AB: American Breakfast | L: Lunch | D: Dinner | SD: Special Dinner
 

Day 01 (Fri) US/BEIJING
Take an international flight from the US to Beijing, China. Meals and snacks will be served on the plane. Movies will also be available during the flight.

Day 02 (Sat) BEIJING
Upon arrival in Beijing, you will be met and transferred to your hotel by our tour guide. The rest of the night will be free for your leisure.

Day 03 (Sun) BEIJING (AB, L, D)
Today you will visit Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the largest and most intact conglomeration of ancient structures of the imperial palace. This was the palace for 24 Ming and Qing Dynasty emperors who ruled China for over 500 years. You will also tour the delicately crafted Temple of Heaven, where the emperors used to pray for good harvest.

Day 04 (Mon) BEIJING (AB, L, SD)
The highlight today is a trip to the astonishing Great Wall of China at Juyongguan Pass, one of the most remarkable feats of mankind. After lunch, you will stroll along the Sacred Way guarding the Ming Tombs, lined with different statutes of animals such as lions, elephants, camels and etc. Later in the day, you will take a tour of the Olympic Park where you will view the exterior of the Bird Nest-China National Stadium and Water Cube-China National Aquatic Center. Attend a welcome Peking Duck Dinner tonight.

Day 05 (Tue) BEIJING (AB, L, D)
The excursion today includes a visit to the Summer Palace, the famous resort of Empress Dowager Ci Xi. Feast your eyes on the Long Corridor, Longevity Hill, and Kunming Lake. You may also have the opportunity to see pandas at Beijing Zoo located nearby the Summer Palace. This afternoon you will take a tour of Hutong (Chinese alleyways) by riding aboard a rickshaw pedicab through the narrow lanes of the old residential quarters. You will have the opportunity to take a glimpse of the local residents’ daily life. In the evening you will attend an acrobatic show.

Day 06 (Wed) BEIJING/XIAN (AB, L, SD)
After breakfast, you will take a flight to Xian, the ancient capital city for 11 dynasties in Chinese history. Visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda upon arrival in Xian. Enjoy a dumpling dinner banquet, followed by an on-stage show of Tang Dynasty dance and music.

Day 07 (Thurs) XIAN (AB, L, D)
After breakfast, visit the Tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang and see the awesome Terra-Cotta Warriors and Horses, widely regarded as the eighth wonder of the world. After lunch, take a tour of the well preserved Ancient City Wall. Enjoy the rest of the day for leisure.

Day 08 (Fri) XIAN/SUZHOU (via Shanghai)
(AB, L, D)
This morning you will visit the Shaanxi Provincial Museum of History if time permits before taking a flight to Shanghai. Upon arrival in Shanghai, you will be met and transferred to the city of Suzhou, noted for its landscaped gardens.

Day 09 (Sat) SUZHOU/SHANGHAI (AB, L, D)
Today you will cruise on the world famous ancient Grand Canal of more than 2400 years history to experience the unique cultures and glimpse the daily life of the local residents. You will also visit the silk embroidery factory, the Lingering Garden and the ancient Panmen Gate, the only existing water & land gate. After dinner you will take a bus ride back to Shanghai. Shanghai, China’s largest city (home to 16 million people), is also China’s principal port on a deep estuary of the Yangtze River. Often regarded as “the Paris of the East,” Shanghai has retained the flavor of its past European influences.

Day 10 (Sun) SHANGHAI (AB, L, SD)
After breakfast, you will take an excursion to Zhujiajiao, a water village near Shanghai with a history of more than 1000 years. You will experience the serene country lifestyle of the local residents, and immerse yourself in the “old world” architecture and the local customs that have been well preserved. In the afternoon, visit the Bund, bustling Nanjing Road and well-known Shanghai Museum of Art and History, which ranks among the great museums of the world. Attend a Shanghai cuisine dinner in the evening, followed by a cruise on Huangpu River to enjoy a fascinating night view of Shanghai.

Day 11 (Mon) SHANGHAI/YICHANG (AB, D)
Today you will take a flight to Yichang. Upon arrival in Yichang, you will be met at the airport and transferred to the pier in Sandouping to embark on the deluxe Century Cruise ship. Spend the night on the cruise. Ship departs late at night and enters Xiling Gorge.

Day 12 (Tues) YANGTZE RIVER CRUISE: XILING GORGE/THREE GORGES DAM (AB, L, D)
This morning you will take a shore excursion of the Three Gorges Dam. Return to the ship for lunch. In the afternoon, the cruise ship will pass through the five level shiplocks of the well-known Three Gorges Dam, which gives you an unique opportunity to experience the grandeur of the world’s biggest dam project. Attend Captain’s Welcome Party while ship continues sailing through the Xiling Gorge.

Day 13 (Wed) YANGTZE RIVER CRUISE: WU GORGE/WUSHAN/QUTANG GORGE (AB, L, D)
Pass through the Wu Gorge early in the morning and sail to Wushan, where you will be transferred to a smaller boat for a shore excursion of the breathtaking sceneries of the Lesser Three Gorges. Return aboard for lunch. Continue sailing and pass through the Qutang Gorge in the late afternoon.

Day 14 (Thurs) YANGTZE RIVER CRUISE: FENGDU (AB, L, D)
Arrive in Fengdu, the legendary home of the King of Hades – often referred to as the “ghost city”– in the morning. Go ashore to view the Snow Jade Cave known for its jade-like stalactite and stalagmite or visit Mingshan Hill’s temples. Return aboard for lunch. Continue sailing for Chongqing.

Day 15 (Fri) CHONGQING/GUILIN (AB, L, D)
Arrive in Chongqing in the morning. Take a city tour of Chongqing and visit the Stilwell Museum before flying to Guilin, famous for its picturesque limestone peaks and rivers. Upon arrival in Guilin, you will be met and transferred to your hotel.

Day 16 (Sat) GUILIN/YANGSHUO (AB, L, D)
After breakfast, you will take a relaxing cruise on the Li River to Yangshuo, an incredibly beautiful town with its landscape dotted with karst peaks and the Li River winding around it. Enjoy the haunting beauty of the mist-wrapped monolithic peaks along the riverbanks en route. Upon arrival in Yangshuo, you will take a walking tour and stroll on the Xi Jie (West Street) which has attracted so many foreign tourists that it has been even called the “Global Village”. After dinner, you will attend the “Impression Sister Liu Sanjie” Show. The performance, with the natural mountains and water as the setting, has become a must for visitors to Yangshuo. Stay overnight in Yangshuo.

Day 17 (Sun) YANGSHUO/GUILIN (AB, L, D)
This morning you will take a bus ride back to Guilin for a tour of the Elephant Trunk Hill and Reed Flute Cave, a fairy land of limestone known as the “art gallery of nature”. Enjoy the rest of the day for leisure. Stay overnight in Guilin.

Day 18 (Mon) GUILIN/SHENZHEN/HONG KONG (AB)
After breakfast, you will take a departure transfer to the airport for a flight to Shenzhen, a neighboring city across Hong Kong. Upon arrival at the airport in Shenzhen, you will be picked up and transferred directly to your hotel in Hong Kong, “The Pearl of the Orient”. You may stroll around for leisure or shopping for the rest of the day.

Day 19 (Tues) HONG KONG (AB)
Today’s half-day seat-in-coach tour of Hong Kong Island takes you to the Stanley Market, the Aberdeen Fishing Village, Repulse Bay and Victoria Peak for a breathtaking view of the city and its harbor. The rest of the day will be free for you to experience the vibrancy and vitality of urban Hong Kong on your own.

Day 20 (Wed) HONG KONG/US (AB)
After breakfast, you will take a departure transfer for your flight back home.