Day 1 Beijing
Arrive at Beijing airport. Meet your tour guide and transfer to hotel
for some rest before joining other travelers for an Evening Reception.
Grand Hotel Beijing
Day 2 Beijing g Datong
Morning at leisure or you may go to visit a couple of sites you missed
in your previous China trips.
Afternoon train to Datong and arrive in the evening. Transfer to hotel.
Yungang International Hotel <B-D>
Day 3 Datong
Datong, center of the Northern Wei Dynasty about 1,500 years ago, served
as the military stronghold of numerous dynasties. Here, visitors discover towering
temples, magnificent grottoes, exquisite murals and sculptures, the meandering Great Wall
and its many fortresses.
You will first visit the Yungang Caves, where elaborate
and colorful Buddhist art works have been well preserved. Then, move on to see a less
famous but in fact older and more authentic section of the Great Wall near
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Return to town by late afternoon and
stop by Huayan Temple for a view of its elegant architecture.
Yungang International Hotel <B-L>
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Day 4 Datong g Wutaishan
Get ready for a full-day journey to Mt. Wutai punctuated with
fascinating sightseeing stops. You travel south from Datong and make your first stop in Hunyuan,
a small county town with some appealing Ming street architecture.
Then, arrive at the Hanging Temple, the most impressive
building in the Hengshan Range.
From here, you head west to Yingxian to see the stately Yingxian
Pagoda. Built in 1056 in the Liao Dynasty, it is the oldest wooden Building in
China, a masterpiece of structural engineering. It looks solid enough to stand for another
millennium.
You arrive the town of Taihuai at the foot of Mt. Wutai in
late afternoon. Relax and rest in hotel.
Wutaishan Yindu Hotel <B-L-D> |
Day 5 Wutaishan
Wutaishan (Wutai Mountain) has been a religious center at
least since the reign of Emperor Ming Di (58-75 AD) of Han Dynasty. Each Buddhist Mountain
is dedicated to a particular Budhisattva, and Wutaishan became dedicated to Manjusri (also
known as the Wenshu Buddha in China), god of wisdom.
Explore the many elegant temples with exquisite sculpture and murals.
Marvel at the architectural varieties, fresh air, superb alpine scenery and the peaceful
spiritual tone in this Buddhist shrine.
Visit Tayuan Temple, Xiantong Temple, and Shuxiang
Temple. Hike around the lower slopes of the mountain.
Wutaishan Yindu Hotel <B-L-D>
Day 6 Wutaishan g Taiyuan
Travel by motor vehicle to Taiyuan and on the way visit several temples.
The Jinge Temple has an impressive 17-meter-tall Guanyin
statue, the largest at Wutaishan. Some of the original Tang structure remains in the
inscribed base of the pillars. Nanchan Temple's small main hall, built in
782 AD, is the oldest wooden hall existent in China. The Foguang Temple is a
complex of more than a hundred buildings.
Arrive in Taiyuan by late afternoon.
Shanxi World Trade Hotel <B-L-D>
Day 7 Taiyuan g Pingyao
Take a city tour in Taiyuan today and visit the Double-Tower
Temple with a 13-storey octagonal tower made of brick and stone.
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Travel by road to Pingyao, a well-preserved old town in central Shanxi Province. On the way, you first
visit Jinci Temple - situated on the foot of Mt. Xuanweng and built in
memory of Jiyu, the founding father of the Jin State.
Stop by a well-known north China residence of a rich family - Qiao
Family Compound. Its original owner was an affluent merchant. He and his
descendents enjoyed high prestige and status for two centuries. In its most prosperous
days, the Qiao family had commercial enterprises and banking ventures in practically every
important city in China.
Arrive in Pingyao in late afternoon and check in at the hotel.
Yunjincheng Courtyard Hotel <B-L-D>
Day 8 Pingyao
You will be given a half-day guided tour of Pingyao, a
small town with a 2000-year history and many old Ming and Qing dynasties houses,
compounds, and temples. The old city wall still stands circling the town, and its narrow
streets are lined with small family-owned shops and restaurants.
Afternoon is free for your own exploration.
Yunjincheng Courtyard Hotel <B-L-D>
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Day 9 Pingyao g Yinchuan
Morning is at leisure in Pingyao.
In the afternoon, travel to Taiyuan Airport and
on the way visit Yuci Ancient Culture District where traditional
architectures dominate. Fly to Yinchuan, capital of Ningxia Hui Autonomous
Region.
Yinchuan Apollo Hotel <B-L-D>
Day 10 Yinchuan
Yinchuan is a city with its unique characters and the Muslim culture is
obvious. You will be among the few of international visitors coming to the city each year.
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Haibao Pagoda is a prominent
structure in the north of Yinchuan and it has an unusual angular shape with niches and
ledges that protrude from each of the eleven storeys. Nanguan Mosque, first
built at the end of Ming dynasty and rebuilt in 1980, has an imposing Islamic
architectural style, complete with majestic green domes.
The highlight of your exploration in Yinchuan is the tour of the Western
Xia Mausolea, which is located on the eastern slope of Helan Mountain to the west
of the city. This mausoleum contains the tombs of emperors of the Western Xia dynasty
(1038-1227). Every tomb is a complete structure that includes watchtowers, sacred walls,
stele pavilions, halls and pagodas.
Ningxia Apollo Hotel <B-L-D>
Day 11 Yichuan g Lanzhou
Take a walk in the Old Town of Yinchuan this morning and
visit the 64-meter-high Chengtiansi Tower, first built in 1050 and rebuilt
in 1820.
In the afternoon, take a short flight to Lanzhou, capital
of Gansu Province. Visit a local market before dinner.
Legend Hotel Lanzhou <B-L-D>
Day 12 Lanzhou g Xiahe
You get up early today and set out for the legendary Tibetan town of
Xiahe in Southern Gansu. On the way, stop at a couple of towns in a Muslim area.
Arrive in Xiahe in the afternoon and take a walking tour of the town itself.
Xiahe is a tiny, bustling town centered in a valley of
southwest Gansu. At three thousand meters above sea level and surrounded by hilly
mountains, this rural haven centers upon its famous Buddhist Monastery. It is not just the
amazing sights that will enamor you with Xiahe, but also the vibrant atmosphere. The town
has a fine ethnic mix of Tibetan, Han and Hui Muslim people.
Labrang Hotel <B-L-D>
Day 13 Xiahe
The focus of today's exploration is the renowned Labrang Monastery,
one of the six major Yellow Hat Sect (Gelupa) monasteries, and second only to the Potala
Palace in size. It also houses China's largest Buddhism Academy.
The monastery was built in 1709 by a monk from the nearby village of
Ganjia named E'angzongzhe, who was to become the first of the monastery's Living Buddhas
(Jiemuyang). At its height, 6000 monks lived and prayed in the temple. Nowadays there are
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2000 monks, mainly from Qinghai,
Gansu, Sichuan, and Inner Mongolia. In total the monastery holds over 60,000 Tibetan
sutras and thousands of rare Buddhist relics, including a statue of the most famous
Tibetan king, Songtsen Gampo.
In the afternoon, you venture out to the grassland to the
west of the town and meet local nomads who herd their sheep and cows on the highland
pasture.
Labrang Hotel <B-L-D>
Day 14 Xiahe g Xi'an
You travel back to Lanzhou by vehicle this morning to catch an afternoon
flight to Xi'an. Check in at the hotel upon arrival and the rest of the day is at leisure.
Hyatt Regency Xi'an <B-L>
Day 15 Xi'an
Visit the 2,200-year-old Terracotta Warriors unearthed in
1974. Inside the museum, three exhibition halls house the continuing excavation of an army
of 7,000 terracotta soldiers and horses that guard the tomb of China's first emperor, Qin
Shihuang.
Upon returning to the city, tour the Big Goose Pagoda and
the a local market near the south gate.
Enjoy a characteristic Dumpling Dinner in a local
restaurant.
Hyatt Regency Xi'an <B-L-D>
Day 16 Xi'an g Hanzhong
Visit the marvelous Yangling Archaeological Museum,
featuring astounding discoveries of the Han Dynasty, on your way to the airport. Take a
noon flight to Hanzhong, an important and ancient city that has been
neglected by visitors for centuries. Transfer to hotel upon arrival.
Called "Yizhou" in the old times and rich in historic remains,
Hanzhong is the place where Liu Bang, the founder of the Han Dynasty, launched his initial
campaign to achieve his goal. It was a much wrestled strategic town during the Three
Kingdoms Period.
You first visit Hanzhong History Museum, and then tour the
Ancient Han Altar (The Old Palace of Liu Bang) and Altar of The
Inaugural Ceremony of Han Xin (the chief general of Han army) in the city. Enjoy a
local cuisine dinner.
Hanzhong Youzheng Hotel <B-D>
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Day 17 Hanzhong
Head west for an excursion to Ding-junshan Ancient Battle Field,
Wuhou Ci (Zhuge Liang Temple), and Tomb of Zhuge Liang. Zhuge
Liang (181-234 AD), also known as Kong Ming, is the most famous strategist in Chinese
history and he planned many successful military campaigns and battles for Liu Bei, the
head of Shu State during the Three Kingdoms Period.
In the afternoon, you travel north to explore the Baohe Cliff
Relic Site, where there are ancient bridges, stone gate, and stone-carvings.
Hanzhong Youzheng Hotel <B-D> |
Day 18 Hanzhong g Shanghai
This morning you will visit the Tomb of Zhang Qian, the
explorer of the Silk Road region in early Han Dynasty.
Take an afternoon flight to Xi'an and connect another flight to
Shanghai. Transfer to hotel upon arrival.
In the evening, all tour participants gather in a local restaurant to
celebrate the completion of the adventure with a Farewell Banquet.
Portman Ritz-Carlton Shanghai <B-D>
Day 19 Return Home
Transfer to the airport and board your homebound flight.
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