Start in: Guilin
End in: Hongkong
Special Experience: Guilin Li River cruise and cycling in Yangshuo, Dumpling dinner and Tang Dynasty show in Xian, classical gardens in Suzhou
China Contrast Tour (Route E)
Day-by-Day Itinerary
Day 1 Arrival/Guilin
Accommodations: Guilin Park Hotel 
Sightseeing: Elephant Trunk Hill ,Fubo Hill,Reed Flute Cave
Transfer via: International flight on your own arrangement
Upon your arrival at Guilin, the most scenic city in China, our local guide will meet you and escort you to your hotel. Your tour in this beautiful city will include the Elephant Trunk Hill, the Fubo Hill and the Reed Flute Cave.
- Elephant Trunk Hill : the symbol of Guilin, which resembles a giant elephant drinking water from the Li River.
- Fubo Hill: where you can see lots of Buddha statues left about 1000 years ago in the Returned Pearl Cave and have a birds' eye view of the whole city after climbing up to the very top.
- Reed Flute Cave: 5 kilometers away from the city center, famed as "A Natural Palace of Art", in which you can see lots of stalactites & stalagmites illuminated by the lights of different colors. You will also learn how they were formed.
Accommodations: New Century Hotel
Meals: B,L
Sightseeing: Li River Cruise
After breakfast, drive to Zhujiang Pier (about 40-minute drive) to start the boat cruise along the tranquil Li River, the highlight of your sightseeing tour in Guilin, until you get to Yangshuo County. Free time in the afternoon after checking in the hotel in Yangshuo.
- Li River Cruise: Along the river, you will be inspired by the breathtaking views of peaks and pinnacles, crystal-clear water and reflections in the water together with the serene pastoral views of rice paddies and water buffaloes.You will certainly feel like you are walking into a traditional Chinese painting by cruising on this wonderful river.
Accommodations: Guilin Park Hotel
Meals: B
Sightseeing: Yangshuo County,Yulong River
After breakfast, you will experience an interesting and enjoyable cycling tour along the road in Yangshuo. After the today's tour, drive back to Guilin.
- Yangshuo County: founded in 590 AD, Yangshuo County has been booming because of tourism. With so many beautifully shaped mountains surrounding this county, it is described as "the world of green lotus and jade bamboo shoots".
- Yulong River: a tributary of Li River, it is like a green ribbon winding peacefully through the rice fields and small villages. The unique-shaped pinnacles, the bamboo groves, the rice fields and the roaming water buffalos are all combined together to create a charming countryside picture.
Accommodations: Hotel Royal Garden
Meals: B
Transfer via: China domestic flight arranged by us
Be free until our guide meets and helps you transfer to the airport for your flight to Xian. Upon your arrival in Xian, our local guide will meet you and escort you to your hotel. The rest of the day is free at your leisure.
Accommodations: Hotel Royal Garden
Meals: B
Sightseeing: Terracotta Warriors and Horses,Bell Tower
Today you will first visit the incredible life-size Terracotta Warriors and Horses and then the Bell Tower.
- Terracotta Warriors and Horses: discovered in 1974 by local farmers digging a well, this is one of the most significant archeological finds of the 20th century. These 6,000 life-size painted Terracotta Warriors and Horses --individually sculpted from real-life models and arranged in battle formation have been protecting the mausoleum of the first emperor in Chinese history--Emperor QinShihuang for 2,200 years ago.
- Bell Tower: standing in the center of the city and built in 1582, the Bell Tower is a three-story wooden structure with traditional Chinese architectural features. It is so called because an iron bell is hung in the tower to give the correct time.
Accommodations: Hotel Royal Garden
Meals: B,D
Sightseeing: Shaanxi Provincial Museum,Big Wild Goose Pagoda,Ancient City Walls
Special Dinner: Dumpling Dinner
Gala Event: Tang Dynasty Show
After breakfast, you will have a city tour to the Shaanxi Provincial Museum, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and the Ancient City Walls. Complete the day with a savory dumpling dinner and the Tang Dynasty show both at Shaanxi Grand Opera Theatre in the evening.
- Shaanxi Provincial Museum: opened in 1991, the largest comprehensive museum in the province. The museum exhibits over 3,000 historical relics which is just a fraction of their collection. Most of the exhibited items are rare treasures, showing you the splendid Chinese culture.
- Big Wild Goose Pagoda: regarded by many as a symbol of the city Xian, the pagoda was built in 652 A.D. in the Tang Dynasty to house the sutras brought back from India by the famous monk Xuan-zang.
- Ancient City Walls : built during the 14th century on Tang dynasty foundations and they date from the Ming dynasty. The walls are the largest and best-preserved ancient fortress in the world. There is a gate in each of the four sides, and the gate towers built over each gate look lofty and magnificent and form a tight defence engineering system.
- Dumpling Dinner: Dumpling or Jiaozi in Chinese is a traditional and popular food in China, especially in the north. At the dinner, nearly 20 varieties of dumplings that are steamed and stuffed with different delicious fillings such as vegetables, meats and seafood are served. These dumplings are not only tasty, but also characteristic with their colors and fragrance, style and culture meanings. All these make the dinner so unique that you should not miss it when traveling in Xi'an.
- Tang Dynasty Show: the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) was one of the most glorious dynasties in China's history, and Xi'an was the capital during the Tang Dynasty and called as Chang'an. Tang Dynasty Show is a performance of Chang'an music and dances in Tang Dynasty style laid out according to various historical records and ancient arts and relics discovered in Xi'an. During the show, the musicians present the music with the Tang-Dynasty-style musical instruments and the dancers dance by wearing a Tang-Dynasty-style robe with long white silk sleeves, and you will certainly enjoy this national art that reflects the glory and richness of the Tang Dynasty era.
Accommodations: Holiday Inn Shanghai -Downtown
Meals: B
Sightseeing: The Bund ,Nanjing Road
Transfer via: China domestic flight arranged by us
Be free until our guide meets and helps you transfer to the airport for your flight to Shanghai. After your arrival at Shanghai, China's most cosmopolitan city, our local guide will meet you and escort you to your hotel. The tour in the afternoon will bring you to the Bund and the Nanjing Road.
- The Bund : where the great trading houses and banks had their headquarters in the 1920s and the 1930s. The Bund is about about a mile long, it is the city's fulcrum.
- Nanjing Road: known as "China's No.1 Shopping Street" with a huge selection of merchandise on sale.
Accommodations: Holiday Inn Shanghai -Downtown
Meals: B
Sightseeing: Shanghai Museum,Yu Garden,Yuyuan Market,Jade Buddha Temple
Today, your full-day excursion of incredible Shanghai will include: Shanghai Museum, Yu Garden, Yuyuan Market and the Jade Buddha Temple.
- Shanghai Museum: often ranked as China's best museum, it is the biggest museum in China with a fine collection of over 120,000 pieces of Chinese artifacts.
- Yu Garden: located in the Old Town of Shanghai and laid out in 1559 AD by a powerful Ming official, Yu Garden recreates a beautiful landscape of pagodas, pavilions, rockeries, fountains, ancient trees and precious flowers.
- Yuyuan Market: outside the Yu Garden, a bustling market with different snacks and trinkets.
- Jade Buddha Temple: named after its exquisite milk-white jade Buddha brought from Burma in the 19th century by a Chinese monk, it is a spiritual oasis in the midst of a modern metropolis.
Accommodations: Holiday Inn Shanghai -Downtown
Meals: B
Sightseeing: Humble Administrator's Garden,Lingering Garden,Tiger Hill Park,The No.1 Silk Factory
One full-day tour to Suzhou (100km away from Shanghai), which has been known as the Venice of the East. After your arrival, be met by your local guide, and your tour in Suzhou includes: the classical Humble Administrator's Garden and the attractive Lingering Garden, the ancient Tiger Hill Park and the No.1 Silk Factory. Back to Shanghai after the tour in Suzhou.
- Humble Administrator's Garden: covers 10 acres and is the largest garden in Suzhou. It was built in 1509 during the Ming Dynasty and is divided into the eastern, middle and western parts. All of this centers upon the broad expanse of a lake to form the poetic and picturesque garden landscapes and waterscapes with exquisite buildings and luxuriant vegetation.
- Lingering Garden: is one of the four most famous gardens in China and was constructed in 1593 during the Ming Dynasty. It is famous for its artistic way of dealing with the spaces between various kinds of architectural forms and garden courts.
- Tiger Hill Park: a symbol of the city, with a history of over 2,500 years, the Tiger Hill has had the reputation of being the No.1 sight of Suzhou, with a Song-dynasty leaning pagoda on top which was built in brick to imitate wood architecture.
- The No.1 Silk Factory: Suzhou is famous for its silk production. In the factory you can learn more about silk production and detailed steps of the silk making process, and you will have an opportunity to purchase some of the incredibly delicate works as well.
Meals: B
Transfer via: International flight arranged by us
Free in today until our guide meets you and help you transfer to the airport for the flight to Hongkong.
China domestic flights as specified in the itinerary 
Accommodations for 9 nights, including
8 nights at four star or higher hotels, 1 night at three star hotels
11 meals, including 9 full breakfasts, 1 lunches and 1 dinners
(including Dumpling Dinner)
1 gala evening events--Tang Dynasty Show in Xian 
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
My family had an excellent time in Yunnan and Guilin. My parents still haven't talking about this trip, and all the things we saw, to our familys and friends. Every place we visited had its uniqueness that we will remember. In fact, there is no place throughout our trip which anyone of us could say we like the best.
- Soe Aung Lwin,USA
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