24-day Wonders of China Tour (2012)

Beijing - Taiyuan - Pingyao - Chengdu - Leshan - Mt. Emei - Dazu - Chongqing - Yangtze River Cruise (Three Gorges, Wuhan, Yellow Mountains, Nanjing) - Shanghai

Scroll down to bottom for departure dates, prices and hotel details.

Day 1/Sun: Departing for Beijng
Depart from a city of your choice and cross the International Date Line en route.

Day 2/Mon: Arrival in Beijing
Arrive in mid-afternoon local time and transfer to the hotel upon meeting your guide. The balance of the day is at leisure.

Day 3/Tue: Beijing
Capital of China, Beijing is a world-class cultural and educational centre with a resident population of 22 million (2011), ranking it China's second largest city after Shanghai. Beijing is renowned for its opulent palaces, temples, and huge stone walls and gates, treasures that make Beijing the most popular destination city in China among both domestic and international visitors.

Following a brief orientation we visit Tian'anmen Square, the Forbidden City, Jingshan Park and an old hutong - alleyway flanked with traditional residential courtyards. Welcome dinner features delicious Beijing roast duck, a local delicacy. (B/L/D)

Day 4/Wed: Beijing
Morning visit to the Temple of Heaven. Situated in southeastern Beijing the Temple of Heaven is China's largest extant sacrificial temple where, during the Ming and Qing dynasties, the emperors conducted the elaborate and most exalted sacrifices addressed to "the Supreme Ruler of the Universe." Construction of the temple started in 1406, during the reign of the Ming Emperor Yongle, and took 14 years to complete. The temple was expanded under the Qing emperors Qianlong (1736-1796) and Jiaqing (1796-1820). Occupying 2,668 hectares (6,670 acres), the area of the Temple of Heaven is more than twice that of the Forbidden City.

Afternoon sightseeing at the majestic Summer Palace, a royal resort during the Qing Dynasty. We wrap up the day with a tour of Panjiayuan Flea Market or 798 Art District depending on traffic.  The evening Peking Opera show is optional if available. (B/L)

Day 5/Thu: Beijing
Enjoy a full-day excursion to the legendary Great Wall at Mutianyu, 70km northeast of the city. Zigzagging over 6,000 kilometres from east to west along the undulating mountains, the Great Wall, said to be visible from the moon, was built to hold off tribal invaders from the north. (B/L)

Day 6/Fri: Beijing - Taiyuan
Enjoy some free time before flying to Taiyuan, capital of Shanxi Province. Surrounded by mountains on three sides, 24-century-old Taiyuan boasts a significant number of historic monuments to show for its past glory. Our sightseeing this afternoon features 50-metre-high Twin Pagodas, long considered symbol of Taiyuan. (B/L/D)

Day 7/Sat: Taiyuan
Visit Jin Temple and Buddhist rock carvings at Tianlong Mountain. (B/L/D)

Day 8/Sun: Taiyuan - Pingyao
Drive 90km to Pingyao and en route stop by the imposing Residence of the Qiao Family. The family's fortune reached its peak in late Qing Dynasty under the guidance of its patriarch Qiao Zhiyong whose business acumen and generosity won wide admiration. (B/L/D)

Day 9/Mon: Pingyao
The history of Pingyao dates back 2000 years. The town, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site, is "an outstanding example of a Han Chinese city of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (14th-20th centuries) that has retained all its features to an exceptional degree and in doing so provides a remarkably complete picture of cultural, social, economic, and religious development during one of the most seminal periods of Chinese history". Spend the afternoon exploring the small town on your own after a guided tour of the major sites in the morning. (B/L)

Day 10/Tue: Pingyao - Taiyuan - Chengdu
Free morning. Drive back to Taiyuan to fly to Chengdu, capital of populous Sichuan Province. The urban area of the municipality houses 14 million with half of that within the city's nine districts and the remainder in the surrounding regions. Chengdu is one of the most important economic, transportation, and communication centres in Western China and was recently named China's 4th most livable city by China Daily, the country's largest English newspaper by circulation. The fertile Chengdu Plain, on which Chengdu is located, is also known as the "Country of Heaven", a phrase also often translated as "The Land of Abundance". The discovery of the Jinsha site suggests the area of Chengdu had become the centre of the Bronze Age Sanxingdui culture around the time of the establishment of the state of Shu, prior to its annexation by Qin in 316 BC. The city was named "Chengdu" when it was founded more than 2000 years ago, and the name has remained the same till the present day. (B/L/D)

Day 11/Wed: Chengdu
 Tour of the Giant Panda Breeding Centre is followed by a visit to the excavation site of Sanxingdui, one of the most significant archeological discoveries in modern China. First chanced upon by a farmer in 1929, Sanxingdui continued to surprise the archeological community in the decades to come. In 1986, two major sacrificial pits were found and the breakthrough aroused widespread academic attention from around the world. The Sanxingdui finds are exciting, but they remain enigmatic. So far no written records of this 5,000-year-old civilization have ever been found. (B/L/D)

Day 12/Thu: Chengdu - Leshan - Mt. Emei 
One hundred and sixty two kilometres south of Chengdu lies Leshan Giant Buddha. Carved out of a hillside in the 8th century, the statue measures 71 metres in height and looks down on the junction of three rivers. After lunch, we continue on to Emei, one of the most sacred Buddhist mountains in China. (B/L/D)

Day 13/Fri: Mt. Emei - Chengdu 
Return to Chengdu in the afternoon and enjoy a spicy hot pot dinner. (B/L/D)

Day 14/Sat: Chengdu - Dazu  
Morning drive to Dazu (270km), a town famous for its ancient Buddhist rock carvings. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the more than 50,000 stone sculptures provide a faithful and complete record of how Buddhism gradually gained popularity in Southwest China. (B/L/D)

Day 15/Sun: Dazu - Chongqing
Drive to Chongqing (162km) in the afternoon and visit General Joseph Stilwell's former residence (location of the US Forces' headquarters in China during World War II). (B/L/D)

Day 16/Mon: Yangtze Cruise
Our 6-day Yangtze cruise begins this morning. At 6,380km the Yangtze is the longest river in China and the third longest in the world after the Nile and the Amazon. The most impressive section of the Yangtze is the Three Gorges. Afternoon shore excursion to Fengdu, visiting either the "Ghost City" on Mingshan Hill, or the new relocation village for families who have moved as a result of the Yangtze's rising waters brought about by the Three Gorges Dam (B/L/D)

Day 17/Tue: Yangtze Cruise
Morning excursion to Daning River Small Gorges or Shennong Stream. Evening sail through Three Gorges Dam Ship locks. (B/L/D)

Day 18/Wed: Yangtze Cruise
Morning visit to the site of the Three Gorges Dam. Construction of the dam started on December 14, 1994. It was expected to be fully operational in 2009. Due to additional projects such as the underground power plant with six additional generators, the dam is not expected to become fully operational until 2011. The dam raised the water level the third time to 172.5 metres by the end of 2008. The Chinese government estimated the cost of the construction to be $27 billion while some Chinese scholars and international organizations estimated the actual cost could be as high as over $80 billion. The project upon completion will become the largest hydroelectric dam in the world with a reservoir stretching hundreds of kilometres upstream. (B/L/D)

Day 19/Thu: Yangtze Cruise
Afternoon shore excursion of Wuhan, visiting the Hubei Provincial Museum. (B/L/D)

Day 20/Fri: Yangtze Cruise
Full-day shore excursion to Huangshan ("Yellow Mountain"). Please note Jiuhuanshan or "Mountain of the Nine Lotuses" may be substituted if weather or road conditions do not permit a visit to Huangshan. (B/L/D)

Day 21/Sat: Yangtze Cruise
Full day tour of Nanjing including Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum and a Qing Dynasty style Bazaar surrounding a Confucian Temple; leaving for Shanghai at 9:00 pm. (B/L/D)

Day 22/Sun: Shanghai
Our ship drops anchor in Shanghai at 8:00 am.  Paris of China, Pearl of the Orient, city of quick riches, paradise of the adventurers - those were some of the names by which Shanghai was known before the Communists took it over from the Nationalist Government in 1949. After four decades of anemic growth in a state planned economy, Shanghai is roaring back to recapture its position on the world stage. With a population of 23 million and rapid economic expansion in the last 20 years, Shanghai has again become a leading global city with significant influence in commerce, culture, finance, media, fashion, technology and transport.

Our sightseeing in Shanghai begins with a stroll on the Bund - a waterfront promenade famous for its landmark neoclassical buildings of European style, followed by Shanghai Museum, Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center and famous Yu Garden. Evening entertainment is a dazzling acrobatic show. (B/L/D)

Day 23/Mon: Shanghai
Today is a free day. Exploring China's most dynamic city on your own has never been easier. Our recommended list includes Jinmao Tower, a ride aboard the world's only commercially run Maglev train, and the popular evening cruise on Huangpu River to enjoy the city's spectacular neon-lit skyline. (B)

Day 24/Tue: Shanghai - Home City
Free morning to pack and relax. Transfer to the airport by taxi to board return flight and arrive home the same day after crossing the International Date Line. (B)

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Hotels & Yangtze Cruise Ship
City	No. of Nights	Hotel or Ship	Star Rating
Beijing	4	The Great Wall Sheraton Beijing
Taiyuan	2	World Trade Hotel
Pingyao	2	local guesthouse	- best available
Chengdu	3	Jinjiang Hotel
Mt Emei	1	Hongzhushan	- best available
Dazu	1	Dazu Hotel	- best available
Chongqing	1	Hilton Chongqing
Yangtze Cruise	6	Victoria Cruises MS Prince
Shanghai	2	Sheraton Shanghai Hongkou

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