Culture Explosion Tour

Day 1

Place & Transport: Arrive in Beijing, Flight not included
Today's Activities: Airport to Hotel Transfer (Beijing)
Detailed Itinerary: Beijing is a city of amazing contrasts - an ancient capital with some incredible historical sites and a bustling modern metropolis which successfully host the 2008 Olympics. Upon your arrival in Beijing, our guide will meet you and transfer you to your Hotel. The guide will give you some tips on local restaurants that we recommend and shopping in streets nearby. The rest of the day is free to rest to recover from jetlag or to explore yourself.

Day 2

Place & Transport: Beijing
Today's Activities: Great Wall at Mutianyu, Mutianyu Cable Car(round trip), Sacred Way
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch, Chinese Dinner at Roasted Duck at Hepingmen
Detailed Itinerary: After breakfast, our guide will accompany you to visit the Great Wall -Mutianyu Section which owns some unique characteristics among all the sections. Wonderful surrounded landscape, rarely seen structure formed by three connected watch towers, comfortable and safe round trip cable car make it outstanding from the others. Lunch is at local restaurant near the Wall. In the afternoon, you'll enjoy visiting the attractive tree-lined Sacred Road, bordered by stone statues, along which the Emperors once trod to conduct their sacred ceremonies. Dinner is at Quanjude, where serves the world known Beijing roasted duck.

Day 3

Place & Transport: Beijing
Today's Activities: The Forbidden City, The Tian'anmen Square, Temple of Heaven
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch
Detailed Itinerary: Be Chinese for the morning as we join with the thousand of local people as they practice Tai Chi at the Temple of Heaven before breakfast. Join in or just watch, it's your decision. Later we continue to Tian'anmen Square, the symbol of Beijing and ranked No. 1 of the 16 scenic highlights in Beijing. Walk through - it's much bigger than you think - to check out the many points of interest. After a real local lunch, you will be able to experience the ancient emperor's daily life at the Forbidden City from where the Emperors from the Ming and Qing dynasties governed for over 500 years. It is the essence and a "must see" in Beijing. The magnificent and solemn palaces will arouse your imagination of the life of Chinese emperors.

Day 4

Place & Transport: Beijing to Xian, Flight No. TBA
Today's Activities: Hotel to airport Transfer (Beijing), Airport to Hotel Transfer (Xian), City Wall
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch
Detailed Itinerary: You will be free in the morning until being transferred to the airport in time for your flight to Xi'an which is of the oldest cities in China. Xi'an was the national capital for over 1,000 years and was also the starting point of the Silk Road. On arrival we will take a half-hour's hike along the Ancient City Wall to familiarize ourselves with this fascinating cross cultural city. For the energetic we recommend a ride bike along the top of the wall (Bikes can be rented for around 20 yuan/hour)

Day 5

Place & Transport: Xian
Today's Activities: Terracotta Warriors, Bell Tower, Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Tany Dynasty Show
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch
Detailed Itinerary: After breakfast in the hotel, you will set off for the incredible 2000 year-old Terra cotta warriors. The Warriors are part of the underground tomb of the Emperor Qin. Well over 7000 figures in full battle array are formed for battle in several large pits. Many of the figures - soldiers, archers, horses and chariots have been restored. The repairs and excavations continue at the site where you can see both repaired and broken warriors in a truly impressive display. There is also an excellent museum which includes bronze chariots unearthed nearby and a film about the history and discovery of the tomb. It will takes about 15 minutes to walk from parking place to the entrance, so we have provided an electric car to make the day a little easier. In the afternoon we're going to the Bell Tower where you can get a bird's view of the city from the top. There is a performance of the ancient music and a display of the instruments. We will continue to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda where widely renowned Master Xuanzang (Monk Tripitaka) stored his collection of classic Buddhist artifacts brought from India. This evening we take in the Tang Dynasty show which presents palace dances and songs from the Tang Dynasty when Xi'an was the capital of ancient China.

Day 6

Place & Transport: Xian to Hangzhou, Flight No. TBA
Today's Activities: Hotel to airport Transfer (Xian), Airport to Hotel Transfer (Hangzhou), Meijiawu Tea Plantation, Lingyin Temple/ Monastery of the Hidden Souls
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch
Detailed Itinerary: The morning is free for you to explore more of this ancient city. After a farewell lunch our guide will escort you to the airport for your flight to Hangzhou, a city famous for its natural beauty and historical and cultural heritage. On arrival we visit to Lingyin Temple (Monastery of the Hidden Souls). It is one of the most famous ancient Buddhist temples in China and houses a variety of Buddhist literature and treasures. The next stop is the Meijiawu Tea Plantation you will experience the unique tea culture, taste the fragrant tea and appreciate the beautiful village scenery.

Day 7

Place & Transport: Hangzhou
Today's Activities: Cruise on the West Lake, The Huqingyu Tang Chinese Medicine Museum, Qinghefang Pedestrian Street
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch
Detailed Itinerary: Today's itinerary features the most famous scenic spots in Hangzhou - the West Lake. We cruise on the lake this morning to enjoy the beauty both natural and man made. One of the features is Lei Feng Tower. The afternoon is spent at the Huqingyu Tang Chinese Medicine Museum. The Museum of Chinese Traditional Herbal Medicine is a key cultural relics and historic site under the protection of the government. It is housed in the ancient buildings of a famous Hangzhou Chinese herbal medicine shop. The exhibition halls introduce the origin, development and application of traditional Chinese medicine and its role in the history of medicine. Next stop is Qinghefang Pedestrian Street. It illustrates the long history of Hangzhou in a nutshell. The 460m long, slab-stone street is filled with well preserved ancient two story buildings with traditional red lantern decoration the fronts. Traditional businesses like Chinese Medicine Pharmacies and tea houses operate in the same way as they have done for centuries and museums of many kinds - coin, china and antiques illustrate life in times past. It's a wonderful place for a stroll.

Day 8

Place & Transport: Hangzhou to Suzhou,
Today's Activities: Hotel to bus station Transfer (Hangzhou), Express bus station to Hotel Transfer (Suzhou), The No.1 Silk Factory, Humble Administrator's Garden, The Grand Canal
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch
Detailed Itinerary: This morning you'll be transferred to Suzhou by train and arrive at 12:00pm. The Humble Administrator's Garden is the first stop in Suzhou. It is the best representation of a Chinese classical garden in China. Afterward we are head to the Grand Canal, the longest man-made waterway in the world. Cruising on the Canal, you can observe the lifestyle of local people. Suzhou is also famous for its silk production and the last item of the day of the day is a visit to the No.1 silk factory where you can see how the silk is processed from the silk worm to the final woven cloth.

Day 9

Place & Transport: Suzhou to Shanghai
Today's Activities: Hanshan Temple, Tongli Water Town,
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch
Detailed Itinerary: Hanshan Temple is our first stop this morning. The temple was one of the most famous temples in China. Zhang Ji, a famous Tang-dynasty poet, wrote the poem "A Night Mooring by Maple Bridge," which made the temple even more popular nationwide. Before transferring to Shanghai, we visit the ancient Tongli Water Town where it has a history of more than one thousand years. There are over hundreds of gardens established in Ming dynasty and Qing dynasty, temples, cartilages and former residence of eminent souls. Fifteen rivers divides the town into seven island and 49 sets of historic bridges connect the town as a whole.

Day 10

Place & Transport: Shanghai
Today's Activities: Shanghai Museum, Yuyuan Garden, The Shanghai World Financial Center
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch
Detailed Itinerary: Today we visit the lovely old Yuyuan Garden. Here you will see the paths wander across bridges, past rockeries and miniature lakes, and through pretty halls and pavilions. The trees and shrubs are planted with an eye to providing charming views, and a sense of peace and harmony. Shanghai Museum is the biggest, and many think the best museum in China. The galleries in this outstanding building display stunning collections of bronzes, sculptures, ceramics and porcelain, ethnic artefacts from minority groups, and so much more ... give yourself time to enjoy it. The Shanghai World Financial Center is a supertall skyscraper under construction in Shanghai, China. It is a mixed use skyscraper which will consist of offices, hotels, conference rooms, observation decks, and shopping malls on the ground floors. The hotel component will open with 175 rooms and suites in mid-2008 as the Park Hyatt Shanghai. On September 14, 2007 the skyscraper was topped out at 492.3 meters (1,615.2 ft) and became the tallest structure on mainland China, including Hong Kong, as well as the world's third tallest building (including unfinished ones), after the Burj Dubai and Taipei 101.

Day 11

Place & Transport: Shanghai
Meals: Breakfast
Detailed Itinerary: The whole day is your own so that you can explore more of Shanghai, with its phenomenal mixture of space-age buildings, gorgeous shops, and of course, the old Concession areas of Nanjing Road and the Bund. Shanghai has a buzz that is all its own! We would be happy to plan the day if you want something organized.

Day 12

Place & Transport: Depart Shanghai, Flight not included
Today's Activities: Hotel to airport Transfer (Shanghai)
Meals: Breakfast
Detailed Itinerary: Your time is your own, until you are ready to be transferred to the airport for your departure.

Note: If you choose to stay on in Shanghai for a few extra days, or arrive a few days early in Beijing, please let us know, and we'd be happy to extend your hotel bookings, or arrange additional tours.