China Yangtze River Cruise Tour including Zhangjiajie

Welcome to Xi’an! Your tour guide will wait for you at the airport with your name sign, and then you will be transferred to the hotel to check in. With a long history, Xi’an is the capital of 13 dynasties in ancient China. When you come here, you can see the outstanding creations of the ancient Chinese people and learn history of China. Hope you will enjoy your Xi’an tour!

Free Time Suggestion 1: If you want to see the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) in ancient China with your own eyes, you have to visit the Great Tang All Day Mall. In the evening, there are large-scale theme performances, which will surely feast your eyes.

Free Time Suggestion 2: How can you miss the snacks when you come to Xi’an? As we all know, snacks in Xi’an enjoy great fame in the world. If you are interested in delicious food, you can go to the Muslim Quarter. You can taste Biangbiang Noodles, Chinese Hamburger (Rougamo), Pita Bread Soaked in Lamb Soup, and so on.

Great Tang All Day Mall

Muslim Quarter

Drive northeast about 40 kilometers for about 50 minutes, and we will get to the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum. As the eighth wonder of the world, the Terracotta Warriors and Horses enjoy great fame in the world. How can you miss them? Do you know how the site of the Terracotta Warriors and Horses was discovered? In March 1974, a farmer in Xiyang Village, Lintong District, accidentally discovered some fragments of pottery figurines while drilling a well and reported what he had discovered to the local government. After more than a year of exploration by archaeologists, a burial pit was found and more than 6,000 pottery figures and horses were unearthed in this burial pit, which has been named Pit No.1. A few years later, Pit No.2 and Pit No.3 were discovered successively.

After lunch, you will go to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, the most famous and magnificent Buddhist pagoda in the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Do you know why the Big Wild Goose Pagoda was built? It is said that it was built to preserve the Buddhist scriptures, statues, and relics that Xuan Zang (an eminent monk in the Tang Dynasty) brought from ancient India. In 629, Xuan Zang set off from Chang’an (the ancient name of Xi’an) to the western countries and finally arrived in ancient India, the holy birthplace of Buddhism. In 645, Xuan Zang returned to Chang’an with 657 Buddhist scriptures, eight Buddha statues, and a large number of Buddhist relics. Subsequently, he presided over the construction of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda.

The last stop of today is the City Wall, the largest and best-preserved ancient city wall in China. Inside the City Wall is the old town of Xi’an and outside the City Wall is the “outer city”. The difference between the inside and outside of the City Wall is that there are no skyscrapers inside the City Wall, but outside the City Wall, there are high-rising buildings. In general, the City Wall is a dividing line. When you stand on the City Wall, you may feel the collision of ancient Xi’an and modern Xi’an.

City Wall

Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum

After breakfast, you will take the estimated train G89 11:28/14:38 to Chengdu. Your tour guide will prepare lunch for you and you can take it on the train. Covering an area of 14,335 square kilometers, Chengdu is one of the best tourist cities in China and it is an important stop of the Yangtze River Cruise Tour. Hope you will enjoy your Chengdu trip!

Free Time Suggestion 1: If you want to visit some tourist attractions by yourself, you can go to the Kuan Zhai Alley, which is renowned in China. When you get there, you can experience a special service – Ear Cleaning. It is called “Shu Erduo” in Chengdu (“Shu” means “comfortable” in Chinese and “Erduo” means “ear” in Chinese). You only need to sit in a chair, close your eyes, and enjoy the service. After a deep cleaning, you will feel quite comfortable.

Free Time Suggestion 2: How can you miss the Hot Pot when you come to Chengdu? If you want to have some local food for dinner, the Hot Pot will be your best choice. With a long history, the Hot Pot is famous for its spicy taste and fresh ingredients. Come and taste it!

Kuan Zhai Alley

Hot Pot

As we all know, pandas are China’s national treasures. After breakfast, you will go to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding to have a look at these cute animals. Pandas are more active in the morning, so it is better to see pandas in the morning. When you get there, you will walk around the panda enclosures to watch the pandas eating and playing. Do you know that wild pandas can keep eating for up to 14 hours and an adult panda can eat 40 kilograms of food? Maybe that’s the reason why they are so chubby.

In the afternoon, you will visit the Wenshu Monastery, a Buddhist monastery. The Wenshu Monastery was built in the Sui Dynasty (605-607) and was named “Xinxiang Temple”. Destroyed by war in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), it was rebuilt in 1691 of the Qing Dynasty (1636-1912). It is said that during the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, Master Cidu came here for Buddhist practice. People often saw the aura around the temple at night, so they believed that Master Cidu was the incarnation of Manjusri Bodhisattva. In Chinese, Manjusri Bodhisattva is called Wenshu Pusa. Then, it was renamed Wenshu Monastery in 1697. This is the origin of the name of the Wenshu Monastery.

Then, you will go to the People’s Park. It is a public place for Chengdu people to relax and for visitors to experience the local life. In the park, there is a natural air-conditioned room – the air-raid shelter where local people like to stay in summer. When the outdoor temperature is close to 39 degrees Celsius (102 degrees Fahrenheit), the temperature inside the air-raid shelter is only about 26 degrees Celsius (78 degrees Fahrenheit). Covering an area of 1,000 square meters, the whole air-raid shelter has 5 caves. Apart from tables and chairs, there are TVs, radios, exhaust fans, dehumidifiers, and other equipment in each cave. The air-raid shelter is cool and not humid, which is more comfortable than staying in an air-conditioned room all the time.

Finally, you will visit Jinli Street, a famous pedestrian street in Chengdu. With a long history, it is said that Jinli Street is one of the oldest streets in Sichuan Province. It has been famed throughout the country since the Qin Dynasty (221 BC-207 BC). And it is not only famous in China but also enjoys great fame in the world. Among the twenty-one most beautiful streets in the world selected by the CNN Travel Channel, Jinli Street in Chengdu is the only street that belongs to China and it tops the list on the homepage. There is no doubt that it is worth a visit.

Wenshu Monastery

People’s Park

In the morning, you will be transferred to the train station and take the estimated train G8607 09:20/10:22 to Chongqing. Covering an area of 82,402 square kilometers, Chongqing is a famous tourist city in China. When you get there, you will visit the Ciqikou Ancient Town first. It is the epitome of ancient Chongqing. In Ciqikou Ancient Town, there is the famous Hanlin Academy, a private school in the Qing Dynasty. It is said that during the Qing Dynasty, three people who studied in this academy passed the Imperial Examination and then served in the Imperial Academy. Therefore, Hanlin Academy was the yearning place for the students at that time. 

In the afternoon, drive eastward about 20 kilometers for about half an hour, we will get to the Chaotianmen Wharf, where you will board a Yangtze River Cruise Ship and take a cruise to visit the Yangtze River. There are all kinds of facilities on the cruise ship. You can enjoy Western food as well as Chinese food. The Yangtze River Cruise Ship stops boarding at 20:30 and sets sail at 21:00. The tour guide will disembark after assisting you in completing the boarding formalities.

Ciqikou Ancient Town

Chaotianmen Wharf

In the morning, after you get up, you can enjoy the breakfast buffet with many kinds of delicious food. Then, you can choose to participate in the Tai Chi activities or you can choose to read a book and have a cup of coffee on deck. In general, you can make a schedule for yourself in the morning. Not only can you enjoy the beautiful natural scenery of the Yangtze River, but also you can relax during the journey.

Then, you will have a shore excursion. The first stop is the Shibaozhai Pagoda, one of the best tourist attractions along the Yangtze River. The Shibaozhai Pagoda is famous for its peculiar architecture and many interesting stories. It is known as “a Pearl of the Yangtze River” and “the Paradise on the Earth”. When you get there, you will be attracted by a white marble wall with sculpted reliefs, condensing the whole life of Guan Yu, a famous general of Shu Kingdom (221-263) during the Three Kingdoms Period (220-280), into 19 stories. The whole white marble wall is 98 meters in length, 3 meters in width, and 40 centimeters in thickness. It takes one year and nine months to be finely carved.

Finally, you will visit the Fengdu “Ghost City” which needs to pay an additional fee to visit. This attraction is up to you to decide whether to visit or not. If you are interested in it, you can pay the fees to the shipping company directly on board. The Fengdu “Ghost City” is a famed historical and cultural city that originated from the Han Dynasty. There are a large number of buildings, dioramas, and statues dedicated to the afterlife and the underworld according to Chinese mythology. With a history of more than 2,000 years, it has always been regarded as the home of the dead.

Today, you will have a buffet lunch on board. In the evening, there will be a captain’s welcome reception. Just enjoy this wonderful night together with other visitors!

Shibaozhai Pagoda

Fengdu “Ghost City”

In the morning, you will enjoy a buffet breakfast. After breakfast, you can participate in the Tai Chi exercises. As a kind of Chinese Kung Fu, Tai Chi advocates slowness and softness. Practicing Tai Chi is good for your health, why not try it?

Have you ever heard of the Yangtze River? What do you know about it? With a total length of more than 6,300 kilometers, the Yangtze River plays an important role in China. As the world’s famous river with the most abundant water power resources, the Yangtze River not only plays an important role in shipping but also is rich in fishery resources. Today, you will pass the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River, Qutang Gorge, Wu Gorge, and Xiling Gorge, the most magnificent part of your Yangtze River Cruise.

You will first sail through Qutang Gorge. With a length of 8 kilometers, Qutang Gorge is the shortest one among them and it is famous for its grandness and steepness. When you pass by the Baiyan Mountain on the south bank of the Yangtze River, you will notice there is a cliff in light pink color, called Pink Wall. There are famous inscriptions on the Pink Wall, which are rare calligraphy works in China.

After Qutang Gorge, you will come to Wuxia Gorge. With a length of 42 kilometers, Wuxia Gorge is famed for its twists and turns. When you travel here, you will be attracted by the Twelve Peaks of Wushan Mountain on both sides of the river. Goddess Peak is the most famous one. Did you know how its name came? It is said that there was a kind-hearted fairy named Yao Ji. One day, when she came to the Wushan Mountain with her eleven sisters, she found that Da Yu (a legendary king in ancient China who was famed for flood control) was trapped in the flood. So she together with her sisters saved him and helped him control the flood. Later, she stole a book about how to manage the water from the Heavenly Palace and then gave it to Da Yu. However, Yao Ji was captured by the soldiers from heaven before she could tell Da Yu how to use the book. With the help of her eleven sisters, Yao Ji successfully escaped and they returned to help Da Yu. Afterwards, the twelve fairies turned into the Twelve Peaks of Wushan Mountain, and Yao Ji became the highest one, that is, the Goddess Peak. You will take a small boat to visit the Goddess Stream at Wuxia Gorge. The Goddess Stream is a tributary on the south bank of the Yangtze River. It is a typical karst landscape and you will feel the extraordinary craftsmanship of nature when you come here.

The last gorge you will pass through is Xiling Gorge. With a length of 66 kilometers, Xiling Gorge is the longest one. When you come here, you may notice the Dengying Gorge, which is renowned for its shadow. When the sun goes in the west, the shadows of the four stones on the mountain are like the four protagonists in the Journey to the West, which is stunning.

After visiting, it’s time to have lunch. You will have a lot of free time in the afternoon, so you can choose to have a rest or participate in some activities. In the evening, there will be a farewell dinner by the captain and a performance by the crew. Enjoy this great night!

Qutang Gorge

Wu Gorge

After your buffet breakfast, your tour guide will pick you up at the terminal of the Yangtze River Cruise in Yichang. Your Yangtze River Cruise Tour will come to an end. Then, you will be transferred to the train station and take the estimated train K1473 12:58/17:54 to Zhangjiajie. Don’t worry. Your tour guide will prepare lunch for you and you can take it on the train.

When you get there, your Zhangjiajie tour guide will wait for you at the train station and you will be transferred to the hotel to check in. Covering an area of 9,516 square kilometers, Zhangjiajie is a major tourist city in China. You can enjoy the stunning natural scenery there, which will make you linger on with no thought of leaving.

In the morning, drive north about 28 kilometers, about 40 minutes, and we will get to the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, the first national forest park in China. The natural scenery here is famous for peaks, valleys, and forests. It is often said that if you don’t go to Huangshi Village, you will come to Zhangjiajie in vain. Therefore, you will take the cable car to visit the Huangshi Village first. Do you know the origin of its name? It is said that Zhang Liang, an officer of the Han Dynasty, was disillusioned with the world of mortals and resigned. He traveled around Zhangjiajie and met with Huang Shigong, a recluse among the mountains in Zhangjiajie. He took Huang Shigong as his master and lived in the village where Huang Shigong lived. Later, after Huang Shigong passed away, Zhang Liang renamed the village Huangshi Village to commemorate his master. It is not only the most beautiful place in Zhangjiajie but also the perfect place for visitors to overlook the amazing scenery around. Then, you will come to the Gold Whip Stream, a famous tourist attraction in Zhangjiajie. With a length of 5,700 meters, the Gold Whip Stream twists and turns in a deep valley and is extremely quiet. Along the way, you can admire the stream, the steep mountains, and the forest.

In the afternoon, you will visit the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon. It is also called Rotten Boat Gorge. Do you know how this name comes? It is said that the water in the canyon came from a natural spring and many pieces of rotten boards from wooden boats were gushed out from the spring. Therefore, local people called it “Rotten Boat Gorge”. Then, you will get to the Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge, which is the longest and the highest in the world. You will walk on the glass bridge and experience the feeling of walking at a very high altitude. After today’s visit, you will be transferred to the hotel to have a rest.

Zhangjiajie National Forest Park

Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge

In the morning, you will take the Bailong Elevator to Yuanjiajie. In the south of Yuanjiajie, there is a hidden landscape called Back Garden. When you are walking through the green bamboo jungle, you will find that you are suddenly blocked by a stone wall. You will think there was no way, but there is a full moon-shaped white stone gate at the turn. Passing through the gate, you will see dozens of peculiar peaks standing opposite, which will surprise you. Then, you will go to the Mihun Stage, the best natural viewing platform in Yuanjiajie. As long as you stand on the Mihun Stage, you will be fascinated by the beauty in front of you. Hundreds of stone peaks stand quietly in the canyon, straight into the blue sky. You will marvel at this natural wonder. Next, you will go to The First Bridge in the World. As one of the top ten unique sceneries in Zhangjiajie, the First Bridge in the World spans between the two mountains. It is a natural slate stone bridge with a length of 50 meters and a vertical height of almost 400 meters, making it a spectacle in the world. Finally, you will visit Hallelujah Mountain. With an altitude of 1,074 meters, it is the prototype of the Hallelujah Mountains that are suspended in the air in the film Avatar. If you take some photos of it and share these photos on Ins., Twitter, or other social media, a lot of new friends will be attracted.

After today’s visit, your 10 Days China Yangtze River Cruise Tour including Zhangjiajie will come to an end. Hope this journey will bring you an unforgettable memory.

Bailong Elevator

Yuanjiajie

Author: Lin Shuyun

Proofreader: Vivian Zhou