12 Days China World Heritage Tour

Day 01 Beijing

Arrive in Beijing, the capital of China. You are greeted by your guide at the airport and transferred to the four-star Holiday Inn Downtown Hotel.

Day 02 Beijing (B, L)

Morning tour starts with the Gugong, also called the Forbidden City, in scripted as a UNESCO world cultural heritage site in 1987.Built between 1406-1420, it is the largest palace of the world imperial complex covering 74 hectares. It has 9999 halls and rooms in which emperors lived for over 500 hundred years in Ming and Qing dynasties. Walk leisure around Tian An Men Square to admire the grandeur of the largest public squares in the world. After lunch, you will visit the biggest and most important imperial Temple of China, Temple of Heaven, where emperors performed annual rituals of sacrifice to ensure prosperity for future generations. Then you will drive to the Summer Palace which was built 800 years ago. It is the second largest and best-preserved royal garden in China, with 294 hectares including the beautiful and serene Kunming Lake.

Day 03 Beijing (B, L)

Travel to the Badaling Great Wall, one of the eight ancient wonders of between 6000- 6500 km long built over several centuries to keep out the invading northern tribes. After a hike along a portion of the Wall, you visit the Ming Tombs (Changling), a secluded valley housing 14 imperial burial mounds. Then you will have an overview of Olympic Stadium, including Bird Nest and Water Cube.

Day 04 Beijing (B, L)

Morning ride in three-wheeled rickshaws through Beijing's Hutong, experiencing the lifestyle of the Beijing locals. Proceed to visit Lama Temple, the only Beijing city temple that survived the Cultural Revolution. It is the largest Lama Temple outside Tibet. It was built in 1694 and the architecture and ornamentation of the buildings show the influence of Han, Manchu, Mongolian and Tibetan styles. This afternoon visit 798 factory, it is a new rising, avant-garde and trendy space that hosts high-level cultural, artistic and commercial activities.

Day 05 Beijing / Shanghai (B, L)

Free in the morning. Then you will transfer to the airport and take a flight to Shanghai. Upon arrival, you will be transferred to the Shanghai Greenland Jiulong Hotel. Shanghai visit starts with a tour of the premier attractions of the city where we can immerse ourselves in the culture and sophistication of this cosmopolitan. You can stroll along the lovely paths and pavilions of Yu Garden in Shanghai Old City and at the same time experience Shanghai recently gained modernity. Then you will spend some shopping time at the famous Nanjing Road. In the evening enjoy leisure walk along the riverfront Bund and admire the night lights on both sides of the harbor.

Day 06 Shanghai/Suzhou/Shanghai (B, L)

In the morning drive to Suzhou and appreciate the elegant classical Suzhou garden with a tour to the Master of Nets Garden, Lingering Garden to understand the art of Chinese aesthetics through every rock, waterway, plant and flower. New Suzhou Museum, designed by world famous architect I.M.Pei was completed in October 2006, covering over 10,700 square meters. The new museum houses over 30000 cultural relics --- most notably for excavated artifacts, Ming and Qing Dynasty paintings and calligraphy, and ancient arts and crafts. Suzhou has been the silk trade center of China for centuries, one must visit the Silk Embroidery Research Institute and Silk factory to see how silk is produced and dyed. Drive back to Shanghai in the afternoon.

Day 07 Shanghai/Tunxi (Mt. Huangshan) (B)

Morning is free. This afternoon visit Shanghai Museum, mainly the exhibitions of painting, bronze, sculpture, ceramics, calligraphy, jade, Ming & Qing Dynasty furniture, coins, seals, and ethnic artwork. Continue visiting Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Centre to see what a city of the future is really going to look like. In the evening transferred to the airport and take the flight to Mt. Huangshan. UNESCO officially recognizes Mt. Huangshan as a World Heritage Cultural Site in 1990: its immense beauty covers 154 square kilometers with numerous peaks decorating the misty skyline. Lotus, Brightness Apex, and Celestial Capital Peaks are the three major ones, all rising above 1,800 meters. The mountains are a body of granite, often with vertical joints. Erosion and fracture contributed to the shaping of the rocks into huge columns, giving rise to lofty peaks and deep ravines. When it is cloudy the pinnacles loom in mists as if they were illusionary, and while the sun is shining they unfold all their majesty and splendor, capturing the owesome nature in its true wonder. Check into the four-star Huashan Hotel.

Day 08 Tunxi / Mt. Huangshan (B, L, D)

After breakfast, ascend to the top of the mountain by cable car and enjoy the attractions of Huangshan. You would be enchanted by bizarre contoured pine trees, fantastic rock formations, seas of cloud and budding hot springs. In addition, one will find the diversified fauna, plants, flowers, herbs in Huangshan most fascinating for research purpose also. Accommodations are at the local best Beihai Hotel at the top the mountain.

Day 09 Mt. Huangshan/Tunxi (B, L)

Rise early to catch the glory of the rising sun bathes the nearby peaks and pavilions in a shower of light. Descend the mountain by cable car. After lunch, drive to visit Tangyue Memorial Archway. At the entrance of the Tang Yue Village stand the seven magnificent stone memorial archways-three built in the Ming Dynasty and four in the Qing Dynasty, in the successive order of loyalty, filial piety, women's chastity and charity. Each was built in relation with a moving story and vividly reveals in one way or another moral values. Tonight enjoy your own leisure and take a stroll on the Old Walking Street in the Tun Xi city. The Ancient Street was built about 700 years ago in the Song Dynasty; it is about 1.5 km long and lined with hundreds of old but well-preserved elegant shops.

Day 10 Tun Xi / Hong Village / Tun Xi / Shanghai (B, L)

Today you will visit Hong Cun Village and Xi Di Village, old Villages now one of the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Sites in China. Most people knew about this area from the film "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" which was shot on site here. These villages demonstrate classical Ming and Qing Dynasty residential architectural style. But most important, there exists a unique irrigation and waterways system that rendered the villagers with direct access to water already hundreds years ago. Today, you are enchanted not only by the unique waterways, the architectural form, but also by the harmony between men made artifacts and nature resulting in a soothing environment most pleasing to your eyes. This evening fly back to Shanghai. Meet and transfer to the Shanghai Greenland Jiulong Hotel. The rest of the day is free.

Day 11 Shanghai (B)

Free for your to explore the city in depth

Day 12 Shanghai (B)

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