Wonders of China 12 Days (2021)

Fly to Xi’an via a connecting city. Upon arrival, you will be warmly greeted at the airport by your tour guide and transferred to your hotel.
Please note: Some flights may depart the night before.

Xi’an was the first Chinese city to open its doors to the world, during the Tang dynasty, and the capital for eleven dynasties over a period of more than 2,000 years. After breakfast, visit the Ancient City Walls of Xi’an which can be dated back to the Ming Dynasty and measure 13.7 kilometers in circumference, 12 meters in height, and 15 – 18 meters in thickness at their base. You can also cycle on the walls by renting a bicycle (at your own expense). Then visit the site of the Terracotta Warriors & Horses. In 1974 a peasant digging a well came upon what now stands as one of the main tourist attractions in China and one of the most important archaeological finds of the 20th century. An army of thousands of life-sized warriors and their horses in battle formation, which were buried for 2,000 years, stand guard over the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang. The figures were buried with artifacts and weapons of the day and every figure differs in facial features and expressions. Followed by a visit to the Terracotta factory. You will later have delicious Xi’an handmade noodles for lunch. In the afternoon, visit the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda Square where you can see the beautiful pagoda from the outside. Then visit the Daci’en Temple Relic Site. At night, you can enjoy an optional musical show – The Tang Dynasty Show with dumpling banquet dinner (at your own expense).

Optional Activities:

• Bicycle Rental on the Ancient Walls ($15 per person): Explore the ancient City Walls by riding a bicycle.
• The Tang Dynasty Show + Dumpling Banquet Dinner ($70 per person): cap off your night by enjoying a delicious dumpling dinner and a large-scale musical production.

Enjoy your morning free at leisure or immerse yourself in Chinese culture on a fascinating optional Chinese Calligraphy Study + Shadow Puppet Show + Fu Cha Tea Tasting Tour (at your own expense). In the afternoon, transfer to take a high-speed train to Beijing, the capital city of China. Upon arrival, transfer to your hotel.

Optional Activities:

• Chinese Calligraphy Study + Shadow Puppet Show + Fu Cha Tea Tasting Tour ($70 per person): You will experience how to write Chinese Calligraphy with a brush. Then, you will watch the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage – Shadow Puppetry. The Shadow Puppetry is an ancient traditional folk art that can date back to 600 years ago. Later, you will taste one of the most famous traditional black teas in China – Fu Cha.

After breakfast, visit Tiananmen Square in the centre of Beijing. The square is named after the Tiananmen (Gate of Heavenly Peace) located to its north, which is one of entries to the famed Forbidden City. The square is surrounded by the Monument to the People’s Heroes, Great Hall of the People, National Museum of China, and the Mausoleum of Chairman Mao Zedong. Later, you can join the optional Forbidden City Tour (at your own expense) to explore and discover the mystery of “forbidden” imperial city of the Ming and Qing dynasties. It is a true architectural masterpiece, and is home to the fascinating National Palace Museum. Then, you may taste the famous traditional local delicacy, Peking Roast Duck for lunch (at your own expense). Cap off your night with a large-scale stage production, the Golden Mask Dynasty Show (at your own expense).

Optional Activities:

• Forbidden City Tour ($85 per person): Explore and discover the mystery of the ancient and imposing heart of China’s imperial history.
• Peking Duck Lunch ($50 per person): Enjoy the famous local delicacy, Peking Roasted Duck.
• The Golden Mask Dynasty Show ($75 per person): Be amazed by the colour, music, and action of this large-scale stage production (evening).

Today’s highlight is an excursion to the majestic Great Wall, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. You’ll have a chance to climb a portion of this 6,000km marvel, at Juyong Pass. Then visit one of the largest jade exhibitions in Asia, and see skilled artisans work at a cloisonné factory. Energise yourself with an Authentic Old Peking Style Lunch (at your own expense). In the afternoon, you can join the optional Summer Palace, Beijing Olympic Park & Hutong Life Tour (at your own expense), to tour the largest preserved ancient garden, shoot photos in front of the stunning stadiums and visit a local family in Hutong (ancient alleyways) to see the real life of Beijing people.

Optional Activities:

• Authentic Old Peking Style Lunch ($25 per person): Enjoy the authentic old Peking style dishes including Spring Rolls, Jing Jiang Rou Si (Sautéed Shredded Pork in Sweet Bean Sauce), etc.
• Summer Palace, Beijing Olympic Park & Hutong Life Tour ($115 per person): Summer Palace is the largest preserved imperial garden in China, and is recognised as a world heritage site by UNESCO declaring “a masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design”. Then, stroll in the Beijing Olympic Park, where you can see and take good photos in front of the famous and stunning Bird’s Nest and Water Cube stadiums. Later, tour the Beijing’s ancient Hutong neighbourhoods, and visit a local family where you will learn about tai chi, Chinese calligraphy, and cricket fighting.

Note: Due to government policy, the capacity is limited for Hutong Life Tour. Alternative activity is to visit the Bell Tower and see the beautiful view of Hutong. Your tour guide will advise which one is available and suitable based on the day’s schedule. Bell Tower requires climbing stairs.

Today, visit the Temple of Heaven, a UNESCO recognised World Heritage Site. It is imperial complex of religious buildings. The complex is an architectural masterpiece, and was built between 1406 and 1460 AD. The temple was used by China’s emperors for ceremonies honouring the god of harvests. This is followed by a visit to a Chinese herbal medicine institute, and learn about this ancient medical tradition. You may want to taste a dumpling lunch in the Dumpling Garden (at your own expense) before taking a high-speed train to Suzhou. Suzhou has long been known as the ‘Venice of the East’, for its exquisite canals, bridges, pagodas, and beautiful gardens, and is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. Upon arrival, you will be picked up and transferred to your hotel.

Optional Activity:

• Dumpling Lunch in Dumpling Garden ($25 per person): Taste different flavours and styles of dumplings from different parts of China in the Dumpling Garden.

After breakfast, tour the exquisite Lingering Garden, a classic private garden with 500 years of history. Next, visit the largest silk factory in the country, and discover how silk is manufactured from mulberry-munching silkworms. You may also take an optional cruise along the Grand Canal (at your own expense) and view life along this section of the longest and oldest canal in the world. Take a brief break and enjoy a traditional Jiangnan Dim Sum meal (at your own expense). Later in the afternoon, continue to Wuxi. Upon arrival, take a stroll along Nanchang Street, the most bustling pedestrian street in Wuxi, composed of both ancient and modern architectures before transferring back to your hotel.

Optional Activities:

• Grand Canal Cruise ($45 per person): Cruise on China’s Grand Canal, at 1,776km long and reaching all the way to Beijing, this massive engineering feat was unparalleled in the ancient world.
• Jiangnan Dim Sum Meal ($25 per person): Enjoy some traditional Jiangnan dim sum such as Wonton, Pan-fried Buns.

This morning, tour beautiful Li Lake (Lihu), which is the most scenic corner of Wuxi’s huge Lake Tai (Taihu), followed by a visit to a freshwater pearl exhibition and store. Continue on to Hangzhou, described by Marco Polo as “the most beautiful and magnificent city in the world”. Upon arrival, You may take an optional cruise on the serene West Lake (at your own expense), which the most renowned feature of Hangzhou, and is noted for its scenic beauty, which blends naturally with many famous historical and cultural sites. Savour your day with the famous delicacy Hangzhou Dongpo Pork dinner (at your own expense), and cap off your night by attending the Impression West Lake Show (at your own expense), a large-scale open-air performance bringing the story of West Lake alive before your eyes.

Optional Activities:

• West Lake Cruise ($55 per person): An optional cruise on the serene West Lake.
• Impression West Lake Show ($95 per person): a classic created by Zhang Yimou, acclaimed film and theatre director, and architect of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics Games Opening Ceremony.

Experience tea-tasting at the Dragon Well Tea Plantation, which produces some of the the best ‘Longjing’ green tea in China. After lunch travel by coach to Shanghai. Upon arrival, visit The Bund, located on the Huangpu River and lined by historical architecture of European design, it is the best place to capture the Western influences of the colonial era. Then, visit the City God Temple Bazaar, which is composed of stores selling traditional Chinese arts and crafts, medicine, and souvenirs. Tonight you can watch a thrilling Chinese Acrobatic Show (at your own expense).

Optional Activity:

• Chinese Acrobatic Show ($85 per person): A thrilling Chinese acrobatic show, featuring Chinese dance, drama, music, and other performing arts and modern technology.

Free day at your own leisure, or you may join the below optional program(s) (at your own expense), to know more about the city:

Optional Activities:

• Half Day Shanghai City Tour w/ Maglev Train experience ($85 per person): Visit the affluent Xintiandi area which holds the historical and cultural legacies of the city. Xintiandi was the site of the first congress of the Communist Party of China, and is now the most expensive place to live in the country. Then explore the free market underground the Shanghai Sci-Tech Museum where you can find lots of goods such as traditional Chinese outfits, shoes and fashion accessories. Next, experience the world’s fastest commercially operating train, running between the city and Shanghai airport with a top speed of 431km/h.
• Cruise on Huangpu River + Shanghai Xiaolongbao Meal ($75 per person): Taste the Shanghai local delicacy, Xiaolongbao, and cruise along the Huangpu River, you will get a glimpse of the history and spectacular view of cosmopolitan Shanghai.

After breakfast, transfer to Shanghai airport to board your overnight connecting flight via an intermediate city to Australia. The trip may be over, but the experiences and memories will certainly last a lifetime.

Arrive home this morning.