Essential China in 10 Days

Our English-speaking guide will greet you at airport/train station according to your landing time. Look for a sign of your name out of the luggage claim area (if not specific). Transfer to hotel and check in.

After breakfast, depart to Tiananmen Square, the world's largest city square. We will have a brief stop here and photograph some national iconic structures including Monument to the People’s heroes, Great Hall of the People, Chairman Mao Memorial Hall, etc. Many visitors come very early for the spectacular flag-raising ceremony (not included in). To the north of the square is the South Gate of the Forbidden City where we will spend the next 2.5-3 hours. Forbidden City is 600 years old in 2020. It has the largest and best-preserved collections of ancient architectures with more than 900 rooms in the palace. Out of the Forbidden City from its north gate, we continue a short visit Jingshan Park right on the other side of the road. Located on the axis of the inner city, the park offers good panoramic view of Forbidden City and other historic sites like the Bell and Drum Tower, Beihai park, etc.

We have a long walk this morning. Refresh ourselves and enjoy lunch. In the afternoon, head to the World Heritage Park- Temple of Heaven which was built for worship and pray for harvest. Architectures in the park are outstanding representatives of ancient Chinese art.

“Not reach the Great Wall not a true man” is a common Chinese saying. The Great Wall visit is part of the highlights in Beijing. We meet at your hotel at 8:30am, and head northeast to Mutianyu Great Wall. This section of the wall ranks number one among all sections on TripAdvisor list with beautiful-restored architectures but less tourists. Round trip cable car is included to save energy and enjoy a fun walk on the top. On the way back, we drive passing the Olympic Park and photograph the new landmark of Bird Nest and Water Cube.

We start our city trip from Summer Palace, which is the best-preserved imperial garden in the world and the largest of its kind in existence of China. The garden is like an art gallery with over 3000 man-made pavilions, palaces, temples, bridges and corridors. It is too much to see in the two hours. Move on to Hutong, a type of traditional neighborhood, to touch the real life of common people. Then transfer to catch up the train in the afternoon.

After breakfast, we meet at hotel lobby around 8:30am and visit the most popular site in Xian today. The Terracotta Army is large number of figures buried 2km in front of the Emperor Qinshihuang's Tomb in east of Xian. In 1979, local farmers discovered this site and surprised the whole world. Now in the museum, visitors can view 1,868 unearthed terracotta warriors and chariots that have been restored to their former glory as well as a digging site where the craftsman restoring the broken pieces. As part of the park, we will also pay a brief stop at Qinshihuang’s Tomb.

Lunch will be at cave house nearby. The traditional cave dwellings are rare to see in this area now. We can also experience pottery making here. With the instruction of potters working there, you can create your own Terracotta figures. It takes around 40 minutes from start to finish.

Later, we drive back to the city and have a brief stop at Big Wild Goose Pagoda, an important Buddhist structure of Xian city. If lucky, it is possible to see a music fountain show at the front square. 

The morning hours, we will visit the city essentials starting from the City Wall. The 13.7 kilometers City Wall once was the fortification encircles the old Xian City. It is considered as a landmark of Xian and one of the top sights for visitors. When ascending to the top, you can have great view of the old inner city and the modern outer city.

Muslim Street is a must-see place in the center of the inner city. It consists of a couple of streets and home to more than 60 thousand Hui Minority people. The street is well known for diverse food, ancient architectures, traditional mosques and rich culture of Hui People.

We will also pay a visit to the Great Mosque, a perfect mixture of Islamic and Chinese architecture styles with seating for 1,000 worshipers (If you are more interested in the Gao Family Courtyard, we can change on request).

Transfer to the airport to catch up afternoon flight to Shanghai City. Shanghai guide will meet you on arrival and enjoy a private transfer to hotel.

A day dedicated to the city’s essential sites. Shanghai Museum is one of the most incredible museums in China housing more than 120, 000 pieces of collections. Many of them are China's most precious artifacts such as jade, furniture, costumes, pottery, calligraphy and currency.

The Bund, a landmark of Shanghai, refers to the western bank of Huangpu River in the city center. It is renowned as “museum of buildings” for the aged European style architectures lined along the Bank. The view over the river is also stunning with many skyscrapers in good shape. A leisure cruise on Pujiang provides great opportunities to photo the most picturesque parts of Shanghai.

To discover Shanghai’s history, local life and development, we would always recommend a stop at Xintiandi, a former Shikumen Alley. The whole street retains the characteristics of Shikumen houses - the antique walls and tiles. While inside the houses are international galleries, fashionable bars and cafes, boutiques and restaurants.

Transfer back to your hotel when tour end or you can stay at Xintiandi if the active nightlife is the right thing for you. Then manage your own way back to hotel with taxi.

Zhujiajiao is a 1700-year old water town located in the suburb of Shanghai city. The town has many well-preserved historical buildings, 36 bridges and numerous streams. Walk along the street, you will come across attractions such as rice shops, banks, pharmacy, a Qing dynasty post office and gardens. A relaxing cruise provides great opportunity to soak in the landscape of a real Chinese village.

We will also visit the Shanghai World Financial Center, a 492-meter high building facilitating an amazingly glass on the 100th floor. Many people come for a challenge and a panoramic view of Shanghai.

Take a day excursion to Suzhou, a city with a history over 2,500 years and abundant historical sites. Most of them scatter around the old streets in the city center. Rickshaw ride is an interesting way to enjoy a look of local people's life, their food, delicacies, traditional arts and crafts.

To many people, the soul of the city is the renowned gardens. We will visit Humble Administrator's Garden which is the largest one in Suzhou and considered as the finest garden in southern China. It contains zigzagging bridges, numerous pavilions, connected ponds and islands, bamboo groves, plenty of bonsai, a teahouse and a museum which had good information on garden construction and comparison between Chinese, Asian & Western gardens.

Another stop is Nets Master Garden. It is the smallest of the Suzhou residential gardens and the most exquisite in design. It is very impressive that the designer used the small space but created the illusion of an area that is much greater than its actual size.

Transfer to the airport/train station for your transport home.