Day 01 Arrive in Beijing
Activities: Arrive in Beijing, your gateway city of China tour. Be met at the airport & transferred to your hotel. Free at leisure for the rest of the day.
Accommodation:Holiday Inn Central Plaza Beijing
Meals: No Meals
Day 02 Beijing
Activities: Depart from hotel in the morning to visit Tiananmen Square, the largest urban square and Forbidden City, the largest and most complete ancient imperial palace in the world. Then visit Temple of Heaven in the afternoon. Peking Opera is available for your optional night entertainment.
Accommodation:Holiday Inn Central Plaza Beijing
Meals: B/L
Day 03 Beijing
Activities: In the morning drive 75km to visit the Great Wall (Badaling Section) first and Ming Tombs (Changling Tomb), the once lavish burial chambers of 13 emperors of the Ming Dynasty. Peking Roasted Duck is available for your optional dinner.
Accommodation:Holiday Inn Central Plaza Beijing
Meals: B/L
Day 04 Beijing - 
- Zhengzhou
Activities: In the morning, visit Summer Palace, ancient emperor's garden. Then take an afternoon flight to Zhengzhou. Be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel for a short rest. Visit Yellow River Museum in the afternoon.
Accommodation:Zhongzhou Holiday Inn
Meals: B/L
Day 05 Zhengzhou - 
- Kaifeng - - Zhengzhou
Activities: Drive to Kaifeng to have a city tour of Iron Pagoda, Grand Xiangguo Monastery, Millennium City Theme Park and Dragon Hall. Return to Zhengzhou in the late afternoon.
Accommodation:Zhongzhou Holiday Inn
Meals: B/L
Day 06 Zhengzhou - - Dengfeng - - Luoyang
Activities: Drive to Luoyang in the morning via Dengfeng, where it is the origination of Chinese Kungfu. You will visit the Shaolin Temple and Pagoda Forest in Dengfeng. The car will arrive in Luoyang in the late afternoon. Water Feast from the Tang Dynasty is available for your optional dinner.
Accommodation:Peony Hotel Luoyang
Meals: B/L
Day 07 Luoyang - 
- Xian
Activities: In the morning, you will visit Longmen Grottoes - the amazing display of art and craftsmanship and be transferred to railway station for a train to Xian. Arrive in Xian and be transferred to hotel to have a rest.
Accommodation:Tianyu Gloria Palza Hotel
Meals: B/L
Day 08 Xian
Activities: Ample time will be provided for the visits of those famous spots including the Qin Terror-cotta Army Museum, one of the world's most important archaeological finds with troops, horses and carriages in battle formation and Banpo Neolithic Village Museum. Either Jiaozi Banquet or Tang Dynasty Show with Dinner is available for your optional meal.
Accommodation:Tianyu Gloria Palza Hotel
Meals: B/L
Day 09 Xian - - Shanghai
Activities: In the morning, you will visit the Shaanxi History Museum and Ancient City Wall, one of the oldest and best-preserved walls in China. Then be transferred to airport for your flight to Shanghai in the afternoon.
Accommodation:The Bund Hotel Shanghai
Meals: B/L
Day 10 Shanghai
Activities: Depart from hotel in the morning to have a whole-day trip of Jade Buddha Temple, Yuyuan Garden, the Old Street, Oriental TV Tower and the Bund, Shanghai's famed waterfront promenade. Traditional Dim-sum Banquet and Acrobatics are available for your optional lunch and night entertainment.
Accommodation:The Bund Hotel Shanghai
Meals: B/L
Day 11 Depart from Shanghai
Activities: Your China tour is over all too soon as you transfer to the airport and board the homebound International flight, bidding a fond farewell to this ancient land.
Accommodation:
Meals: B
Day 01 Arrive in Beijing
Beijing is the cultural and political capital of the People's Republic of China. This ancient city has remained a constant throughout the many incarnations of the Chinese nation, a history stretching back over 5000 years. The history of modern Beijing, however, began in the 13th century, when Genghis Khan built his fortress city Khanbaliq amongst the ashes of Yanjing, the Liao Dynasty capital that he burned to the ground in 1215. Beijing remained the centre of power throughout the reigns of the succeeding Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties,most of them last 800 years. After the Nationalist Government in Nanjing was usurped by the Communists Party in 1949, Mao Zedong made his capital in Beijing; famously announcing the birth of the People's Republic of China in Tiananmen Square on October 1, 1949. Beijing's lengthy and diverse history can be seen on the streets of Beijing, in the variety of monuments and palaces built by emperors and governments over the centuries. Beijing is one of the world's most iconic cities; full of must-see sights for all first-time visitors to the Middle Kingdom.
Day 02 Beijing
Tiananmen Square: Tiananmen (the Gate of Heavenly Peace), is located in the center of Beijing. It was first built in 1417 and named Chengtianmen( the Gate of Heavenly Succession). At the end of the Ming Dynasty, it was seriously damaged by war. When it was rebuilt under the Qing in 1651, it was renamed Tiananmen, and served as the main entrance to the Imperial City, the administrative and residential quarters for court officials and retainers. The southern sections of the Imperial City wall still stand on both sides of the Gate. The tower at the top of the gate is nine-room wide and five room deep. According to the Book of Changes, the two numbers nine and five, when combined, symbolize the supreme status of a sovereign.During the Ming and Qing dynasties, Tiananmen was the place where state ceremonies took place.
Forbidden City: Forbidden City also known as Palace Museum was home to 24 emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. In the ancient time, the emperor claimed to be the son of the heaven and therefore their supreme power was conferred upon them from the heaven. Their residence on the earth was built as a replica of the Purple Palace where the God lived in the Heaven. Such divine place was certain forbidden for the ordinary people and it is why the Forbidden City is so called. The museum is a real treasures house of Chinese cultural and historical relics, recognized as one of the most important five palaces in the world. The splendid architecture of the Forbidden City represents the essence and culmination of the traditional Chinese architectural accomplishment. In 1961 the Palace Museum was listed as one of the important historical monuments under the special preservation by the Chinese central government and in 1987, it was nominated as the world cultural heritage by the UNESCO.
Temple of Heaven: The Temple of Heaven is a large park and temple complex situated in more or less the south central area of Beijing. Its center piece is a large tower built, it is said, entirely of wood and not using a single nail. It is said that the main features of the park are its trees and inhabitants. The park is filled with more than a thousand species of tree, some of which are hundreds of years old, despite their relatively small size. One thing you could notice here is that most of the architecture here. The park also attracts local residents by the thousand each day, who come to practice singing, martial arts, Peking opera, chess, dancing, calligraphy. Of course, this can be said of many parks in Beijing, but the Temple of Heaven attracts more than its fair share.
Day 03 Beijing
Today you will discover Badaling Great Wall, Ming Tombs and taste Beijing Roast Duck for Dinner.
Badaling Great Wall: The Great Wall was initially built in the Spring and Autumn Period. During the following 2,000 years,the construction, connection and restoration of the wall had never ceased. The present Great Wall was largely built in the Ming Dynasty. The Badaling stretch,the best preserved portion of the Ming Great Wall,was widely realized as the essence of the Ming Great Wall. Standing on the top of Badaling and looking to the distance,one will be amazed at the great wonder of the Wall.In 1961 it was listed by the Chinese State Council as a key national historical heritage protection site. Later in 1988,it was nominated by the UNESCO as a world cultural heritage.
Ming Tombs: The Ming Tombs, located in Changping District, about 50 kilometers from the northwest of Beijing, are surrounded by mountains on three sides. The imperial cemetery covers an area of 120 square kilometers and there are 13 Ming Dynasty emperors buried there (along with 23 empresses and a number of concubines, princes and princesses), thus it is also called The 13 Mausoleums. These tombs are the best preserved Chinese imperial tombs and have been nominated by UNESCO as world cultural heritage.
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. The two famous restaurants that serve Beijing Roast Duck are Bianyifang Roast Duck Restaurant and Quanjude Roast Duck Restaurant, both of which have a history of over one hundred years. They represent two different schools of roasting duck. Bianyifang, founded in 1855, makes use of a close oven and straw as the fuel, which won't make flames go directly onto the duck. Before being put into the oven, a duck is filled with specially-made soup to make it possible to roast the duck outside and boil it inside at the same time.
Day 04 Beijing - - Zhengzhou
Summer Palace: UNESCO has this to say of the Summer Palace:a masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design. The natural landscape of hills and open water is combined with artificial features such as pavilions, halls, palaces, temples and bridges to form a harmonious ensemble of outstanding aesthetic value. The Summer Palace, in the Haidian District, northwest of central Beijing, is said to be the best preserved imperial garden in the world, and the largest of its kind still in existence in modern China. Its hardly surprising that, during the hot Beijing summers, the Imperial Family preferred the beautiful gardens and airy pavilions of the Summer Palace to the walled-in Forbidden City. Dowager Empress Cixi took up permanent residence here for a time, giving rise to some wonderful tales of extravagance and excess.
The Yellow River Scenic Spot: The Yellow River Scenic Area is situated northwest of Zhengzhou City, in Henan Province. The scenic area is surprisingly beautiful. As seen from a high point in this scenic area, the mighty Yellow River rushes by and demonstrates tremendous force with rolling and falling of the river's torrents. Sometimes in its thousands of miles, the river reaches wide endless plains where currents flow smoothly, and sometimes it meets precipitous mountains where it has to zigzag its way.
The Yellow River Scenic Area embraces five scenic spots, namely the Five Dragons Peak, the Camel Mountain Range, the Yueshan Temple, the Stone Figures of Yandi and Huangdi, and the Ancient City of Liu Bang and Xiang Yu. Among them, the Five Dragons Peak is the central area.
Day 05 Zhengzhou - - Kaifeng - - Zhengzhou
The Iron Pagoda is located in the Iron Pagoda Park in the northeast part of the Kaifeng City. It is called the First Pagoda under Heaven by people for its exquisite architectural design and magnificent structure. The Iron PagodaP ark takes up 51.24 hectares, 9.62 of which is water area. Stepping in this park, you can see Potted Landscapes Garden, Top Pagoda Stone Tablet, Sukhavati Memorial Gateway, QuietGarden, Conjuncture Hall, and Iron Pagoda successively. To make the history of Iron Pagoda better understood by tourists, Iron Pagoda History & Art Museum has been built. Besides, there are delicate small gardens, Bamboo Garden, Plum Garden, Enjoyment Garden, to name a few.
Grand Xiangguo Temple consisted of sixty-four meditation rooms and gardens, which, in the temple's heyday, housed more than a thousand monks. The Xiangguo Temple covers an area of two hectares, with ancient relics including the Tianwang Hall, the Daxiong Hall, the Octagonal Glazed Hall, and the scripture-keeping tower. In 1993, the Sakyamuni??s sari-putta (remains of the burned bones) given by the Linshan Temple, Singapore, was enshrined here. And all of the blazing Arhats in the halls are considered treasures of Buddhism.
Millennium City Theme Park (also called Qingming Riverside Landscape Garden) is located in western shore of beautiful LongtingLake in Kaifeng in Henan Province. It represents lively flourishing scenes of Kaifeng in Northern Song Dynasty.
Day 06 Zhengzhou - - Dengfeng - - Luoyang
Lying at the foot of the Wuru Peak of the Shaoshi Mountain to the north-west of Dengfeng County of Henan Province, the world famous Shaolin Temple is favored by nature with circling springs, flourishing forests, competing hills and sights of quietness and elegance. There are many noted relics at Shaolin. There are over 300 ancient stone inscriptions, some of them by famous calligraphers. The large mural of 500 arhats in the Qianfo Hall was from the Ming Dynasty. There are 232 pagodas from different dynasties, known as the forest of pagodas.
Day 07 Luoyang - - Xian
Longmen Grottoes: The grottoes are located on the banks of Yihe River, 13 kilometers south of Luoyang. The largest of the grottoes is the Fengxian (Ancestor Worshiping) Temple, built in 675. The sculptures in the temple are vivid, lifelike, and aesthetically arranged, and represent a major achievement in the art of sculpture during the Tang Dynasty. The Longmen Grottoes provide important references for the study of ancient sculpture and Buddhism. In 2000, the grottoes were included on UNESCO's World Cultural Heritage list.
Day 08 Xian
Terra-cotta Army Museum: Viewing Emperor Qin Shi Huang's terracotta army guarding his burial site and protecting his entry to the afterlife from the earthen side of a continuing archeological project is certainly one of the most memorable parts of any trip to China. Every figure differs from those around in facial features and expression, clothing, hairstyle, and gestures. The horsemen, the longbow bearers, the archers and the senior officers and generals were positioned in strict accordance with the ancient directives on the Art of War. The site was made a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site in 1987.
Day 09 Xian - - Shanghai
Shaanxi Provincial Museum: The museum occupies an area of 65,000 square meters (16 acres). It is a grand complex of buildings imitating the architecture style of the Tang Dynasty (618-907). A primary pavilion stands in the center, and secondary pavilions of varying heights are distributed orderly around it. With black, white and grey as the predominant colors, the buildings have a solemn and rustic charm. The museum is furnished with central air-conditioning and multi-functional lighting system to ensure the protection of the culture relics. It is a comprehensive museum with more than 370,000 exhibits of different times and kinds. The two-storied primary pavilion is divided into the following three main exhibition halls: Basic Exhibition Hall, Theme Exhibition Hall and East Exhibition Hall.
City Wall: The first landmark visitors will encounter in Xian is the ancient city wall, which stretches round the old city. The northern side runs parallel to the railway. Xian was originally a walled city, and even today the wall is considered a landmark dividing the city into the inner part and the outer part. The city wall is massive - tall, long and thick. The South Gate and North Gate are the two main entrances to the inner city. The city itself is neatly arranged along the city wall.
Day 10 Shanghai
Jade Buddha Temple: The two precious jade Buddhist statues are not only rare cultural relics but also porcelain artworks. Both the Sitting Buddha and the Recumbent Buddha are carved with whole white jade. The sparkling and crystal-clear white jade gives the Buddhas the beauty of sanctity and make them more vivid. The Sitting Buddha is 190 centimeters high and encrusted by the agate and the emerald, portraying the Buddha at the moment of his meditation and enlightenment. The Recumbent Buddha is 96 centimeters long, lying on the right side with the right hand supporting the head and the left hand placing on the left leg, this shape is called the 'lucky repose'. In the temple there is also another Recumbent Buddha which is four meters long and was brought from Singapore by the tenth abbot of the temple in 1989.
Yu Garden: It is a renowned traditional landscape garden in Jiangnan. It is also a historical site and tourist attraction famous at home and abroad. It was built by a man named Pan during the Ming Dynasty. It was changed and rebuilt for hundreds of years by different descendents of the original builder. The garden is a virtual maze of caves, gardens, rockeries, paths, bridges, and buildings. Even though many people have had a hand in rebuilding the garden over the centuries, it is seamlessly blended. Every corner you turn has a new surprise, and a total different view.
TV Tower of Oriental Pearl: The Oriental Pearl TV Tower has become one of the modern symbols of Shanghai. The 468 meter tall tower is the tallest in Asia and the third tallest TV tower in the world. The bird's eye view from its observation platform is breathtaking, especially at night, when the nearby Bund is lit up. With a unique design composed of balls and columns, the tower has become Shanghai's newest landmark and a big magnet for tourists. The designers magically set the eleven beautiful spheres of various sizes up from the green grassland to the blue sky with two giant spheres shining like two rubies. The whole design is rich in poetic and pictorial splendor, which gives the tourist the impression that pearls of various sizes are dropping onto the emerald plate.
The Bund: The Bund is the long corridor of Shanghai. For more than 100 years, it has been the symbol of Shanghai. Shanghai people are proud of the Bund. It shows the culture of Shanghai and the creation of modern civilization to people. The architecture along the Bund is unanimously honored as a "World Architectural Fair", including all kinds of tall buildings like the Gothic style, the Baroque style, the Roman style, the classical style, the Renaissance style and the combination of Chinese and Western style. Generally speaking, the beauty of a city should contain three elements, architectures, sculptures, and evanescence. Of the three elements, sculptures are also called the eyes of a city. It is an important part for a city's beauty.
Day 11 Depart from Shanghai
In the past few days you have had a wonderful time in China. You must be fascinated about her. We are sure that you have enjoyed the splendid culture and unique scenery and you can be our best ambassadors to share that experience with your friends and neighbors. We sincerely hope to see you revisit China again with your friends. Also we hope you are satisfied with our GWV's information and service.
