Day 02 - Beijing

Red Theater, Beijing

In the morning, you will first visit the geographic center of Beijing City- the Tiananmen Square. You may take photos and walk around in the square for a while as it is the world's largest city square occupying an area of 440,000 square kilometers and can hold 10,000,000 people at one time. Then walk to visit the Forbidden City to feel the outer court for holding ceremonies and the inner court used as the living quarters for the emperor and his family. Yellow is the dominant color in the Forbidden City as it was the symbol of the royal family. After enjoying an a la carte lunch at a nice restaurant, visit the amazing Temple of Heaven to round off the entire day tour. Tonight, you will enjoy a fascinating Chinese Kungfu Show at Red Theater. (B, L)

 Day 03 - Beijing
Highlights today will be the visit to the best-preserved Badaling Great Wall with modern tourism facilities. With a history of more than 2000 years and stretching various landforms approximately 6,700 kilometers (4,163 miles ) from east to west of China, it was enlisted in the World Heritage by UNESCO in 1987 as one of the world's greatest wonders. To celebrate this historic visit, your lunch is specially arranged at a local popular Sichuan cuisine restaurant. Later you will visit the Sacred Way to reach the Ming Tomb. The underground palace of Ming Dynasty will vividly show you a history of imperial burial system in ancient China. (B, L)
 

 Day 04 - Beijing/ Xian
This morning you will marvel at the treasures of the Summer Palace and have a Hutong tour. Covering an area of 290 hectares, the construction of the Summer Palace took 15 years to complete from the year of 1750 to 1764. You may take a special rickshaw riding through various Hutongs and enjoy the prosperous street view with dazzling goods on sale. Through a visit to the local family, you will get a further understanding of the old Beijing characteristics. After an a la carte lunch at a reputable local restaurant, take a flight to Xian, you will be met and transferred to the hotel. (B, L) 

 Day 05 - Xian

Terracotta warriors and soldiers, Xian

Today's highlight is a visit to the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum which is the most significant archeological excavations of the 20th century. As you observe the life-size terracotta figures of warriors and horses arranged in battle formations, the time is standing still at the moment as if you had crossed the time and space and go back to the Qin Dynasty over 2000 years ago. Your a la carte lunch is served at a local famous restaurant. In the afternoon, you will visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda which was originally a 10-storied construction in the Tang Dynasty but now become a 7-storied and 64-meter-high pagoda as the time goes by. Then continue to visit the Provincial History Museum which is one of the most significant four museums in China. Designed by the famous architect Ms. Zhang Jinqiu, the main complex of the Museum is a mixture of ancient palaces and courtyard buildings, harmonious and graceful in hue, in simple and elegant style. A collection of 113,000 historic and cultural artifacts unearthed in Shaanxi is set out separately in the three Exhibition Halls. Tonight you will enjoy the wonderful Tang Dynasty Dinner Show. (B, L, D)
 
Note: Tang Dynasty Dinner Show at the Tang Dynasty Palace is arranged for Luxury series while Standard series will have the Dumpling Banquet and Tang Dynasty Music and Dances Show at Shaanxi Opera Theater. 

 Day 06 - Xian
This morning tour features the best-preserved and largest City Wall  in China. The optional highlight activity is to cycle around the wall to collect a bird's view of the city and you can also see the watchtowers on the four corners. Then you will have a local family visit and enjoy an a la carte lunch at a nice restaurant.  In the afternoon, visit the Great Mosque and the outlook of its famous Prayer Hall. (B, L)

 Day 07 - Xian/ Jiayuguan

Yumen Pass, Gansu

You will visit the Hanyangling Museum on the way to the airport. Exactly speaking, it is the Mausoleum of Western Han Emperor Liu Qi. A magnificent and abundant cultural relic comprise the emperor's and empress' tomb, the south and north burial pits, ceremonial site, human sacrifice graveyard and criminals' cemetery. The lunch will be arranged at different restaurant according to your flight schedule. You may have it at the airport and it may not as satisfying as that served in the urban area. After lunch, take a flight to Jiayuguan. You will be met and transferred to the hotel. (B, L)

 Day 08 - Jiayuguan
Having visited the best-preserved Great Wall of Badaling section in Beijing, today, you will visit the best-preserved Great Wall of Jiayuguan Pass in Gansu Province. In the ancient time, it is said to be the first pass of Hexi as well as a key passageway of the Silk Road. The next visit will be the largest subterranean art gallery in the world-the Wei-Jin Art Gallery housing colorful and fine murals on the walls of the tombs in the Wei and Jin Dynasty. The laststop of today will be the visit to the First Fire Tower of Great Wall. (B, L)

 Day 09 - Jiayuguan/ Dunhuang

Drive to Dunhuang and transfer to the hotel. In the rest day, visit one of the greatest Echoing-Sand Dunes in Dunhuang and you will have a chance to experience a short camel-riding along the Echoing-Sand Dune to reach the Crescent Lake. (B, L)

 Day 10 - Dunhuang/ Turpan

Cotton harvest, Xinjiang

In the morning, visit the reputable Mogao Grottoes which is also known as the Caves of A Thousand Buddha. This honeycomb of caves was constructed over a millennium, from the 4th to the 14th centuries, and represents the height of Buddhist art and the world's richest treasure house of Buddhist sutras, murals and sculptures. If you want to visit some of the specially preserved caves, extra fee will be paid on the spot. As the major center linking China and the West on the Silk Road, Dunhuang played an important role in the history. Dunhuang Museum vividly reflects the flourishing social development and cultural exchange between China and the West in the past. Take an overnight soft sleeper train to Turpan. (B, L)

 Day 11 - Turpan
The train will reach Turpan in the morning. Be met at the railway station and transfer you to the hotel. After breakfast, begin your tour to the ancient Jiaohe Ruins under preservation since 1992 by joint venture. Begin with the ruin and you will get to learn more about the ancient lost kingdoms in the vast Xinjiang area. The following visit to the Karez Well will further show you the wisdom of the ancient people as it is one of the three great projects in China with the other two being the Great Wall and the Grand Canal. The ancient Karez system is comprised of a series of wells and linking underground channels that uses gravity to bring ground water to the surface, usually far from the source. Then visit the Sugong Pagoda. (B, L)

 Day 12 - Turpan/ Urumqi/ Kashgar

Sugong Pagoda, Turpan

Visit the Bizaklik Thousand Buddha Caves to see the monastery hidden and rest on a long ridge overlooking a valley. Continue to the Gaochang Ruins where the Kharakhoja Kingdom established and Manicheamism flourished in the ninth century. However, today you may only see the ruins as it was burnt down around the 14th century, during a period of warfare lasting 40 years. Have a glimpse of the Flaming Hill on the way. Transfer to Urumqi to take a flight to Kashgar. Transfer you to the local best hotel. (B, L)

 Day 13 - Kashgar/ Urumqi
Visit the famous Kashgar Sunday Market in the pearl on the Ancient Silk Road. After that, visit the largest mosque in China-the Id Kah Mosque. If you happen to visit there on a Friday afternoon, you will be shocked by the prayers by more than 10,000 worshipers in the Islamic-structured Prayer Hall. After the rest visit to the Old Street and the Abakh Khoja Tomb, take a flight back to Urumqi and be transferred to the hotel. (B, L)

 Day 14 - Urumqi/ Shanghai
No tour is scheduled in Urumqi today. Our guide will see you off by a flight to Shanghai and transfer you to the hotel. Afternoon is free on your own. (B, L)

 Day 15 - Shanghai
You must see and experience Shanghai to appreciate its cosmopolitan flavor. Visit the unique architectures of the beautiful Yuyuan Garden and the Shanghai Museum. Attracting countless visitors home and abroad every year, Yuyuan Garden is the best place to feel the mixture of the water town and the old city area in the modern Shanghai. As for the museum, please kindly note that the open hour of the galleries is issued by the museum themselves each day. After an a la carte lunch, take a memorable cruise tour on the Huangpu River. Then walk around the Bund area and visit an old street. (B, L)

 Day 16 - Exit Shanghai
Upon completion of you memorable China tour, you will be transferred to the airport for your flight home today. (B)

CityClass	Luxury	Standard
Beijing	Crowne Plaza Hotel	Holiday Inn Central Plaza
Xian	Sheraton Hotel	Grand New World Hotel
Dunhuang	Dunhuang Hotel - Building No. 8	Dunhuang Hotel - Building No. 8
Jiayuguan	Jiayuguan Hotel	Jiayuguan Hotel
Turpan	Huozhou Hotel	Huozhou Hotel
Kashgar	the local best hotel	the local best hotel
Urumqi	Hoi Tak Hotel	Mirage Hotel B Tower
Shanghai	Renaissance Shanghai Yuyuan Hotel	Ya Fan Long Men Hotel