| DAY
1 DEPARTURE FROM NORTH AMERICA
Enjoy full meal service on your scheduled wide-bodied flight
to Beijing.
DAY
2 BEIJING (3 NIGHTS)
You will be met at the airport by your tour manager/guide
board your own private coach and be transferred to your hotel
in the ancient imperial city of Beijing (Peking) which has
flourished as the prosperous capital of China for a thousand
years. Here elaborate dynasties gave birth to a unique culture
of imperial splendor and opulence. China will reveal itself
as a kaleidoscope of unforgettable experiences and from the
moment we journey to our hotel along streets teeming with
bicycles, their bells all ringing you will know you have arrived.
DAY
3 BEIJING
Beijing is one of the most fascinating cities in
the world and our sightseeing will start at Tian An Men
Square, center of the modern capital and, together with
the Gate of Heavenly Peace very much the
symbol of modern China. We will pass through the gate into
the Forbidden City. The Forbidden City dates
from the 15th century and served as the Imperial Court for
the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Twenty four emperors lived in
luxury and splendor beyond the imagination of the common people
in what are now the largest and best preserved Palace buildings
in China. This evening we will feast upon the famous local
delicacy, Beijing Duck.
•Your first concert performance
will be today
DAY
4 BEIJING
Our first visit is to the Temple of Heaven,
considered to be the perfection of Ming architecture, where
the Emperor traveled twice a year to inform Heaven of his
plans. We will continue northwards, through mountain scenery,
to one of the world's great architectural wonders; The Great
Wall of China, almost 4000 miles long and the only
man-made object visible from the moon! We will visit the most
famous and magnificent section of the Wall at Ba Da Ling and
this will prove to be an experience that you will never forget.
As we return to Beijing we will visit the Ming Tombs
where 13 Chinese Emperors are buried in an exquisite valley
setting. Construction started in 1409 and ended in 1644. An
evening Circus Acrobats Performance is also
in our schedule.
DAY
5 FLY TO XI'AN (2 NIGHTS)
Today we fly to Xi'an, a city that dates back over
2,000 years as an ancient capital and was the seat of the
royal court for 11 dynasties. As the starting point of the
Silk Road, it already had become by the Han Dynasty (206BC-220AD)
a major city in China's exchanges with foreign countries.
In the Tang Dynasty (618-907AD) Xi'an saw more frequent exchanges
between China and the outside world. Reputed as the world's
oriental metropolis, the city once had over 6,000 foreign
envoys, students, monks and merchants. In the heart of Xi'an
is the 36-metre-high Bell Tower first built
in 1384 has three layers of eaves with four corners of the
topmost roof towards the central spire graced by a gilded
pinnacle. Sitting on a brick platform all the stories are
decorated with brackets and delicately carved doors and windows.
The tower provides a vantage point for a panoramic view of
the city. Other sites in Xi'an include the seven-storied Greater
Wild Goose Pagoda which rises 64 meters in the Boundless
Kindness Temple. It was built in the Tang Dynasty to store
the Buddhist Scriptures brought back from India by the monk
Xuan Zang.
DAY
6 XI'AN & TERRA COTTA WARRIORS
Xi'an also preserves the ruins of four imperial
palaces belonging to Western Zhou, Han and Tang Dynasties.
But it is for China's largest group of tombs--the
Qin Tombs with their pottery warriors and horses
that Xi'an is perhaps best known today. Here about 1,000 life-like
pottery warriors are buried at the site, which can now be
viewed by the public. Arranged in columns and files that have
a vanguard, rearguard and flank columns, the terra cotta army
displays the power of a grand army on an expedition. The entire
effect of the site is awesome, especially because of the vast
scale and the skill with which the warriors and horses were
sculpted over 2,000 years ago. In the Shaanxi Province
Museum the Stelae Forest houses the largest collection
of stelae in China (over 1,000 pieces). On display are a group
of 114 stelae, engraved in 837 and known as the 'Kaicheng
Stone Classics', which bear 600,000 Chinese characters on
both sides. The stelae are meant to serve as models to prevent
errors in copying the original classics.
• Your second concert performance will
be today
DAY
7 FLY TO GUILIN (2 NIGHTS)
This morning we fly to Guilin's who's history dates back over
2,000 years and is named after the famous local osmanthus
and its flowers. A picturesque city, Guilin is famous for
its elegant peaks, crystal-clear waters, enchanting rocks
and fantastic caves, and it is popularly known as the 'unparalleled
scenery in China'. The Reed-Flute Cave as
an ancient tourist spot dates back over 1,000 years. It has
been widely acclaimed as an 'Art Gallery of Nature' because
of its dazzling beauty of weird karst formation and marvelous
scenery.
DAY
8 LIJIANG RIVER CRUISE
Today we enjoy a Lijiang River Cruise which
runs zigzagged through a multitude of hills against a backdrop
of steep peaks, resembling a gallery of natural beauty. In
late spring or early summer, luxuriant flowers and green hills
along the shores are mirrored in the blue water. In drizzly
days, the peaks embraced by clouds and mists and the river
blanketed over by light fog make a fairyland setting.
DAY
9 HONG KONG (3 NIGHTS)
Hong Kong is situated on one of the world's most beautiful
harbors and is a major factor in the industrial, political
and financial affairs of the world. This city continually
provides visitors with some of the best shopping in the world,
an exciting night life, and marvelous international cuisine.
Visitors see the storybook side of old China in the junks,
rice paddies, and narrow streets festooned with red and gold
signs. But, they will also find the modern.Visitors can choose
from a thousand worlds within this tiny island. Dine aboard
a floating restaurant at Aberdeen, visit Tiger Balm Gardens
to see a beautiful pagoda, view the colony from Victoria Peak
or take in a Chinese opera in Lai Chi Kok Amusement Park.
Our introductory City Tour will introduce
the highlights today.
DAY
10 HONG KONG
This morning we will begin in Causeway
Bay to explore some of it's sidewalk markets, department
stores, restaurants, and shops all patronized by the locals.
The afternoon will be yours at leisure but you may wish to
visit the Hong Kong Museum of Art to see their astounding
collections of ancient ceramics, bronzes, jade, cloisonné,
lacquerware and bamboo carvings, view the Hong Kong skyline
on a Ferry Ride in Victoria Harbor or take a ride up Victoria
Peak (1,286 ft.). Hong Kong Island's tallest hill naturally
makes it the best place for spectacular views of the city
and surrounding areas. It's always been one of Hong Kong's
most exclusive places to live, since, in addition to the views,
the peak is typically cooler than the sweltering city below.
Upon reaching the summit of the hill and Peak Tower you can
head straight for the viewing deck, where we see breathtaking
views of sweeping panoramas the city below, the South China
Sea, the skyscrapers, boats plying Victoria Harbor and the
surrounding territories in the background.
DAY 11 HONGKONG
In the morning we will visit The Chi Lin
Nunnery in Kowloon. It is a magnificent building
incorporating traditional Tang-era architecture. No nails
were used in this multi-million dollar structure; only wooden
dowelling and brackets. The 3.2-hectare site, comprised of
various Buddhist halls, is a living museum to the Tang Dynasty.The
afternoon will be yours to spend at your leisure in The Times
Square Shopping Mall offering 16 floors of shopping and dining.
From fast-food outlets to stores selling health and beauty
products, six floors of clothing, shoes, handbags, jewelry,
watches, and other accessories this mall has everything you
could want.
.• Your third concert performance will
be today
DAY
12 DEPARTURE FROM HONG KONG
Your enjoyable and rewarding tour will come to
an end as your tour manager/guide accompanies you to the airport
for the return flight home.
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