Start in: Beijing
End in: Beijing
Special Experience: Dumpling dinner and Tang Dynasty show in Xian, Peking Duck Banquet in Beijing, silk making process in Suzhou
China Golden Route with Silk 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.
In China, Xi'an is famous for its all kinds of local delicacies, for example, Liangpi (cold noodle).
Accommodations: Hotel Royal Garden
Meals: B,L
Sightseeing: Shaanxi Provincial Museum,Big Wild Goose Pagoda
Transfer via: China domestic flight arranged by us
Be free until our local guide meets you and escort you to airport to take the flight to Xian. Upon your arrival, our local guide will meet you and escort you to your hotel. In the afternoon, you will have a city tour to the Shaanxi Provincial Museum and Big Wild Goose Pagoda.
- 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.
Shaanxi Provincial History Museum. A painted pottery figure of a standing girl of the Tang Dynasty
Accommodations: Hotel Royal Garden
Meals: B,L,D
Sightseeing: Terracotta Warriors and Horses,Ancient City Walls ,Bell Tower
Special Dinner: Dumpling Dinner
Gala Event: Tang Dynasty Show
Today, you will enjoy a full-day excursion to the incredible life-size Terracotta Warriors and Horses, after lunch, visit the Ancient City Walls and the Bell Tower. Complete the day with a savory dumpling dinner and the Tang Dynasty show at Shaanxi Grand Opera Theatre.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Walk around the ancient city wall in Xian and you can feel the city's history and culture.
Tang Dynasty Show in Xian - Pipa performance, a traditional Chinese musical instrument
Accommodations: Guilin Park Hotel
Meals: B,L
Sightseeing: Fubo Hill,Reed Flute Cave
Transfer via: China domestic flight arranged by us
Upon your arrival at Guilin, the most scenic city in China, our local guide will meet you and escort you to your hotel. After rest for a little while and lunch, you will have a city tour to the Fubo Hill and the Reed Flute Cave.
- 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.
View of the Guilin city from a hill. Click on image to view full-size.
Accommodations: Guilin Park Hotel
Meals: B,L
Sightseeing: Li River Cruise,Elephant Trunk Hill
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. At Yangshuo, after roaming through the West Street, drive back to Guilin (1.5-hour drive) and pay a visit to the Elephant Trunk Hill.
- 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.
- Elephant Trunk Hill : the symbol of Guilin, which resembles a giant elephant drinking water from the Li River.
The vivid Elephant Trunk Hill is the trademark of Guilin.
Accommodations: Holiday Inn Shanghai -Downtown
Meals: B,L
Sightseeing: The Bund ,Nanjing Road
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 your next destination--Shanghai. After your arrival at Shanghai, 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,L
Sightseeing: Shanghai Museum,Yu Garden,Yuyuan Market,Jade Buddha Temple
Gala Event: Acrobatic Show
Today, your full-day excursion of incredible Shanghai will include: Shanghai Museum, Yu Garden, Yuyuan Market and the Jade Buddha Temple. Enjoy a wonderful Acrobatic Show tonight.
- 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.
- Acrobatic Show: Chinese Acrobatics is one of the oldest performing arts with its history tracing back to Neolithic times, during its development in the history, it has been absorbing plentiful merits from the opera, dance and Chinese Kungfu, and formed its own artistic features. In Portman Acrobatic Show, in a very typical Shanghainese setting and atmosphere, you will enjoy many breathtaking and stunning programs such as Calvaria Skills, Silk Suspending, Hoop Diving and so on performed by very skillful performers, you will truly have an unforgettable experience of your life.
The flavor of Shanghai Cuisine is light but usually sweet.
Shanghai acrobatic show is a great 1.5 hours of entertainment, well worth your time and money.
Accommodations: Sheraton Hotel
Meals: B,L
Sightseeing: Turtle Head Isle(Yuantouzhu),Li Garden,Lingshan Buddha
Drive to Wuxin in the morning and have a city tour to Yuan Tou Zhu Peninsula in the Tai Lake, Li Garden and the Lingshan Buddha Statue.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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".
Wuxi is an elegant city featuring waters and gardens.
Accommodations: Bamboo Grove Hotel
Meals: B,L
Sightseeing: Grand Canal,Pan Gate,Lingering Garden,The No.1 Silk Factory
Drive to Suzhou. Have a cruise on the Grand Canal, then visit the Pan Gate, Lingering Garden and the No.1 Silk Factory.
- 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.
In Suzhou classical gardens, you can find furniture dating back to the Ming and Qing dynasty.
Accommodations: Bamboo Grove Hotel
Meals: B,L
Sightseeing: Ouyuan,Cold Mountain Temple
Take a 30 minutes Rickshaw ride and then visit Ouyuan, Cold Mountain Temple.
- Ouyuan: It is one of the famous garden in Suzhou, where you can see the local opera under the Pavilion of the Ou garden.
- Cold Mountain Temple: It used to be one of ten most famous temples in China where there are a lot of cultural relics.
Window pattern is an important element in Chinese garden design.
Accommodations: Lakeview Hotel
Meals: B,L
Sightseeing: West Lake,Lingyin Temple,Feilai Peak (Peak Flying From Afar),Dragon Well Tea Plantation,Six Harmonies Pagoda
Today you will drive to Hangzhou. The city tour today in this beautiful city will include: West Lake by boat, Lingyin Temple and Feilai Peak, Dragon Well Tea Plantation and Six Harmonies Pagoda.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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".
When spring comes, the causeway of the West Lake is covered with peach and willow trees.
Accommodations: Jianguo Garden Hotel
Meals: B,L
Transfer via: China domestic flight arranged by us
Free in the day until our local guide escorts you to the airport for your flight to your flight to Beijing. Upon your arrival at Beijing airport, our local guide will meet you and escort you to your hotel.
Complicated paintings on the ceiling of the Six Harmonies Pagoda, Hangzhou
Accommodations: Jianguo Garden Hotel
Meals: B,L
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.
Forbidden City. Red and yellow (imperial colors reserved exclusively for the Emperor) dominate the imperial palace.
Accommodations: Jianguo Garden Hotel
Meals: B,L,D
Sightseeing: Great Wall,Sacred Road,Ding Tomb
Special Dinner: Peking Duck Dinner
Today's full-day excursion will take you to the majestic Great Wall(Badaling section), the Ding Tomb of Ming Tombs and the Sacred road. Enjoy a famous Peking Duck Banquet for dinner.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Peking Duck Dinner: Peking Roast Duck is regarded as one of the most delicious dishes throughout the world. A Peking Duck Dinner is usually a fixed item on any Beijing tour itinerary. At time-honored restaurants such as Quan Ju De, you can savor the mouth-watering traditional Beijing specialty, and at the same time the chefs will show you how they cuts the meat into exactly 108 slices from one duck, each having a piece of skin.
Great Wall at Juyong Pass, Beijing, famous for its steepness.
Meals: B
Transfer via: International flight on your own arrangement
Free in the day until our local guide escorts you to the airport for your flight to your sweet home.
China domestic flights as specified in the itinerary 
Accommodations for 14 nights, including
14 nights at four star or higher hotels
29 meals, including 14 full breakfasts, 13 lunches and 2 dinners
(including Dumpling Dinner, Peking Duck Dinner)
2 gala evening events--Tang Dynasty Show in Xian,Acrobatic Show in Shanghai 
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
As the symbol of the old-line Xian, Big Wild Goose Pagoda is a well-preserved ancient building and a holy place for Buddhists.
We both found the Reed Flute Cave stunningly fascinating, made even so more so by the fact that we were along as the last ones to go through. We were very glad we went with the Longsheng rice paddies option even though it was the wrong time of the year. It was still beautiful with the Dragon's Backbone clearly visible-it was one of our favorite places. The Li River boat cruise was very enjoyable too.
- Adele and Giles Harding,South Africa
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