Day 01: Entry Beijing
Summary:Our professional guide will pick you up at Beijing airport and transfer to the hotel. The rest day is free.
Day 02: Beijing
Summary:Visit the Tian'anmen Square, the Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven. The Beijing Duck Dinner and the Peking Opera are served in the evening. (B+L+D)
TIAN'ANMEN SQUARE
Large enough to hold 1 million people, the 440,000-squaremetreTian'anmen Square in the center of Beijing is the world's largest city square, where sunrises and sunsets are observed solemnly with national flag hoisting and lowering ceremonies. Tian'an men Gate on the northern edge of the square sued to be the front gate of the Ming and Qing Imperial Palace. The rostrum atop the gate, where national leaders review mass rallies or gala celebrations on important occasions, is open to tourists. The Monument to thePeople's Heroes stands in the center of the square. Behind Zhengyang Gatetothesouthsprawls Mao Zedong Memorial Hall; to the east is the complexwhichhousestheMuseumofChinese Revolution and the Museum of Chinese History. The Great hall of the People stands on the western side. The night scene of Tian'anmen Square is definitely a MUST for any visitor to Beijing.
FORBIDDEN CITY
It was the imperial palace for the Ming and Qing. Built during the 1406-1420 period, it is the largest royal palatial complex in existence in ; ranging from the majestic to the exquisite, they bear witness to a nation in transition. Other tourist attractions on the premises include a huge stone ramp carved with intricate dragon and cloud patterns, Imperial Garden and Nine-Dragon Screen Wall. An immense trove of cultural artifacts and treasures of various dynasties, some of them on display in the Treasure Hall and the ceramics, painting, bronze ware galleries, are reason enough for UNESCO to adopt the Former Imperial Palace as a world cultural heritage site.
TEMPLE OF HEAVEN
's largest temple and altar are found in Temple of Heaven, part of a 273 hectare park in Chongwen District today. Built in 1420, it was where Ming and Qing monarchs prayed for good harvests. Major structures are hall of Prayer for good Harvest, Imperial Vault of Heaven, Circular Altar, and Abstinence Palace. UNESCO endorsed Temple of Heaven as a world cultural heritage site in December 1998.
BEIJING DUCK DINNER
Peking Duck has the reputation of being the most delicious food Beijing has to offer. Some find it a bit too greasy, but others get hooked after one taste. In any case, a Peking Duck dinner is usually a fixed item on any Beijing tour itinerary. Eating Peking Duck is also one of the two things you are absolutely supposed to do while in Beijing. The other one is climbing the Great Wall.The place that offers the best Peking Duck is the Quan Ju De Restaurant, which has outlets at Qianmen, Hepingmen and Wangfujing. It was established 130 years ago and, if you count from the time when founder Yang Renquan began his duck business, it is 160 years old.At Quan Ju De, ducks are immersed in condiments unique to the restaurant and are roasted directly over flames stoked by fruit-tree wood. The best roasted duck is date-red, shining with oil, but with a crisp skin and tender meat.
The chef than cuts the meat into thin slices, each having a piece of skin. Then the meat is served with very thin pancakes, Chinese onions and special sauce. The way to eat it is to coat the thin pancake with sauce, slap on a few pieces of meat and roll up the pancake. Chopsticks are optional: it is much easier just to grab the thing with your bare hands.
Another famous restaurant offering Peking duck is the Bian Yi Fang (Cheap Restaurant), which opened in 1855, nine years earlier than Quan Ju De. At Bian Yi Fang, roasting is done in an enclosed container fueled with crop stalks. There are now hundreds of restaurants serving Peking Duck all over the city. Most of these restaurants offer ducks for 38 Yuan a piece, cheaper than that at the larger places
Day 03: Beijing
Summary:Visit the Badaling Great Wall, the Sacred Way, the Ming Tombs. (B+L)
BADALING GREAT WALL
As an emblem of Chinese civilization, a cultural phenomenon of world caliber, and another UNESCO=endorsed world cultural heritage site, the 6350km Great Wall was in China's feudal years a mammoth defense bulwark that serpentines its way across mountains and valleys in the northern part of the country. The Great Wall came under construction in the 7th century BC. But it was Qinshihuang, the founding emperor of the Qin, who brought it to completion. Repeated extensions were done in later dynasties until the Ming. The 600-year-old Badaling Fortification in Yanqing county in northwest Beijing is representative of Ming sections of the Great Wall. The Great Wall looks equally breathtaking at such sections as Jinshanling, Mutianyu and Simatai.
SACRED WAY AND MING TOMBS
In the front part of the imperial necropolises, there usually is a Sacred Way (or Divine Road) which means the road leading to heaven. The 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
Day 04: Beijing/ Guilin
Summary:Visit the Summer Palace and the Lama Temple. Take flight to Guilin and transfer to the hotel. Visit the Elephant Trunk Hill. (B+L)
SUMMER PALACE
It (Yiheyuan) in the northwestern suburb of Beijing was built in 1750. by far the best-preserved imperial garden in , it was endorsed by the UNESCO in 1998 as a world cultural heritage site. As a paragon of Chinese gardens, this huge garden includes Longevity Hill, whose beauty is set off by a multitude of halls, kiosks and trees, and Kunming Lake, a huge body of liquid silver. Major tourist attractions are Tower of Buddhist Incense, 17-Span Bridge, Long Gallery, Cloud Dispelling Hall, Marble Boat, Beamless Hall, Garden of Harmonious Delights, the theatre in the Garden of Moral Harmony, and Suzhou Street. The entire place is a de facto museum of China's classical architecture. Housed in these buildings are an immense collection of treasures and cultural artifacts.
LAMA TOMBS
They are scattered over an area 40km in circumference in Changping County. Thirteen Ming emperors who ruled after they moved the capital from Nanjing to Beijing were buried there. The largest is the Changling, built in 1413 for the remains for Zhu Di or Emperor Chengzu. Burial objects are on display from the underground palace of the Dingling, the tomb of the last Ming emperor, Zhu Yijun, and his two empresses. The Holy Way leading to the Ming Tombs is flanked on both sides by 30-odd men and horses and other animals carved in graphic images out of massive boulders. In terms of size, this group of stone sculptures is rare anywhere in .
Day 05: Guilin/ Yangshuo
Summary:Enduring memories are created today as you cruise down the Li River to Yangshuo. Transfer to the hotel. (B+L)
LI RIVER
The poetic and picturesque Li River is the important component of Guilin scenery. It originates in Mountain Cat at Xinan county in the northeast of Guilin. It winds and meanders its way for 170 kilometers, passing through Guilin, Yangshuo to the outlet of Gongchen river in Pingle county. Along the river, the rolling peaks, steep cliffs, green hills and clear water constitute a fascinating hundred-mile pictures gallery. The crystal clear Li River is located amid precipitous peaks hung with waterfalls. Among poems singing the praise of its beauty are these tow lines: "He who travels in Guilin hills finds himself in a fairyland", and "He who sails along the Li River finds himself boating in a sweet dream." On the 83-kilometer riverbank form Guilin to Yangshuo line numerous natural wonders, which have inspired the saying: "Guilin has the most beautiful scenery in , and Yangshuo is the most beautiful part of Guilin." The Li River, which runs through the center of Guilin, is a complimentary attraction to the peaks and a setting for displays of cormorant fishing. Fishermen on bamboorafts use strong lights suspended over the water to attract the fish. The cormorants, which are tethered with rings round the base of their necks, catch the fish and then disgorge them for the fishermen.Also there is the Li River tour, which no one should miss. Depending on the season and level of the water, your boats depart from piers downstream from Guilin and disembark passengers in Yangshuo, a journey of about three hours. Enroute there is a fantastic parade of peaks, to which the Chinese have five descriptive, names like Wave Crag, Miller at Work Hill, White Horse Cliff and Five Tigers Catch a Goat Hill.
Day 06: Yangshuo
Summary:We intend to leave the day free. You can find West Street with the breathtaking scenery and have a pot of tea in a sidewalk cafe feeling totally relaxed. You can rent a bicycle to visit the Moon Hill and the Tall Banyan.(B)
YANGSHUO
Location: situated in the heart of the Li River Valley with Guilin to the south.
Neighboring Areas: Yunnan, Guizhou, Hunan and Guangdong provinces.
Physical Features: the most typical karst topography .
Population: 298,000
Area: 1428.38 sq km
Nationalities: Han, Zhuang, Yao and Miao
History: established as a county in the Sui dynasty (A. D. 590)
Climatic Features: the sub-tropical monsoon climate with temperate weather all the year round; with the sunlight of 1,465 hours and 300 days frost-free period annaully; neither too hot in summer nor too cold in winter.
Average Temperature: 19C annually
Rainfall: 1,640mm annually.
Mountains: Moon Hill, Xiu Hill, Mural Hill, Snail Hill (Luoshi Hill), Xilang Hill, Schoolboy Hill, Chaoban Hill
Rivers: Yulong River, Li River
Products: Shatian Shaddock, kumquat, dried persimmon, Chinese Chestnut
Local Highlights: Xijie (the street of western style - the ideal place to enjoy western food and purchase souvenir), talcum, silk, wax printing, drawing fan, Xiuqiu (a small ball of love popular in Zhuang ethnic group), paintings and calligraphy, pottery with antique flavors
Day 07: Yangshuo/ Guilin/ Exit
Summary:Back to Guilin by car. Visit the Reed Flute Cave. the Seven Star Park and the Fubo Hill. Tranfer to the airport. Tour ends. (B+L)
GUILIN
Just as Xi'an is a must when you travel to , so is Guilin. The stunning landscape in which the city is situated has a kind of magic that is all its own. The strangely shaped hills, or karsts, with the verdant vegetation ranging from bamboo to conifers together with wonderful caves make Guilin such an attraction for tourists.Located in the northeast of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Guilin is considered to be the pearl of China's thriving tourist industry on account of the natural beauty and historic treasures. Covering an area of just 565 square kilometers (218 square miles), the city is rather compact when compared with other leading cities in the country. However, situated within this area one may find green mountains, crystal clear waters, unique caves and beautiful stones. Major attractions include Elephant Trunk Hill, Li River, Reed Flute Cave and Seven-Star Park that boasts a Stone Museum where amazing geological finds are displayed. Each of these places and many more besides will leave you with lasting memories of your visi
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