Tour 6 18 DAY ITINERARY Guangzhou-Xian-Beijing-Nanjing-Suzhou-Shanghai-Hangzhou Day 01 Day 02 Day 03 Day 04 Day 05 Day 06 Day 07 Day 08 Day 09 Day 10 Day 11 Day 12 Day 13 Day 14 Day 15 Day 16 Day 17 Day 18 Depart Sydney aboard China Southern Airlines flight. Arrive Guangzhou and transfer to accommodation. Early morning visit to Qingping Markets, then onto The Six Banyan Monastery, Sun Yatsen’s Memorial Hall, and Shamian Island. In the evening enjoy a Cultural Performance. Take a short coach tour into the country side to Foshan to observe the rural life in China. Visit pottery and porcelain factories. Return to Guangzhou for an evening cruise and dinner on the Pearl River. In the morning depart Guangzhou and after a 1.5 hour flight arrive in Xian. Transfer to accommodation and relax. Spend the afternoon touring the City Wall and Drum Tower, Shaanxi History Museum, one of the finest in China, and cloisonné / jade craft centres. In the evening enjoy a banquet and performance at the Tang Dynasty Cultural Show. Spend day touring amazing archaeological wonders. See the 6 000 figures of the Terracotta Army that protect the mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shihuang (259 BC – 210 BC), the first emperor of united China. Stroll through Huaqing Pool where the emperors and concubines of the Tang Dynasty bathed in the hot spring pools. Inspect the excavations and relics of Banpo Neolithic Village that date back to the period 4 500 BC – 3 750 BC). Late afternoon departure from Xian aboard a soft sleeper passenger train for a 14 hour 1 165 kms overnight journey to Beijing. Early morning arrival at West Beijing Railway Station and transfer to accommodation. Visit Tiannamen Square and tour the Forbidden City, the imperial palace of the emperors for more than 500 years. In the afternoon tour to the majestic Temple of Heaven where emperors prayed for good harvests and the welfare of their subjects. Evening free but options such as attending Beijing Opera or visiting a foot massage parlour or relaxing at the hotel karaoke bar or recreational centre can be arranged. All day tour to the 2 000 year old 6 500 kms long Great Wall of China, built as a barricade against the marauding northern neighbours, and the Ming Tombs in Shisanling Forest where 13 of the 16 emperors from the Ming Dynasty are buried. In the evening enjoy a Peking Duck banquet. Morning visit to Fragrant Hills Park. Stroll through beautiful parkland, ride on the chairlift to peak for a fine view and tour the 1366 built Azure Clouds Temple containing 500 Buddha statues. In the afternoon visit the magnificent Summer Palace resort where the imperial court spent the summer months escaping the heat in Beijing. In the evening be entertained by the amazing Beijing Acrobatic Troupe. In the morning enjoy a pedicab tour of the Hutongs and inspect the architecture and gardens of Prince Gongwong’s Palace to participate in a tea ceremony. In the afternoon go shopping at a department store in Wang Fu Jing street or test your bargaining skills with the stallholders in the free market at “Silk Alley”. Late afternoon, depart Beijing aboard a soft sleeper passenger train for overnight journey to Nanjing Morning arrival in Nanjing, one of the seven ancient capitals of China. Transfer to accommodation and relax. In the afternoon tour to tranquil Purple Mountain to visit the Sun Yatsen Mausoleum, resting place for the pioneer hero (1886 – 1925) of the Chinese revolution in 1911, visit Linggu Temple Park and Linggu Pagoda. In the evening stroll through Nanjing commercial centre to soak up the atmosphere and shop for souvenirs and presents. In the morning view the majestic Yangtze River Bridge. This impressive 4 500m long engineering structure, completed in 1968, carries a roadway on the top deck and rail tracks on the lower deck and provides a major transport link between the north and south of China. Visit the bazaars of Fuzimiao, the old city quarters on the Qinghai River. During the afternoon visit Nanjing History Museum and later tour the relics surrounding the Tomb of Hong Wu (1327 – 91), the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty. Spend the evening relaxing in the hotel entertainment centre’s games room or karaoke bar. Pack luggage for early morning start. Depart Nanjing by coach for the 200km journey through the fertile farmlands of the lower Yangtze for Suzhou, the beautiful city the famous 13th century Italian traveller Marco Polo referred to as “Venice of the East”. On arrival transfer to a Dragon Boat cruise of the famous Suzhou canals. In the afternoon stroll through the beautiful Humble Administrators Garden and visit the Silk and Embroidery Institute. In the evening depart Suzhou and journey 100kms onto Shanghai. Transfer to accommodation. In the morning visit the Jade Buddha Temple and Yuyuan Gardens, the old city quarters of Shanghai. In the afternoon stroll down the pre World War ll waterfront commercial promenade of the Bund and the free markets of Nanjing Road and be entertained during a visit to a Children’s Palace. Enjoy a free evening or optional visits to a cultural show, Shanghai Acrobatic Troupe, Peace Hotel Jazz Band, or Shanghai commercial centre can be arranged. In the morning visit the busy special economic centre of the Pudong and relax with a cruise on the Huangpu River. In the afternoon visit the Shanghai Institute of Arts and Crafts to watch demonstrations in the crafts of paper cutting, embroidery, painting, calligraphy, jade carving, miniature sculpturing and pottery or a famous Shanghai Museum of your interest. Evening free to enjoy hotel in house activities or pursue own options. Morning departure from Shanghai for a 180km, 2 hour coach journey to one of China’s most famous tourist cities the beautiful Hangzhou. Arrive Hangzhou and transfer to accommodation. In the afternoon visit Dragon Well Tea Plantation to witness the art of growing and refining tea and Lingyin Temple. This monument first built in 326AD has been destroyed and rebuilt no fewer than 16 times and houses the “laughing buddha” and the 20 m high camphor wood statue of the master. In the evening go shopping for gifts an souvenirs in the Wushan Road Silk and Antique markets. On the morning cruise on the 9 sq km West Lake enjoy the sights of “Broken Bridge”, the “Three Pools mirroring the Moon”, the goldfish in West Lake Garden, and Hangzhou Botanical Gardens. Pass under arched bridges that carry the causeways to link many of the islands. In the evening visit the banquet at the Southern Soong Dynasty Theme Park. Packing of luggage for midday departure from Hangzhou on a domestic China Southern Airlines flight to Guangzhou. In the evening depart Guangzhou and China aboard China Southern Airlines flight for Australia. Morning arrival in Sydney.