Oriental Discovery

14 Days Beijing - Xi'an - Guilin - Yangshuo - Guilin - Zhangjiajie - Shanghai

Fully customized, flexible schedule, private guide & driver

Max.18 people, guaranteed weekly departures, best value

Must-see sights in China - Mutianyu Great Wall, Forbidden City, Terracotta Army.

Enjoy a la carte meals, Acrobatic Show, Tang Dynasty Music & Dance Show.

Cruise on the meandering Li River & admire the essence of Guilin landscape.

Witness Avatar Mountain and experience the thrill of Glass Bridge in Zhangjiajie.

Admire soaring skyline and feel the futuristic atmosphere in Shanghai.

Free inquiry, only 10% deposit to confirm, full refund for cancellations up to 15 days prior.

Free inquiry, only 10% deposit to confirm, full refund for cancellations up to 30 days prior.

Welcome your arrival anytime at the airport and transfer to hotel.

Your China journey will start from Beijing, China’s capital city. Your guide will meet you as you pass through customs upon your arrival at Beijing Airport, and then escort you to your hotel and help you check in. You can have a good rest to prepare for the exploration the next day or to orient yourself to the city on your own.

With a history of over 3,000 years, Beijing once served as the capital city of 6 Chinese ancient dynasties, home to a lot of historical architecture, palaces, ancient temples and cultural delights. It offers a glimpse of China’s deep history and also modernity to the world.

Visit Tiananmen Square and Forbidden City; have a tasty lunch and then continue to visit Temple of Heaven and watch an exciting Acrobatic Show; enjoy an a la carte welcome dinner with authentic Peking Roast Duck. (B+L+D)

After breakfast, your guide will meet you at your hotel lobby, and then start the day with a visit to

, at the heart of Beijing City. It is flanked by a lot of monumental buildings like Tiananmen Tower, the National Museum of China, and the Great Hall of the People.

Following our guide across the square, you will reach the entrance of the imperial palace - the

. It is known as the world’s largest wooden palace complex consisting of over 9,000 rooms. This Chinese imperial palace was home to emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368 - 1911), so you will see symbols of the royal family everywhere in the buildings, such as carved dragons, statues of lions and divine creatures, red walls and golden roofs. The magnificent palace structure was built in the early 15th century by about 200,000 to 300,000 workers for about 14 years. When appreciating the huge buildings and halls, you will be amazed at the workers’ wisdom and the effort they made. For example, the palace’s largest stone sculpture located behind the Hall of Preserving Harmony is a whole stone sculpture, weighing more than 220 tons. It is hard to imagine how it was transferred from Beijing’s suburban area to the city center without any modern technology at that time. It is said that the stone was moved by a special land boat in winter. A road was first built with wells every 500 meters along the way. Then pour the water on the ground to freeze a smooth surface. Load the giant stone on the land boat with rolling wood at the underside and then over 20,000 workers and 1,000 horses pulled the boat every day. Nevertheless, it took at least 1 month to reach the imperial palace. In addition to the grand architecture itself, the Forbidden City also houses tens of thousands of ancient artifacts, which would be a great cultural feast for you.

After enjoying lunch, let's visit the imperial altar of the Ming and Qing dynasties, the

, where emperors renewed their divine rights to rule through sacrificial offerings to the gods. The iconic structure of the Temple of Heaven is the conically roofed Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests with 3 tiers standing on a square yard, which demonstrates the old Chinese people’s belief: heaven is round and earth is square. Then you will be entertained by a lively

with Peking duck, valued at US$22 per person and included in tour price, at an elegant Chinese restaurant off the regular tourist beat. After dinner, we'll escort you back to your hotel.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch, A la carte welcome dinner with Peking Duck

Visit Mutianyu Great Wall with round-trip cable car or chairlift up & toboggan down, and toast for Great Wall challenge with red wine; enjoy a buffet lunch, and then drive by Olympic Bird's Nest; take a rickshaw ride through Hutong alleys and visit a local family in a traditional courtyard. (B+L)

Today, we will set off early to visit the

, one of the best-preserved Great Wall sections. Dating back to the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644 AD), the old Great Wall watch towers had seen many military actions in defense of the empire. You will take the included round-trip cable car to reach the wall and see the grandeur in miles of walls sprawling along the tops of mountain ridges. Alternatively, you can try the chairlift up and toboggan down for a more thrilling experiene. After descending, we will surprise you with

to commemorate the special moment on the Great Wall. Enjoy your buffet lunch then.

In the afternoon, we will return to the urban area. Have a brief stop near the

(Bird's Nest) to take photos with the tourist icon. You will then experience the unique

through the old Hutong alleys. You will also have a chance to

to take in the oldest grey bricks of courtyard residence and learn about the lifestyle of the local people. Finally, your guide and driver will escort you back to your hotel.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Buffet lunch

Beijing to Xi'an by High-speed Train

Visit Summer Palace; taste local flavors for lunch; take a high-speed train to Xi'an and transfer to your hotel. (B+L)

In the morning, we’ll proceed to the

, the former royal summer retreat of the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911 AD). With a typical Chinese landscape garden design, Summer Palace is covered by water for about three quarters and has the world’s longest corridor with gorgeous paintings. Apart from seeing lotus blooming on Kunming Lake in the summer, we will visit the other main body of the imperial garden, Longevity Hill, home to a large number of ancient halls, pavilions, and pagodas. You will also walk across the garden’s longest Seventeen-Arch Bridge, and soak up the beautiful Suzhou Market Street which is in imitation of the water towns in Southern China.

After lunch, you will be escorted to the railway station for a high-speed train to Xi'an, where our local guide will meet and transfer you to the hotel. As one of the most ancient cities in China, Xi’an boasts a long history of over 3,000 years. Thanks to its strategic location, it used to be the capital city of 13 Chinese dynasties, including China’s first unifying dynasty, Qin (221 - 207 BC). The world-famous Terracotta Army, the large underground army buried to protect China’s first emperor Qin Shi Huang, was unearthed from here. More than that, Xi’an had witnessed the glorious past of the powerful Tang Dynasty (618 - 907), the golden age when Chinese ancient culture and arts flourished

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch

Visit Terracotta Army and the discoverer’s home of the first terracotta warrior; enjoy lunch and have a unique experience to make your own mini clay warrior; continue to visit Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, and then feast on a dumpling dinner and watch a fantastic Tang Dynasty Music and Dance Show. (B+L+D)

After breakfast, you will be led to take in the city’s charm and absorb the ancient Chinese culture the whole day. Your first destination is the

. The life-size clay figures, probably fashioned after individual live models, are frozen in time, and arranged in battle order; even the expressions on the horses are individualized. You can also see the delicate Bronze Chariot and Horses, and bronze vessels and weapons. With the tour guide's detailed introduction, you will know the history behind the wonder. After that, you will have lunch at a nearby restaurant. Then take a family visit to the home of the first discoverer of the Terracotta Army, and make a mini clay warrior by yourself with the help of a local artisan.

In the afternoon, go back to the downtown to visit the

. The brick pagoda is an incredible, well-preserved 1,300-year-old structure built in the Tang Dynasty, in memory of the celebrated monk Xuanzang’s travel and to save the Buddhist scripts, stupas, and other relics he brought from India. Later, you will be entertained by the

while partaking of the famous Dumpling Dinner.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast,