Start in: Beijing
End in: Shanghai
Special Experience: Shaolin Kongfu, Yangtze River Cruise
China Kongfu and Yangtze River Tour
Day-by-Day Itinerary
Day 1 Arrival/Beijing
Accommodations: Jianguo Garden Hotel 
Transfer via: International flight on your own arrangement
Upon your arrival at Beijing airport, our local guide will meet you and escort you to your hotel. The rest of the day is free at your own leisure.
Accommodations: Jianguo Garden Hotel
Meals: B
Sightseeing: Tiananmen Square,Forbidden City,Temple of Heaven
Today you will first visit the historic Tiananmen Square, and then the magnificent Forbidden City. In the afternoon, you will marvel at Beijing's splendid Temple of Heaven.
- Tiananmen Square: the largest city square in the world and the spiritual heart of China, where the national flag is raised exactly at sunrise everyday.
- Forbidden City: located in the center of Beijing, used to be the imperial palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties with a history of around 600 years, it is the grandest integral palace complex still remaining in China.
- Temple of Heaven: the place which was visited yearly by the emperors who performed intricate rituals to insure a good harvest for the whole nation at ancient times.
Accommodations: Jianguo Garden Hotel
Meals: B
Sightseeing: Ding Tomb,Sacred Road,Great Wall
Today you will have a vist to the majestic Great Wall (Badaling section), the Ding Tomb of Ming Tombs and Sacred road.
- Ding Tomb: the burial site of the emperor Wanli, the 13th emperor of the Ming Dynasty who ruled for 48 years until his death in 1620, it is the only underground tomb of the thirteen Imperial Ming tombs ever excavated.
- Sacred Road: the path lined with stone statues of animals, mystical beasts and officials who are supposed to serve the emperor in his afterlife, through which the sitting emperors would go to perform memorial rituals for the ancestors once a year.
- Great Wall: the most famous symbol of China and one of the world's most remarkable architectural wonders, it was built over 2,000 years ago and stretches about 6,700km.
Accommodations: Shaolin Hotel
Meals: B
Transfer via: China domestic flight arranged by us
Free in the day until our local guide escorts you to the airport for your onward flight to Zhenzhou. Upon your arrival at Zhengzhou airport, our local guide will meet you and escort you to Dengfeng city and check in the hotel there.
Accommodations: Red Coral Hotel
Meals: B
Sightseeing: Shaolin Temple,Forest of Dagobas,Damo Hole
After breakfast, today you will visit the famous Shaolin Temple, Forest of Dagobas and Damo Hole.
- Shaolin Temple: one of China's oldest Buddhist temples built in 495 AD on the Shaoshi Peak, from which it took its name. The temple was also the birthplace of one of the world's most famous martial arts movements. Among so many cultural relics inside the temple, the Forest of Pagodas dating back as far as the Tang Dynasty is a must-see.
- Forest of Dagobas: a cemetery of 246 dagobas for noted monks dating from AD 791 to 1995, with different Buddhist patterns and inscriptions carved to depict briefly the life of the monks for whom the dagobas were built. The dagobas vary greatly in size, height, age and in their cross section to show the hierarchical ranking of their respective occupants.
- Damo Hole: Indian monk Damo, the founder of Zen buddism in China, meditated in this cave over 9 years. It is said that when he stayed in this cave for a long time, he felt so exhauseted that he decided to strech his legs and arms. There were so many wild animals and insects outside the cave. In order to protect himself from these animans, he founded the original form of Shaolin Martial arts.
Accommodations: Red Coral Hotel
Meals: B
Sightseeing: The Zhong Yue Temple,Songyang Academy
Pay a visit to Zhongyue Temple and Songyang Academy today. Then drive 1.5 hours back to Zhengzhuo.
- The Zhong Yue Temple: originally built in the Qin Dynasty over 2,200 years ago, the temple became a Taoist temple during the Northern Wei period and was rebuilt during the Qing Dynasty using Beijing's Forbidden City as a model. This temple was originally built for the purpose of worshipping the SongShan Mountain, one of the five sacred Taoist mountains representing the earth element of five elements (earth, water, wood, fire and metal) in the Taoist belief.
- Songyang Academy: located at the northern foot of Songshan, one of the four largest academies in ancient China built during the reign of Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534 AD), where the students prepared for the imperial examination. In the courtyard of the academy, there are two gigantic cypresses at over 2,100 years old.
Accommodations: On the Cruise
Meals: B
Transfer via: China domestic flight arranged by us
After breakfast, our local guide will meet you and escort you to the air port for your flight to Chongqing. Be met at the airport and then embark the cruise. Departs Chongqing at 21:00.
Accommodations: On the Cruise
Meals: B,L,D
Sightseeing:
Shore excursion to White Emperor City or Shibaozhai this morning. The ship company will decide to choose one of these two spots as the excursion destination according to the weather condition.
- White Emperor City: actually a mini peninsular town scattered with temples and gates, it is located at the entrance of the Qutang Gorge on the north bank of the river.
- Shibaozhai: a gem of Chinese architecture, literally means Stone Treasure Fortress in English. It is a 12-storey red wood tower which was first built in Qing Dynasty with a history of 300 years. It was built against a rectangular rock with sheer cliffs on the river bank, 56 meters high, on the top of which you can enjoy a panoramic view of the rapid river and the surrounding countryside.
Accommodations: On the Cruise
Meals: B,L,D
Sightseeing:
Shore excursion to Lesser Three Gorges by smaller vessels or Shennong Stream this morning(08:00-13:00). The ship company will decide to choose one of those two spots as the excursion destination according to the weather situation.
- Lesser Three Gorges: indicating three separate valleys along the Daning River, the chief tributary of the Yangtze River, they are called "Dragon-Gate Gorge", "Misty Gorge" and "Dicui (Emerald) Gorge" respectively. You can take a small boat to enjoy the spectacular views and experience a water-borne sensation you have never had before when the natural scenic wonders unfold in front of you with clear water flowing fast through the gorges, sheer cliffs and steep mountains rising on either side to create one fine art gallery.
- Shennong Stream: a small tributary of the Yangtze River is 60 kilometers long and is famous for its picturesque scenery. Shennong Stream is beautiful and ancient. When you take a sampan drifting along it, which is not without risk yet exhilarating and a challenge to battle with the nature. You will be attracted and surprised by its crystal clear steam flowing swiftly from north to south through deep gorges, steep ridges and peaks, thick vegetation and wild flowers, flying birds and a plank road built along a cliff and ancient hanging coffins. Sweet love songs will be presented to you by the local ethnic people.
Meals: B,L
Sightseeing: Three Gorges
Transfer via: China domestic flight arranged by us
Shore excursion to Three Gorges Dam site this morning (08:00-10:00). After lunch, you will disembark the ship in Yichang at 13:30. And then be met and transfered to airport to take flight to Shanghai. Upon your arrival, our local guide will meet you and escort you to your hotel.
- Three Gorges: spanning the Yangtze at Sandouping, Yichang, Hubei province, China. Construction began in 1994, and the 'Three Gorges Dam' is now the largest hydroelectric dam in the world. The Dam will be 2,335 meters long, 18 meters wide, and its bottom will be 130 meters wide after completion in 2009. When completed, the water level will rise to 135 meters above sea level. The reservoir began filling on June 1, 2003, and it will occupy the present position of the scenic Three Gorges area, between the cities of Yichang, Hubei, and Fuling, Chongqing Municipality.
China domestic flights as specified in the itinerary 
Accommodations for 9 nights, including
5 nights at four star or higher hotels, 1 night at three star hotels, 3 nights at five star yangtze cruise ship
14 meals, including 9 full breakfasts, 3 lunches and 2 dinners
Round-trip transfers---between airports, hotels and scenic spots in each city by private air-conditioned motor coaches with experienced drivers
A local English-speaking guide in each city
Entrance fees to scenic spots listed in the itinerary
Luggage transfers between airports and hotels
China Life Tourist Accident/Casualty insurance
Government taxes and service charges except tips for tour guides and drivers
Sinbba, thanks for your organization, we have had a wonderful experience in a country where we had never been and never expected to go, I can tell you that this will not be the last time that we will visit China and when the time comes for us to visit again you can rest assured that I will call you at Odyssey to organize another memorable tour for us
- Charles and Doris Gatt,Australia
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