Start in: Shanghai
End in: Shanghai
Special Experience: Dumpling dinner and Tang Dynasty show in Xian, Hutong tour by rickshaw in Beijing
China Ancient Civilization Tour
Day-by-Day Itinerary
Day 1 Shanghai / Xian
Accommodations: Hotel Royal Garden 
Meals: B,L,D
Sightseeing: Big Wild Goose Pagoda,Shaanxi Provincial Museum
Special Dinner: Dumpling Dinner
Gala Event: Tang Dynasty Show
Transfer via: China domestic flight on our arrangement
Today you will take your flight from Shanghai to Xian. Upon your arrival, 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 Shaanxi Provincial Museum and the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. Complete the day with a savory dumpling dinner and the Tang Dynasty show both at Shaanxi Grand Opera Theatre.
- 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 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.
- 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: Jianguo Garden Hotel
Meals: B,L
Sightseeing: Ancient City Walls ,Terracotta Warriors and Horses
Transfer via: Soft-sleeper train on our arrangement
Today, you will enjoy a full-day excursion to the incredible life-size Terracotta Warriors and Horses, and then the Ancient City Walls before your overnight train to Beijing.
- 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.
- 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.
Accommodations: Jianguo Garden Hotel
Meals: B,L
Sightseeing: Tiananmen Square,Forbidden City,Temple of Heaven
You will arrive in the morning time, our guide will pick you up and then 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,L
Sightseeing: Sacred Road,Ding Tomb,Great Wall
Today's full-day excursion will take you to the majestic Great Wall(Badaling section), the Ding Tomb of Ming Tombs and Sacred road.
- 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.
- 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.
Meals: B,L
Sightseeing: Hutongs,Summer Palace
Transfer via: China domestic flight on our arrangement
After breakfast, you will first visit Hutongs by rickshaw. Lunch will be served in one of the local people's home during the tour, when you can learn how to make dumplings. And then the Summer Palace before you will take flight to Shanghai.
- Hutongs: the old narrow paths with lots of courtyard homes where common people are living. They are like villages within a megalopolis. Through the hutongs' teeming maze of alleyways, you will see the old houses and learn about the daily life of ordinary Beijing citizens.
- Summer Palace : Located on the northwestern outskirts of the city, it was an imperial summer resort of the Qing Dynasty. With its perfect layout, magnificent buildings and enchanting landscape, it is the most splendid classical garden in China.
China domestic flights as specified in the itinerary 
Accommodations for 4 nights, including
4 nights at four star or higher hotels
11 meals, including 5 full breakfasts, 5 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
Georges and I had an amazing time in China...thanks to you and all of the guides and drivers working for your company.
We will definitely recommend your company to friends looking to go to China in the future.
Best of luck with the upcoming Olympics!
- David,USA
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