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Day 1 West Coast - Beijing
Board your transpacific flight to Beijing.
Day 2 Beijing
Upon arrival in Beijing, China's capital, you
will be greeted and escorted to the Capital
Hotel (or similar).
 Day 3 Beijing (AB,L,SD)
After breakfast, visit Tiananmen Square and
the Imperial Palace in the Forbidden City,
home of Chinese emperors for more than
500 years. After lunch, visit the Summer
Palace, taking a leisure stroll while admiring
the thousands of ancient murals along the
Long Corridor and a boat ride on Kunming
Lake (weather permitting). Enjoy a fabulous
welcome banquet featuring the famous
Beijing Duck in the evening.
Day 4 Beijing (AB,L)
The highlight today is an excursion to the
Great Wall. Enjoy the dramatic vistas and
marvel at the Wall as it climbs and descends
steep ridges and narrow valleys. Next, visit a
cloisonné factory on the way to lunch. After
lunch, visit the Ming Tombs starting with a
stroll along the Sacred Way, which is guarded
by stone statues. Then tour the Chang Ling
Exhibition Museum.
Day 5 Beijing (AB,L)
Visit the Temple of Heaven in the morning,
where the emperors came to pray for good
harvests and pay their appreciation. Free
at leisure in the afternoon. You may take
an optional hutong tour, a pedicab ride
through the old-city neighborhoods of
narrow lanes and courtyard gardens hidden
behind Beijing's modern façade. Visit Prince
Gong's Palace, the Drum Tower and old-style
courtyard houses still inhabited by Beijing
residents.
Day 6 Beijing - Xi'an
(AB)
This morning, visit Beijing
Sport University, where over
50 graduates have won world
championship titles, and more
than 60 have won Asian
championship titles. Visit the
university's museum, Garden of Champions,
indoor training gyms, outdoor sports fields
and courts, etc. En route to the airport, drive
around the intriguing architecture of the
main Olympic venues: the National Stadium,
nicknamed the “Bird's Nest,” because of its
unique design, and the National Aquatics
Center, known as the “Water Cube” (H2O3).
Take an afternoon flight to Xi'an. Upon
arrival, you will start your tour of the ancient
City Wall, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and
the Bell Tower. Overnight at the Grand New
World Hotel (or similar).
 Day 7 Xi'an (AB,L,SD)
Today's highlight is a visit to the Terra-Cotta
Warriors and Horses Museum, home to an
army of more than 6,000 life-size statues
excavated from the tomb of the first emperor
of the Qin Dynasty. After lunch, visit the
Shaanxi Provincial Museum, renowned for
its collection of Han- and Tang-dynasty
antiquities. In the evening, enjoy a special
dumpling dinner and cultural show at the
Tang Dynasty Theatre recreating the music,
costumes and dances of that era.
Day 8 Xi'an - Chongqing - Yangtze
River Cruise (AB,L,D)
Transfer to the airport for your flight to
the mountainous city of Chongqing. Upon
arrival, your city tour will include a visit
to the Stilwell Museum where you will see
a collection of World War II
memorabilia, including exhibits
on the Flying Tigers. If time
permits, visit the People's
Congress Hall and the
art gallery. After dinner,
board a 5-star Victoria Cruises' ship
and begin your memorable journey on the
Yangtze River.
 Day 9 Yangtze River Cruise:
Shibaozhai (AB,L,D)
Today's shore excursion is to Shibaozhai,
famous for its 12-story wooden pagoda built
against a sheer cliff on the river bank over
some 400 years ago.
**Depending on local river conditions, an
alternate shore excursion to Wanzhou may
occur.
Day 10 Yangtze River Cruise:
Danning River Small Gorges or Shennong
Stream (AB,L,D)
This morning you will cruise through the
first two of the famous Three Gorges: Qutang
Gorge, the shortest but the most dramatic
gorge; and Wu Gorge, known for its sheer
cliffs and twelve peaks. Your excursion will
include boarding a smaller vessel to sail up
the Danning River to view the scenery of the
Small Gorges. If weather permits, a sampan
ride will take you into a tranquil tributary.
Subject to river conditions, enjoy an alternate
excursion to Shennong Stream, which also
features spectacular views of the Small
Gorges. Your cruise continues and passes
through the last and longest gorge, Xiling
Gorge. Then sail through the five stages of the
Three Gorges' double-lane ship lock.
 Day 11 Yangtze River Cruise: Three
Gorges Dam - Yichang - Shanghai
(AB,L,D)
This morning, your cruise arrives in Yang Jia
Wang where you will enjoy a shore excursion
at the Three Gorges Dam site, the largest
hydroelectric project in the world. Continue
onto Yichang where you disembark. Transfer
to the airport for your flight to Shanghai, the
“Paris of the Orient.” Afternoon sightseeing
features the bustling shopping street, Nanjing
Road, and the Bund, the famous promenade
along the Huangpu River. Check in to the Central Hotel Shanghai (or similar).
**If a direct flight is not available, transfer by
motor coach to Wuhan for flight to Shanghai.
Day 12 Shanghai (AB,L,D)
This morning, you will visit the Shanghai
Museum, China's most up-to-date museum
showcasing the country's ancient glory. In
the afternoon, pay a visit to the Jade Buddha
Temple, renowned for its huge statue of the
Buddha carved from a single piece of white
jade; and the Yu Garden, famous for its rock
gardens, pavilions, halls and ponds, and Old
Shanghai Bazaar, with shops filled with all
manner of interesting curios.
Day 13 Shanghai (AB)
Spend today at leisure to explore this vibrant
city on your own. Perhaps take an optional
tour to one of the nearby picturesque water
towns, known for their winding canals,
arched-stone bridges and well-preserved
architecture from the Ming and Qing
dynasties.
Day 14 Shanghai - West Coast (AB)
Farewell to Shanghai. Transfer to the airport
for your flight back to the USA. |
