DAY    1            DEPARTURE FROM NORTH AMERICA
Enjoy full meal service on your scheduled wide-bodied flight to Beijing.

DAY    2            ARRIVE BEIJING (4 NIGHTS)
Our English-speaking guide will meet us at the airport and accompany us on our transfer by private coach to our hotel in central Beijing. We will enjoy dinner in a local restaurant.

DAY    3            BEIJING
Our morning commences in Tian'an Men Square, the world's largest public square (the size of 90 American football fields). In the center of the square stands the Monument to the People's Heroes (Renmin Yingxiong Jinian Bei), a 124-ft.granite obelisk erected in 1958, engraved with scenes from famous uprisings. We will visit the massive Great Hall of the People, one of the world's architectural marvels, where the thousands of representatives that make up China's governing body, the People's Congress, meet for most of the year. We continue with a visit to the Forbidden City, a massive complex of red-walled buildings and pavilions topped by a sea of glazed vermilion tile. It is by far the largest and most intricate imperial palace in China and receives more visitors than any other attraction in the country. Our visit will include the Inner Court, where only the emperor, his family, his concubines, and the palace eunuchs were allowed; the Hall of Mental Cultivation, where emperors lived after Yongzheng moved out of the Qianqing Gong; the Nine Dragon Screen, an 11 1/2-ft-high wall covered in striking glazed-tile dragons depicted frolicking above a frothing sea, built to protect the Qianlong emperor from prying eyes and malevolent spirits; the Hall of Jewelry, with all 25 of the Qing imperial seals, ornate swords, and bejeweled mini-pagodas; Cixi's Theater, an elaborate green-tiled three-tiered structure with trap doors and hidden passageways to allow movement between stages; and the Hall of Clocks, a collection of elaborate timepieces, many of them gifts to the emperors from European envoys. Our afternoon concludes with a visit to the Temple of Heaven, an enormous park and altar to Heaven directly to the south of the Forbidden City. Each winter solstice, the Ming and Qing emperors would lead a procession here to perform rites and make sacrifices designed to promote the next year's crops and curry favor with Heaven for the general health of the empire. This evening we will enjoy a Peking Duck Dinner.

DAY    4            THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA & MING TOMBS
This morning we will journey outside of the city for a visit to the Great Wall of China, one of the world's most awesome and impressive sights. The Great Wall snakes its way from east to west for nearly 4,000 miles, and has been in existence for over 2,600 years. This afternoon we visit the Ming Tombs, where 13 of the 16 emperors who ruled China during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) are buried in a box canyon at the southern foot of Tianshou Shan. This is the most extensive burial complex of any Chinese dynasty and the tombs are constructed in conventional fashion, with memorial halls at the front and burial chambers to the rear. This evening we will enjoy an Acrobat Show.

DAY    5            BEIJING
This morning we visit the Summer Palace, the grandest imperial playground in China. The compound is an expanse of elaborate Qing-style pavilions, bridges, walkways, and gardens, scattered along the shores of the immense Kunming Lake. We will enjoy a tour of the park, which covers roughly 716 acres, with Kunming Lake in the south and Longevity Hill in the north. We will also have the opportunity to take slow electric-powered Boats on the Lake and stroll along Suzhou Street, which is filled with interesting shops. This afternoon we will enjoy a Beijing Hutong Tour. A hutong is a unique form of community with a small street or a lane between two courtyards. There are thousands of hutongs in Beijing, most of which were built in the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties. We will enjoy a fascinating tour by Rickshaw, which will include visits with local families, as well as a magnificent glance into residential Chinese life. After dinner this evening we can explore Lotus Lane.

DAY    6            BEIJING - FLIGHT TO XI'AN (3 NIGHTS)
This morning we will take a flight toXi'an, a former capital of 11 dynasties, including the Tang Dynasty, during China's "Golden Age." Upon our arrival, we will check into our hotel, before embarking on a Bicycle Tour of the Xi'an City Walls. The magnificent and grandiose Xi'an City Wall was constructed in the early Ming Dynasty, and based on the Imperial City of Chang An (Everlasting Peace) of the Tang Dynasty. The Xi'an Wall is one of the best-preserved ancient walls around a city anywhere in the world, and the best example of a walled city in China. In addition to the ramparts, the wall contains watchtowers, moats, city gates and tower entrances. Our day will conclude with a visit to the Bell Tower, originally constructed in the 17th year of Emperor Hong Wu's reign of the Ming Dynasty, and moved to its current location in the 10th year of Wanli. The architecture is grand and the art is superb, however the highlight of our visit will be the ascent of the tower, which offers a magnificent panoramic view over the city. This evening we will attend a Tang Dynasty Music and Dance Show.

DAY    7            XI'AN
This morning we will visit the Qin Terra Cotta Army Museum. In 1974 a group of peasants digging a well, made what was to become the greatest archaeological find of the 20th century when they unearthed fragments of a life sized Terra Cotta Warrior. Excavation of the vault revealed thousands of warriors and their horses, an entire army designed to follow its emperor into eternity. The site is located one mile east of the Qin Mausoleum, and the emperor's Terra Cotta Army was found in three underground timber lined vaults. We will have the opportunity to view the thousands of life size soldiers, standing in military formation with their vivid facial expressions frozen for eternity, some of which are being fully restored to display their original rich coloration. Our day continues with a visit to the Banpo Museum and Excavation Site. This site was discovered in the spring of 1953, and today is one of China's most important cultural heritage sites. Archeologists uncovered a village from the Neolithic period (6,000 years ago), which at its height spanned some 50,000 square meters. We will explore the excavation site, as well as the museum, featuring approximately 10,000 pieces excavated from the site. Our day concludes with a visit to the Huaqing Hot Springs, located at the northern foot of Mt. Lishan. The Dynasties of Zhou, Qin, Han, Sui and Tang, built a temporary imperial abode on the sight. In the 6th year of Emperor Xuanzong's Reign in the Tang Dynasty (747), it was expanded on a massive scale by turning the hot springs into bathing pools, and by building the palace buildings, protected by an outer circular defensive wall. Today, the Huaqing Pools are fascinating for their exquisite and picturesque scenery, characterized by pink peach blossoms, green willows, dense foliage, beautiful pavilions, terraces, magnificent halls, rolling towers, winding corridors and long verandas. We will explore the springs and the grounds, and we will have the opportunity to experience a traditional Chinese Foot Massage. We return to our hotel for the evening.

DAY    8            XI'AN
Our morning begins with a visit to the Shanxi Lìshi Bówùguan (Shanxi History Museum), one of china's top museum's, which features an unrivalled collection of treasures. Items are displayed chronologically, starting with the Shang dynasty and the Zhou dynasty, including items that speak to eating, drinking, and merriment in the Western Zhou. The Qín dynasty exhibit features bronze swords and rusting iron weapons, as well as a striking exhibit on a tiger-shaped tally covered in characters, which gave its owner, one General Dù, imperial authorization to mobilize over 50 soldiers at will. The Táng dynasty exhibits show the influence of Buddhist art from the Silk Routes: carvings are more sophisticated, and bright colors are introduced. Perhaps the most startling exhibits are the frescos relocated from the Táng tumuli around Xi'an. Our day continues with a visit to the Wild Goose Pagoda, situated at the Benevolence Temple to the south of Xian City. The Pagoda, built after the translation of the Buddhist scriptures, is square in shape, and stands 64 meters high, with a spiral staircase leading to the top. Bodhisattva images are delicately carved on the lintels on four sides, and the lower part of the Pagoda features two stone tablets, engraved with the Preface of the Holy Teaching and the Narration Record of the Holy Teaching by Chu Suiliang, the calligrapher of the Tang dynasty. Our afternoon concludes with a visit to the Ba Xi'an An (Temple of the Eight Immortals), which is tucked away in a narrow alley and is the most charming temple in Xi'an. The walk into it is half the adventure, with a flea market out front in some of the temple's old buildings. Inside the temple, monks, their hair tied up in traditional Daoist fashion, play chess and are always keen for a chat. The folk legend of the Eight Immortals is said to have originated here during the late Táng dynasty.

DAY    9            XI'AN - FLIGHT TO GUIYANG (2 NIGHTS)
This morning we will take a flight to Guiyang, a city founded in the Han era and now the capital of the Guizhou province. Upon our arrival we will take a walk along the river to the Fúyù Bridge on which sits Jiaxiù Lóu. Built in 1598 as a meeting place for scholars attending the provincial Confucian examinations, this three-story pavilion has three tiers of soaring eaves supported by 12 stone pillars. The pavilion currently houses a teahouse and a small exhibit of the building's history. We continue to the other end of the bridge to visit the Cuìwei Yuán, a series of traditional buildings once part of a Míng dynasty Buddhist temple. Today, it's home to a teahouse favored by mahjong players and its shops sell minority goods.

DAY    10          GUIYANG
Our morning commences with a visit to Huaxi (Flowery River) Park, located in the Huaxi District on the southern outskirts of Guiyang. Scattered throughout this vast area of karst land formations are undulating hills, picturesque waterfalls and streams, and intriguing limestone caves, as well as a man-made garden. Highlights of our walk through the park will be Furongzhou (Hibiscus Sandbar), a huge rock in the middle of the river that blocks the current, creating a two-fold Taohuatan Waterfall; and an exquisitely built villa, where many noted cultural, political and military leaders stayed during the 1940s. Our day continues with a visit to Qiánlíng Gongyuán, located on the slopes of 4,576-ft. high Qiánlíng Shan in the northwest part of town. We will walk the flagstoned path through the lushly forested park, viewing several shrines, trees hung with red ribbons and groups of monkeys. Our hike will continue up the steep winding path to the 17th-century temple Hóngfu Sì, where we will get a bird's-eye view of the city. We will take a cable car back down. The remainder of the day will be free to shop or explore in Guiyang at our leisure.

DAY    11          GUIYANG - TIANLONG TUNBAO - SHITOU ZHAI - ANSHUN
                          (1 NIGHT)
This morning we will make an early start and journey west towards Anshun. Our first stop will be for a visit to the intriguing Míng dynasty village of Tianlóng Túnbao, where almost 6,500 inhabitants are descendants of the Hàn Chinese soldiers who were sent to the southwest in 1381 by the first Míng Hóngwu emperor. Calling themselves Lao Hàn (Old Hàn), the villagers regard themselves as a quasi-minority for having retained many of the Míng dynasty Hàn Chinese ways for the last 6 centuries, in particular the women's dress and hairstyles and the dialect they speak. Villagers also perform their own unique brand of opera known as dì xì (ground or open-air opera), so named because it's performed not on a stage but on the ground, with the audience standing on surrounding elevated spots to get better views. The area around Anshùn is home to the Bouyi, one of the original peoples of southwest China, who number around 2.5 million today. Related to the Zhuàng, the poorer Bouyi are skilled stonemasons, forced by the rocky karst terrain to build entire hillside villages out of stone. We will visit the village of Shítou Zhài (Stone Village), where all the walls, bridges, roads, and houses are made of stone. Home to about 200 households, the village sits along the river Báishui Hé and is surrounded by pretty green paddies. Those that wish can pick up some of the Bouyi's famous batik. We continue to our hotel in Anshun.

DAY    12          ANSHUN - HUANGGUOSHU FALLS & LONGGONG DONG -                           GUIYANG (1 NIGHT)
Our sightseeing begins with a visit to Huángguoshù Falls, the premier attraction in the Guìzhou province and China's largest waterfall. Fed by the Báishui River, the main waterfall spans 266 ft. and plunges down a precipitous 243 ft. into Rhinoceros Pool. We will enter the Water Curtain Cave, a 328-ft. long walkway behind the falls, where we are assured of a wet backstage view of the cascades. We continue to Tianxing Qiáo Jingqu (Heavenly Star Bridge Scenic Area) located about 5 miles below the main falls, which includes a large cave full of the usual karst formations, a tableau of stones rising from the water, and a waterfall. Our afternoon concludes with a visit to Lónggong Dòng (Dragon Palace Caves), a string of underground karst caves that stretch for over 9 miles through some 20 hills. We will visit the main Dragon Palace Cave, where we will take Rowboats through five chambers of colorfully lit, wonderfully weird karst formations. We continue to our hotel in Guiyang for the evening.

DAY    13          GUIYANG - FLIGHT TO BEIJING (1 NIGHT)
This morning we take a flight back to Beijing. Subject to flight arrival time, we will visit the Yonghe Gong (Lama Temple), a complex of progressively larger buildings topped with ornate yellow-tiled roofs built in 1694 and originally belonging to the Qing prince who would become the Yongzheng emperor. As was the custom, the complex was converted to a temple after Yongzheng's move to the Forbidden City in 1744. The temple is home to several rather beautiful incense burners, including a particularly ornate one in the second courtyard that dates back to 1746. The Falun Dian (Hall of the Wheel of Law) contains a 20-ft. bronze statue of Tsongkapa, the founder of the reformist Yellow Hat (Geluk) sect of Tibetan Buddhism, which is now the dominant school of Tibetan Buddhism. The last of the five central halls, the Wanfu Ge (Tower of Ten Thousand Happinesses), houses the temple's prize possession -- an ominous Tibetan-style statue of Maitreya (the future Buddha), 60 ft. tall, and carved from a single piece of white sandalwood. Our afternoon concludes along Wangfujing Dajie, the grandest shopping area in Beijing. The street was overhauled in 1999, and the south section was turned into a pedestrian-only commercial avenue lined with clothing outlets, souvenir shops, portrait studios, fast-food restaurants, and the city's top two malls, the Sun (Xin) Dong An Plaza and Oriental Plaza (Dongfang Guangchang).

DAY    14          DEPARTURE FROM BEIJING
Our enjoyable and rewarding tour will come to an end as our guide accompanies us to the airport for the return flight home.