Start in: Shanghai
End in: Hongkong
Special Experience: Water tour around Zhouzhuang and Tongli, explore the Hakka earth buildings in Xiamen
China Southeast Silk and Watertown Tour
Day-by-Day Itinerary
Day 1 Arrive Shanghai
Accommodations: Holiday Inn Shanghai -Downtown 
Transfer via: International Flight on your own arrangement
Upon your arrival at Shanghai, China's most cosmopolitan city, our local guide will meet you and escort you to your hotel. The rest of the day is free at your own leisure.
Accommodations: Holiday Inn Shanghai -Downtown
Meals: B
Sightseeing: Zhouzhuang,Ancient Memorial Archway,Quanfu Temple,Hall of Shen's Residence,Twin Bridge
In the morning, drive to Zhouzhuang (30km away from Suzhou). There you will pay a visit to the Ancient Memorial Archway, Quanfu Temple, the Hall of Shen's Residence and the Twin Bridge. Drive back to Shanghai afterwards (about one-hour drive).
- Zhouzhuang: meaning Zhou's village was named after Zhou Digong in the Song Dynasty (960-1127 AD) who donated more than 13-hectare of his land as the field for the Quanfu Temple. Famed as No.1 water village in China with a 900 year history, Zhouzhuang is an ancient town featuring great cultural traditions and unique architecture surrounded by water with many tributaries. You will visit stone bridges and old residences left from Ming and Qing Dynasties, where you can have a glimpse of particular charisma of Jiangnan(meaning south of Yangtze River).
- Ancient Memorial Archway: an archway made of stone and standing upright at the junction of the old and the new town, it is the symbol of Zhouzhuang.
- Quanfu Temple: standing on the bank of the Baixian Lake, built in 1086 AD in Song Dynasty on the land donated by Zhou Digong, it is a good combination of Buddhist culture with architectural arts.
- Hall of Shen's Residence: consisting of seven courtyards and five archways, it is the top of the residences with the unique local style of Jiangnan (meaning south of Yangtze River).
- Twin Bridge: indicating two bridges -- the Shide Bridge and the Yong'an Bridges which were built between 1513 and 1619 AD and connect with each other. One bridge is in the direction of north-south, while the other east-west with one square and one round opening. As they look like an ancient key, the twin bridge is also known as key bridge.
Accommodations: Holiday Inn Shanghai -Downtown
Meals: B
Enjoy a free day to explore Shanghai.
Accommodations: Xizhou Garden Hotel
Meals: B,L
Sightseeing: Turtle Head Isle(Yuantouzhu),Xihui Park
Transfer via: Soft-seat train on our arrangement
Free in today until our local guide meet you and escort you to the railway station for the train to Wuxi. Arrive at Wuxi, our local guide will meet you and escort you to visit Turtle Head Isle(Yuantouzhu), Xihui Park and Huishan Clay Figurine Workshop. Overnight at Wuxi.
- Turtle Head Isle(Yuantouzhu): located on the beautiful Tai Lake - one of the largest lake in China, it is not actually an island but a peninsula shaped like the head of a turtle, the best place to enjoy the spectacular scenery of Tai Lake. A visit to the park is incomplete without a stop off at the highest point - Brightness Pavilion (Guangming ding) offering all-round vistas.
- Xihui Park: located on the western edge of Wuxi between Hui Hill - the highest point in the city with 328m high and Xi Hill with 75m high, the park is most famous for its artificial lake surrounded by paved paths and the seven-story octagonal Longguang Pagoda on the top of Xi hill. The pagoda offering a panoramic view of the city and Tai Lake was first built in the Ming Dynasty, but burned down during the Qing Dynasty, and the current one is a brick and wood replica. Other fascinating sights in the park include the Ming-style Jichang Garden and Hui Hill Temple.
Accommodations: Bamboo Grove Hotel
Meals: B,L,D
Sightseeing: Lingshan Buddha,Li Garden,Tongli
Transfer via: Soft-seat train on our arrangement
today, you will visit the Li Garden and the Lingshan Buddha first, and then you will have a tour to Tongli. Take afternoon train to Suzhou. Upon you arrive at Suzhou railway station, our local guide will meet you and escort you to the hotel. The rest of the day is on your own leisure.
- Lingshan Buddha: 25km from the city, an 88m-high bronze Buddha known as China's largest Buddha statue, it is also China's largest moving statue equipped with musical fountain called "Nine Dragons Bathing".
- Li Garden: on the bank of Li Lake, formed by two private gardens connecting with each other in 1952, the garden is in classical Chinese style combining natural scenery with man-made decoration. The most interesting sight in the garden is the Thousand Step Long Corridor that winds its way through the park.
- Tongli: a town with a history of more than one thousand years. There are over hundreds of gardens established in Ming dynasty and Qing dynasty, temples, cartilages and former residence of eminent souls. Fifteen rivers divides the town into seven island and 49 sets of historic bridges connect the town as a whole.
Accommodations: Bamboo Grove Hotel
Meals: B,L
Sightseeing: Grand Canal,Pan Gate,Lingering Garden,The No.1 Silk Factory
Gala Event: Garden Show
Take a 30 minutes Rickshaw ride to see the local people's life, then cruise on the Grand Canal, visit Pan Gate, Lingering Garden and the No.1 Silk Factory. Enjoy the Garden Show in the evening.
- Grand Canal: commenced in the Sui Dynasty (605-616 AD), 1794 kilometers long from Beijing to Hangzhou, the Grand Canal has created a bountiful agricultural region and served as a major transportation artery between north and south.
- Pan Gate: the only remaining city gate dating from the 12th century. It is built over Suzhou's former moat.
- 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.
- 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.
- Garden Show: Quite different from that in broad daylight, the classical Chinese garden setting in Suzhou creates an atmosphere of peace and calm in the evening. It is relaxing and enhancing to tour an elegant garden at night with the Chinese melodious music. The garden show, a show of local opera, folk song, dancing and traditional instruments, is a special and harmonious combination of classical Chinese garden and music.
Accommodations: Lakeview Hotel
Meals: B,D
Transfer via: Soft-seat train on our arrangement
Upon your arrival at Hangzhou, our local guide will meet you and escort you to your hotel. The rest of the day is free at your own leisure.
Accommodations: Holiday Inn Xiamen
Meals: B,L,D
Sightseeing: Lingyin Temple,Six Harmonies Pagoda,Dragon Well Tea Plantation,Feilai Peak (Peak Flying From Afar),West Lake
Transfer via: China domestic flight on our arrangement
The city tour in this beautiful city will include: West Lake by boat, Lingyin Temple and Feilai Peak, Dragon Well Tea Plantation and Six Harmonies Pagoda.after the today's tour,our local guide will escorts you to the airport for your onward flight to your next destination--Xiamen.when you arrival at Xiamen,you will be met and escort to your hotel.the rest of the time is free by your own. -West Lake: There are 36 West Lakes throughout China, but the one in Hangzhou is the inspiration for them all. The name of the West Lake originated during the Tang Dynasty from its lying to the west of Qiantang County. Another saying is that the lake is also named after Xi Shi, a famous ancient beauty, because of the apt comparison made between the two by the famed poet Su Dongpo (1037-1101AD).
- Lingyin Temple: a celebrated Chan (Zen) Buddhist temple founded in 326AD, despite being destroyed and rebuilt 16 times, it remains one of Hangzhou's main attractions. The current structure dates from the late Qing dynasty. Its highlights are the Great Hall with its 65 foot camphor-wood statue of the Buddha and the FeilaiPeak opposite the temple.
- Six Harmonies Pagoda: first built in 970 AD in the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) to calm down the tide of the Qiantang River, it is a pavilion-style tower made of brick and wood with a height of 59.89 meters. The name "six harmonies" comes from the six Buddhist ordinances, meaning "harmonies of the heaven, earth, east, west, south and north".
- Dragon Well Tea Plantation: Dragon Well Green Tea is one of the most famous brands in China. In this Tea Plantation you can pick the tea leaves, taste a nice cup of tea and learn the history and processing procedure of tea.
- Feilai Peak (Peak Flying From Afar): opposite the Lingyin Temple, 209 meters (about 700 feet) high,it is a hill covered with inscriptions and reliefs carved into the rock dating from the 10th to 14th centuries.
- West Lake: There are 36 West Lakes throughout China, but the one in Hangzhou is the inspiration for them all. The name of the West Lake originated during the Tang Dynasty from its lying to the west of Qiantang County. Another saying is that the lake is also named after Xi Shi, a famous ancient beauty, because of the apt comparison made between the two by the famed poet Su Dongpo (1037-1101AD). Originally a lagoon, the lake was dredged in the 8th century and later diked. The entire lake is ringed on three sides by mountains and one side by the city proper. With the green hills, willow trees, elegant bridges and clean spring water around, the view of the West Lake is simply enchanting.
Accommodations: Holiday Inn Xiamen
Meals: B
Sightseeing: Yongding Hakka Earth Buildings
Have a whole-day excursion tour to Yongding to explore the mysterious and wonderful earthen buildings inhabited by Hakka people.
- Yongding Hakka Earth Buildings: Hakka Earth Buildings are inhabited by Hakka people, whose ancestors were migrants from the Central Plains of Northern China more than 1000 years ago. Through the years of hard struggle, they gradually changed their dwellings into castles-like buildings in order to prevent natural disasters and to keep out robbers' attacks and wild animals' threat. They are, without doubt, one of the most unique forms of architecture on the planet and one Chinese writer's description of these earth buildings as "UFOs descended from sky" proves it. Yongding Hakka Earth Buildings are the most famous, and are well worth the visit.
Meals: B
Transfer via: China domestic flight on our arrangement
Free in today until our local guide meet you and escort you to the airport for the flight to Hong Kong. The rest of the time is free by your own.
China domestic flights as specified in the itinerary 
Accommodations for 9 nights, including
9 nights at four star or higher hotels
16 meals, including 9 full breakfasts, 4 lunches and 3 dinners
1 gala evening events--Garden Show in Suzhou 
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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