DAY 1
Depart on your scheduled flight to Beijing.
DAY 2
Arrival in Beijing, where you will be met by our Tour Manager and your Chinese guide and transferred to your hotel for a three night stay. During the afternoon you will be taken on an included in tro duc to ry city tour. You will see Chang An Avenue and the strikingly beautiful Temple of Heaven. This ornate structure, made entirely of wood, was built in 1420 and is still used as a hall of prayer for good harvests.
DAY 3
Beijing is an extraordinary city. Ancient temples and palaces, with golden curved roofs and exquisite marble and jade, stand proudly beside the vast 20th century civic buildings created by Chairman Mao and his people. The most modern architecture can be seen with the iconic Olympic buildings. These include the National Aquatics Centre, better known as the Water Cube and the National Stadium, better known as the Bird’s Nest.
Daily life in Beijing is a truly spellbinding sight to the first time visitor. It is a city of millions of bicycles, bustling street markets and food stalls, horses and carts, crowded buses and, above all, a warm, dignified and friendly people, eager to welcome their visitors.
Today we include a visit to the heart of Beijing – Tian an Men Square. It’s the largest public square in the world, bordered by the Qianmen Gate, the Great Hall of the People and the Gate of Heavenly Peace. Your tour will proceed through the gate, which forms the entrance to the incredible Forbidden City, to marvel at the magnificent buildings that house the Imperial Palace from which China was ruled by the imperial dynasties for hundreds of years. During your guided tour you will see magnificent collections of Chinese bronzes, porcelain, paintings, jade and other treas ures.
After lunch a short visit will be made to the worldfamous Beijing Zoo to see the pandas, before continuing to the outskirts of Beijing to visit the magnificent, 800-year-old Summer Palace, the largest and best preserved of all imperial palace gardens. Here you can admire the famous Marble Boat, the ornately painted ‘long corridor’, and simply gaze in awe at the traditional Chinese landscape surrounding the various towers, gardens and pavilions.
DAY 4
This morning we include a visit to the Great Wall. For gen er a tions, people from all over the world have heard of it and wanted to see it. It is some 3,800 miles long and at least 2,600 years old.
The Great Wall winds like an immense dragon through the hills of northern China and passes within 40 miles of Beijing at Badaling, where it is wide enough to allow five horsemen to ride abreast. Here you will have plenty of time to walk along the historic ramparts and marvel at its size and grandeur. Lunch is followed by a visit to the remarkable Ming Tombs Museum where thirteen em per ors are buried. During the evening there will be a Peking Duck Dinner.
DAY 5
Early morning transfer to Beijing central railway station for the train to Chengde where you will stop for two nights. Here you can shop in the local free markets and sample the atmosphere of a typical Chinese provincial township, where the way of life has changed little in decades. This 160 mile train journey from Beijing into Hebei Province is a highlight of our tour. You travel in ‘soft’ (first) class with refreshments available.
The journey is a fascinating and unique experience as the train passes through the attractive and sometimes mountainous coun try side to the north of Beijing. It affords close-up views of the many farms, villages and town ships along the line.
On arrival transfer to your hotel for a two night stay. Once the summer retreat of the Manchu emperors Chengde is now a thriving market town, situated in a wooded valley at the foot of Yunshan Mountain. At its heart is the vast and picturesque landscape of the Summer Resort, which is protected by eight Outer Temples, each one quite unique. We have included a visit to the Summer Resort during the afternoon.
DAY 6
Today we make a morning visit to two of the famous Outer Temples which guard the Summer Resort. These are the Putuo Temple, a vast and stunning replica of a Tibetan Mon as tery, and the Temple of the Wood en Buddha. There will then be free time to stroll around the busy streets and open markets. Chengde is noted for the excellent quality and novel design of its silk products, in clud ing brocade, tapestry and quilt covers.
DAY 7
After breakfast, you return to Beijing by road, another fascinating journey which of fers a further perspective on the rural Chinese way of life. On arrival, you will drive directly to the airport for the one and a half hour flight to Xian. Transfer to your hotel where two nights’ accommodation has been arranged. Dinner on arrival at your hotel.
DAY 8
Xian, the ‘City of Eternal Peace’, was once the flourishing capital of China and the most im por tant city in Asia. The recent archaeological discoveries near the city have staggered the im ag i na tion, for it is here that the first Qin emperor was interred in 200 BC with at least 6,000 life-size terracotta figures representing the in di vid u als of the Imperial Guard. They are grouped in battle order, rank by rank, some mounted on horse-drawn chariots, others armed with spears, swords and crossbows. This dazzling display of ancient Chinese military power is quite simply one of the world’s most remarkable sights. We include a visit to the site of the Terracotta Army at Li Shan Mountain. During the day you will also visit the Han Tombs. In the evening, there will be the opportunity to attend a Tang Dynasty folklore show.
DAY 9
Morning tour of Xian itself, including the Goose Pa go das. You will also see the city wall. Transfer to the airport for your return flight to Beijing and an overnight stay.
DAY 10
Morning transfer to the airport for your return flight to the UK. As you will be flying westwards your arrival is later the same day.
* Please note the 2008 holiday duration may differ from the 2009 duration.