Oriental Discovery

Your 11-day China group tour will start from Beijing, China’s capital city. Our guide will meet you as you pass through customs upon your arrival at Beijing Airport, and then our driver will transfer you to the hotel and help you check in. You can have a good rest to prepare for the exploration the next day or to orient yourself to the city on your own.

With a history of over 3,000 years, Beijing once served as the capital city of 6 Chinese ancient dynasties, home to a lot of historical architecture, palaces, ancient temples and cultural delights. It offers a glimpse of China’s deep history and also modernity to the world.

Accommodation: Hotel New Otani Chang Fu Gong

After breakfast, all group members will meet in the hotel lobby at the appointed time. After the guide's orientation, you will start the day with a visit to Tiananmen Square, at the heart of Beijing City. As one of the largest city squares in the world, it is flanked by a lot of monumental buildings like Tiananmen Tower, the National Museum of China, and the Great Hall of the People. Following our guide across the square, you will reach the entrance of the imperial palace - the Forbidden City. It is known as the world’s largest wooden palace complex consisting of over 9,000 rooms. This Chinese imperial palace was home to emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368 - 1911), so you will see symbols of the royal family everywhere in the buildings, such as carved dragons, statues of lions and divine creatures, red walls and golden roofs. The magnificent palace structure was built in the early 15th century by about 200,000 to 300,000 workers for about 14 years. When appreciating the huge buildings and halls, you will be amazed at the workers’ wisdom and the effort they made. For example, the palace’s largest stone sculpture located behind the Hall of Preserving Harmony is a whole stone sculpture, weighing more than 220 tons. It is hard to imagine how it was transferred from Beijing’s suburban area to the city center without any modern technology at that time. It is said that the stone was moved by a special land boat in winter. A road was first built with wells every 500 meters along the way. Then pour the water on the ground to freeze a smooth surface. Load the giant stone on the land boat with rolling wood at the underside and then over 20,000 workers and 1,000 horses pulled the boat every day. Nevertheless, it took at least 1 month to reach the imperial palace. In addition to the grand architecture itself, the Forbidden City also houses tens of thousands of ancient artifacts, some best ones of which are exhibited in the Treasure Gallery. We have generously included this gallery for you to view ritual vessels, ceremonial costumes, and some gold and silver treasures.
 
Around noon, we will treat you to an a la carte welcome lunch with Peking duck (valued at CNY150.00 per person and included in our price) at an elegant Chinese restaurant off the regular tourist beat. 

After lunch, you will first visit the Yonghe Temple, Beijing’s largest Tibetan Buddhist Temple, which once served as the residence of a prince, and then transformed to a royal palace and at last became a lamasery. Afterward, you will be accompanied to visit the imperial altar of the Ming and Qing dynasties, the Temple of Heaven, where emperors renewed their divine rights to rule through sacrificial offerings to the gods. The iconic structure of the Temple of Heaven is the conically roofed Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests with 3 tiers standing on a square yard, which demonstrates the old Chinese people’s belief: heaven is round and earth is square. Tonight, a lively Peking Opera Show is waiting for you along with the chance of seeing how actors put makeup on their faces. It is interesting to explore the secrets behind the various colored facial makeups. Generally, a red face symbolizes loyalty and courage, a black face reveals justice and wisdom of the character while a white face suggests crafty and suspicious features.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, A la carte welcome lunch
Accommodation: Hotel New Otani Chang Fu Gong

Today, we will set off early to visit the nearly 3-km long Mutianyu Great Wall, one of the best-preserved Great Wall sections. Dating back to the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644), the old Great Wall watch towers had seen many military actions in defense of the empire. You will take a cable car to reach the wall and see the grandeur in miles of walls sprawling along the tops of mountain ridges. At this time, we will surprise you with red wine for a group toasting to commemorate the special moment on the Great Wall. After enjoying the amazing views, you will take the cable car down from the wall (all included in the price). It is suggested to take some snacks for lunch by yourself and your guide would also like to introduce the nearby restaurants if you need.

Then, we will return to the urban area. Have a brief stop near the Olympic National Stadium (Bird's Nest) to take photos with the tourist icon. You will then experience the unique Beijing Hutong culture by riding a rickshaw through the old Hutong alleys. You will also be arranged to have a special local family visit to take in the oldest grey brick of courtyard residence and learn about the lifestyle of the local people.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel New Otani Chang Fu Gong

In the morning, we’ll proceed to the Beijing Zoo to see cute giant pandas. Then continue the visit to the Summer Palace, the former royal summer retreat of the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911). With a typical Chinese landscape garden design, Summer Palace is covered by water for about three quarters and has the world’s longest corridor with gorgeous paintings. Apart from seeing lotus blooming on Kunming Lake in the summer, we will visit the other main body of the imperial garden, Longevity Hill, home to a large number of ancient halls, pavilions, and pagodas. You will also walk across the garden’s longest Seventeen-Arch Bridge, and soak up the beautiful Suzhou Market Street which is in imitation of the water towns in Southern China.

After lunch, you will be escorted to the airport for a flight to Xi'an, where our local guide will meet and transfer you to the hotel. As one of the most ancient cities in China, Xi’an boasts a long history of over 3,000 years. Thanks to its strategic location, it used to be the capital city of 13 Chinese dynasties, including China’s first unifying dynasty, Qin (221 - 207 BC). The world-famous Terracotta Army, the large underground army buried to protect China’s first emperor Qin Shi Huang, was unearthed from here. More than that, Xi’an had witnessed the glorious past of the powerful Tang Dynasty (618 - 907), the golden age when Chinese ancient culture and arts flourished.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Crowne Plaza Xi'an

After breakfast, you will be led to take in the city’s charm and absorb the ancient Chinese culture the whole day. Your first destination is the Terracotta Army. The life-size clay figures, probably fashioned after individual live models, are frozen in time, and arranged in battle order; even the expressions on the horses are individualized. You can also see the delicate Bronze Chariot and Horses, and bronze vessels and weapons. With the tour guide's detailed introduction, you will know the history behind the wonder. After that, take a family visit to home of the first discoverer of the Terracotta Army. And then make a mini clay warrior by yourself with the help of a local artisan.

In the afternoon, go back to the downtown to visit the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda. The brick pagoda is an incredible, well-preserved 1,300-year-old structure built in the Tang Dynasty, in memory of the celebrated monk Xuanzang’s travel and to save the Buddhist scripts, stupas, and other relics he brought from India. Later, you will be entertained by the Tang Dynasty Music and Dance Show while partaking of the famous Dumpling Dinner.

► Friendly Tip: Since the theater is usually not open in Jan, Feb, Mar and Dec, we will not arrange the show and dumpling dinner for tours during the periods. Clients will enjoy free time tonight.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Dumpling dinner
Accommodation: Crowne Plaza Xi'an

You will spend the whole morning around the City Wall area. The 12-meter high ancient City Wall built in the 14th century was the most complete well-preserved old city ramparts in China, surrounded by a moat. First, our guide will take you to the City Wall Park. It is a place full of life and vigor since a lot of locals, especially elders come here doing morning exercises, dancing, and singing local opera. You might want to join in the Tai Chi practice to experience the authentic slow-movement-art. Then follow the guide to the City Wall. Due to the sheer size of the wall, with a length of around 14 km and width of 12-14 meters, it is better to take a bike ride on the top of it (The bike rental is an out-of-pocket expense). You can also choose to take a stroll and take photos of the beautiful city views.

Around noon, we will proceed to the Muslim Quarter, home to the popular Chinese Muslim (Hui) community. It is also famous as a local food market, where many types of dishes and local specialties are available, such as sweet persimmon cake, sticky rice cakes, and spicy lamb skewers. It is a good chance for you to try the local snacks. In the afternoon, visit the Great Mosque. Built in 742 during the Tang Dynasty, the mosque is the earliest Muslim house of worship in Xi'an, featuring blending architectural styles of Chinese traditional temples and Islamic mosques. The last stop will be the Small Wild Goose Pagoda, the famous pagoda of a 15-story square brick structure built in 684. We’ll also visit the Xi’an Museum inside, collecting Buddhist statues, bronze bells, as well as silver and jade carvings.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Crowne Plaza Xi'an (5 stars)

Today you will check out of Xi'an hotel and catch a morning flight to Guilin. Our guide in Guilin will greet you in the airport and transfer you to the hotel in downtown. 

After a short break, your trip in picturesque Guilin will start with the Reed Flute Cave. It is a karst cave boasting varies shapes of stalactites and stalagmites. This is followed by a visit to Elephant Trunk Hill, a landmark in Guilin City. As the name suggests, it features a huge elephant-like rock with a long trunk on the tranquil Li River.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast
Accommodation: Sheraton Guilin Hotel

Fresh from a hotel breakfast, you will embark on the deluxe 4-star Li River Cruise down the 93-km-long beautiful waterway. The tour guide will accompany you the whole way and provide full explanations in 4 hours. You will take many wonderful photos and be mesmerized by clear waters and grotesque peaks along the river. A simple lunch box will be provided on the cruise today.

Disembark at Yangshuo and walk through the West Street, and then we will drive along country roads and take in the fresh and clean rural scenery in Yangshuo. A scheduled stop is at a local farmer's house to explore the local’s lives. Finally, you will be escorted back to Guilin city.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Sheraton Guilin Hotel

You have the whole morning to explore Guilin city on your own. Strolling around popular Zhengyang Street and finding some local delicacies like savory Guilin Rice Noodles, and light-sweet Osmanthus rice cakes is recommended. In the afternoon, our guide will transfer you to Guilin West Railway Station to take a 3-hour high speed train to Hong Kong. Your escorted tour ends when you leave Guilin. You will enjoy a 2-day Hong Kong city exploration on your own and we have booked a nice hotel downtown for you.

Upon arrival at Hong Kong West Kowloon Station, you need to go to the 4-star Regal Kowloon Hotel by yourself. You can walk east about 800 meters to Austin Station and take Tuen Ma Line to East Tsim Sha Tsui Station. Get out of the station and walk northeast about 600 meters to reach the hotel, taking about 20 minutes. If you take a taxi directly, the ride takes around 10 minutes and costs HKD 35 or so.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast
Accommodation: Regal Kowloon Hotel

After breakfast, you will have the whole day to explore the vibrant Hong Kong on your own. Here we also recommend some activities for your reference. The first suggested stop is the Victoria Peak, where you can experience the red-color classic tram. It offers the best place to have a panoramic view of the stunning Hong Kong skyline. Get up early to reach the tram station to avoid long queues by Tsuen Wan Line from Tsim Sha Tsui to Central. Get out of the J2 Exit and then ride on the tram, and it takes about 8 minutes to finish the 1,350-meter distance to the peak. After enjoying the amazing natural wonders of the city at the viewpoint, take the tram back to Central Station and then you can take the traditional Hong Kong Ding Ding Tram to explore the city at the cost of HKD 3 in a slow and convenient way. The tramway will finally take you to Causeway Bay, one of the most bustling and prosperous neighborhoods in Hong Kong. Here you can try a lot of local culinary delights like delicious Cantonese dim sum, and Fashion Walk Food Street also provides some international cuisine to suit your palate. You will also be spoilt for choices from luxury malls to street shops with neon signs. Stroll around to experience the city’s tradition and modernity and feel the vibrant atmosphere.

In the late afternoon, it is advised to go to Wan Chai Ferry Pier by Bus Line 690. Then take the iconic Star Ferry to Tsim Sha Tsui, offering you a chance to glimpse at the gorgeous night views of Victoria Harbor. Disembark the ferry, you can continue to stroll along the famous Avenue of Stars and enjoy the shimmering light show from a different angle. A Symphony of Lights generally starts at 20:00.

Hong Kong VS Shanghai: Which Looks Better After Dark? 
Both famous as top-tier cities in the world, Shanghai and Hong Kong are often compared in economy, architecture, cultures, and even the night views of the Bund and Victoria Harbor. It is hard to decide which boasts a better night cityscape as they do have their own characteristics. As the major economic and financial center in mainland China, Shanghai features growing futuristic skyscrapers and beautiful colonial-era architecture gleaming along the Huangpu River. Hong Kong remains one of the most alluring travel destinations for its metropolitan charm combining the traditional Chinese culture and Western culture. It also has once won the top 3 of the world’s most spectacular night views, along with Hokkaido in Japan, and Napoli in Italy. Compared to Shanghai’s stunning night view, Hong Kong features fantastic Victoria Harbor night scenes with an impressive skyline composed of more dense high-rise buildings.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast
Accommodation: Regal Kowloon Hotel (4 stars)

After breakfast, check out the hotel and you need to get to the airport for your homeward flight on your own. Take Bus Line A25 or A21 to the airport, taking about 1 hour and costing HKD 35-40. Taxi travel takes about 40 minutes and costs around HKD 250-300. Wish you a nice journey! Should you plan to stay longer in Hong Kong, we are there to assist you with the hotel bookings.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast