China Landscape Tour from Hong Kong

Welcome to Hong Kong! Our guide will be waiting for you at Hong Kong airport. After meeting you, the guide will take you to our coach. Our well-trained and qualified driver will take you to the hotel safely.

As one of the two special administrative regions in China, Hong Kong is a prosperous free port and international metropolis. Hong Kong, with the fame of “Pearl of East”, is the third largest financial centre in the world. It is also widely known as a shopping mecca because the prices of most of the merchandises are lower than that of other places in China due to the low tax rate policy. Additionally, Hong Kong, regarded as Asia’s culinary capital, is an ideal destination for tasting varieties of delicacies. Specialities from almost every corner of the world may be found here with high quality and reasonable prices.

The half-day tour will begin with the Victoria Peak. We will drive you to the tram station after having breakfast at the hotel and then take the Peak Tram, which went into service in 1888, to arrive at the top of Victoria Peak. At the top, you will see the eye-catching bowl-shaped Peak Tower, where you can have a panoramic view of Hong Kong. Besides, the quaint Lion Pavilion and the Victoria Peak Garden, are also the best places to appreciate the wonderful scenery of Hong Kong. 

Our next station is Aberdeen Fishing Village, a traditional and serene fishing village which is not far from the thriving and crowded center of Hong Kong. When you see this village, you may have an illusion that as if you were in ancient Hong Kong. In old days, Aberdeen used to be the incense trade harbor, which is the origin of the name ‘Hong Kong’ (‘Hong Kong’ is the transliteration of ‘incense harbor’ of Mandarin). Nowadays this area is the home to the Tanka people(traditional residents of this floating village). You may see old ladies dressing in traditional clothes here. Besides, you may see visitors admiring the scenery on the sampan. If you want to experience the sampan cruise, we can also arrange for you. 

After that, we will visit another must-visit place – Stanley Market. Located at the serene south coast of Hong Kong Island, Stanley Market, a street market, is as popular among visitors as that among local residents. There are lots of shops selling commodities ranging from traditional Chinese handicrafts such as lacquerware, embroidered tablecloths and silk garments to fashionable sportswear in this market. You will always find something you are interested in. The open-air food stall is another highlight of the Stanley Market. If you are not enthusiastic about shopping, it will also be enjoyable to taste the special local snacks while roaming in the streets. The journey today will end after visiting the Stanley Market. Then we will escort you back to the hotel.

Aberdeen Fishing Village

Stanley Market

The first stop today is Lantau Island. Located southwest of Hong Kong Island, Lantau Island is about 30 kilometers away from downtown and it will take us about 30 minutes to drive there. We will get off the coach at Tung Chung cable car station where we will take Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car to reach the top of Lantau Island. The Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car connects downtown Tung Chung and Ngong Ping. During the journey, you will be welcomed by the magnificent view of vast South China Sea, the verdant trees of North Lantau Country Park and the breathtaking panorama of Lantau Island. FYI, there are two types of Ngong Ping 360 Cable Cars with standard cabin and crystal cabin respectively. Generally, we will arrange the standard cabin for you and you could contact the guide in advance if you want to experience a more thrilling ride in the crystal cabin. The crystal cabin has the transparent toughened glass floor. Sitting in the crystal cabin, you could get an all-round view of the beautiful scenery. 

After arriving at the mountaintop, the first attraction we will visit is Big Buddha. Located atop the peak of Mount Muk Yue of Lantau Island, the Big Buddha faces north and is the second largest open-air seated Buddha statue in the world. Only the Buddha itself is 23 meters high with a height of 250 tons. It is also called “Tiantan Dafo”(Tiantan Big Buddha) in Mandarin, because the base of this statue is similar to that of Temple of Heaven in Beijing. The name of Temple of Heaven in Mandarin is ‘Tiantan’. When you come here, you will find that, the Buddha is sitting on a lotus-shaped pedestal, which is located on the top of the three-storey base. I believe, when you see the Big Buddha, you will be shocked at this spectacular statue. 

Next, we will visit the Polin Monastery. It was built under the guidance of three monks. There are lots of precious Buddhist scriptures preserved in this monastery. Besides, the monastery houses three major bronze statues of the Buddha, representing this Buddha’s past, present and future lives respectively. In addition to the three statues, you will also see some palatial buildings in this monastery.

After lunch we will visit Ngong Ping Village. Adjacent to the Polin Monastery, Ngong Ping Village is a culturally themed village. Its landscape is designed on the basis of the concept of integrating into the nature of Ngong Ping. There are many stores, restaurants and entertainment facilities in this village. Alongside the roads there are various shops offering both Asian and Western commodities. For example, you may encounter souvenir shops, tea houses, Subway, Starbucks, etc. When you are tired, you can order a cup of tea or coffee to get refreshed.

Polin Monastery

Big Buddha

After breakfast we will pick you up at the hotel and drive you to Kowloon Station to take the estimated high-speed train G408 12:05/15:25 to Guilin. Your new guide will be waiting for you at the station in Guilin and escort you to the hotel.

After breakfast we will visit Elephant Trunk Hill. Standing at the confluence of the Taohua River and the Li River in Guilin, this hill resembles a huge elephant drinking water with its trunk from the Li River, so it was named as “Elephant Trunk Hill”. It is regarded as a symbol of Guilin’s karst scenery. Here several attractions deserve to visit, such as Shuiyue Cave (Water Moon Cave), Chaoyang Pavilion, Elephant’s Eye Rock, Puxian Pagoda, Yunfeng Temple, and Sheli Pagoda. The Shuiyue Cave is a natural cave formed between “elephant’s trunk” and “elephant’s legs”. On the wall of this cave, there are more than 50 inscriptions made by masters from Tang and Song dynasties (618-1279) showing the picturesque and majestic views around the hill. The Elephant’s Eye Rock is a tunnel stretching from south to north at the hillside of the Elephant Trunk Hill. Seen from a distance, this tunnel looks like the “elephant’s eye”, so it obtains its present name. The Puxian Pagoda stands on the hilltop of the Elephant Trunk Hill, which seems like a sword inserted into the ‘elephant’s back’.

After that we will drive southwest for about 3 hours to Longji Rice Terraces which we will visit after lunch. Longji Rice Terraces is about 200 kilometers away from the Elephant Trunk Hill. With the construction work started in the Qin Dynasty (BC221-BC207) and completed in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the terraces here have a history of more than two centuries. The name ‘Longji Rice Terraces’ is a general term for the whole scenic area. It includes Longji Village, Pingan Village, Zhongliu Village, Da Village, Tiantou Village, and Xiao Village. Among all the rice terraces in these villages, the Jinkeng Terrace of Da Village and the Xiaozhai Terrace nearby are the most magnificent and spectacular. The Longsheng Terrace has the fame of “the best terrace in the world” with its spectacular and elegant scenery. Besides, it is the paradise for photographers and artists for creation. Here dwell two minority ethnic groups – the Zhuang people and the Yao people. If lucky, you may see traditional dances performed by Zhuang people dressing in traditional Zhuang costumes.

Longji Rice Terraces

Elephant Trunk Hill

Today in the morning, after having breakfast at the hotel, you will start your Li River Cruise. It is a four-hour cruise on the Li River from Guilin to Yangshuo. Along the journey, you will be greeted by the picturesque scenery of Li River along with many attractions – Wangfu Stone, Guanyan Scenic Area, Yangdi Scenic Area, Shenbi Peak, Nine Horse Fresco Hill, Yellow Cloth Shoal, Xingping Ancient Town, and Longtou Hill. The Wangfu Stone(‘Wang’ means looking at and ‘fu’ means husband.) stands on the hillside of Wangfu Hill on the west bank of Li River. The stone seems like a woman, with an infant on her back, looking into the distance and expecting her husband. The Nine Horses Fresco Hill, with different parts resembling nine horses in diverse poses, can be seen during the Li River Cruise. According to legend, these rocks used to be nine divine horses in heaven and they sneaked out of the heaven to have fun in the human world when the watcher was sleeping. When the nine horses were drinking water by the Li River, they were startled by a loud sound and ran into a waterside cliff, turning out to be detained in the human world forever. It is said that the nine divine horses turned into nine horse-shaped rocks on a hill. Later people named this hill “Nine Horse Fresco Hill”. 

In the afternoon, we will visit Yangshuo West Street. With a history of around 1,400 years, this street is one of the oldest and most prosperous streets of Yangshuo. Nowadays, it is one must-visit place for visitors when they come to Yangshuo. Walking along this 800-meter street, you will find well-preserved ancient buildings, such as temples, exquisite pavilions, residences of celebrities, and memorial halls. Mr. Sun Yat-sen, national hero of China and the founder of Republic of China, used to give speech in the street. And national leaders from more than 150 countries have been here for a visit. Today we will stay overnight in Yangshuo and we will drive you to the hotel after visiting the Yangshuo West Street.

Li River Cruise

Yangshuo West Street

After having breakfast, we will drive you back to Guilin. Guilin is about 80 kilometers north away to Yangshuo and it will take us around 1.5 hours to reach there.

In the afternoon we will visit Reed Flute Cave. Located at the northwest outskirt of Guilin, Reed Flute Cave is a world-famous karst cave. In the cave, there are a large amount of impressive and magnificent crystal stalagmites and stalactites, which are of various shapes and form different scenes with vivid names, such as Dragon Pagoda, Virgin Forest, Crystal Palace, Flower and Fruit Mountain (named after the hometown of mischievous Monkey King, a character in the classic Chinese legendary novel Journey to the West). With all these fancy scenes, Reed Flute Cave gives visitors a feeling as if they were in the heaven. For such a fabulous scenery, it is praised as the ‘Art Palace of the Nature’.

The journey in Guilin comes to an end. In the late afternoon, you will be escorted to the airport and take the estimated flight CA4646 19:20/21:25 to Hangzhou. Our guide will wait for you at Hangzhou airport and then drive you to the hotel.

Reed Flute Cave

Reed Flute Cave

Today in the morning we will go to West Lake first. It covers around 49 square kilometers, including 6.38 square kilometers of lake area. West Lake is surrounded by mountains in the south, west and north and naturally divided into several water zones by Bai Causeway, Su Causeway, Yang Causeway, and Zhao Causeway, among which the Su Causeway is the most famous one. There are more than 100 attractions in the West Lake scenic area, and the most famous ones definitely are the Ten Views of West Lake, such as Spring Dawn at Su Causeway, Viewing Fish at Flower Pond, Lingering Snow on the Broken Bridge. Take a boat on the lake to admire the picturesque landscapes and enjoy the serene atmosphere, which is an escape from the noisy city life.

After that we will visit Lingyin Temple. Lying in the northwest of West Lake, Lingyin Temple takes up about 87,000 square meters. Built in 326(East Jin Dynasty, 317-420), it is one of the oldest and most significant Buddhist temples in China. The major buildings of this temple include the Hall of Heavenly Kings, the Main Shrine Hall, the Hall of Medicine Buddha and the Dharma Hall, all of which stand on the central axis. Besides, the Hall of Five Hundred Arhats, the Hall of Master Ji Gong, and Abbot’s Hall are built on each side of the central axis respectively. In addition to these halls, many precious Buddhism cultural relics are preserved in the Lingyin Temple, such as Buddha statues, stone pagodas, calligraphy works, paintings.

In the afternoon we will visit Six Harmonies Pagoda – our last destination in Hangzhou. First built in the Song Dynasty (970-1279), the Pagoda at first was regarded as a symbol of supernatural power to ‘repress’ the Qiantang River tide which always destroyed houses and farmlands. Nowadays, it has become one of the most well-known attractions for its colourful wall paintings, beautiful carved decorations, and poems written by eminent Chinese poets. Additionally, due to the fabulous location and perfect height, it is the best place to appreciate the breathtaking view of the Qiantang River, as well as the landscapes of Hangzhou City.

After that, we will drive you to the train station. You will take the estimated high-speed train G1362 18:08/19:03 to Shanghai. Your guide and driver will wait for you at the Shanghai train station and then drive you to the hotel.

West Lake

Six Harmonies Pagoda

Today after having breakfast, we will visit Jade Buddha Temple. It is famous for enshrining jade Buddha statues. Among these jade Buddha statues, two jade Buddha statues were carved from the jade got from Burma by Huigen, a famous monk in the Qing Dynasty(1636-1912). The temple is built with the architecture style of Song Dynasty, which emphasizes harmony and preciseness in layout. The major halls such as the Hall of Heavenly Kings, the Main Shrine Hall, and the Jade Buddha Chamber, are situated on the central axis. The other halls, like Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva Hall, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Hall, Manjusri Bodhisattva Hall, Reclining Buddha Hall, and Copper Buddha Hall are arranged at each side of the central axis. In the Jade Buddha Chamber, one of the treasures of the temple – the 1.95-meter-tall seated Shakyamuni statue is enshrined.

After that we will go to Yu Garden(closed each Monday). The garden used to be a private garden. It, at first, was owned by Pan Yunduan, an officer of ancient Sichuan government in the Ming Dynasty. With the construction work started in 1599, it took almost 20 years for the Pan family to complete. Highlighted by its traditional Chinese buildings, exquisite sculptures, beautiful rockeries and charming waterscape, the Yu Garden can be divided into six scenic areas with more than 40 buildings in total. The precious cultural relics exhibited in the Yu Garden is another highlight of Yu Garden, such as brick carvings, stone carvings, wood carvings, clay sculptures, paintings, ancient furniture and porcelains.

Our last destination in the morning is Shanghai Old Street. Shanghai Old Street used to be the center for international trade and petty commodities transaction, witnessing the economic and social development of Shanghai. When you walk in the street, you may have the illusion that you had been back to the prosperous bazaar of 100 years ago. Here you will see ancient buildings with red pillars, white walls and dark-gray roofs with upswept eaves.

After having lunch at a local restaurant, we will visit Shanghai Tower first. With the 132-storey structure and 632-meter height, the Shanghai Tower is the second tallest building in the world. Besides, it is one skyscraper with the highest indoor observation deck which is 562 meters high. Standing on the observation deck, you can enjoy the panorama of Shanghai. What an amazing experience!

After that we will go to the Bund. The Bund, as one waterfront attraction, attracts lots of visitors from all over the world every year. Standing on the Bund, you will see more than 30 buildings in various architectural styles. These buildings make the Bund more and more popular. Take some pictures with the Bund as well as these buildings and they are sure to get lots of likes if you post them on your Facebook.

The last attraction of this journey is Nanjing Road. Nanjing Road, which is near the Bund, nowadays is one of the ten popular business centers of Shanghai. In this area, you will find both modern shopping malls with luxury brands and numbers of specialty stores, such as, Laodafang, a food shop famous for smoked fish and pork moon cakes, Zhang Xiao Quan, famous for its high-quality scissors and Duoyunxuan, a store selling traditional Chinese paintings and calligraphy works.

Yu Garden

Nanjing Road

After breakfast, our guide and driver will escort you to the airport according to your flight schedule. China Tour Star looks forward to your next meaningful China tour with us.

Author: Zhou Rui

Proofreader: Liu Yan