Silk Road+Yangtze Cruise+Beijing+Xi'an+Shanghai 18 Days Tour

 
Meet our guide at the airport and then transfer to check in the hotel for 3 nights stay. The rest of the day is yours to enjoy at your leisure.

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Take a tour around the Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven. Enjoy famous Beijing Roast Duck for dinner and then enjoy a Peking Opera performance at Liyuan Theater.

-Tiananmen Square: Tian An Men (Gate of Heavenly Peace) was the main entrance to the Forbidden City during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Built in 1417, it was first named the Cheng Tian Men, meaning that emperors obeyed the order of Heaven in ruling the country. Destroyed by fire twice, it was rebuilt in 1651 during the Qing Dynasty and renamed Tian An Men. It is also honored as the "Gate of the Nation." As one of the largest city squares in the world, Tian An Men Square occupies an area of 440, 000 square meters--spacious enough to accommodate half a million people. Many annual and special celebrations and assemblies are held here. On October 1st, 1949, Chairman Mao Ze Dong declared the founding of the People's Republic of China on the Tian An Men Rostrum, thus opening a new chapter in the history of China. In the new period of reforms and opening, Tian An Men, with its long history and rich culture, attracts people from all over the world.
-Forbidden City: The Forbidden City, also named the Palace Museum, shares the honor of being one of five world-famous palaces with the Palace of Versailles in France, Buckingham Palace in England, the White House in the U.S. and the Kremlin in Russia. The palace, the most magnificent and splendid palace complex in China, was listed as a World Cultural Heritage Building in 1987. It was built in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and the construction of this group of buildings took fourteen years from 1406 to 1420. In the Ming Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), it was the imperial palace where twenty-four emperors ascended the throne and exercised their strong power to the nation.
-Temple of Heaven: At the Temple of Heaven Emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368-1911) worshiped Heaven and prayed for good harvests. The northern part of the outer surrounding wall is semi-circular; the southern part is square; this forms a pattern symbolic of the ancient belief that Heaven was round and the earth square. The double surrounding wall separates the temple into the inner and outer temples with the main structures in the inner one, covering 273 hectares.
-Beijing Roast duck: Beijing Roast duck is thought to be one of the most delicious dishes all over the world; most visitors coming to Beijing will never forget to have a try. Eating Peking duck is seen to be one of the two things you are absolutely supposed to do while in Beijing.

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After breakfast, visit the Badaling Great Wall. Have lunch at a popular Sichuan Food restaurant. Then continue to visit the Sacred Way and the Ming Tomb in the afternoon.

-The Badaling Great Wall: The Great Wall at Badaling is the best representative section of the Great Wall. It is more than 7 meters high and 5 meters wide. It was the strategic point of Juyongguan Pass in ancient times. Many other fortresses and beacon towers were constructed at the strategic points. This section of the Great Wall has drawn great attention from the Chinese government since the foundation of P.R. China. It was designated a major historical site under state protection in 1961. The Great Wall was listed "a World Cultural Heritage" by the UNESCO in 1987. The Great Wall at Badaling is preserved as a historical monument and has become one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world.
-The Ming Tombs: Located at the foot of the Tianshou Mountain in Changping District, Beijing, the Ming Mausoleums, occupying an area of 120 square kilometers, are well preserved and have the biggest number of emperors buried in the world.

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Visit the Summer Palace and say goodbye to Beijing. Then take a flight to the most inland city--Urumqi and transfer to the hotel for 1 night stay. Rest of the day is free for you. We recommend you to have a brief tour of the cultural city.

-The Summer Palace: The Summer Palace landscape, dominated by Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake, covers an area of 2.9 square kilometers, three quarters of which is water surface. Its 70,000 square meters of building space features a variety of palaces, garden and other ancient-style architectural structures. Well known for its large and priceless collection of cultural artifacts, it was among the first group of historical and cultural heritage sites in China to be placed under special state protection.

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Take a flight to Kashgar (one of the most important city on the ancient Silk Road). Then transfer to the hotel for 1 night stay. There you can visit the lively and wonderful Kashgar Sunday Market to taste the local custom.

-Sunday Bazaar, in Uygur means "farm trade market." The bazaar in Kashgar is the biggest in central Asia. As early as two thousand years ago,it was the colle- cting and distributing center of goods. Nowadays, it has become even busier. On bazzar day every Sunday,
the traffic gets heavy on every road with crowds upon crownds of market-goers coming in from all directions.

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Pay a visit to the Id Kah Mosque, the Old Street and the Abakh Khoja Tomb in Kashgar. After that, take a flight back to Urumqi and transfer to Turpan directly. Then check in the local hotel for 2 nights stay.

-The Id Kah Mosque, in uyghur means Square of festival, Typical Uyghur structure,regarded biggest in China, located in the center of Kashar, has a history of more than five hundred years.100,000 worshippers attend religious service at the same time.
-Apakh Khoja Tomb, five kilometers northeast of Kashgar an important cultural unit protected by
the Xinjiang Autonomous Region.As a tomb of the descendants of an Islamic missionary, it was built around 1640 .The legend has it that seventy-two persons in all of five generations of the same family were buried in the tomb. The first generation buried here was Yusuf Hoja, a celebrated Islam missionary.

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Have a pleasure trip to the Jiaohe Ruins who witnessed the long history of Turpan in the morning. Have a delicious lunch in a famous local restaurant and then visit the famous underground Great Wall Karez System and the largest extant Islamic tower Sugong Pagoda (Emin Minaret).

-Jiaohe Ruins: The ancient city of Jiaohe was first built by the people of Jushi during the time span from the 2nd century BC to the middle of the 5th century AD and was prosperous in the Qu's Gaochang Period and Tang Dynaties (5th- 8th century AD). In the 9th century-14th century AAD, the political center of Uyghurian Gaochang State shifted to the ancient cities of Gaochang and Beiting, and the city of Jiaohe began to decline since then. In the time of Jagatai period of Yuan Dynasty, wars lasted for years in the Turpan Basin and the city of Jiaohe was finally destroyed.
-Karez System: The Karez, an irrigation system of wells connected by underground canals, is considered as one of the three great ancient projects in China, with the other two being the Great Wall and the Grand Canal . It is invented and built by the ancient locals to adapt to the natural environment in the dry region, and by taking advantage of the mountain slopes.
The Sugong Pagoda is known as the Turpan Pagoda among local residents. A stone tablet at its entrance cites the reason for the pagoda's construction in Wei and Han characters. The structure was built in 1181 of the Hui calendar (1779) by Su Laiman II, the ruler of the Turpan Prefecture, to honor his father.

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After breakfast, excurse the Gaochang Ruins located in the desolate Gebi desert. In the afternoon, visit the Baizikeli Thousand Buddha Cave and the Flaming Mountain. Then transfer to another Pearl on the Silk Road-Dunhuang by an overnight soft sleeper train.

-Gaochang Ruins: Gaochang is the site of an ancient oasis city built on the northern rim of the inhospitable Taklamakan Desert in Xinjiang, China. A busy trading center, it was a stopping point for merchant traders traveling on the Silk Route. The ruins are located 30 km southeast of modern Turpan..Gaochang was built in the 1st century BC. It was an important site along the Silk Road. It was burnt down in wars in the 14th century. Old palace ruins and inside and outside cities can still be seen today.
-Baizikeli Thousand Buddha Cave: one of the most important Buddha grotto relics in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
-Flaming Hill: the hottest place in China.

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Have a brief breakfast on the train and then transfer to the hotel for 1 night stay. Make an excursion to the shrine of Buddhist art treasures Mogao Grottoes and the Dunhuang Museum.

-Mogao Grottoes: Located on the eastern slope of Rattling Sand Mountain (Mingshashan) southeast of Dunhuang County in Gansu Province, the Mogao Grottoes (also known as Thousand Buddha Cave) is one of three noted grottoes in China and also the largest, best preserved and richest treasure house of Buddhist art in the world.

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Have a wonderful camel-riding experience along the Echoing-Sand Dune to the Crescent Lake, who is a nature miracle coexist with the desert for thousand of years. Take a flight to Xian where you can taste Chinas long history. Then transfer to the hotel for 2 nights stay.

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Visit the amazing Terracotta Soldier Museum. Have a la carte lunch. Then excurse Big Wild Visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda who is the landmark of Xian. After dinner, enjoy a Dumpling Banquet and watch a Tang Dynasty Music and Dances Show.

-The Terracotta Museum: The Terracotta Warriors and Horses are the most significant archeological excavations of the 20th century. Work is ongoing at this site, which is around 1.5 kilometers east of Emperor Qin Shi Huangs Mausoleum, Lintong Country, Shaanxi province. It is a sight not to be missed by any visitor to China.
-The Big Wild Goose Pagoda: As the symbol of the old-line Xian, Big Wild Goose Pagoda is a well-preserved ancient building and a holy place for Buddhists. It is located in the southern suburb of Xian City, about 4 kilometers from the downtown of the city. Standing in the Da Cien Temple complex, it attracts numerous visitors for its fame in the Buddhist religion, its simple but appealing style of construction, and its new square in front of the temple. It is rated as a National Key Culture Relic Preserve as well as an AAAA Tourist Attraction.

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Continue to visit the Shaanxi History Museum and the Great Mosque. Have a la carte lunch and then take a flight to Chongqing (the starting point of the Yangtze River). Check in the cruise ship after dinner.

-The Shaanxi History Museum: The Shaanxi History Museum is situated on Yan Ta Road in Xi'an City, Shaanxi Province. It covers 65,000 square meters, with a building area of 60,000 square meters. The newly built modern building recreates Tang-dynasty architecture and successfully symbolizes the great extent of Shaanxi history and its remarkable culture.
-The Great Mosque: The Great Mosque of Cordoba was considered to be a wonder of the medieval world by both Muslims and Christians. Built on a Visigothic site, which was probably the site of an earlier Roman temple, the Great Mosque of Cordoba was begun between 784 and 786 during the reign of 'Abd al-Rahman I, who escaped from Syria to the Iberian Peninsula after his family was massacred by a rival political dynasty.

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Begin the river cruise from Chongqing in the morning. During the cruise, have a ship introduction. After lunch, make a tour to the Fengdu Ghost City.

-Fengdu Ghost City: Fengdu became known as Ghost City in the Tang Dynasty (618-907) when two officials from the Imperial court married and settled on Mt. Minshan just outside the city. Combined, their surnames, Yin and Wang, sound like King of Hell in Chinese.

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In the morning, continue to sail through the Qutang Gorge and you can appreciate the wonderful view along the waterway. Then make an onshore tour to the Shennong stream at Badong. After that, continue the cruise to the west section of the Xiling Gorge.

-Shennong Stream: The 60-kilometer tributary of the Yangtze River, rises in the southern part of Shennongjia Natural Reserve and joins the Yangtze at Xirangkou in Hubeis Badong County. It runs out of the deep valley through the forest at a height of 3000m above sea level, and rushes southward between rocky cliffs. It covers 60 km and totally 17 rivers and streams flow into it. It is one of the most important ports of Yangtze Three Gorges tour.
-Xiling Gorge is known for its dangerous rapids, sharp turns, and numerous reefs and shoals. It consists of four smaller gorges called Military Books and Sword (Bingshubaojian), Bull's Liver and Horse's Lung (Niuganmafei), Kongling, and Lantern Shadow (Dengying).

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Continue your pleasant cruise today. Pay an onshore visit to the Three Gorge Dam. After that, return to the ship and sail.

-The Three Gorge Dam is the largest dam in the world, as wide as the Golden Gate Bridge and twice as tall, capable of generating 18 gig watts of hydroelectric power.

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End your Yangtze River Cruise when arriving in Wuhan. Then pay a visit to the Hubei Provincial Museum. After that, take a flight to modern and prosperous Shanghai and check in the hotel for 2 nights stay.

-The Hubei Provincial Museum, established in 1953, contains the most important collections of artifacts in the province. Among all its exhibits, the most prominent are its abundant unearthed relics, including stoneware, pottery, bronze, and lacquer ware. A large number of heritages of the Qujialing Culture and the Warring States Period (475-221BC) are the most precious, for instance, the sword of King Goujian of the Yue State unearthed in Jiangling, and Zeng Houyi Bells excavated in Sui County, all renowned both at home and abroad.

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Make a full day excursion to the Shanghai Museum, the Yuyuan Garden, the famous Bund area along the Huangpu River and a local family. Watch a Portman Acrobatic Show. Have a farewell dinner in Wangbaohe restaurant.

-The Yu Garden: Yu Garden is one of the most famous gardens in China and is national heritage listed. It was built in 1559 and extended in 1577. Each section of the garden is separated by curved white walls crowned with the head and body of a dragon on them. It's named after the original owner.
-Shanghai Museum: Shanghai Museum used to be near the Bund. It is now situated in People's Square and its new buildings were built in 1996, designed by a Shanghai architect named Xing Tonghe. The new design symbolizes China's ancient understanding of the world: round sky and square earth. The museum has a circular roof and rectangular base. It stores 120,000 precious artifacts, which narrate a story of China's 5,000-year civilization.
-The Bund area: The Bund is the best-known landmark in Shanghai. On this stretch of Zhongshan Road East lies the most important buildings left from colonial Shanghai including the Peace Hotel, the Bank of China, and Shanghai Gold Exchange. Externally these buildings have been well preserved and stand proud in their original grandeur. Internally they have been renovated to house some major financial institutions as well as Shanghai's most expensive and luxurious hotels, restaurants and bars.

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Go to the airport and end your enjoyable China tour.

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