Day 01 Beijing

Arrive in Beijing, the capital of China. You are greeted by your guide at the airport outside the luggage claim area with your name displayed and then transferred to the four-star Beijing Jianguo Hotel Qianmen or similar.

Day 02 Beijing (B, L)

Morning program takes you to Tian'an Men Square and the Forbidden City, the residence of Chinese emperors for more than 500 years. Afternoon sightseeing features the Temple of Heaven, where emperors once prayed for good harvests and the Summer Palace, a summer resort for Empress Dowager Ci Xi.

Day 03 Beijing (B, L)

The highlight today is to conquer the Juyongguan Great Wall, a symbol of the Chinese ancient civilization and to the Changling, one of the Ming Tombs, the burial grounds for the 13 Ming Dynasty emperors.

Day 04 Beijing / Xian (B, L)

Enjoy a leisure morning to explore the city by your own. Meet your guide at noon and have lunch. Then have exterior visit the Bird's Nest and Water Cube of Olympic National Stadium. Travel to Xian by overnight soft-sleeper train.

Day 05 Xian (B, L)

Arrive in the ancient city of Xian. Meet your guide. Today you will take a city tour to the majestic Wild Goose Pagoda and the Shaanxi Provincial Historic Museum. After lunch proceed to the very heart of the city and visit Great Mosque in the Muslim Quarters. Check into the four-star New World Hotel or similar

Day 06 Xian / Shanghai (B, L)

Today's highlight is a visit to the burial site of an incredible army of 8000 lifelike Terra-cotta soldiers, where you will have a face-to-face visit to those historic heroes. Return to the city and proceed to enjoy a leisure stroll on the top of the Ancient City Wall, the best preserved in the world, followed by a wander on the famous Shuyuanmen Culture Street to appreciate the delicate traditional art crafts. Fly to Shanghai. Upon arrival in Shanghai, the commercial center of China, meet you guide at airport and transfer to four-star Shanghai Greenland Jiulong Hotel or similar.

Day 07 Shanghai (B, L)

Full day visit the fabulous Yu Garden at the Old Quarter, the Bund, and the Shanghai Museum, one of the best in China on Renmin Square.

Day 08 Shanghai departure (B)

Transfer to the airport for your departure flight. Service ends.

Day 09 Shanghai / Sydney

Arrive home this morning.

Remarks:

The above prices are cash discount rates based on twin sharing room.

A $200 per person deposit is required to secure a reservation and is payable by credit card, Paypal, bank transfer. To take advantage of the cash discount rate, you must pay the balance due by bank transfer. The balance payment is due 30 days prior to the departure date. The cash discount is not affected by how you pay the initial deposit.

Tour Fare: Fares are based on twin or double occupancy.

Cash Discount Rate: A $200 per person deposit is required to secure a reservation and is payable by credit card, Paypal, bank transfer. To take advantage of the cash discount rate, you must pay the balance due by bank transfer. The balance payment is due 30 days prior to the departure date. The cash discount is not affected by how you pay the initial deposit.

Unless otherwise stated you will be billed for the "Cash Discount Rate" as specified in your tour invoice. The credit card payment adds $200 on top of "Cash Discount Rate" per person. Please contact us at least one week prior to the balance payment due date if you would like to make the balance payment by a credit card, by doing so you are NOT eligible for the cash discount rate.

"Land Only" Packages: "Land Only" packages do not include international flights to and from China, and do not include airport to hotel transfers, which are straightforward and cost about $20 per ride by metered taxicab. More information about transfer by taxi and private transfer options are available upon request. The listed "LAND ONLY" rate includes all China internal taxes and fees.

Single Room Supplement: $240/person. The single supplement won't be charged unless a single room is needed.

Children Discount: Children of 11 years and under may have $100-$200 off adult rate depending on the tour and departure date. Children under 2 years are considered infants, and may travel in a parent's lap. Airlines do not usually offer a seat for infants and further discounts may apply. Please contact us for details for children under 12. Children 12 years and older are considered adults for fare purposes and the adult rate applies.

Inclusion

1. Return Economy class International Airfares from Australia to China
2. 4 star Hotel accommodations with daily Western/American Buffet breakfast. The hotel accommodation is based on two persons sharing one twin room with private facilities.
3. Chinese lunches or dinners with multi-soft drinks specified on the itinerary.
4. Special meal arrangement or entertainment mentioned on the schedule
5. Tour escort services provided by English-speaking guides in each sightseeing cities.
6. Air-conditioned coach or private van served along the trip.
7. The soft sleeper train charge between cities in the itinerary.
8. Entrance fee for all of the sightseeing spots listed on the itinerary.
9. The government tax and the city construction fee inside China within the tour where applicable.
10. China Insurance.

Exclusion

1. Single Supplement
2. Tips and Personal Expenses
3. China Visa (Please contact usif you need our assistance )

Dear Lesley

We are still quite tired but also energized after our trip to China.

Again I would like to congratulate and thank you for your excellent organization of our itinerary, linking up the cities we wished to visit, and organizing our transport and accommodation as well as the guided tours of the tourist highlights.

Our local guides were exceptionally kind and courteous and helpful. Tina in Xian had the best English, and Jack in Shanghai-Suzhou-Hangzhou was a delightful young man, and looked after us with great attentiveness.

Bernard and I are more interested in the general countryside and notable buildings in the city, and in the way of life of the Chinese people. The young man who met us at Shanghai airport, Peter, was quite fluent and talked about the changes we observed since our previous visit in 2006.Some clients might prefer not to be talked at, but we like to get as much information as we can.

Our drivers were all very good, competent drivers - we felt quite safe with them even in crazy traffic. They were also very helpful with our luggage and with helping us out of the bus when we stopped. They also assisted the guide in planning the best route on occasions.

Lunches arranged with our two female guides, Kelly and Tina, were excellent.

China seems to be 'flavor of the month' in Victoria, if not in Australia as a whole. Our state premier visited China in September, and so did another senior politician in our state who is a friend of mine. I hope to organize a forum on 'Impressions of China' for some of my contacts and friends.

Our friends in ZhengZhou where we stayed for our first two days were unbelievably kind and hospitable, and showed us admirable features of Chinese people.

Finally, we had our anticipated ride on the Maglev train. It was most impressive, and all too short. I noted the times at which it reached 100, 200, 300, 400 km per hour, and how it hovered around its maximum 430-431 km/hr for about 20 seconds; by then it had to slow down again to stop at the airport.

We are not aware of any of our friends who are currently planning to visit China, but we will certainly recommend your organization if we are asked.

Best regards

Anne

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