The Best of China

• Itinerary
• Prices & Information

Day 1 Depart USA
Board China Hainan Airlines nonstop flight bound for Beijing, leaving Seattle (SEA) at 2:00 pm, En route you cross the International Date Line. 
Included Meals: Inflight Meals
 
Day 2 Beijing
Arrive in Beijing at 4:30 pm. Meet your local representative and transfer to your hotel. Relax and enjoy remainder of the day in China’s historic and vibrant capital city. Your hotel is located in the heart of Beijing’s Wanfujing Shopping Street, just few steps away from Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City and many major tourist sites.
Included Meals: Inflight Meals
Hotel: Beijing Marriott City Wall    

Day 3  Beijing
Tour Beijing’s imperial treasures. First, Tian’anmen Square, the largest public square in the world, capable of holding one million people. Stroll across its vast expanse. An assortment of historical buildings, Communist monuments and huge museums, including Chairman Mao’s Mausoleum, the Monument to the People’s Heroes, and the Great Hall of the People – home of the National People’s Congress, flank the Square. Walk through the Gate of Heavenly Peace, under the famed portrait of Chairman Mao, to enter the Forbidden City, a 9,999-room compound, where the 24 emperors of the Ming and the Qing Dynasties ruled the Middle Kingdom for nearly 500 years (1420-1911). Experience the architectural splendor of the palaces, ceremonial courtyards and private quarters. Lunch at a local restaurant.
Later, you join our Culture InSites™ Program and experience the world of Beijing’s Hutongs, via rickshaw. This network of courtyard homes and narrow lanes traditionally linked the old city. Tour the maze-like alleyways and neighborhood residences. See the locals as they go about their daily activities. Highlights include visits to a traditional courtyard style home and see “Fan” dancing performed by the senoirs. This unique tour concludes with a meal served at the home of a local family. In the afternoon, you visit the Giant Panda at Beijing Zoo. Dinner is followed by Peking Opera with face painting demonstration
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
    
Day 4  Beijing
In the morning, you visit the Temple of Heaven; this remarkable building is considered the supreme achievement of traditional Chinese architecture. During each winter solstice, the Ming and Qing emperors would perform rites and make sacrifices to Heaven praying for good harvest for their empire. The most striking edifice is the “Hall of Prayer of Good Harvests”, which according to the emperor’s Fengshui masters, is the exact point where heaven and Earth met. Built in 1420, this masterpiece of Ming architecture, features triple eaves, dramatically carved marble balustrades, and gorgeous glazed azure roof that symbolizes the color of heaven. Built without a single nails, this 120-foot-high structure is fixed by four inner pillars represent the seasons, and two sets of 12 columns denote the months and the traditional Chinese division of a day.
Today, you also make a photo stop at the “Bird Nest” – the main stadium of 2008 Summer Olympics. You then take a scenic drive through the countryside to reach China’s most renowned monument – the Great Wall. The ’original’ wall was begun in the 5th century BC to keep out foreign invaders. Construction continued for centuries, eventually linking up the walls of the former independent kingdoms. The Great Wall meanders through China’s northern mountain ranges from the Yellow Sea to the Gobi Desert – a distance of over 3500 miles! Chairman Mao once said “You haven’t walked on the Wall, you haven’t been a good Chinese”. Today you will have ample time to climb a section of the Great Wall and to get a sense of the enormity of this ancient edifice. In the evening, savor a specially prepared meal of Beijing Duck, cooked to crispy perfection.     
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 5 Beijing
In the morning, you tour the idyllic Summer Palace, with its sprawling encampment of temples, pavilions, the marble boat, and the 728-yard Long Corridor. After lunch, you are free to discover this magnificent city. Take advantage of your hotel’s prime location and explore Beijing on your own. (B,L)
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
 
Day 6 Beijing – Yichang
You are free in the morning. After lunch, you fly to Yichang for a memorable Yangtze River – Three Gorges cruise. You board the 5-star Ship. Settle into your cabin and check out the numerous amenities on board. The Yangtze River originates on the Tibetan Plateau and traverses a distance of 3900 miles before flowing into the East China Sea, near Shanghai. It is the third longest river in the world, after the Amazon and the Nile. With over 700 tributaries, the Yangtze River has been the lifeline and major commercial thoroughfare in China for millennia. The ship stays in port at night and sets sail early in the morning.
Hotel: M.V. Century Sky 
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
 
Day 7  Yangtze Cruise
Stop at Sandouping, the site of modern China’s most ambitious engineering project – the construction of Three Gorges Dam and its hydroelectric power plant. View the current phase of this 17-year project. When completed in 2009, the dam will be 610 feet high and over a mile wide. The hydroelectrical power plant will be driven by the world’s largest turbines and have the generating capacity of 18 nuclear power plants. A reservoir 372-mile long will be created, with the end result of displacing 1.5 million people, submerging 1000s of their towns and villages and wiping out numerous archaeological sites. Whole cities have been relocated, precious topsoil brought to higher elevations and centuries-old lifestyles altered forever. Relax as your cruise continues. Choose your vantage point as the ship transits the five-stage shiplock and enters the spectacular Xiling Gorge – the first of the magnificent Three Gorges – for the next 150 miles, the Yangtze forces its way through a spectacular barrier of solid limestone ridges known as the Three Gorges. Attend the Captain’s Welcome Banquet in the evening.   
 Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 8   Yangtze Cruise
Another day of incredible views awaits you upon entering Wu Gorge. The softly layered peaks form a surreal backdrop as the ship courses through the rugged canyons. Wu Gorge, celebrated for its twelve misty peaks soaring above, has been the inspiration of Chinese painters and poets throughout the centuries. Transfer to the “Peapod” boat for an excursion to the Lesser Three Gorges or to the fabled Shennong Stream, depending on the water level. Notice the ruins of the ancient plank road along the cliff face as well as the coffins of the Ba people suspended from the cliffs above. The contrasting heights of these gorges and the narrowness of the river make this area one of the most dramatic scenes in the world. Tonight enjoy a dinner featuring local cuisine and onboard entertainment.   
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 9   Yangtze Cruise
Your cruise continues into Qutang Gorge, the shortest and narrowest of the Three Gorges. Go out onto the deck to take in the natural beauty. Your boat docks at Fengdu – China’s “City of Ghosts”, where you visit temples and shrines dedicated to the gods of the underworld. This is the place of final judgment in the Yangtze basin. Landmarks in the town bore horrific names – Ghost Torturing Pass, Last Glance at Home Tower, Nothing-to-be-done Bridge etc. Tonight, enjoy a Farewell Banquet and a cultural show onboard.   
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
 
Day 10   Chongqing – Xian
Your remarkable Yangtze cruise ends at the mountain city of Chongqing, China’s largest city with a population of over 30 million. During WWII, Chongqing was China’s wartime capital. U.S. General Stillwell was the Commander of the US Forces here. If time permits, you visit the former office and residence of General Joseph Stilwell, now a museum that is a moving testament to Stilwell and “Flying Tigers” and illuminates Chinese/American relations. Then you are transferred to the airport for a short flight to Xian.  An ancient capital and the historic gateway to the Silk Road, Xian was the capital of the Middle Kingdom for 11 dynasties. In a time when ancient Beijing was just a remote trading post, Xian was the capital of China and one of the world’s largest and richest cities, with a population exceeding one million in the 10th century. In the afternoon, you tour the Wild Goose Pagoda, a Tang Dynasty landmark. This seven-story pagoda was initially constructed in 652 AD to house the Buddhist sutras brought back from India by the monk, Xuan Zang, who later translated them into Chinese. His pilgrimage to India is immortalized in the Chinese classic – “The Journey to the West”. No tour of Xian would be complete without a walk on the City Wall. It is one of the best preserved city walls in the country. Enjoy your evening at leisure. 
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Hotel: Xian Grand Hotel

Day 11  Xian
Today’s excursion will take you to modern China’s greatest archaeological discovery – The Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses, which silently guarded the tomb of China’s First Emperor for over 2,200 years. In 1974, a local farmer uncovered the first of three massive earth and timber vaults, while digging a well. The extensive excavation, still in progress, has yielded over 6000 life-sized terra cotta warriors, each individually sculpted, with the physical characteristics of the humans they were modeled after. Archers, infantrymen, horses and bronze chariots have also been unearthed. A Circle Vision documentary is available on site. After lunch at a local restaurant, see a noodle making demonstration.  Today’s Culture InSites™ Program will offer you a rare opportunity to witness a real rural life at a typical village in central China. You visit a “Yao Dong” (Literally an arched tunnel) – a typical cave dwellings that stretches across six provinces in north central China. The “Yao Dong” is caves dug into mountainsides with a signature arched front. Usually, one family unit consists of three arched openings, and the units are interconnected inside. The center cave can be termed the “living room,” which includes a stovetop cooking area. The two side caves are sleeping quarters. Outside of the cities of this region, some 90% of the rural population live in yaodongs.  Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907), traditionally regarded as the golden age of China, was a time of patricians and intellectuals, Buddhist monks and Taoist priests, poetry and music, song and dance – a period of peace and exceptional creativity lasting 300 years. This evening, you attend a feast of culinary and cultural delights with a special Dumpling (dim sum) banquet followed by a fascinating Tang Dynasty stage show. Indulge yourself in this remarkable show and reinvent your China dream with a travel back in time to the world of China’s Golden Age, then come back to the present with a greater understanding of this amazing time.          
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
 
Day 12  Xian – Shanghai
Fly to Shanghai. Shanghai, China’s dynamic financial and cultural center, was once referred to as “The Paris of the East”. Upon arrival, you take the maglev, the world’s fastest magnetic levitation train from the Shanghai Pudong International Airport to the city. The Maglev travels at a speed of 287mph and will cover the 20 mile distance in less than 8 minutes! In the afternoon, you take a walk along the Bund, the elegant riverside promenade which symbolized European and foreign influence and affluence in the 1930s. See the ships and barges on the Huangpu River, en route to the sea or going upstream to the interior of China. The modernistic Oriental Pearl TV tower looms in the background redefining the skyline. Later, you tour Xin Tian Di.  
Hotel: Pullman Skyway Shanghai    
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 13  Shanghai
Begin your tour in the heart of old Shanghai at the 16th century Yu Garden and city bazaar. This complex, with its classical architectural details, maze of walkways and reflecting pools, has been a marketplace and social center for over 200 years. In contrast, is the futurist Pudong area. Transformed from once fertile farmland, this new area is rapidly becoming the symbol of modern China with its world class hotels, international financial institutions, and commercial centers. Enjoy a stunning view of Shanghai from the 88th floor of the Jinmao Tower, the tallest building in China. At 1,380 feet, it is the world’s third tallest building, as well as home to the world’s tallest hotel – the Grand Hyatt Shanghai. Enjoy a traditional Mongolian BBQ Buffet lunch. In the afternoon, visit Shanghai Museum, an unique and inspiring piece of architecture, home to more than 120,000 cultural relics of ancient China, including a priceless collection of jade, bronze, ceramics, paintings, furniture, etc. After dinner, attend an unforgettable performance of the Shanghai Acrobats.  
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
 
Day 14   Suzhou Excursion
Travel to the fabled water town of Suzhou. Suzhou is often referred, by the Chinese, as the “Venice of the East”. It is a 2,500-year-old town renowned the world over for its traditional gardens, ancient canals and silk production. In 1997 Suzhou was designated an UNESCO World Heritage Site. The construction of the Grand Canal created a means whereby goods from this region could be transported to the Northern capital, Beijing, a distance of over 600 miles. With prosperity came prestige as merchants and artisans plied their trade; elaborate gardens were built. Take a cruise on the Grand Canal and see the long life along the river. Visit the Garden of the Master of Fishing Nets, and experience all of the elements of a classical Chinese garden. Tour the Silk Spinning Mill, and learn how silk is created from the mulberry-munching silkworms to produce thread and fine cloth. Marco Polo once reported that so much precious silk was produced in Suzhou that every citizen was clothed in it. Travel to Shanghai and enjoy your evening at leisure.    
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
   
Day 15   Journey home
Flight to Beijing, then connect to MSP. Arrive home the same day.
Included Meals: Breakfast