Pekin,Xian,Guilin,Hangzhou,Shanghai 12Nights/13Days
Day 01: You will be met at the gate of Beijing International Airport by airport VIP staff who will lead you through immigration, baggage claim and customs to your vehicle to be transferred to your hotel. ( Raffles Beijing Hotel - 5 Stars - Landmark Rooms)
Day 02: This morning we take you to one of ancient China's most sacred sites, the majestic Temple of Heaven used by the Emperor as a place to mediate affairs between God and man. This afternoon's activities contrast colossal monuments of the past and present. After strolling across the impressive Tiananmen Square, an authoritative symbol of today's China, you will by awed by the majesty of the magnificent Forbidden City (to which in times past you would have been denied access). Your tour here will include exclusive access to a private palace, normally closed to the general public. (Please note that access to this site is controlled by local authorities, who may deny access on occasion. (B, L, D)
Day 03: Today you will visit the Great Wall which has fascinated generations of travelers. Whereas Genghis Khan contemplated it as a military obstacle, Richard Nixon saw it as one of humankind's greatest achievments. Spanning from the Gobi Desert in the west to the Bohai Gulf in the east, it reaches as far back in time as the seventh century BCE and was projected forwards as one of China's proudest symbols for the 2008 Olympics. While the utility and meaning of this defense mechanism has been contested by centuries of diplomats and invaders, its unprecedented scale will astonish you and its unexpected beauty will inspire you. You will be treated to a private banquet on the wall itself (weather permitting). After lunch you will be given some time for a stroll along this most magnificent of sites. (B, L - no dinner included.)
Day 04: We begin the day with a visit to the delightful Summer Palace, a retreat built exclusively for the Dowager Empress Cixi; its ornate temples, pavilions, and covered corridors, set amidst a graceful landscape, epitomize both the decadence and refinement of this powerful matriarch. In the afternoon, the poetic expanses of Imperial life will contrast with the intimacy of the historic alleyways (or Hutong ). During this pedicab tour of Beijing's old quarter, you will be afforded a rare insight into the everyday life of Beijingers. (B, L, D)
Day 05: For shoppers, Beijing's largest open-air market will come close to paradise. Here you will mingle with Beijingers, overseas and local art dealers, and farmers who import goods from the countyrside. For non-shoppers, this market can be thought of as China's largest museum of modern cultural life, where you can see, talk to, and photograph a wide range of local and regional Chinese conducting business. In the afternoon, we travel to Xi'an. ( Sofitel Hotel - 5 Stars - Luxury Room) (B, L, D)
Day 06: This morning we visit Xi'an's most stunning site, the Terracotta Warriors. Dating from the second century BCE, the thousands of moulded soldiers, officers, horses and wagons form a small component of the underground army buried to protect the legendary first Emperor of China during his afterlife. His reign, unifying competing kingdoms, anticipated Xi'an's subsequent rise to global prominence as the capital of mighty empires in both the Han (206BCE - 220CE) and Tang (618CE - 907CE) dynasties.
In the afternoon we fly to Guilin, whose poetic countryside will soothe you of your urban cares. Craggy limestone towers, their caves appearing like windows in a sheen of vegetation, overlook lush plains of rice fields and fruit orchards. ( Hotel of Modern Art - an unrated Relais & Chateaux property - Deluxe Room) (B, L - no dinner included)
Day 07: This morning you will have the opportunity to explore traditional village life. Visit a local school, take part in preparing soy milk, or just wander through the rice fields. The day continues with a relaxing boat-ride on traditional bamboo rafts along a rarely visited stretch of the Li River: clumbs of bamboo trees line the shores, buffalo wallow in the shallow water, children play beside their fathers, who rake the river bed for reeds. En route, we will meet with villagers herding their cormorant birds along the river bottom in search of fish. (B, L, D)
Day 08: This morning has been left free. Some might wish to rent a bike to further explore the area. Others may wish to tour the hotel's internationally-acclaimed contemporary sculpture park. Many though, will choose to relax with a good book. If you are feeling active, there are many options open to you from cycling through the country fields to learning how to throw a pot.
After lunch a flight takes us from Guilin to Hangzhou, a city whose beauty is encapsulated by a famous Chinese couplet: "In heaven there is paradise, on earth there is Hangzhou and Suzhou." ( Hyatt Regency Hotel - 5 Stars - Lakeview Room or Aman Fayun Hotel - 5 Stars - Fayun Room) (B, L, No dinner included)
Day 09: It was Hangzhou whose wealth and splendour flabbergasted the urbane Marco Polo during his trip to China. Your tour of Hangzhou will start with a drive into the tea plantations where China's most famous green tea is cultivated. Afterwards, you will descend down into the historic section of the city where you will be taken to a local tea house. There, you will be the guests of honor at a private tea ceremony and tea tasting.
Your tour continues with a private boat tour of the West Lake's elegant causways and landscaped islands. (B, L, D)
Day 10: For those who wish to join us, we will be setting off extra early to watch the early morning exercises taking place at this time across the whole of China. After breakfast, we will visit Lingyin Temple to view not only a fine, historic temple, but also to inspect the astounding sculptural accomplishments of its Buddhist monks. In the afternoon, en route for Shanghai, you will be surprised by the fast-paced development taking place across Zhejiang province.
Considered to be the most Western of Chinese cities last century, Shanghai should perhaps now be thought of as its most futuristic. Having advised you of Shanghai's best restaurant and bars, we will help make any reservations that you might require for this evening of fun, when we leave you to enjoy Shanghai on your own. (Peninsula Hotel - 5 Stars - Deluxe Riverview Room) (B, L - no dinner included)
Day 11: This morning features a lecture/tour on colonial architecture in Shanghai given by a member of the Shanghai Historical Society. This tour will take you into some of the most important buildings along the Bund and French Concession.
In the afternoon you will be given a choice of activity. For those who would like to shop, we will take you along sycamore-lined boulevards into the heart of the French Concession. This section of the "Paris of the Orient" now hosts many arts-based businesses and art galleries that we can visit if you so desire. For those of you who are not shoppers, we can arrange for a visit to the Communist Party Museum and/or a museum showcasing traditional Shanghainese homes.
After dinner at one of the city's best new restaurants, you will be taken to witness the marvelous stunts of the Acrobatic Show. (B, L, D)
Day 12: Our tour of Shanghai continues at the Shanghai Museum, one of the most modern in the country. Arranged by category rather than according to a chronology, its collection introduces and elucidates the gamut of Chinese arts from ceramics to jade and ivory carvings to paintings.
This afternoon we take you to visit the Yu Gardens, one of the best examples of traditional Chinese garden design in the country. Afterwards, you will have some time to stroll through Shanghai's Old Quarter. Our farewell dinner takes place at our favorite Shanghai restaurant, boasting a magnificent view over the Bund and Pudong waterfronts. (B, L, D)
Day 13: For many guests, today heralds their departure from China. You will be transferred to the airport in time for your return flight home. (B)
Please note that B, L, D denotes Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
Beijing,Xian,Guilin,Shanghai 10Nights/11Days
Day 01: Upon your arrival at Beijing International Airport, you will be met at the gate by airport VIP staff who will lead you through immigration, baggage claim and customs. After transferring to the hotel, you will have the remainder of the evening at leisure (no other services included this evening). (Raffles Hotel - 5 Stars - Landmark Rooms)
Day 02: In the morning, we take you to one of ancient China's most sacred sites, the Temple of Heaven, used by the Emperor as a place to mediate affairs between God and man.
This afternoon's activities contrast colossal monuments of the past and present. After strolling across Beijing's Tiananmen Square, an authoritative symbol of today's China, you will be awed by the majesty of its antique Forbidden City (to which in times gone by you would have been denied access). Your tour will include exclusive access to a private palace, normally closed to the general public (please note that entry is controlled by local authorities, who may deny access on occasion). (B, L, D)
Day 03: Today you will visit the Great Wall which has fascinated generations of travelers. Whereas Genghis Khan contemplated it as a military obstacle, Richard Nixon saw it as one of humankind's greatest achievments. Spanning from the Gobi Desert in the west to the Bohai Gulf in the east, it reaches as far back in time as the seventh century BCE and was projected forwards as one of China's proudest symbols for the 2008 Olympics. While the utility and meaning of this defense mechanism has been contested by centuries of diplomats and invaders, its unprecedented scale will astonish you and its unexpected beauty will inspire you. You will be treated to a private banquet on the wall itself (weather permitting). After lunch you will be given some time for a stroll along this most magnificent of sites. (B, L, - no dinner included.)
Day 04: For shoppers, this morning's visit to Beijing's largest open-air market will come close to paradise. Here you will mingle with Beijingers, overseas and local art dealers, and farmers who import goods from the countyrside. For non-shoppers, this market can be thought of as China's largest museum of modern cultural life, where you can see, talk to, and photograph a wide range of local and regional Chinese conducting business.
In the afternoon, we continue with a tour of the delightful Summer Palace, a retreat built exclusively for the Empress Dowager Cixi; its ornate temples, pavilions & covered corridors, set amidst a vast and graceful, man-made landscape, epitomize both the decadence and refinement of this ruthless matriarch. (B, L, D)
Day 05: We continue the tour with an intimate pedicab tour through Beijing's traditional alleyways (or Hutong). During this tour, you will be afforded a rare insight into the everyday life of Beijingers.
In the afternoon we fly to Xi'an. In the evening you will be treated to a private dumpling making and noodle throwing lesson by the hotel's expert chefs. (Sofitel Hotel - 5 Stars - Luxury Rooms) (B, L, D)
Day 06: This morning we visit Xi'an's most stunning site, the Terracotta Warriors. Dating from the second century BCE, the thousands of moulded soldiers, officers, horses and wagons form a small component of the underground army buried to protect the legendary first Emperor of China during his afterlife. His reign, unifying competing kingdoms, anticipated Xi'an's subsequent rise to global prominence as the capital of mighty empires in both the Han (206BCE - 220CE) and Tang (618CE - 907CE) dynasties. You will be granted special access to a viewing platform where you can admire the warriors away from the crowds.
In the afternoon we fly to Guilin, whose poetic countryside will soothe you of your urban cares. Craggy limestone towers, their caves appearing like windows in a sheen of vegetation, overlook lush plains of rice fields and fruit orchards. (Hotel of Modern Art - an unrated Relais & Chateaux property - Deluxe Room) (B, L - no dinner included)
Day 07: This morning you will have the opportunity to explore traditional village life. Visit a local school, take part in preparing soy milk, or just wander through the rice fields. The day continues with a relaxing boat-ride on traditional bamboo rafts along a rarely visited stretch of the Li River: clumbs of bamboo trees line the shores, buffalo wallow in the shallow water, children play beside their fathers, who rake the river bed for reeds. En route, we will meet with villagers herding their cormorant birds along the river bottom in search of fish. (B, L, D)
Day 08: This morning has been left free. Some might wish to rent a bike to further explore the area. Others may wish to tour the hotel's internationally-acclaimed contemporary sculpture park. Many though, will choose to relax with a good book. If you are feeling active, there are many options open to you from cycling through the country fields to learning how to throw a pot.
In the afternoon we fly to Shanghai. Considered to be the most Western of Chinese cities last century, Shanghai should perhaps now be thought of as its most futuristic. Having advised you of Shanghai's best restaurant and bars, we will help make any reservations that you might require for this evening of fun, when you to explore Shanghai at your own leisure. (Peninsula Hotel - 5 Stars - Deluxe Riverview Room) (B, L - no dinner included)
Day 09: This morning features a lecture/tour on colonial architecture in Shanghai given by a member of the Shanghai Historical Society. This tour will take you into some of the most important buildings along the Bund and French Concession.
In the afternoon you will be given a choice of activity. For those who would like to shop, we will take you along sycamore-lined boulevards into the heart of the French Concession. This section of the "Paris of the Orient" now hosts many arts-based businesses and art galleries that we can visit if you so desire. For those of you who are not shoppers, we can arrange for a visit to the Communist Party Museum and/or a museum showcasing traditional Shanghainese homes.
After dinner at one of the city's best new restaurants, you will be taken to witness the marvelous stunts of the Acrobatic Show. (B, L, D)
Day 10: Our tour of Shanghai continues at the Shanghai Museum, one of the most modern in the country. Arranged by category rather than according to a chronology, its collection introduces and elucidates the gamut of Chinese arts from ceramics to jade and ivory carvings to paintings.
This afternoon we take you to visit the Yu Gardens, one of the best examples of traditional Chinese garden design in the country. Afterwards, you will have some time to stroll through Shanghai's Old Quarter.
Our farewell dinner takes place at our favorite Shanghai restaurant, boasting a magnificent view over the Bund and Pudong waterfronts. (B, L, D)
Day 11: For many guests, today heralds their departure from China. You will be transferred to the airport in time for your return flight home. (B)
Please note that B, L, D denotes Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
