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TOUR-E: BEIJING
AND THE LAKE DISTRICT 11 DAYS
BEIJING, SHANGHAI, SUZHOU, ZHOUZHUANG, HANGZHOU
Day 1. Los Angeles-Beijing
From Los Angeles LAX to Beijing International Airport
Day 2. Beijing
Arrive
in Beijing from LAX. Bus to hotel where the group will stay for three nights. Lodging at Olympic Hotel or equivalent.
Day
3. Beijing
The group will visit Tian¡¯anmen (Gate of Heavenly Peace) and The Palace Museum, more commonly known
as the Forbidden City. Tian¡¯anmen was and is considered the center of Beijing, not only because of its location but also
because it is a symbol of power. Tian¡¯anmen is the front gate of the Forbidden City, the gate leading to
the supreme
power in imperial times. The Tian¡¯anmen Square, the largest of its kind in the world, covers an area of 400,000 square meters.
The Palace Museum is the largest imperial palace ever built in the world, concealed from public view for 500 years, features
more than 800 buildings with over 9,000 rooms, resplendent gold-glazed roofs, red lacquered pillars and vermilion walls.
Lunch included in tour.
We will visit Beihai Park and Jingshan Park. Beihai Park or the Winter Palace is an ancient
secondary palace dating to the 10th century. Now it is a popular park, including a lake, a classical Chinese garden, pavilions,
halls, temples, and covered corridors. Jingshan Park contains 5 pavilions. From the middle one, visitors have a broad view
of the Forbidden City. Weather permitting; one can view the entire city of Beijing. This is an ideal place to photograph
the Forbidden City and the city. Acrobatics show at night.
Lodging at Olympic Hotel or equivalent.
Day 4. Beijing
After
breakfast, board bus and visit The Great Wall. We will explore the Badaling section just north of Beijing. This section
has quick, easy access from the car park. The Wall was built in 1571 and is 10 meters high. Along the Wall are many beacon
towers, some connected to the Wall and others far away, which were used as a means of communication to warn of an enemy advance.
In the 16th century warnings were sent with smoke during the day and fire at night.
After lunch, time permitting,
we will visit the Ming tombs built from 1409 A.D. to 1644 A.D. and where the 13 emperors of the Ming (1368 ¨C 1644) and their
empresses and concubines are buried. We will focus on exploring Dingling, the tomb of Emperor Wanli (1573 A.D. to 1620 A.D.),
the 13th Ming emperor, and his two empresses. This excavated tomb is famous for a magnificent underground palace, which consists
of five stone chambers. The underground palace lies 27 meters below the surface and occupies a floor space of 1,195 square
meters. Among the precious treasures buried with the emperor are a gold crown and four phoenix crowns.
Time permitting,
we will visit a jade-producing mill and drop in on the famous Fair of Replicas, finally visiting Wamfujing Avenue, a commercial
boulevard.
Day 5 through Day 7. Suzhou, Zhouzhaung
This morning, after breakfast, we board a jet for a
flight from Beijing to Shanghai. From the Shanghai airport, the group boards a coach for an excursion through the countryside
to Suzhou where the group will stay three nights at the Grand China Garden Hotel or equivalent.
Suzhou is an ancient
city with a history of more than 2,500 years. Once a vacation getaway for emperors, Suzhou retains a rich cultural heritage
with subtle and spectacular scenery, especially its gardens. The earliest gardens of Suzhou can be traced back to the Spring
and Autumn period in the 6th century B.C. Laid out within a limited area by the house, a classical garden of Suzhou is a microcosm
of the world made of basic elements of water stones, plants, and different kinds of buildings with literary allusions: beautiful
and elegant.
The group will visit Tiger Hill which is surrounded by rivers and covered with pine and plum trees and
contains many attractions, including the Sword-Testing Rock, the Nodding Rock, the Thousand Man Rock, each with its own astounding
story. Tiger Hill contains Suzhou¡¯s oldest pagoda built almost a thousand years ago.
On Tiger Hill lies Jianchi
Pond, under which the tomb of the King of the Wu State, He Lu, was built during the spring and Autumn Period (770 to 476 B.C).
Also of interest is the Garden For Lingering In, the most famous garden in Suzhou. This garden is an excellent example
of how gardens are designed in Suzhou in classical Chinese style.
We will also visit a silk factory and watch the
employees coax strands of silk from the cocoons of silkworms. The factory has a store with a wide variety of silk products
for purchase. Fashion show, time permitting.
On the sixth day of the tour, the group enjoys a coach ride to
Zhouzhuang, the perfect embodiment of the serene villages of the Yangtze Delta. We will tour the stone lanes and interlaced
streams where the 900-year-old town¡¯s stories are depicted in landmarks and magnificent canal bridges resembling keys, rainbows,
and musical instruments.
After lunch on the go, the group will visit Guanqian Street, a promenade known for
its commercial success and shopping opportunities.
Back in Suzhou, the group will visit Hanshan Temple, built
in the 6th century. This temple contains cultural relics, including a stone tablet inscribed with the poem ¡°Anchoring at
Night at Maple Bridge¡± written by the poet Zhang Ji.
We will also
visit the Embroidery Center to see the designs of local silk weavers.
Days 8 and 9. Suzhou-Hangzhou
After breakfast, we board a bus for a 3 to 4 hour scenic ride through the countryside to Hangzhou, known as the cradle of
Chinese civilization with a history dating back more that 2,000 years. Hangzhou and Suzhou are sister cities linked by the
ancient belief that ¡°There is a paradise in heaven and Suzhou and Hangzhou on earth.¡± In the afternoon, the group will visit
West Lake, reputed to be one of the most serene and beautiful lakes in China. The group will see ¡®Melting Snow at Broken
Bridge Spring Dawn at Sudi Causeway,¡¯ ¡®Lotus in the Breeze at Crooked Courtyard,¡¯ Three Pools Mirroring the Moon,¡¯ and
many other interesting sites around West Lake. We stay in Hangzhou for two nights.
Lodging in Hangzhou at
the Crown Hotel or equivalent.
Day 10.Shanghai
The group will depart in the morning
on a coach to Shanghai.
Shanghai, the most important port in China, its largest and most cosmopolitan city, has a
recorded history of approximately 400 years. We will visit Chenhuan Temple located in the Yu Yuan Gardens, shop on the famous
Nanjing Avenue, visit the Witan (the ¡®Bund¡¯) along the Huangpu riverfront, an historic relic of European mercantile activity.
We will observe and experience the vibrancy, dynamism, and energy of this world-class city.
Lodging one night at Brightness
Hotel or equivalent
Day 11. Shanghai-Los Angeles
After breakfast, we visit the Pearl TV Tower area Puxi. After lunch,
we head to the airport for our direct flight to Los Angeles leaving Shanghai at approximately 3 p.m.
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