2019 China Highlight Tour Itinerary

                      

Day 1 & 2: USA- Beijing                                                  Wed & Thu Oct 23 & 24
Nonstop flight from LAX/San Francisco to Beijing. Arrive in Beijing in the evening on Thursday, Oct 24. Transfer to hotel, relax and enjoy the evening in Beijing.

Day 3: Beijing                                                                  Fri Oct 25  (B, L, D)
In the morning, we will tour Tian’anmen Square, the largest public square in the world, capable of holding more than one million people. An assortment of historical buildings, including Chairman Mao’s Mausoleum, the Monument to the People’s Heroes, and the Great Hall of the People – home of the National People’s Congress, flank the Square. Walk through the Gate of Heavenly Peace to enter the Forbidden City, a 9,999-room compound, where the 24 emperors of the Ming and the Qing Dynasties ruled the Middle Kingdom for nearly 500 years (1420-1911). Experience the architectural splendor of the palaces, ceremonial courtyards and private quarters.
After lunch, we will tour the Summer Palace, built in classical Chinese style in 1750 as a royal recreational resort. Among its famous features is the 700-meter-long corridor with its wonderful Painted Gallery, the Marble Barge, and several magnificently painted pavilions and pagodas.

Day 4: Beijing                                                                   Sat Oct 26  (B, L, D)
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. The Great Wall stretches an impossible 4000 miles across China’s north, covering nine provinces—from the Yellow Sea to the Gobi Desert. An enormous undertaking that originated under Qin Shi Huang (first emperor of China) in 200 B.C., the Great Wall was not completed until the Ming Dynasty in 1640. On the way back to Beijing, we will make a stop at the new landmarks of Beijing – the Olympics sites including “Bird’s Nest”-National Stadium and the amazing “Water Cube”-Olympic Swimming Pool.

Day 5: Beijing – Xian                                                         Sun Oct 27 (B, L, D)
In the morning, we will visit Temple of Heaven where the Ming and Qing emperors prayed to heaven for a good harvest. Afterwards, we will fly to Xian, the cradle of Chinese civilization, was the state capital of 73 emperors spanning 11 dynasties. Xian was the eastern endpoint of the Ancient Silk Road. It features numerous cultural relics and historical sites.

Day 6: Xian                                                                        Mon Oct 28  (B, L, D)
We will visit the site of one of the century’s greatest archeological discoveries – the Terra Cotta Soldiers. Marvel at the legion of TERRACOTTA WARRIORS that has been guarding the burial site of China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, for 2,000 years. After lunch, we will visit the nearby Mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shi Huang. This evening we will see a wonderful stage opera show “the imitation of the Tang Dynasty performances,” which is recreated from historical materials.

Day 7:  Xian – Guilin                                                           Tue Oct 29  (B, L, D)
After breakfast, we will visit the ancient City Wall and tour the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, which was built to preserve the valuable scriptures that the famous monk Xuan Zang brought back from India. After lunch, we will fly to Guilin, a southwest city whose “mountain and water” scenery is among the finest in the world.

Day 8: Guilin – Yangshou                                                   Wed Oct 30 (B, L, D)
Guilin’s and Yangshou’s scenery are famous because of the Li River. The most beautiful part of the river is universally acknowledged to be the stretch located between Guilin and Yangshou.  After breakfast, we will take a riverboat cruising down the Li River, which will make us feel as if we are in nature’s art gallery, with one beautiful painting after another slowly unfolding before our eyes. With luck, we may even catch the fascinating sight of fishermen fishing with cormorant birds! Lunch is served aboard. The cruise ends at Yangshuo. We disembark and wander around the town with visit to the ancient West Street. Tonight, we will enjoy the fantastic Minority Musical Stage Performance on Li River-Impression on Third Sister Liu (Yingxiang Liusanjie). The show is directed by Chinese famous director Zhang Yimou.

Day 9: Yangshou –Guilin –Shanghai                                   Thu Oct 31 (B, L, D)
After breakfast, we head back to Guilin by motor coach. The city tour of Guilin first takes us to the Reed Flute Cave, with another beautiful name as the Art Palace of Nature, features fantastic natural stalactite and stalagmite formations, artfully illuminated by multicolored lights. After lunch, we will visit the Elephant Trunk Hill and stroll along the scenic area. Before we board a flight to Shanghai, we will enjoy the local cuisine – rice noodles for dinner.

Day 10: Shanghai                                                                Fri Nov 1 (B, L, D)
Shanghai is the largest commercial and financial center of China. After breakfast, we will stroll along the Bund, the elegant riverside promenade which symbolized European and foreign influence and affluence in the 1930s. See the ships and barges on the Huangpu River, en route to the sea or going upstream to the interior of China. The modernistic Oriental Pearl TV tower looms in the background redefining the skyline.  Then we will tour the Old Town (Old Shanghai bazaar), here you can find goods of every descriptions.

Day 11: Journey Home                                                        Sat Nov 2 (B)
After breakfast, we will travel to the airport and fly back home.

 B: Breakfast          L: Lunch             D: Dinner

11 Days Highlight Tour (Oct 23 to Nov 2) Costs

Tour Fare* (Land only, Double Occup.)	Tips for Chinese tour guides and drivers	Airfare** (LAX/SFO-Beijing-Xian- Guilin-Shanghai-LAX/SFO)	Total (Double Occup)	Single*** Supplement	Total*** (Single Occupancy)
$1,695.00	$130.00	$1,000.00	$2,825.00	$600.00	$3,425.00

* Tour Fare includes land transportation, meals (with some exceptions on international arrival and departure days and as noted on the itinerary), hotels, tour guides, and all of the attractions listed on the itinerary but does NOT include the Airfare, Visa (entrance permit) for China, all personal expenses such as excess baggage, travel/ medical insurance, passport, laundry, telephone, internet, etc.

** Airfare listed above includes round trip international air ticket and applicable China domestic air tickets. Round trip international air ticket is based on Air China (CA), depart/arrive San Francisco (SFO) or Los Angeles (LAX).

*** A customer who travels alone is required to pay a single room supplement.

Registration and Payment Schedule

A Deposit of $500 per person is due with registration. Registration deadline and final balance of fee due date is August 15, 2019. The tour price is not guaranteed until we receive the deposit. After August 15, 2019, please call for availability. In order to keep the tour fee affordable, we do not accept credit cards.

Download: Registration Form

Cancellation between August 15 and September 14, 2019, 50% of the trip fees are not refundable.
Cancellation between September 15 and October 3, 2019, 75% of the trip fees are not refundable. 

        Air tickets are non-refundable.