Culture of China with Moderate Hiking

Itinerary

• Day 1: Beijing - Pingyao

  Spend a leisurely morning at the Summer Palace and then enjoy a boat trip on Kunming Lake there. After that, stop at a pearl store and then take a high-speed train to Pingyao. Arriving in about 4 hours, be met by your local guide and driver.

  • Pingyao

• Day 2: Pingyao

  After breakfast, be accompanied to visit the Wang Family Compound out of the town and then get back to Pingyao Ancient Town to take in its charm: the ancient City Wall, the first private financial organization in China - Rishengchang Exchange Shop, and Ming and Qing Street. Besides that, you can also spend some time roaming through the old alleyways for a glimpse of the local life.

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  • Pingyao

• Day 3: Arrive in Beijing

  Welcome to Beijing, the great capital of China! On arrival, be met and escorted to your hotel for check-in. The rest of the day is yours to recover from your long journey or explore this city on your own. If you are a meat-eater, you can't leave Beijing without Peking duck! It seems like there are hundreds of restaurants boasting the "best" Peking duck, but your private local guide will tell you where the locals eat it!

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  • Beijing

• Day 4: Beijing

  You will visit the famous Great Wall today. In order to bring you a better experience, you will tour the less crowded Great Wall at Mutianyu, which will take you about 2 hours on road. The Great Wall here is quite steep, so a round-way cable car is included for you to get up and down easily and safely. On top of it, you can do some moderate hikes further up to enjoy the majestic landscape. Later on, return to the city and visit the Temple of Heaven.

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  • Beijing

• Day 5: Beijing

  Departing from the hotel as planned, your guide will take you to see Tiananmen Square - the most important landmark of the capital city of Beijing, followed by the Forbidden City, which was the seat of power from 1406 to 1912. Your Forbidden City Heritage tour includes a regular visit of three main palaces on the central axis and an in-depth visit to other places that most tourists do not go. Afterward, visit Jingshan Park and climb the artificial Coal Hill to enjoy the full view of the magnificent royal complex of the Forbidden City.

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  • Beijing

• Day 6: Pingyao - Xi'an

  Take a 3 hours' train to Xi'an in the morning, meet your guide and driver in Xi'an, and follow them to your hotel near downtown. Later, your guide will lead you to explore the Muslim quarter, including the busy Muslim Street and peaceful Great Mosque.

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  • Xi'an

• Day 7: Xi'an

  Terracotta Warriors is as important as the Great Wall and is another most famous symbol of China. Today, you will see it and be captured by the legends of this grand array of thousands of life-size clay warriors, horses and chariots. After that, drive back to the city with a short break at a jade store, and then visit the Ancient City Wall.

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  • Xi'an

• Day 8: Xi'an - Luoyang

  Take a morning train to Luoyang, meet your local guide at the railway station, and then take 1.5 hours drive to Dengfeng where you will visit the Shaoling Temple and the Forest of Pagodas. You will have a chance to enjoy the Shaolin Kung Fu show. This is not a private show, so you may need to wait sometime to see it. Finish the tour in the late afternoon, and then get back to the city of Luoyang for overnight.

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  • Luoyang

• Day 9: Luoyang - Tai'an

  In the morning, marvel at the masterpieces of Buddhist rock carving at the Longmen Grottoes, one of the three Buddhist grotto treasure houses in China. In the afternoon, a 4.5 hours high-speed train will take you to Tai'an, a small city that got its name from the Mt. Tai.

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  • Tai An

• Day 10: Tai'an

  As a mountain of historical and cultural significance, Mount Tai is associated with sunrise, birth and renewal, so it is often regarded as the foremost of the Five Great Mountains of China. It has been the most important place of worship for at least 3,000 years in Chinese history. Today, you will take a cable car to get up this holly mountain, visit Puzhao Temple, Bixia Temple and enjoy its surrounding scenery. After descending from it, stop and tour Dai Temple, another important attraction in Tai'an.

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  • Tai An

• Day 11: Tai'an - Qufu - Huangshan

  After breakfast, you will drive to Qufu for about 1.5 hours. It is the birthplace of Confucius and has grown into a philosopher. His philosophy has greatly influenced people around the world and still affect today's society.

  In Qufu, you will visit the Kong Family Mansion, which was the residence of the descendants of Confucius; followed by the Temple of Confucius where Confucius was worshiped, and the Cemetery of Confucius where Confucius himself, many of his disciples and descendants were buried after death. In the afternoon, head to Huangshan by another 4 hours high-speed train, meet your guide and transfer to your hotel.

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  • Huangshan

• Day 12: Huangshan

  Drive 80 kilometers (about 1.5 hours) to Huangshan Scenic Area and take a cable car at Yungu Station to the top of the mountain. After check-in and lunch, you will view Brush Pen Peak, tour Lion Peak and Xihai Grand Canyon, and may enjoy the sunset at the Cloud Dispelling Pavilion, etc. Stay overnight at the summit.

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  • Huangshan

• Day 13: Huangshan - Shanghai

  Try to get up early in the morning to capture the magical sunrise. After breakfast, tour the Begin-to-Believe Peak to see the grotesque pine trees. Afterward, take another cable car down to the foot of the Mt. Huangshan, and then drive to Yixian County, 54km away from the city of Huangshan (about 1-hour drive), where you will visit the ancient village - Xidi. In the late afternoon, take 3 hours' high-speed train to Shanghai where your new guide and driver will be at your service.

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  • Shanghai

• Day 14: Shanghai

  Start your today tour from Shanghai popular promenade - the Bund; then, stroll around Yu Garden, Yuyuan Market, Jade Buddha Temple and a silk workshop (factory). And ends with a relaxing walking from Fuxing Park to Bugaoli where you can see the traditional Shikumen houses, and go to a food market to try some dim sum.

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  • Shanghai

• Day 15: Shanghai, Departure

  Time to say goodbye. When you are ready, your guide and driver will pick you up and transfer you to the airport for your home-bound flight. 

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