CHINA Ancient History Tour Sample Itinerary

CHINA
Ancient History Tour Sample Itinerary
Phone: +61 (0)3 9245 7435 (Australia) or +64 (0) 29 7708 849 (New Zealand)
Email: [email protected] (Australia) or [email protected] (New Zealand)
Web: www.travelboundeducation.com.au (Australia) or www.travelbound.co.nz (New Zealand)
CHINA - HISTORY TOUR
The sheer diversity of China takes you from modern
cities craving global prestige to isolated mountain-top
Ming-Dynasty villages where time effortlessly slips by.
Explore the vast lands of the Three Kingdoms and the
ancient capital of Chang’an, known today as Xi’an. Visit
Beijing, capital of the Qing dynasty, China’s last imperial
dynasty before the Chinese Revolution. Take a tour of
the imperial palace of the Forbidden City and stand
face to face with the huge portrait of the leader of the
Cultural Revolution, Mao Zedong in Tiananmen square.
In contrast, students will also experience the culture of
contemporary China and the rapidly changing social and
political climate of this emerging world superpower.
Day 1: AUSTRALIA – BEIJING
• Arrive in Beijing, meet your local guide and transfer by
private coach to accommodation.
• Check into accommodation.
• Olympic Park: The Olympic Stadium is known around
Beijing as the ‘Birds Nest’ due to its lattice-like concrete
appearance. The stadium was the venue for the opening
and closing Olympic ceremonies, athletic events and
soccer finals. You will also have a guided tour of the
National Aquatic Centre, known as the Water Cube.
• OVERNIGHT in Beijing.
Day 2: BEIJING
• Tiananmen Square & Forbidden City: Lying at the centre of
Beijing and across from Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden
City houses an extensive collection of 980 buildings. For
almost 500 years, it served as the home of emperors and
their households, as well as the ceremonial and political
centre of Chinese government.
• Summer Palace: The beautiful Summer Palace features
elaborate Qing-style pavilions, bridges, walkways and
stunning gardens scattered along the shores of the
immense Kunming Lake.
• Dinner at local restaurant.
• Evening Kung Fu Show: Enjoy a visually stunning show
with a great story line and incredible martial arts skills.
This is an awe-inspiring feat of ancient defensive
architecture. Its winding path over rugged country and
steep mountains takes in some jaw-dropping scenery.
• Kung Fu Lesson: Each with their own characteristics,
these martial arts classes are divided among specific
families, sects and schools. Each of them honour their
own specific and unique techniques. Even if you have no
existing experience, you can still find beginner classes
that cater to all ages and experience levels.
• OVERNIGHT Beijing.
Day 4: BEIJING – XI’AN
• Temple of Heaven: The Temple of Heaven in the southern
part of Beijing is China’s largest existing complex of ancient
sacrificial buildings. Occupying an area of 273 hectares, it
is three times the area of the Forbidden City. It was built in
1420 as a place for emperors to worship Heaven.
• Hutong Walking Tour or Rickshaw Ride: Take a walking
tour or Rickshaw ride through Beijing’s traditional back
alleys known as Hutongs. See traditional courtyard
residences characteristic of how the majority of the
population lived in Beijing until the mid-twentieth century.
• Tea Ceremony: Tea is an integral part of Chinese culture.
The tea ceremony demonstrates different kinds of tea,
their individual tastes, colours, smells and how they affect
the human body.
• Chinese Cookery Lesson: Students will enjoy a hands on
Chinese Cookery lesson which will include wok session
skills. The school will demonstrate 4 – 5 dishes and the
students will practice 2 – 3 before partaking in their
creation at lunchtime.
• Transfer to the train station for your overnight train
journey to Xi’an.
• OVERNIGHT on train.
Day 5: XI’AN
• Arrive in the morning and transfer to your accommodation.
• Big Wild Goose Pagoda: Located in the Da Ci’en Temple
complex is a well-preserved ancient building and a holy
place for Buddhists.
Day 3: BEIJING
• Ancient City Wall: The city walls of Xi’an are the most
complete to have survived in China. The walls, which are
surrounded by a deep moat, are 13.7 kilometres long, 12m
tall and12-14m wide at the top. The original section was
constructed during the old Tang Dynasty (618 - 907).
• Great Wall Juyongguan Section: One of the Wonders of
the world, this impressive 6000km long wall was built to
protect the Chinese Empire from Northern Invaders.
• Local School Visit: Students and teachers will have
a chance to interact with a local school and gain an
understanding of a typical school day.
• OVERNIGHT in Beijing.
Phone: +61 (0)3 9245 7435 (Australia) or +64 (0) 29 7708 849 (New Zealand)
Email: [email protected] (Australia) or [email protected] (New Zealand)
Web: www.travelboundeducation.com.au (Australia) or www.travelbound.co.nz (New Zealand)
• Tang Art Museum with Calligraphy Lesson: The Museum
consists of six exhibition halls featuring artworks exploring
the Tang Dynasty. Afterwards enjoy a Calligraphy lesson.
• Evening Tang Dynasty Show: Enjoy an evening of cultural
entertainment with music and dances that originated in
the Tang Dynasty more than a 1000 years ago.
• Former President Office: The largest modern history
museum in China, the Presidential Mansion was originally
a prince dwelling and government office in Qing Dynasty.
The Museum is divided into three sections; central,
western and Eastern section.
•
Transfer by coach to Shanghai.
• OVERNIGHT in Xi’an.
• OVERNIGHT in Shanghai.
Day 6: XI’AN – NANJING
Day 9: SHANGHAI
• Terracotta Army: The awe-inspiring Terracotta Army was
accidentally discovered by a farmer in March 1974 near
the tomb of Emperor Qin Shihuang. Consisting of nearly
7000 warriors with armaments, horses and chariots, it
was made and buried in pits over two thousand years ago
to guard the Emperor in the afterlife. It took 38 years and
720,000 builders to complete the Terracotta army. Each
warrior possesses individual features and is an average of
1.8 metres tall.
• Yu Garden: Visit Yu Garden, a traditional Chinese Park
with beautiful pavilions, miniature lakes and bridges; a
masterpiece of Chinese gardening.
• Huaqing Hot Spring Park: Situated at the foot of the
Li Mountain, these springs, favoured by Emperors, were
built during the Western Zhou Dynasty and enlarged by the
emperor Xuanzong during the Tang Dynasty.
• Birth Place of Communist Party: Visit the site of the First
National Congress of the Community Parity of China,
held on July 23 1921, marking the birth of the Party. The
Museum combines exhibits about the History of China
and the events surrounding the foundation of the Chinese
Communist Party.
• Transfer to the train station for your overnight train
journey to Nanjing.
• OVERNIGHT on train.
Day 7: NANJING
• Arrive in Nanjing and transfer to accommodation for
breakfast.
• Sun Yat-Sen Mausoleum: Dr. Sun Yat-Sen is considered
the Father of the Republic of China and the forerunner of
the Chinese Revolution. The Mausoleum covers an area of
80,000 square metres. With deep historical significance,
awe-inspiring architecture and stunning scenery, this
really is a must see visit whilst in Nanjing.
• Jade Buddha Temple: In 1882, an old temple was built to
keep two jade Buddha statues which had been brought
from Burma by a monk named Huigen. The temple was
destroyed during the revolution that overthrew the Qing
Dynasty. Fortunately the statues were saved and a new
temple was built on the present site in 1928.
• Evening Acrobatic Show: It is believed that acrobatics
grew out of the labour and self-defense skills that the
people practiced and demonstrated during their leisure
time. As the world economy developed, acrobatics was
also developed into a kind of performance art. A truly
wonderful night out for your group full of colour, human
precision and incredible skill.
• OVERNIGHT in Shanghai.
Day 10: SHANGHAI
• OVERNIGHT in Nanjing.
• Bund: The Shanghai Bund has many historical colonial
buildings lining the Huangpu River. The area was initially
a British settlement. A building boom at the end of 19th
century and beginning of the 20th century led to the Bund
becoming a major financial hub of East Asia. Directly to
the south is the former French Bund (the quai de France,
part of the Shanghai French Concession).
Day 8: NANJING – SHANGHAI
• Nanjing Road: Enjoy some free time for some last minute
souvenir shopping.
• Qinhuai Riverside: Walk around the “life blood” of the city
and the birthplace of the age-old Nanjing culture. Visit the
Zhanyuan Garden, the Confucius Temple, Egret Islet and
China Gate whilst also enjoying the riverside views.
• Nanjing Massacre Museum: The Memorial Hall is located
on the site where Japanese fascist forces executed
and buried Chinese nationals. The exhibition contains
historical records concerning one of the ugliest episodes
forced by mankind.
• Transfer to the airport for your flight home.
• OVERNIGHT plane.
Day 11: SHANGHAI – AUSTRALIA
Phone: +61 (0)3 9245 7435 (Australia) or +64 (0) 29 7708 849 (New Zealand)
Email: [email protected] (Australia) or [email protected] (New Zealand)
Web: www.travelboundeducation.com.au (Australia) or www.travelbound.co.nz (New Zealand)
HISTORY TOURS WITH
TRAVELBOUND EDUCATION
Travelbound’s tailor-made history tours will fire pupils’ curiosity
and imagination, inspiring them with the dilemmas, choices and
beliefs of people of the past. Travelbound offer a large range of
destinations for all types of historical trips including military
history tours and battlefield tours, ancient civilisation tours,
revolution tours and many more. A Travelbound tailor-made
history tour will also help students to develop an understanding
of the historic origins of our ethnic and cultural diversity, whilst
always meeting your curriculum requirements.
Curriculum based itineraries
Our travel experts will work in consultation with you to develop
a history tour to suit your curriculum focus. Explore the Ancient
civilisations of Greece, Rome, Pompeii or Egypt; walk in the
footsteps of the ANZAC on a tour to Gallipoli or the Western Front;
stroll the beaches of the D-Day landings; investigate Hitler’s
Third Reich and the Holocast of WWII or walk the revolutionary
roads in Russia, China, the USA or France. We will work with you
to create the perfect living history experience for your history
school tour. Please contact us for further information.
Battlefield Historians
Travelbound Education are able to include official battlefield
guides and history academics to accompany you on your school
tour. Our historians are either members of the Guild of Battlefield
Guide or an official local battlefield guide. Our knowledgeable
guides will bring history to life with inspirational passion for
their specialised subject. Our trusted advisors have years of
experience, many have military backgrounds and some have also
put pen to paper as well respected authors. Please contact us for
further information.
CONTACT US for more information or a
tailor-made quote TODAY!
Phone: +61 (0)3 9245 7435 (Aust) or +64 (0) 29 7708 849 (NZ)
Email: [email protected] (Aust)
or [email protected] (NZ)
Web: www.travelboundeducation.com.au (Aust)
or www.travelbound.co.nz (NZ)