Photo Tour in China

Itinerary

• Day 1: Arrival - Shanghai

  Welcome to Shanghai, where colonial-era structures and contemporary skyscrapers live together. Upon arrival, meet your tour guide at the airport and take a private transfer to your hotel for relaxing. If you still have energy, take a walk along the waterfront paths of the Bund to capture the dazzling and vibrant nightscapes of this modern Chinese city.

  • Shanghai

• Day 2: Shanghai, City Sightseeing

  Take a morning stroll along the Bund to admire the many colonial-era buildings in different architectural styles, such as Gothic, while enjoying the charming skyline across the river. Following it is the classical Yu Garden, which perfectly blends ornate halls, elaborate pavilions, glittering pools, zigzag bridges, and breathtaking scenery.

  Later, walk from Fuxing Park to Bugaoli to observe the lively scenes of the inhabitants' daily lives. You can see the locals dancing, playing cards, or doing other recreational activities, enjoy traditional stone arched gates, and sample some popular dim sum in a local market. At the Shanghai World Financial Center, the last stop today, you'll get a bird's eye view of the city.

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  • Shanghai

• Day 3: Shanghai - Huangshan

  Board a high-speed train to Huangshan this morning. Upon arrival, be picked up and escorted to your rustic hotel in Xidi Village.

  After a short break, ramble along its narrow paved alleys to enjoy old dwellings dating from Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368-1912). Keep your eyes peeled for the adorned gates, the finely carved wooden interiors, and the decorative arch placed at the village's entrance.

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  • Huangshan

• Day 4: Huangshan, Hongcun and Mount Huangshan

  Enjoy a peaceful morning hike along the ancient pathway to another ancient village - Hongcun, which, together with Xidi, is registered as UNESCO World Heritage Site for its well-preserved architecture. During the three-hour trip, you can get close to the idyllic countryside scenery of green jungles, flowing canals, and rural villages.

  After visiting Hongcun, move on to Mount Huangshan and take the Yungu cable car up to the summit. The rest of the day is yours to relax in the hotel or explore the surrounding Beihai Scenic Area on your own.

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  • Mt. Huangshan

• Day 5: Mount Huangshan Scenic Hiking

  If the weather is nice, rise early for the stunning sunrise over the sea of clouds, one of Mount Huangshan's five wonders.

  Return to the hotel for refreshments and breakfast. Later, take a hike through Xihai Grand Canyon until reaching another hotel for check-in. The scenery keeps changing as you walk on steep steps. Please get your camera ready to catch the most beautiful and untouched landscape with fantastic peaks and odd-shaped pines.

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  • Mt. Huangshan

• Day 6: Huangshan - Hangzhou

  Hike to the Yuping Station and ride a cable car down to the foot. Then, take a relaxing walk in the nearby Jade Valley Scenic Area. The valley runs along the terraced mountainside up to the top of the mountains, strewn with glittering green pools in various shapes and sizes.

  After the tour, proceed to the railway station to board your high-speed train to Hangzhou. Upon arrival, be picked up and escorted to your hotel for check-in.

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  • Hangzhou

• Day 7: Hangzhou, Immerse in the Poetical West Lake

  Spend the morning visiting the Dragon Well Tea Plantation, the original place of China's most famous green tea - Dragon Well tea. You'll have a chance to pick the tea leaves, learn the tea history and processing procedure, and sample a nice cup of tea.

  Pass through Feilai Peak to explore Lingyin Temple. Your eyes will be drawn to the hundreds of Buddhist statues carved into the hillside along the way. Once entering the temple, immerse yourself in the laid-back ambiance of this ancient Buddist temple. Conclude the tour with a boat ride on West Lake, the relaxed way to take in the beautiful scenery around the lake.

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  • Hangzhou

• Day 8: Hangzhou - Guilin - Longsheng

  Proceed to Guilin by airplane this morning. Your local tour guide will greet you at the airport and take you to your hotel in Longsheng, a county featuring incredible rice terraces and authentic ethnic minority tribe villages. If time permits, see a local lady dressed in Zhuang costumes making Oil Tea and try your hands at cooking bamboo rice, a type of roasted food in a bamboo tube. In the late afternoon, go out to shoot the stunning sunset of the rice terraces.

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  • Longsheng

• Day 9: Longsheng - Guilin, Visit Reed Flute Cave

  Get up early to shoot the sunrise over the terrace fields and enjoy the tranquility of the village in the early morning. After breakfast, hike for about two hours along the winding path down to Ancient Zhuang Village, taking in the breathtaking landscape.

  Afterward, get in your car and proceed to your hotel in downtown Guilin. En route, make a stop at the Reed Flute Cave, where you can see a fantastic world created by lots of stalactites and stalagmites. As the night falls, you can go out to enjoy Guilin night views totally different from Shanghai.

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  • Guilin

• Day 10: Cruise along the Li River to Yangshuo

  Set out in the morning to the pier to board your boat sailing down the Li River. During this 4-hour cruise, you'll take in the picturesque pastoral views of green peaks, crystal-clear waters, and rural villages. All of these seem to bring you into a traditional Chinese painting.

  Disembark in Yangshuo and head to your hotel for check-in. The afternoon is left for you to explore this tiny county.

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  • Yangshuo

• Day 11: Yangshuo - Guilin - Xi'an

  Soak up the countryside landscape by vehicle with your tour guide. The beautiful and peaceful rural scenery of rice paddies, winding rivers, and karst hills around Yangshuo is one of the highlights for people traveling to Guilin.

  Afterward, head to Guilin airport to catch your flight to Xi'an.

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  • Xi'an

• Day 12: Xi'an, Encounter Terracotta Warriors

  No visit to Xi'an is complete without Terracotta Warriors, which were built by Qin Shi Huang, China's First Emperor, to protect his afterlife. Stepping into the site, you will be awed by thousands of life-size pottery warriors and horses in battle formation.

  Afterward, take the rest of the day in the bustling Muslim Quarter, a snack street by the locals. You'll pass through the street lined with shops selling a large variety of interesting local delicacies, snacks, and souvenirs. End the tour in the Great Mosque, a major spot for Muslims in Xi'an to hold religious activities.

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  • Xi'an

• Day 13: Xi'an - Beijing, Explore Beijing Hutongs by Rickshaw

  Depart for Beijing by high-speed train in the morning. Upon arrival, take a visit to Hutongs by rickshaw. Navigating through the old narrow paths with lots of courtyard homes, you'll visit the old houses and learn about the daily life of ordinary Beijing citizens.

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  • Beijing

• Day 14: Beijing, Visit the Forbidden City

  Rise up in the morning and visit the Temple of Heaven, where you can see old locals dancing, practicing Tai Chi, singing, and other morning activities. Make a stop at Tiananmen Square, followed by the magnificent Forbidden City. Located in the center of the city, this wall-enclosed palace is the largest and best-preserved wooden palace complex in the world, serving as the home for twenty-four emperors during ancient China. After an insightful exploration of it, get out and climb up to Jingshan Park to view the whole complex of Forbidden City and the old quarters of Beijing.

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  • Beijing

• Day 15: Beijing - Gubei Water Town, the Great Wall

  Drive about 1.5 hours to the Great Wall at Mutianyu. With round-trip cable cars, you can get up and down easily and have more time to explore this fully-restored section with densely spaced watchtowers. After the tour, proceed to Gubei Water Town by another 2 hours drive.

  Check into the hotel inside the town and have some leisure time to relax. At around 8:00 pm, take a cable car up to Simatai Great Wall, one of the few sections to retain its original appearance, to enjoy the unique night views.

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  • Beijing

• Day 16: Gubei Water Town - Beijing

  Enjoy the morning at leisure. You can stroll around the town to enjoy its architecture, watch some free performance shows according to the schedule, or join in some enjoyable activities like paper cutting at an extra cost.

  Check out of the hotel at noon and go back to the Beijing downtown area. The rest of the day is free for you to explore further at your own pace.

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  • Beijing

• Day 17: Beijing, Departure

  Time to say goodbye. You can have some leisure time until being transferred to the airport for your homebound flight.

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  • Beijing