14 days China Tour of Chongqing,Yangtze Cruise, Yichang, Xian

14 days China Tour of Chongqing,Yangtze Cruise, Yichang, Xian, Beijing, Jinan, Mount Tai,Qufu,
Shanghai
Day 01 Arrive Chongqing, met by our guide and board on the cruise
Chongqing, formerly romanized as Chungking,
is a major city in Southwest China and one of
the five national central cities （Beijing, Tianjin,
Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong and
Chongqing ）in the People's Republic of China.
Administratively, it is one of China’s four direct
controlled municipalities (the other three are
Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin), and the only
such municipality in inland China. Chongqing
was also a municipality of the Republic of China
(ROC) administration, serving as its wartime
capital during the Second Sino-Japanese War
(1937–1945).
Explore for local delicacies before you get on the Yangtze River Cruise Ship
The Yangtze River, known in China as the Chang Jiang, is the longest river in Asia and the third-longest
in the world. It flows for 6,418 kilometers
from the glaciers on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in Qinghai
eastward across southwest, central and eastern China before emptying into the East China Sea at
Shanghai. It is also one of the biggest rivers by discharge volume in the world. The Yangtze drains
one-fifth of the land area of China and its river basin is home to one-third of China’s population.
Board on the ship which will depart at 21:00 from Chongqing
Enjoy the night view of Chongqing from the cruise ship.
Overnight on the cruise
(Optional: One Day tour of Dazu Rock Carvings)
The Dazu Rock Carvings are a series of
Chinese religious sculptures and carvings,
dating back as far as the 7th century AD,
depicting and influenced by Buddhist,
Confucian and Taoist beliefs. Listed as a
World Heritage Site, the Dazu Rock Carvings
are made up of 75 protected sites
containing some 50,000 statues, with over
100,000
Chinese
characters
forming
inscriptions and epigraphs. The sites are
located in the steep hillsides throughout Dazu County, located about 60 kilometers west of the urban
area of Chongqing. The highlights of the rock grotto are found on Mount Baoding and Mount Beishan.
The carvings were listed as a World Heritage Site in 1999, citing "…their aesthetic quality, their rich
diversity of subject matter, both secular and religious, and the light that they shed on everyday life in
China during this period. They provide outstanding evidence of the harmonious synthesis of
Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism."
Day 02 Cruise- Fengdu Ghost
City (B-L-D)
In the morning, you may get up
early and do some morning
exercises like Taichi.
After breakfast, morning excursion to Fengdu Ghost City
The Fengdu Ghost City is a tourist attraction in Fengdu
County. It is situated about 170 kilometers downstream
from Chongqing on the north bank of the Yangtze River.
It is known for its numerous ghost encounters. Today
you have the opportunity to see numerous buildings,
structures, dioramas, and statues related to Diyu, the
concept of the underworld and hell (or Naraka) in
Chinese mythology and Buddhism. It is modeled to
resemble Youdu, the capital of Diyu. From these, you
will have a better understanding of Chinese people’s
belief.
Come back for lunch and relax in the afternoon on the
cruise to enjoy the views along the Yangtze River.
Enjoy your luxurious dinner
Join in the colorful night activities on the cruise
Overnight on the cruise
Day 03 Cruise - Lesser Three Gorges (B-L-D)
Sail through Qutang Gorge and Wu Gorge
Enjoy your breakfast
Morning excursion to Lesser Three Gorges. The Lesser Three
Gorges refers to the three separate valleys of the Daning River, a
tributary of Yantze River, namely "Dragon-Gate Gorge", "Misty
Gorge" and "Emerald Gorge". These three gorges, with an area
of 160 hectares of forest, lie on the lower reaches of Daning,
extending from the entrance of the Dragon-Gate Gorge in the
South to Tujiaba in the North for 50 km. Here sheer cliffs and
steep mountains rise on either side, creating a natural fine arts
gallery as a splendid scenic
wonder unfolds on both
banks of the river. Its "subtle
mountains,
pretty
clear
rocks,
waters,
dangerous
rapids, sharp turns, fantastic
caves, and stalactites in various shapes" characterize the natural
landscape of the Lesser Three Gorges. Monkeys, mandarin ducks,
water birds and fish can be seen in this area. In addition to the continuous natural scenery there are a
number of historical places of interest along the way, such as the suspending coffin, boat coffin, and
remains of an ancient plank walkway. The area has been made one of the key nature reserves in
China and is becoming known as a tourist attraction continuing to offer its charms along the golden
Yangtze Gorges Travel Line.
Come back for lunch
Relax in the afternoon, to choose activities you like
Enjoy your luxurious dinner
Sail through the Three Gorges Ship locks
Overnight on the cruise
Day 04 Cruise - Three Gorges Dam, Chexi Folk Scenic Spot(B-L)
Morning visit Three Gorges Dam. The Three Gorges Dam is a hydroelectric dam that spans the Yangtze
River by the town of Sandouping, located in Yiling District, Yichang, Hubei province, China. It is the
world's largest power station in terms of installed capacity (22,500 MW). As well as producing
electricity, the dam is intended to increase the Yangtze River's shipping capacity and reduce the
potential for floods downstream by providing flood storage space. The Chinese government regards
the project as a historic engineering, social and economic success, with the design of state-of-the-art
large turbines, and a move toward limiting greenhouse gas emissions. However, the dam flooded
archaeological and cultural sites and displaced some 1.3 million people, and is causing significant
ecological changes, including an increased risk of landslides. The dam has been a controversial topic
both domestically and abroad.
Arrive at Yichang, Disembark after lunch (13:30)
Drive to Chexi sightseeing district (18 km from downtown) and experience the local culture. Visit
Bachu homeland, Three Gorges folk customs village, peasant family museum, waterwheel museum,
the former sites of people’ commune, etc
Have dinner on your own
Overnight in Yichang
Day 05 Fly to Xian, Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Ancient City Wall (B)
Transfer to airport after breakfast
Fly to Xian (10:35-11:45)
Xi'an is the capital of Shaanxi province, and a sub-provincial city in the People's Republic of China. One
of the oldest cities in China, with more than 3,100 years of history, the city was known as Chang'an
before the Ming Dynasty. Xi'an is one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China and the starting
point of the Silk Road and home to the Terracotta Army of Emperor Qin Shi Huang.
Have lunch on your own
Proceed to visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. As the symbol of Xian, Big Wild Goose Pagoda is a
well-preserved ancient building and a holy place for Buddhists. Originally built in 652 during the reign
of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), it functioned to collect Buddhist materials that
were taken from India by the hierarch Xuanzang.
Continue to visit the Ancient City
Wall, which
and
is the longest, oldest
best-preserved
extant
city
defense system from ancient China
and one of a few such ancient military
facilities in the world. It is of a
rectangular shape, 4 meters long and
3 meters wide. If you are interested,
you can rent a single bike or a tandem,
make a circle and have a panoramic
view of the whole city on the
elevated wall.
Explore for local dinner
Overnight in Xian
Day 06 Terra-cotta Warriors, Muslim Market, overnight train to Beijing (B)
After breakfast, drive to Lintong for terra-cotta Warriors ( 1.5 hours ) where 6,000 life-sized
terra-cotta soldiers and horses guard the tomb of China’s first emperor---Qinshihuang. It was
uncovered by some peasants digging a well in 1974 and turned out to be the most important
discovery of 20th century.
Lunch on your own
Drive back to the downtown area and explore the local Muslim market where you can find all kinds of
incredible local food.
Dinner on your own
Drive to the train station and take the overnight train to Beijing – the capital city of China.
Day 07 Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Summer Place
Arrive in Beijing in the morning, meet your guide and transfer to hotel to fresh up
Breakfast on your own
Proceed to visit Tiananmen Square, the largest public square in the world. On 1st October 1949,
Chairman Mao Tse-Tung proclaimed to the whole world the founding of the People’s Republic of
China there. The square has been the stage for many of the epoch-making mass movements of
twentieth-century China and has been a place of pilgrimage for Chinese people and attracts visitors
from all over the world.
Forbidden City (also called Imperial Garden), an awesome 250 acre complex which holds 9,999
rooms, was the Chinese Imperial palace from the mid-Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. It
was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987 as the "Imperial Palace of the Ming and Qing Dynasties",
and is listed by UNESCO as the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world.
Have lunch on your own
Visit the Summer Palace, which is a former
royal garden, more than 200 years old. You
can watch various temples, lakes and the
famous 728 yard Long Corridor, situated on
man-made Kunming Lake.
Have dinner on your own,
Overnight in Beijing
Day 08 Great Wall at Juyongguan Section, Sacred Road, Olympic Park (B)
After breakfast, drive to the Great
Wall at Juyongguan Scetion (around
1.5 hours). Great Wall
is China’s most famous landmark and
the only man-made structure visible
from outer space. It was built as
early as in the Qin Dynasty (221B.C. 207B.C.) to protect the country from
invaders with a total length of 6,000
miles and was included in the
UNESCO World Heritage List in 1987.
We will visit one very grand part of
the Great Wall at Juyongguan Section.
Lunch on your own
Afternoon visit the Sacred Road
In the front part of the
imperial
tombs,
there
usually is a Sacred Way (or
Divine Road) which means
the
road
heaven.
leading
The
to
Emperor,
known as the Son of the
Heaven, who came from
Heaven to his country
through the Sacred Way,
also
deservedly
would
return to Heaven through
this road.
The road is often lined with stone statues which are important decorations of the mausoleum. These
statues are usually 12 human figures (including the general, civil officials and meritorious officials) and
24 animals which are lion, camel, elephant, xiezhi (a mythological unicorn), qilin (one of the four
"divine animals, the other three are dragon, phoenix and tortoise), and horse. There are 4 of each of
these animals: two standing and two squatting with different meanings. Lion symbolizes awesome
solemnity because of their ferocity. Camel and elephant are meant to suggest the vastness of the
territory controlled by the court, because they are dependable transport in desert and tropics. Xiezhi
was put there to keep evil spirits away, because it was believed to possess the sixth sense to tell right
and wrong. If two men fight, a xiezhi would gore the wicked one. Qilin, an auspicious symbol, was
placed on two sides. Horse, as the emperor's mount, is absolutely indispensable. It is said that these
animals is supposed to change guard at midnight.
Drive by Olympic park and have a quick view of the Bird Nest and water cube from outside.
Have dinner on your own
Drive back to hotel
Overnight in Beijing
Day 09 Temple of Heaven, Hutong Walking tour, bullet train to Jinan - the Spring City (B)
After breakfast, begin today’s tour to the Temple of Heaven
Temple of Heaven, a beautiful and
harmonious
collection
of
15th
century buildings set in a large park.
At the heart of the Temple is the Hall
of Prayer for good harvest where the
Emperor came each year to request good harvests in the divine capacity as the son of heaven. Now it
is a park where people have various kinds of entertainment, such as doing exercises, playing chess,
cards, singing and dancing, etc.
Roam through Beijing's old, narrow
streets by old fashioned Rickshaw to
visit the old quadrangles, and learn
about the daily life of ordinary Beijing
citizens
Lunch on your own
Take the bullet train to Jinan ( 1.5 hours)
Jinan, the capital of Shangdong province in the eastern part of China, 400 kilometers south of Beijing,
is renowned across China for its numerous springs, the lakes fed by the spring water, and the weeping
willows that grow along the water edges. The late-Qing author Liu E describes Jinan's cityscape in his
novel "The Travels of Lao Can" , written 1903–04, published in 1907) as "Every family has spring water,
every household has a willow tree".
Arrive in Jinan, met by our guide and transfer to hotel
Dinner on your own
Overnight in Jinan
Day 10 Black Tiger Spring, Spring Square with Music fountain, Baotu Spring, Five Dragon Pool,
Daming Lake, Watre Lily Street (B)
Jinan is known as the "City of Springs" because of the large number of natural artesian springs. The
majority of the springs, many of which have been historically listed under the "72 Famous Springs" are
concentrated in the downtown district and flow north to converge in Daming Lake. The Baotu Spring
Park is the most popular of the springs in the City of Jinan proper. Besides the Baotu Spring, the park
contains several other springs that are listed among the "72 Famous Springs". "Bào tū"
means
"jumping and leaping" in Chinese. The water in the spring pool can be seen foaming and gushing,
looking like a pot of boiling water. The spring was visited by the Emperor Qian Long (1711–1799) of
the Qing Dynasty who declared it "the first spring under the heaven" .A tablet with the Emperor's
handwriting "Baotu Spring" has since been erected beside the spring pool.
Not far away to the northeast of Baotu Spring Park is the Daming Lake, which, together with Baotu
Spring and the Thousand-Buddha Mountain
is often regarded as the "Three Greatest Attractions in
Jinan". Other notable parks in the city include the Five Dragon Pool near the Baotu Spring Park, the
Black Tiger Spring on the southern city moat, and the Baimai Springs
Jinan.
of Zhangqiu to the east of
After Breakfast at hotel, visit the
Black Tiger Spring. You can see local
citizens queue up to get the spring
water. They drink the water everyday.
You can feel the water too. The
temperature is 18 degree centigrade
all year round. So people can see
steam from the water in winter time
which is especially impressive when it
snows.
Then proceed to the Spring Square
which is the center of Jinan City. You
will see the lotus shaped music fountain which is very grand.
Then walk to the famous Baotu Spring – No. 1 Spring in China and appreciate the garden arts and
spring culture.
Walk to the Five Dragon Pool and watch a full pool of fish you can ever imagine and relax in the park.
Lunch on your own
Walk to the Daming Lake with willow trees along the lake side and appreciate the lotus flowers in the
lake.
Walk to the traditional shopping street in Jinan – Water Lily street, where you can look for local
specialties and delicacies from all over China.
Dinner on your own
Drive back to your hotel
Overnight in Jinan
Day 11 Drive to Mount Tai, round way electric car and cable car, drive to Qufu (B)
After breakfast, check out and drive to Mount Tai (around 1.5 hours)
Mount Tai is one of the "Five Great Mountains". It is
associated with sunrise, birth, and renewal, and is often
regarded the foremost of the five. Religious worship of
Mount Tai has a tradition of 3,000 years, it has been
practiced from the time of the Shang to that of the Qing
Dynasty. Over time, this worship evolved into an official
imperial rite and Mount Tai became one of the principal
places where the emperor would pay homage to heaven
(on the summit) and earth (at the foot of the mountain) in
the Feng and Shan sacrifices respectively. The two
sacrifices are often referred to together as the Fengshan
sacrifices. Carving of an inscription as part of the sacrifices
marked the attainment of the "great peace” A total of 72
emperors were recorded as visiting it. Men of letters also came to acquire inspiration, to compose
poems, write essays, paint and take pictures. Hence, a great many cultural relics were left on the
mountain.
The mountain is 1545 meters high with more than 6000 steps to the top. You will take the electric car
to the Mid-Heaven Gate and take the cable car to the South Heaven Gate and walk about 20 minutes
to the top.
Lunch on your own
Enjoy your time
Same way down by cable car and electric car
Drive to Qufu – home town of Confucius (around 1 hour)
Dinner on your own
Overnight in Qufu
Day 12 One day tour of Confucius Mansion, Confucius Temple, Confucius Tombs, bullet train to
Shanghai (B)
China is a non-religious country. But it does have
something playing the role as a religion and that is
Confucianism, established by Confucius. Confucius
(551–479 BC) was a Chinese teacher, editor,
politician, and philosopher of the Spring and Autumn
period of Chinese history.
The philosophy of Confucius emphasized personal
and governmental morality, correctness of social relationships, justice and sincerity. His followers
competed successfully with many other schools during the Hundred Schools of Thought era only to be
suppressed in favor of the Legalists during the Qin Dynasty. Following the victory of Han over Chu
after the collapse of Qin, Confucius's thoughts received official sanction and were further developed
into a system known as Confucianism.
After breakfast, visit the the largest and oldest Temple of Confucius. It was established in 479 BC, one
year after Confucius's death,
at the order of the Duke Ai
of the State of Lu, who
commanded
that
the
Confucian residence should
be used to worship and offer
sacrifice to Confucius. The
temple was expanded repeatedly over a period of more than 2,000 years until it became the huge
complex currently standing.
Walk 5 minutes to the Confucius Mansion.
The Kong Family Mansion was the historical
residence of the direct descendants of Confucius.
The extant structures mainly date from the Ming
and Qing dynasties. From the mansion, the family
tended to the Confucian sites in Qufu and also
governed the largest private rural estate in China.
The Kong family was in charge of conducting
elaborate religious ceremonies on occasions such as plantings, harvests, honoring the dead, and
birthdays. Today, the mansion is a museum and part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Temple and
Cemetery of Confucius and the Kong Family Mansion in Qufu".
Lunch on your own
Drive to Confucius Cemetery (10 minutes)
The Cemetery of Confucius, also known
under its Chinese name Kong Lin, is a
cemetery of the Kong clan (the descendants
of Confucius). Confucius himself and some of
his disciples are buried there, as well as
many thousands of his descendants.
Drive to the train station and take bullet
train to Shanghai (3.5 hours)
Dinner on your own
Arrive in Shanghai, met by our guide and transfer to hotel
Overnight in Shanghai
Day 13 Yu Garden, Jade Budha Temple, Bund, Nanjing Road (B)
After breakfast, visit Yu Garden
Yu Garden is a traditional Chinese Park with beautiful pavilions, miniature lakes and bridges, which is
a masterpiece of Chinese gardening.
Proceed to visit the Jade Budha Temple Built in 1882, the temple has two Jade
statues of the Sakyamuni Buddha and
houses various ancient sculptures, rare
paintings and Buddhist scriptures.
Lunch on your own
Drive to the Bund
The Bund (Wai Tan) is one of the symbols of Shanghai. Located along the Huangpu River, the Bund
shows off Shanghai’s outstanding foreign buildings, most of which were erected before 1937. To the
Europeans, the Bund was Shanghai’s answer to Wall Street.
Enjoy your shopping on Nanjing Road,
which is the main shopping street of
Shanghai, and is one of the world's
busiest shopping streets. It is named
after the city of Nanjing, capital of
Jiangsu province neighbouring Shanghai.
Nanjing Road is located in the city center,
running in a west-east direction. Its
eastern section is in Huangpu District and
extends from The Bund west to People's
Square. The western section begins at People's Square and continues westward towards Jing'an
District.
Dinner on your own
Drive back to the hotel
Overnight in Shanghai
(Optional: One day tour of Suzhou – the home town of silk, including the Wangshi Garden, Grand
Canal Cruise, Silk Mill and Embroidery Institute)
After breakfast, drive to Suzhou (around 1.5 hours)
Gardening is a window
that
culture
reveals
Chinese
and
Chinese
people’s spirits. Nature is
the essence and elements
from nature like rock,
water, auspicious animals
and plants are brought to
create a beautiful and
harmonious garden which
is the combination
physical
world
of
and
spiritual world. Wangshi
Garden
is
one
good
example.
Wangshi Garden is an old site for Wanjuantang (Ten-thousand-book Hall). It belonged to Shi Zhengzhi,
an assistant minister of Northern Song Dynasty and was once named by him as "Fishing in Seclusion".
During the reign of Qianlong in Qing Dynasty, an observer named Song Zongyuan rebuilt it by digging
ponds and constructing rockery and building houses. In reference to the original name "Fishing in
Seclusion", the new garden was named "Fisherman's Villa", hence the name "Fisherman's Garden".
The garden is on the list of Cultural Relics under State Protection and also listed as the World Natural
Heritage.
Proceed to the Grand Canal and take a boat to experience the local life
TT
he Grand Canal is the world's longest man-made waterway, being 1,800 kilometers long. The canal
connects the present cities of Beijing in the north and Hangzhou in the south, which served as
dynastic capitals in the past, and contains 24 locks and 60 bridges. Since most of China's major rivers
flow from west to east, the fact that the Grand Canal runs north and south provides it as an important
connector between the Yangtze River valley and the Yellow River valley, and other minor river
systems. It is being restored as a water-diversion conduit.
Have lunch on your own
Visit the Embroidery Research Institute, an organization for the
study of needling techniques of the Suzhou school of embroidery. Its
other task is to provide the State with embroideries for presentation
to foreign countries as gifts of for exhibits.
Continue to Silk Mill, where you can see every step of the life of silk
worms and how to make the perfect silk products.
Back to Shanghai, transfer to hotel, dinner on your own
Day 14 Transfer to airport (B)
After breakfast, check out of the hotel and transfer to the airport for your flight back home.