China Visa Free Tour with Tea Culture

Welcome to Shanghai! This is often one of the liveliest cities in China. Your tremendous 9-day tour will begin here. Our guide is going to be holding your name sign and wait for you at the arrival hall, and you will be transferred to your hotel and have a pleasant rest. 

Being recognized as an international metropolis, Shanghai is undoubtedly the core of south China, as well as the economic, hi-tech, and trade center. Furthermore, many Large-scale events and exhibitions are held here, attracting people from home and abroad to flood into this amazing city. Therefore, In China, people call Shanghai a “Magical City”.

Tip:

When you arrive, you must desire to have a bite of local food, then I recommend Shengjian to you. It’s kind of like a round dumpling that is fried in a huge pan. The fillings of Shengjian are seasonal vegetables and meat. With just one bite, you will taste the most authentic Shanghai flavor. It is a kind of popular street food in Shanghai. You can’t miss it. 

After a pleasant sleep in the hotel, a wonderful and nutritious breakfast is anticipating for you. After breakfast, the primary place for you to go to is Jade Buddha Temple. It is one of the top ten tourist attractions in Shanghai. Although located in the bustling urban area, Jade Buddha Temple manages to seek tranquility in this noisy place and is known as a pure land downtown. The Jade Buddha Temple is named after the sculpture of Jade Buddha. The sitting Buddha statue is carved from the whole piece of jade. The edge of the cassock and the armlet on the right arm of the statue are decorated with more than 100 jadeite, agate, and other gems. The whole statue gives out crystal-clear luster, presenting a benevolent and kind manner.

The next site our guide will lead you to is Yu Garden (Closed on Monday), and it will take us about 23 minutes (7.3 KM) to arrive from the Jade Buddha Temple. Yu Garden is a classical garden. It is mainly divided into six major scenic spots. 

In the Wanhualou Scenic Area, there is a stream flowing by, and the Yulexie Bridge spans the stream. The wall here is covered with hollowed-out decoration. Under the wall, there is a semicircle-hole, and the water flows through the hole. This is a kind of ingenious design of extending the space in the garden. The hollowed-out wall and flowing water make visitors feel that this is not an enclosed place.

Deyue Tower is located in Yuhuatang Scenic Area. It is an exquisite building and its name Deyue means touching the moon in Chinese. This is the best place to appreciate the night scenery in the garden. The Sansuitang Scenic Area has a “Jianrujiajing” Veranda, which in Chinese means the scene here is fascinating. In the middle of the corridor, there is a stone that is about 2.3 meters high. It is slim and graceful, like a maiden standing there with utter charm. The curve of the stone resembles the waist of a lady. Hence it gets the name “waist of beauty”.

After lunch, we will continue our tour and go to visit the Bund. The Bund is a historical and cultural block in Shanghai. It is the starting point for modern Shanghai and the financial center of the whole city as well as the epitome of Shanghai’s modernization. 

There is a total of 33 landmark buildings located on the Bund, of which the No. 18 building is particularly well-known. It used to be the headquarters of the British Standard Chartered Bank in China and now it has been built into an internationally renowned urban entertainment center that includes internationally famous restaurants, luxury brands, bars, and art centers. There are restored ancient Greek marble columns and elegant halls. In the hall, there are two tailor-made red glass chandeliers, and each chandelier is assembled from 185 parts. The 24K gold brick mosaic murals in the lobby are all handmade, showing wealth and luxury. 

On the east side of the Bund is Nanjing Road. It includes two of the top ten commercial centers in Shanghai: Nanjing East Road and Nanjing West Road. East Road is mainly a tourist area selling kinds of souvenirs; while West Road is the fashionable commercial district with the highest rent of shops in China and the most luxurious stores in Shanghai, focusing on luxury goods and high-end individual consumption. 

After that, we will visit the Shanghai Tower which is a huge high-rise landmark skyscraper with a total structural height of 632 meters. From a distance, it looks like a giant twisted metal dragon. Taking the superfast elevator, you will only spend 53 seconds reaching the sightseeing hall on the 118th floor. Standing here, you will feel that the clouds are almost within reach. Here you can enjoy a panoramic view of Shanghai city.  

After you release yourself on the joyful day, we will take you back to the cozy hotel. You may wash away the tiredness of the day, and enter the soft dreamland.

Free Time Suggestion:

If you want to enjoy the night view of Shanghai. Shanghai Tower is also a good place to go. It will present 4 types of light shows, corresponding to normal, weekends, holidays, and special performances. There are also high-end restaurants in the Shanghai Tower where you can enjoy a nice dinner with a fascinating night view. 

Yu Garden

Nanjing Road

Hope you have a nice sleep last night. And we are heading to Suzhou by an estimated high-speed train G7084 08:36/09:14 this morning. After arrival, we will visit Tiger Hill. It is only more than 30 meters high. Even so, it still possesses a spectacular sight and unique scenery. Among them, the Tiger Hill Tower is especially famous. It has a history of more than 1,000 years and it is a Buddhist tower. The tower is 47.7 meters high and is inclined to the northeast with an inclination angle of 3.98 degrees. Therefore, it is also called the Leaning Tower of Pisa in China. The unique structure and long history make Tiger Hill Tower known as the symbol of Suzhou.

There you will also see a Two Immortals Pavilion. In the pavilion, there are two steles carved with two immortals. Legend has it that a woodcutter encountered two people playing chess here in the pavilion. So, he stopped and watched them playing chess. After a game of chess, the woodcutter returned home. But he found that the scene in his village was totally different. It turned out that 100 years have been passed. Then people told him the two persons he met are two immortals. That is why he only spend some time with a game of chess there on the pavilion, but 100 years have been passed in the mortal world.

Leisurely sightseeing at Canal Cruise is waiting for you. The ancient canal has been run through the city for thousands of years. Along the river bed, the antique buildings with white walls and black tiles, the gently swaying bamboo and willows, the twists and turns of the ancient roads, and the motley flowers, all together create a dreamlike scene for you to appreciate. Cruising in this gentle southern city, with fair-sounding folk songs in your ears, you may feel spiritual comfort.

And then, we will go to Shantang Street. Shantang Street is built by the river, along the street, there are many bridges, which fully reflect the characteristics of this water city. The buildings on both sides of the street mostly retain the characteristics of the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China (around 1911), especially giving out a sense of nostalgia and tenderness. 

At the end of the day’s trip, we will send you back to the hotel. May you revisit the gentle water town in your dream.

Tiger Hill

Shantang Street

In China, there is a famous saying that goes “There is Paradise above, and Suzhou and Hangzhou below”, which perfectly matches the beauty of Suzhou and Hangzhou. This morning we will take the estimated high-speed train G7349 08:42/10:01 to Hangzhou. Seize this opportunity to experience “the earthly heaven” on your own. It will take us a 23-minute (11 KM) ride from Hangzhoudong Station to West Lake. 

The scenery of West Lake is different from time to time, but each season has its unique beauty. In spring, you can admire swaying willows whose green branches are hanging on the bridge with carved beams; in summer you can see big piles of pink lotuses standing gracefully with round, green lotus leaf lying beneath the long stems; in autumn you can smell the fragrance of osmanthus, and in winter you can see the snow covering the bridge which represents a Chinese painting.

When you arrive at the West Lake, West Lake Cruise is definitely the activity you cannot miss. Facing the water and admiring the fascinating scenery, you will feel relaxed and happy. In addition to the picturesque natural scenery, many moving legends and stories also happen here. Among them, the story of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai is extremely famous. In ancient China, girls cannot go to school. In oder to get knowledge, Zhu Yingtai went to school near the West Lake disguised as a boy. And she met Liang Shanbo there. After graduation, Liang started to know that Zhu is a girl. They fell in love. However, their families didn’t allow them to get married. To be together forever, they died for love together. After that, they turned into two butterflies. This story reflects the ancient people’s bravery to chase their love. 

After lunch, we will visit Feilai Peak. It only takes ten minutes by car to arrive. Feilai Peak belongs to Lingyin Temple Scenic Area. The name Feilai means flying-over in Chinese. It is like a stone flying from outer space. There are many boulders of strange shapes, like dragons, elephants, crouching tigers, scared apes. They make this major peak look like a stone zoo.

On the hillside facing Lingyin Temple, there are more than three hundred and forty Buddhist grottos and statues from 907 AD, which can be regarded as grotto art treasures in southern China. As we all know, the four most famous grottoes in China are all located in the north of China. Because the climate in the north is relatively dry, it is conducive to the preservation of grottoes and Buddha statues. Therefore, it is a miracle that so many grottoes and Buddha statues have been preserved in Hangzhou, which has a humid and rainy climate. 

Among them, the Maitreya Buddha statue in Song Dynasty is the most eye-catching. It is also the oldest Maitreya Buddha statue in China. Maitreya Buddha was wearing a loose robe and his big belly was exposed. The Chinese believe that Maitreya Buddha is a symbol of tolerance, and his big belly means that he can tolerate everything.

Apart from its natural beauty like Feilai Peak, Lingyin Temple is also a museum of various Buddhist treasures, calligraphy, and painting. Various Buddhist cultural heritages are preserved in the temple. Besides, there is a stone named Sansehng Stone. Sansheng means three times metempsychosis in Chinese. According to legend, affectionate men and women, as long as they touch the stone together, can be together even in the next three times of metempsychosis. 

The last attraction today is Meijiawu Tea Village. It is surrounded by green hills planted with tea. It produces Longjing tea with a fragrant, mellow taste and beautiful shape, which has won unanimous praise at home and abroad. As the famous Longjing tea production base in Hangzhou, Meijiawu Tea Village boasts fascinating natural scenery. Looking around, the layers of tea trees are lush, your sight can be full of green when looking around, and the fragrance of tea is refreshing. Here you can watch the process of picking tea and frying tea. If you are a tea culture lover, you must not miss this stop. 

Longjing tea has the effects of refreshing, lowering blood pressure, lowering blood fat, and losing weight. Summer is the best season to drink Longjing tea. In summer, the weather is hot, people sweat more and the heart is very burdened. Drinking Longjing tea, which is rich in amino acids, can help people cool off the heat and reduce the burden on the heart. In addition, the afternoon is the best time to drink Longjing tea for the whole day. It can help people refresh their minds and devote themselves to the work energetically in the afternoon.

After the visit, we will send you back to the hotel.

West Lake

Lingyin Temple

Today, our itinerary will not be too full. We hope that we can leave you ample buffer time to welcome the scenery at the next stop with full of energy. You don’t need to wake up very early this morning, because our estimated flight will be MF8719 13:50/16:25 to Macau. After arrival, your tour guide will pick you up at the airport and transfer you to the hotel. You can have a rest in the hotel or take a walk outside on your own.

Hundreds of years’ collision of Eastern and Western cultures has made Macau a unique city, thus leaving a large number of cultural relics. Macau is an international free port, the world’s tourism, and leisure center, as well as one of the world’s four major gambling cities. 

Macau food mainly focuses on Cantonese cuisine and Portuguese-style Macau cuisine. Most of the residents of Macau emigrate from Guangdong, so the tradition of Cantonese cuisine has been preserved in Macau. Combined with western cooking skills, Cantonese cuisine in Macau has a unique flavor. In addition, Macau was once a colony of Portugal. Therefore, some Portuguese married local Macau people. This also affected the local cuisine. Many Portuguese dishes are very popular in Macau now. Specialties include Portuguese tart, shrimp soup, coconut cake, pork chop bun, etc.

This morning we will visit the Ruins of St. Paul’s. There is a saying in Macau that you can’t be counted as having been to Macau unless you have been to the Ruins of St. Paul’s. The carvings and inlays of the Ruins of the St. Paul's are exquisite, and it combines the essence of Eastern and Western architectural arts. It is an artwork that blends Chinese and Western cultures. There are 68 stone steps in front of the Ruins of St. Paul's. The ruins of the front wall are 23 meters wide and 25.5 meters high. It is in Baroque style, built of granite, and divided into five floors. 

When appreciating the Ruins of St. Paul’s, in addition to admiring the majestic front wall, you should also pay attention to the exquisite reliefs on the wall and comprehend their meaning. Under the giant cross on the top floor is a bronze statue in the shape of a dove. Beside the statue are stone carvings of the sun, moon, and stars, which symbolize the moment when the virgin Saint Maria is pregnant.

After that, you will visit Senado Square, which is one of the four major squares in Macau. Its shape is a long and narrow triangle, and it is a lively commercial and cultural activity area. Its landmark building is a huge fountain with a celestial globe which is marked with a copper ring of the ecliptic equator placed in the center of the fountain. Dozens of light bulbs are placed at the bottom of the fountain. At night, the water in the fountain changes with the lights. To welcome the arrival of tourists, Macau Senado Square opened an “open-air café”, and there are also jazz performances every night, allowing visitors to stop and enjoy the unique charm of Macau while enjoying the special cuisine.

The A-Ma Temple is located at the southwestern tip of the Macau Peninsula. It is built along the mountains and the sea. A pair of stone lions are standing at the entrance of the temple, which is exquisitely carved and lifelike. They are masterpieces of the people in the Qing Dynasty (300 years ago). There is an ancient seagoing ship carved on a huge boulder in the courtyard. According to research, it is the story of a Fujian businessman who encountered storms on the seagoing ship on his way to Macau more than 400 years ago. Fortunately, Mazu, the sea god, saved his life and turned the crisis into peace. And then after this businessman arrived in Macau safely, he donated to build this A-Ma Temple to appreciate Mazu. 

In addition, the traditional building, carvings, lush trees, and winding roads make this temple quiet and beautiful. The A-Ma Temple is also a legendary temple. In the 1980s, a fire broke out in the A-Ma Temple. The entire temple was burnt down, however, the Mazu statue in the center of the shrine was only blackened by smoke. The collapsed beam fell in front of the statue, leaving the statue intact. After the fire, the A-Ma Temple was rebuilt. Local people are convinced that Mazu in the A-Ma Temple blessed her Buddha statue from being destroyed by the fire. 

At the first stop in the afternoon, we will visit Macau Tower. The Macau Tower integrates sightseeing, conferences, shopping, restaurants, and entertainment. It is one of the top ten sightseeing towers in the world. It is also the tallest sightseeing steel tower in Southeast Asia. With a total height of 338 meters, it surpasses the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The sightseeing part on the tower extends from the 57th floor to the 61st floor and can be climbed up and down by a sightseeing elevator. The 57th floor is the famous “skywalk” floor where you can walk on the outer periphery of the tower just like walking on the clouds.

This world-famous tower also supports extreme sports, such as Sky Jump. Participants jumped down from an altitude of 223 meters at a speed of 75 kilometers per hour which is very exciting.

The last stop today is Casino in the Venetian Macau Resort Hotel. The Venetian Macau Resort Hotel is the world’s second-largest and Asia’s largest casino resort complex. With the theme of Venice, the water capital of Italy, the characteristic arch bridges, small canals, and stone roads of Venice can be seen here in the hotel which is full of exotic style.

The hotel’s gaming hall has more than 800 gaming tables and 4,100 slot machines. It is a number that other casinos can not reach. Here you can feel the tense and extravagant atmosphere in the casino. Then take a ferry from Taipa Pier to Hong Kong Kowloon Ferry Terminal. It will take you about 1 hour. Our guide in Hong Kong will wait for you at the port and take you to the hotel.

A-Ma Temple

Macau Tower

After breakfast, we will start our Hong Kong tour. The first stop is Wong Tai Sin Temple. It is one of the most famous temples in Hong Kong and is well-known both locally and overseas. Huang Daxian (Wong Tai Sin), also known as Chisong Immortal, is widely known for practicing medicine and saving people, so posterity built this temple for him. 

During the festival period, many disciples of Wong Tai Sin will gather in the main hall of the temple at noon to participate in sacrificial activities. That will be a very grand activity. In addition, Wong Tai Sin Temple is currently the only Taoist temple in Hong Kong where Taoist weddings can be held. If it happens, you might be able to see the process of Taoist weddings. 

According to legend, the Wong Tai Sin enshrined in the hall is “responsive”, which means he will give people guidance. Visitors can get a pot with sticks beside the main hall. Ask a question in your mind and shake the pot until one of the bamboo sticks falls out. The verse on the stick is said to be the response from Wong Tai Sin. If you cannot understand the exact meaning behind the words on the stick, you can go to the professionals. They provide the interpretation service, and the price is about $20 to $30 per stick.

It takes 49 minutes (20 KM) from Wong Tai Sin Temple to the top of Victoria Peak. Victoria Peak is the premier tourist attraction in Hong Kong, China. The Peak Tower was designed by the famous British architect Terry Farrel. It has a very unique bowl shape and integrates sightseeing, entertainment, and shopping in one building. 

Take the Peak Tram to reach the top of the mountain. And then you will visit Hong Kong’s highest 360-degree viewing platform-Sky Terrace 428 which is located at an altitude of 428 meters. In the most advantageous location in Hong Kong, you can enjoy the intoxicating city scenery. 

In addition, there is a Peak Gallery in the Peak Tower, a giant exhibition board displaying precious photos of Hong Kong in the early days, leading people to return to the past and experience the development in Hong Kong over the past decades.

After lunch, we will go to Repulse Bay. The entire journey will take about 26 minutes (12 KM). The crescent-shaped bay is surrounded by mountains and the sea. Known as the “Oriental Hawaii”, it is the most representative bay in Hong Kong. The Repulse Bay boasts fine sand and clean waters. Summertime is the peak season for tourists to Repulse Bay. A large number of tourists flocked to the beach at that time to spend their summer holidays.

And then, we will go to the Stanley Market. It is regarded as a must-go place when traveling to Hong Kong. Many stores are selling all kinds of goods such as Chinese handicrafts, antiques, rattan ware, paintings, and silk products. If you are a bargaining expert, being in the Stanley market is quite an interesting and fulfilling experience. Here you can bargain with the vendors and get the goods at a very nice price. Therefore, the atmosphere in the market is always tense but funny in the meantime. If you are tired and want to walk around, you can walk into a café and have a rest. If you are lucky, you may encounter the art show on the Stanley Market which is named Stanley Artsmart. That will be very interesting.

After that, we will transfer you to your hotel.

Stanley Market

Victoria Peak

We will drive to Lantau Island this morning. It is located on the west side of Hong Kong Island, 34 KM away from Tsim Sha Tsui, about 45 minutes by car. Today your journey will start here.

At the initial starting point, we will arrive at Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car Station and take the cable car up the mountain, which is more convenient than the bus. The cable car is one of the longest cable car systems in Asia. The name “Ngong Ping 360” means that visitors can get a 360-degree view on the cable car. They will see the Big Buddha in all directions and can get a bird’s-eye view of Hong Kong International Airport and Lantau Country Park. The cable car is divided into Standard Cabin and Crystal Cabin. The bottom of the Crystal Cabin is also transparent. That makes the whole journey on the cable car more exciting. Generally speaking, we will book the Standard Cabin for you. If you want to upgrade to the Crystal Cabin, please let us know in advance. 

It takes about 20 minutes to take the cable car to reach Ngong Ping Village. This is a commercial block. The architecture here is very distinctive. And there are many souvenir shops and restaurants for people to relax and entertain. You may also see Chinese Kung Fu, acrobatics, Cantonese opera, and other street performances here.

Walking through the Ngong Ping Village, you will visit the Big Buddha. It is a statue of Sakyamuni and It is the tallest outdoor bronze-sitting Buddha in the world. It sits majestically on the Muyu Peak on Lantau Island. It took 12 years to complete this Buddha statue. The Big Buddha symbolizes the stability and prosperity of Hong Kong, and the peace of the people, the country, and the world. 

The shape of the Big Buddha is based on the records in the Buddhist scriptures. The face of the Buddha refers to the Buddha statue in the Longmen Grottoes, and the clothes pattern and headdress refer to the Sakyamuni Buddha in Cave 360 of the Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes. The entire Buddha looks kind and gives you a sense of calm and stability. The base of the Big Buddha is an exhibition hall. There is a bell in the hall and it will ring 108 times each day. It means the bell rings can help people release 108 kinds of annoyance.

After that, we will visit the Polin Monastery which is surrounded by mountains on all sides, and the natural scenery here is excellent. The main hall enshrines the three Buddhas, representing the past, present, and future lives. There will be Dharma meetings every year in the Polin Monastery to pray for world peace and release souls from purgatory. In addition, the vegetarian food in Polin Monastery is very delicious especially the mushroom noodles. If you are interested, you can have a taste.

After the visit, we will take the cable car down the mountain, and the guide will send you back to the hotel. You can make your own arrangements for the rest of the time.

Polin Monastery

Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car Station

Today, our guide will drive you to the airport according to your schedule and you will fly back to your home. We are looking forward to serving you again in the other cities of China.

Author: Chunhui Lv

Proofreader: Betsy He