse natural landscape constitute the distinctive features of Kashgar.

In the morning, you will visit the Id Kah Mosque. It is an ancient building complex with strong ethnic and religious culture. The mosque was also an important institution for spreading Islamic culture in ancient times. Many Islamic teachers, poets, writers, and translators have been studied here.

After lunch, we will visit the Abakh Hoja Tomb. It is a typical Islamic ancient building complex and the tomb of the holy descendants of Islam, covering an area of 2 hectares. The main tomb has a cubic dome, 36 meters in width, 29 meters in depth and 27 meters in height. The walls around the tomb are veneered by green sulphur glazed bricks, inlaid with yellow and blue tiles. The surface of the tiles is painted with colorful patterns, and decorated with aphorisms in Arabic. The overall style is solemn. On the tomb platform in the tomb chamber, 58 graves of varying sizes are lined up. 72 people are buried here.

Option: If you want to get some local touch, we will recommend you to visit the Kashgar Grand Bazaar which is also called Sunday Market. Kashgar is a famous historical and cultural city on the ancient Silk Road, as well as a commodity distribution center. Business travelers that departed from Xi'an that year, whether they take Tianshan Mountain South Road or Tianshan Mountain North Road, all converge here. The Kashgar Grand Bazaar is the largest international trade market in Northwest China. It has a history of more than two thousand years. The market has more than 5,000 stalls, nearly 10,000 kinds of goods, and more than 100,000 customers every day.

Id Kah Mosque

Abakh Hoja Tomb

After breakfast, you will take an estimated flight CZ6885 11:45/13:30 to Urumqi. Your guide will wait you at the airport and then you will be transferred to your hotel. Rest of the time will be yours.

Urumqi is adjacent to Central Asian countries and is the political, economic, cultural, scientific, educational, and transportation center of Xinjiang Province. It is the largest city in the world and it is farthest large city from the ocean. It is also called "the heart of Asia." Urumqi means "beautiful pasture" in Mongolian. The environment here is very good and the air quality is high. The winter in Urumqi city is long, from November to April of the following year, which lasts more than 150 days. Urumqi is a multi-ethnic city with 13 Thirteen ethnic minorities. In addition to the Uygur and Han nationalities, there are Hui, Kazakh, Manchu, Xibe, Mongolian and other tribes living here.

Option: Red Hill Park, named after its location in Red Hill. Red Hill is composed of sandy conglomerate, which is ochre red, hence the name "Red Hill". According to legend, in ancient times, a red dragon ran out of Heaven Lake. It was chased by the Queen Mother and cut off with a sword. Later, at the two sections of red dragons that were cut off, two mountains were formed. One is called Yamalik Mountain (also known as Demon Mountain), and the other one is the Red Mountain. The sword becomes the Urumqi River. Therefore, Red Hill has always been regarded as a holy place by the locals. Although Red Hill is only 910.6 meters above sea level, it is the symbol of Urumqi.

In the morning, you will be transferred to the airport and take an estimated flight CZ6995 11:30/16:10 to Shanghai. Your guide in Shanghai will wait for you at the airport.

Shanghai is a famous tourist city in China. It is also China's top international metropolis. Shanghai has two international airports, Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport and Shanghai Pudong International Airport. The flight here connects all parts of the world. On December 12, 2016, the annual passenger throughput of Shanghai Pudong International Airport and Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport exceeded 100 million passengers. After London, New York, Tokyo, and Atlanta, Shanghai has become the world's fifth city with air passengers reaching 100 million. But the bustling Shanghai has not lost its tradition and history. Many ancient buildings, such as temples, are still well preserved. Follow our steps and explore the heritage of ancient Shanghai and the development of modern Shanghai together.

After breakfast, you will start your one-day Shanghai tour. You will first visit the Yu Garden (closed each Monday). Yu Garden is a classical Chinese garden with a history of more than 450 years. It covers an area of 2 hectares. Pavilions, rockeries, and lakes all reflect the artistic style of Chinese garden architecture in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. As a famous tourist attraction in Shanghai, every Chinese New Year or major festival, there are various celebrations in Yu Garden. Now here is also the embodiment of Shanghai's cultural prosperity.

And then you will visit the Jade Buddha Temple. It covers an area of about 11.6 acres. The great buddha’s hall is the main building in the temple, and the Buddha of Sakyamuni, Amitabha and Medicine Buddha are enshrined here. The three Buddhas are all sitting on the lotus seat with a serene look. The Buddha statue is 4 meters high and the whole body is gilded, making the whole hall look golden and solemn. On roof of the hall, above the head of Buddha Shakyamuni, there are paintings of Shakyamuni and Nine Dragons spitting water to bathe him, which are vivid and interesting.

After that, you will visit the Shanghai Tower. Shanghai Tower is the tallest building in Shanghai. Standing in the sightseeing hall in the Shanghai Center, you can overlook the whole of Shanghai City. And then you will visit the Bund. The Bund can be said to be the symbol of Shanghai. Standing on the Bund, you can feel the combination of old Shanghai and modern Shanghai. This is also the best place to take pictures. Don't forget to record your happy moments in Shanghai with your camera. And then, you will go to the Nanjing Road. It is the most famous shopping street in China. You can buy some gift here for your friends such as silk, candy or the Shanghai local dim sum.

Optional: Vegetarian food in the Jade Buddha Temple is very delicious. There are shiitake mushroom noodles, spicy sauce noodles, apple pie and so on. If you want to experience Chinese vegetarian food, you can choose to have lunch here. The vegetables in the shiitake noodles are shiitake mushrooms and enoki mushrooms, boiled with authentic Shanghai sauce. The noodles will absorb the soup and become very delicious.

Option: Do you want to get some unique experience in Shanghai? We can arrange the Huangpu River Night Cruise for you. There are many kinds of cruise that you can choose from luxury to economy. And the most special one is the Dragon cruise. It has a total length of 57 meters and a width of 17 meters. It has a capacity of 1,000 passengers and is divided into four floors. The superstructure of the whole ship adopts traditional Chinese pavilion style. The decoration of the whole ship includes vermilion pillars, carved and painted wooden doors and windows. The sides of the cruise are decorated with golden double dragons. The golden dragon scales are made of thin copper sheets, which shine in the sun. There are colorful lights decorated on the dragons, So in the evening, it will be much more vivid. There are also dozens of large wood carvings in the dragon boat, which adds a strong cultural atmosphere on the cruise.

Shanghai Tower

the Bund

After breakfast, you will be transferred to the airport. And then you will fly back to your sweet home.

Our service will end here.

Editor: Betsy He