China Deep Tour with Yangtze River Cruise

When you arrive in Guangzhou, you will find your local guide waiting for you, carrying a pick-up card with your name on it. Then your guide will send you to the hotel for a good rest and he will assist you with check-in. Guangzhou is your first stop at the Yangtze River Cruise Tour, which is an open, inclusive, and diversified city.

In the morning, your guide will take you to visit Canton Tower, which is 600 meters tall in total, with a total building area of 114,054 square meters. As the first tower in China, it is opposite the Pearl River New City, Huacheng Square, Haixinsha Island across the Pearl River. Canton Tower is a landmark of Guangzhou city. The tower can withstand earthquakes of magnitude 8 and typhoons of magnitude 12, and its designed service life is more than 100 years. At 168-334.4 meters above the tower, there is a Spiderman Walkway, which is the world’s highest and longest skywalk stairway. At 422.8 meters of the tower, there is a revolving restaurant, which is the highest one in the world.

Then you will visit the Archaeological Site Museum of Nanyue Palace (closed on Monday) which covers 53,000 square meters. Walking into the gate, we will see an introduction to the ruins of the Nanyue Palace. There is an important kingdom, Nanyue Kingdom (204 BC -111 BC), in Chinese history. The founding emperor of the Nanyue Kingdom is Zhao Tuo who was an official in the Qin Dynasty (221 BC -207 BC). After the death of the last emperor of the Qin Dynasty, Zhao Tuo led his army to occupy Guilin and Xiang Counties, and the world was in chaos. Later, he founded his country called Nanyue and established the Nanyue Kingdom. The huge Nanyue imperial palace he built was buried deep underground in Guangzhou until it was discovered and excavated in 1995. More than 500 bronze wares have been unearthed from the ruins of the Nanyue imperial palace, including kitchen wares, wares for eating, drinking vessels, and so on. It is worth mentioning that one of the most characteristic bronze objects excavated is the bronze bucket. The picture engraved on the bucket is distinctive, depicting 5 people wearing hats decorated with feathers in different postures. One person is rowing a boat, one person is playing drum, one person is holding a weapon, and one person is fighting against the enemy. Some analysts say that because Guangzhou was near the sea and harassed by pirates, the painting maybe a scene of killing captives for the sake of sacrificing to the sea God.

In the afternoon, you will visit Shamian Island which is in western Guangzhou, covering 0.3 square kilometers. As a unique tourist attraction in Guangzhou, there are a large number of ancient buildings of Western styles, such as Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, the Christian church in the former British concession, and the cathedral in the former French concession. What’s more, there are many bars, parks, restaurants, and cafes on the roadside, where you can enjoy your leisure time fully. Afterward, your guide will send you to the hotel.

Canton Tower

Archaeological Site Museum of Nanyue Palace

In the morning, your guide will transfer you to the train station where you need to take the estimated train D2806 08:42/11:27 to Guilin. Arriving there, you will find your local guide waiting for you, waving the pick-up card. Once he picks you up, he will take you to have lunch at a local restaurant.

In the afternoon, you will visit Reed Flute Cave, located in the northwest of Guilin. It is built in 1956, with a depth of 240 meters and a tour distance of 500 meters. There are a variety of unique landscapes, such as Mountain of Flowers and Fruits, Crystal Palace, Virgin Forest, and so on. All of these are stalactites that are formed by dripping water from the roof.

Your next destination is Elephant Trunk Hill which is at the convergence of Taohua River and Li River. The mountain resembles a giant elephant that drinks the water of Li River with its trunk, so it gains the name, Elephant Trunk Hill. It covers an area of 118,800 square meters and belongs to the karst landform. There is a cave between the leg and the trunk of this “elephant”, with a length of 17 meters and a width of 9.5 meters. The cave is 12 meters high and covers an area of 150 square meters, shaped much like a sphere. Since the cave is above the water, it is like a bright moon floating on the water, especially when the moonlight shines on the cave. Therefore, the cave is also called Water Moon Cave. After visiting, you will be transferred to the hotel for a good rest.

Reed Flute Cave

Elephant Trunk Hill

In the morning, you will be taken to Mopanshan Pier which is 24 kilometers away from the center of Guilin. It will take you 30 minutes to get there by car. Then you will board the three-star Li River Cruise Ship. Then you will be on the cruise ship for 4 hours and enjoy your lunch during the cruise. Li River is renowned for its clear water. Besides, there are also grotesque rocks, lush mountains, and unique caves on both sides. There is a rock named Husband-Waiting Rock known for its story. It is said that a couple used to make a living by ferrying. One day in winter, in the evening, the couple moored their boat at the river and met an old woman who came to ask them for rice with her children. Seeing that they were really pitiful, the couple gave the old woman the only bucket of rice they had. Without food, the couple had to expect other boats passing by to help them. Unfortunately, no boat passed by them. To find the passing-by boats, the husband climbed a mountain to look out every day while the wife stayed on the boat. One day, when the wife saw that her husband did not come down the mountain for a long time, she went up the mountain to look for him, and found that he had been frozen by the snow and died of hunger on the mountain. The wife was heartbroken and died beside her husband. Then the couple turned into two rocks. To commemorate this kind-hearted couple, the people called the husband rock as Immortal Stone and the wife rock as Husband-Waiting Rock.

Reaching Yangshuo, you will visit Yangshuo West Street which is a pedestrian mall located in the center of Yangshuo Ancient Town. It is about 800 meters long and around 8 meters wide. It was built in 1674, with a history of more than 1,400 years. The houses on both sides are antique but elegant, in the styles of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, with grey tiles, sloping roofs, and white walls. There are numerous ancient buildings, such as Ming city walls, stone tablet inscriptions, ancient temples, ancient pavilions, former residences of celebrities, memorials, and so on.

Then your guide will drive you back to Guilin, which will take you 1.5 hours since it is 70 km from Yangshuo to Guilin.

Li River

Yangshuo West Street

In the morning, your guide will send you to the train station where you will take the estimated train D1864 10:52/15:49 to Chongqing. Don’t worry about your lunch on the train since your guide will give you a lunch box filled with milk, a sandwich, fruits, nuts, and a bottle of water or soft drink. When you get to Chongqing which is your starting point of the Yangtze River cruise, you will be welcomed by the local guide waving a pick-up card with your name on it in the train station.

Then your guide will pick you up to take the Yangtze River Cruise and help you with the boarding procedure. The Yangtze River cruise ship stops boarding at 20:30 and leaves at 21:00. The rooms of the cruise are divided into standard rooms, deluxe suites, presidential suites, all of which could promise your sleeping quality. As for food, the cruise provides tourists with a buffet containing western dishes and traditional Chinese specialties. Besides, there are varieties of recreation on the cruise: kite flying, Sichuan Opera face, and Tai Chi class.

In the morning, you can wake up naturally and enjoy your buffet breakfast. Taking part in a Tai Chi activity on the cruise is worth trying. Reading a book over a cup of coffee is also a good choice. All of these could relax you wholly.

Today, you will have a shore excursion to Shibaozhai Pagoda which is one of the best spots of the Yangtze River. Located on the north bank of the river, it is 56 meters tall, with 12 storeys. Shibaozhai Pagoda is built lean a mountain. In front of the gate of Shibaozhai Pagoda, you can see many anaglyphs. One of them is called Nezha Conquers the Dragon King. It is said that the third son of the Dragon King, named Aobing, often robbed people and brutalized children. One day, Nezha, a 7-year-old boy, was playing with his friends by the sea when they met Aobing who wanted to eat those children. Nezha was so angry that he beat Aobing to death. When the Dragon King heard the news, he was so sad that he wanted to kill Nezha for revenge. The Dragon King flooded the place where Nezha lived and even wanted to kill Nezha’s parents. To avoid implicating his parents, Nezha committed suicide to appease the Dragon King's anger. Later, Nezha was resurrected with the help of God, who also gave Nezha magical powers. Thus, Nezha destroyed the Dragon Palace, captured the Dragon King, and eliminated the scourge for the people. Since then, people engraved the picture of Nezha Conquers the Dragon King on the rocks to memorize Nezha.

Then your next destination is Fengdu “Ghost City” which needs an extra fee. It is famous for the various architecture of the netherworld, including Naihe Bridge, the Gate of Hell, the Road to the netherworld, and so on. It is said that in ancient times when people could not give a reasonable explanation for a strange natural phenomenon, they tended to think that the natural phenomenon was caused by a ghost. Hence, a religious God imagined by people was produced, that is the first ghost emperor. He lived in Fengdu, so the place is called Fengdu “Ghost City”. In Fengdu Ghost City, there is a Gate of Hell, which is said to be the only way to the Underworld.

Note: Different cruise ships visit different attractions, the actual attractions depend on the time of booking.

Shibaozhai Pagoda

Fengdu “Ghost City”

In the morning, after breakfast, you can take part in Tai Chi exercise. Today, you will pass by the Three Gorges: Qutang Gorge, Wu Gorge, and Xiling Gorge. The Three Gorges stretch 193 kilometers from White Emperor City to Nanjin Pass in Yichang City. Though Qutang Gorge is the shortest one among the Three Gorges, with a length of 8 kilometers, it is the most majestic and precipitous. On both sides of Qutang Gorge stand steep cliffs, and the distance from one side to the other side is less than 100 meters.

Then you will continue to visit Wu Gorge which is 46 kilometers long. It is deep and serene, with grotesque rocks and lush mountains on both sides. Since Wu Gorge is deep and long, the humidity in the gorge cannot scatter. Hence it is easy to form fogs and clouds. The clouds and fogs are changeable: some are like flying horses and dragons, some wriggle close to the ground, some are like waterfalls hanging over the cliff, and some are like surging gauze. When you are upset, look up at the clouds in the sky and you will be in a better mood.

At the Wu Gorge, your guide will take you to transfer to a small boat for a tour of the Goddess Stream. The stream is 15 kilometers long, and because of the treacherous water flow, the creek is shallow and narrow, so we can only visit the first 5 kilometers. And the next 10 kilometers are the original creek valley. The trees on both sides of the river are dense and green, and the rocky walls along the stream are covered with yellow flowers. The water is as clear as glass. You can see countless small fish swimming in the water. And where the shore meets the water, long dark green mosses float in the water like emerald chiffon. It is said that 12 fairies used to bathe here. Thus, Goddess Stream gains its name.

Your last destination of today’s tour is Xiling Gorge which is the longest one among the Three Gorges, with a total length of 66 kilometers. It is famous for the grotesque rocks, numerous river shoals, and treacherous currents.

Xiling Gorge

White Emperor City

After breakfast, you will visit the Three Gorges Dam Site which is the largest hydraulic power project in the world. It is 3,335 meters long and 185 meters tall. The reserve flood control capacity of the Three Gorges Dam Site during operation is 22.15 billion cubic meters, which is the largest water conservancy project in the world. When a severe drought occurs downstream, the Three Gorges Dam site can increase the intensity of water release to effectively alleviate drought conditions.

Next, you will head to Yichang Three Gorges Center Cruise Terminal where your guide is waiting for you and will drive you to the downtown area to have lunch. 

In the afternoon, you will visit Quyuan Hometown which is 15 kilometers away from the Three Gorges Dam Site. Quyuan Hometown is a place where Quyuan ever lived. Quyuan, as a great poet, politician, and diplomat of Chu Kingdom (770BC-476BC), was ostracized and slandered by the nobilities and exiled to the Hanbei River and the Yuan-Xiang River basin successively. After his motherland, Chu Kingdom, was defeated by the army of the Qin Dynasty (770BC-476BC), Quyuan drowned himself in the Miluo River, to die for the Chu Kingdom. What a patriotic poet! There is a cave named Reading Cave where Quyuan used to read here. It is widely said that you will hear the sound of reading when passing the cave. It is an illusion caused by the sound of wind and water.

After visiting Quyuan Hometown, you will be sent to the airport where you will take the estimated flight CA1824 20:35/22:45 to Beijing. Arriving at the airport, you will find that a guide waving a pick-up card is waiting for you. Then you will be transferred to the hotel for a good rest.

Three Gorges Dam Site

Quyuan Hometown

In the morning, you will visit Tian’anmen Square which is located in the central area of Beijing, covering an area of 440,000 square meters. The moment you walk into Tian’anmen Square you will see the Tian’anmen Tower. In the 1960s, when the reconstruction team was repairing the tiles on the highest ridge of the Tiananmen Tower, they found a golden nanmu box under the yellow glazed tiles. The box is engraved with an exquisite picture, that is, two dragons are playing with a burning pearl. After the workers opened the box, they found a ruby and cinnabar in it. The reason why Chinese people engrave the picture with two dragons playing with the pearl is that such a picture bears a propitious meaning. The picture is often used in architecture and decoration of noble and luxurious vessels.

Then you will visit the Forbidden City (closed on Monday) which is the royal palace of the Ming (1368-1644) and the Qing (1636-1912) Dynasties, covering 720,000 square meters. Known as one of the five greatest palaces in the world, the magnificent Forbidden City wins the love of tourists. Every emperor who lived in the Forbidden City had many concubines. However not every woman was willing to serve the emperor. It is said that Emperor Qianlong (an emperor of the Qing Dynasty) once fell in love with a very beautiful girl. Although this girl loved another boy, Emperor Qianlong still brought her into the Forbidden City. When he tried to get close to the girl at night, the girl pulled out the dagger that she had hidden on her body and stabbed Emperor Qianlong. Emperor Qianlong was very angry and sent her to the Cold Palace. Then later, to avoid the same thing, the girls sent to the emperor's bedroom must be stripped and wrapped in quilts. If you are interested, you could ask the guide to tell you more details.

In the afternoon, you will take a rickshaw tour in Hutongs which refers to narrow alleys. There is a special architecture, quadrangle courtyard in Hutongs. The quadrangle courtyard is made up of 4 houses located in the east, west, north, and south respectively. Thus, there is a yard surrounded by the houses from the four sides. The courtyards of quadrangle courtyards are spacious, surrounded by independent houses and interconnected corridors, making it very convenient to live in. The enclosed residential environment gives the courtyard a strong sense of privacy. As for the Hutong Family visit, the rickshaw driver will take you to a quadrangle courtyard whose owner will tell you some stories about the Hutong and the quadrangle dwellings.

After experiencing the charm of traditional Chinese architecture, you will visit the 798 Art Zone which used to be the location of the old factories of the electronics industry. Since artists and cultural institutions settled in the area, developing and renovating the empty factory, it has gradually developed into a hub of art centers, galleries, and artists' studios. The 798 Art Zone is also famous for the graffiti on the walls. Here, you can appreciate various graffiti and watch the imagination of artists.

After that, you will be sent back to the hotel.

Tian’anmen Square

Forbidden City

In the morning, you will visit Chang Tomb which is 48 kilometers away from downtown Beijing. It will take you an hour to arrive there. Chang Tomb is the first tomb of the Ming Tombs which are the tombs of 13 emperors of the Ming Dynasty, covering 120,000 square meters. The Ling’en Palace of the Chang Tomb is the largest wooden palace in China. All of the structures in the palace are made of wood. There are 60 golden nanmu pillars with a diameter of one meter and a height of over ten meters, underpinning the palace, among which the biggest one is 12.58 meters tall with a diameter of 1.124 meters.

In the afternoon, you will visit Mutianyu Great Wall which is 44.5 km away from the Chang Tomb. It will take us an hour and fifteen minutes to arrive there by car. Mutianyu Great Wall is the longest section of the Great Wall built in the Ming Dynasty, with a length of 5.4 kilometers. It has four distinct seasons, with different beauty in spring, summer, autumn and winter. There are two ways to get on the Great Wall: one is the cable car, which is suitable for all the clients; the other is a chairlift, which is suitable for those who want to enjoy natural scenery in the open air. You could choose whatever you like and discuss with it your guide beforehand.

Chang Tomb

Mutianyu Great Wall

In the morning, you will visit the Temple of Heaven which covers 2,730,000 square meters. The Temple of Heaven covers a vast area, equivalent to four times the size of the Forbidden City. Located at the southern of the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven was the place where the Ming and Qing emperors worshiped the gods of heaven and earth and prayed for a good harvest of grains. Its rigorous architectural layout, peculiar architectural structure, and magnificent architectural decoration are considered to be the most exquisite and beautiful group of ancient buildings surviving in China. The Temple of Heaven is surrounded by pines and cypresses, and the dark green color indicates reverence, remembrance, and prayer in ancient times. This is the reason why pines and cypresses are planted in altars, temples, and tombs. According to statistics, there are more than 4,000 ancient cypresses in the Temple of Heaven.

Then your next destination is the Lama Temple, located in the northeast of Beijing center. It was built by Emperor Kangxi in 1694 and was given to his fourth son, Prince Yinzhen who was the next emperor. Since two emperors used to live in the Lama Temple, it was considered an auspicious place. Thus, the palace was built with gold glazed tiles and painted red, the same as the style of the Forbidden City. It has formed a custom that the locals always go to the Lama Temple to offer incense to Buddha on the first day of the lunar year.

In the afternoon, you will visit the Confucius Temple, covering 22,000 square meters. The main buildings are covered with gold glazed tiles. The Confucius Temple is composed of 3 courtyards. What I want to introduce is the Dacheng Hall where the emperor paid homage to Confucius who is a great thinker, statesman, educator, founder of Confucian School.

Then you will go to Summer Palace for a visit. As a royal garden in the Qing Dynasty, it covers an area of 3 square kilometers. Emperor Qianlong spent 2.24 million taels of silver to build it and dedicate it to his mother. Later, it became a summer resort for the royal family. There is a bronze unicorn in front of the Hall of Longevity. Unicorn only exists in ancient Chinese legends and has a history of 2000 years. The unicorn is a combination of four kinds of animals, with a head of a dragon, deer’s horn, lion’s tail, and cow’s hoofs. Originally, there were two unicorns in Summer Palace, but they were damaged. So, the craftsman melted them and made a new one. In 1937, the new unicorn was placed in front of the Hall of Longevity.

Afterward, your guide will send you to the hotel for a rest.

Temple of Heaven

Confucius Temple

In the morning, your guide will send you to the airport. Your Yangtze River Cruise Tour ends here. Hope that you choose us again.

Author: Wang Chongchong

Proofreader: Lexie