16 days China Southwest Exploration

Beijing, Xian, Chengdu, Lijiang, Kunming, Guilin, Yangshuo, Longji, Shanghai
Tour highlights:
Beijing: the Great Wall, Forbidden City
Xian: Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses Museum
Chengdu: Giant Panda Breeding Center
Lijiang: Well-preserved ancient town and colorful minority culture listed as Cultural Heritage by UNESCO
Kunming: Stone Forest
Guilin: Li River cruise
Shanghai: the Bund and Yu Garden
 
Itinerary:
Day 1 Arrival in Beijing (no meal)
Arrive at Beijing. Our guide will meet you at the airport & transfer to your hotel. Free at leisure for the rest of the day.

Day 2 Beijing (B, L)Full day trip to the Tian'anmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven.
- The Tian'anmen Square: The largest city square in the world.
- The Forbidden City: The largest imperial palace in China for 24 emperors' reign during the Ming and Qing dynasties with a history of around 600 years.
- The Temple of Heaven: a masterpiece of architecture and landscape design where the ancient emperors used to pray for the God's bless of the whole nation.
 
Day 3 Beijing (B, L, D)Full day trip to the Great Wall, Ming Tomb and Sacred road. Enjoy a famous Peking Duck Banquet for dinner.
- The Great Wall: One of the great wonders in the world and the symbol of China.
- The Ding Tomb: an underground palace for a Ming-dynasty emperors' afterlife.
- The Sacred Road: "the way leading to Heaven" which is guarded on both sides with 12 stone statues.

 Day 4 Beijing/Xian by flight (B, L)Visit Hutongs by rickshaw. Take afternoon flight to xi'an . Arrive at Xian. Be met & transferred to your hotel. Free time at leisure.
- Hutongs: the unique street design to Beijing - some crisscrossing old narrow paths with courtyard houses built on each side. It can be regarded as a window into Beijing folk life.
 
Day 5 Xian (B, L)Visit the Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses, the Bell Tower and the Wild Goose Pagoda.
- The Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses Museum: one of the most important archaeological finds in the 20 th century; an army of terra-cotta warriors and the bronze chariots entombed in vast underground vaults at emperor Qin's tomb since 2200 year ago.
- The Bell Tower: first built in 1384, the largest and best preserved of its kind.
- The Wild Goose Pagoda: the city emblem, which was first built in Tang Dynasty for the storage of Buddhist scriptures taken from India by Monk Xuanzang.

Day 6 Xian/Chengdu by flight (B, L)Visit the Provincial Museum , Ancient City Wall and old city quarters. Take an evening flight to Chengdu. Be met & transferred to the hotel with your private guide & vehicle.
- The Provincial Museum: One of the main museums in China boasting a large collection of unearthed cultural relics of China.
- The Ancient City Wall: the best-kept and biggest city walls in China.
 
Day 7 Chengdu/Lijiang by flight (B, L)Visit Dujiangyan Irrigation Project and Panda Breeding Center. Take an evening flight to Lijiang. Be met and transfer to hotel.
- Dujiangyan Irrigation System: 2200+ year old water conservation project, still in use for irrigation and flood-controlling.
- Panda Breeding Center: First opened in 1987, a semi-wild area where those lovely China 's ambassadors can be allowed to freely roam.
 
Day 8 Lijiang (B, L)Drive to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain to take a cable car to Yak Meadow. Then visit Yu Feng Lamasery and Baisha Mural.
- Jade Dragon Snow Mountain: the holy mountain of local Naxi People, the soul of Lijiang.
- Yu Feng Lamasery: first built in Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), a mixture style of Han, Naxi and Tibetan architecture.
- Baisha Mural: It was painted in Baisha Town in Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), an interesting co-existence of Buddhism, Taoism and Lamaism in the artworks.
 
Day 9 Lijiang/Kunming (B)Free morning for your own exploration. Transfer to airport and fly to Kunming. Be met and transfer to hotel.
 
Day 10 Kunming/Guilin by flight (B, L)Full day tour to Stone Forest and local Flower and Bird Market. Drive to airport and fly to Guilin. Be met and transfer to hotel.
- Stone Forest: the most famous tourist attraction in Kunming - a typical formation of Karst topography.
 
Day 11 Guilin/Yangshuo (B, L)Take a leisurely cruise down Li River enjoying the stunning landscape, and arrive at Yangshuo for one hour free shopping at local market. Overnight at Yangshuo.
- Li River cruise: a wonderful 3.5 hour cruise going down a clear river sided by picturesque scenery. Lunch on board.
 
Day 12 Yangshuo (B, L)Bike ride to the countryside escorted by your private guide, then bamboo rafting down Yu Long River (great fun and mild adventurous!). Lunch at local restaurant. Have a cooking course in the afternoon.

Day 13 Yangshuo/Longji/Guilin by car, Guilin/Shanghai by flight (B, L)Drive to Longji to see the rice terraces and visit Ping An Zhuang Village. Then transfer to airport to fly to Shanghai . Be met and transfer to hotel.
- Longji Rice Terraces: first built in Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), a feat of farm engineering.
 
Day 14 Shanghai (B, L)Visit Oriental Pearl TV Tower, Yu Garden & Jade Buddha Temple .
- Oriental Pearl TV Tower: Best viewing spot of Shanghai located by the Huangpu River with 468 meters high.
- Yu Garden: It used to be a private garden with 400 years' history, it features traditional architectural style of Yangtze Delta.
- Jade Buddha Temple: Most popular Buddhist temple in Shanghai boasting 2 precious jade Buddha sculptures from Burma.
 
Day 15 Shanghai (B, L)Tour to nearby ancient water town - Zhujiajiao, and transfer back to the Bund and Najing Road for shopping.
- Zhujiajiao Town: an ancient water town featured with traditional lifestyle of Yangtze Delta.
- The Bund: Shanghai 's famous waterfront to see new-erect modern skyscrapers and aged buildings of the colonial period.
- Nanjing Road: the busiest shopping street in Shanghai.
 
Day 16 Shanghai departure (B)Transfer to Shanghai Pudong airport for your flight to your next destination.
Service Ends.