Silk Road In-depth

After arrive at Beijing Airport, your local guide will meet you at the exit on time and transfer you to the pre-booked hotel. No activity is arranged for the rest of the day. You may rest at the hotel or explore the city by yourselves. The guide will be glad to give advice.

In the morning, you will walk through Tiananmen Square, the biggest city square in the world, and visit the Forbidden City, the imperial palace of Ming and Qing Dynasties. An a la carte lunch will be served in a local nice restaurant. A visit to the Temple of Heaven is arranged in the afternoon. It was the altar where the ancient emperors worshiped gods and offered sacrifice to Heaven. You will enjoy a lively Chinese Kung Fu Show at Red Theatre tonight. (B+L)

Morning excursion takes you to the most well preserved and equipped part of the Great Wall, Badaling section. As it needs 2 hours' hiking, if you are not willing to climb, you can take the cable car which does not included in the quotation. To skip the tourist eateries nearby, you will be transferred to a local popular Sichuan restaurant and have a good lunch. After visiting the Sacred Way and the Dingling Tomb, one of the Ming Tombs, drive by the National Stadium, known as the Bird's Nest, on the way back to downtown and you may take photos of its appearance. (B+L)

Have a tour to the ornate and best-preserved royal Xanadu garden, Summer Palace, which is 1.5 kilometers northwest away from downtown in the morning. It was built surrounding the Kunming Lake and the Longevity Hill and completed in 1764. Then after an a la carte lunch at a local fancy restaurant, you will have a Hutong tour to experience the old Beijing culture and customs. Take a late afternoon flight to Xian and transfer to the hotel. (B+L)

Drive to visit the world famous Qin Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses in the morning. These thousands of lifelike and exquisite solders, carriages and horses are only a small part of Emperor Qin’s mausoleum which has not been open yet. Then you will have an excellent a la carte lunch. In the afternoon, explore the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and the City Wall. This evening, you will be entertained with the Dumpling Dinner and the marvelous Tang Dynasty Music and Dance Performance. (Add: No. 165, Wenyi Road, Xian, 710054). (B+L+D)

Visit the magnificent Shaanxi Provincial History Museum. It is a must see if you are interested in Chinese history as 13 dynasties had set their capital cities in Xi’an. And then head to the Great Mosque, the center of Xian's sizeable Muslim community and also one of the two oldest mosques in Xi’an. After an a la carte lunch, take a flight to Xining and transfer to the hotel. (B+L)

Visit the Ta'er Monastery in the morning. It is the No. 1 Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Qinghai Province and has a history of over 600 years. The butter flower, barbola and mural are the three highlights and the monastery has a rich collection of Buddhism cultural and historical relics. In the afternoon take a soft seat train to Lanzhou and transfer to the hotel. Visit the Gansu Provincial Museum. (B+L)

Today you will take a short excursion to the Binglingsi Grottoes. Firstly drive 75 kilometers to the dam of Liujiaxia Hydropower Station, which was once the biggest Hydraulic and Electric Project in the country. Then you will take 40 minutes jetfoil to reach the 1600 years old Binglingsi Temple. It was built in the West Jin Dynasty and has been extended by the subsequent dynasties. Drive back to Lanzhou in the late afternoon. (B+L)

This morning you will take a visit to the Labrang Monastery and have a watch of the morning devotion there. Labrang Monastery is famous for its most complete Tibet Buddhism Education System and has 6 academies. It seems that the Lamas and the believers here are more devout. There are 6 chanting a day and the first one starts at 06:30 in the early morning. If you would like to watch it, please wear warm clothes. In the afternoon, drive back to Lanzhou and stay at the hotel. (B+L)

Drive about 280 kilometers to Wuwei and transfer to the hotel. You will visit the Han Tombs, where the Bronze Galloping Horse has been excavated. The horse is 34.5 centimeters high, 45 centimeters long and 13 centimeters wide. The two legs of its each side are walking in the same direction. And most specially, its three legs are in the air while only the right hind leg is setting on a flying swallow. The figure is vigorous and pretty, and was designated the Logo of National Tourism of China in 1983. Then head to the Confucius Temple which was first built in 1439 and has been extended and always well preserved in the successive dynasties. (B+L)

Drive about 240 kilometers to Zhangye and transfer to the hotel. Today's visit includes the Giant Buddha, the biggest clay sculpture which is 34.5 meters long and 7.5 meters high, the Wooden Tower of Sui Dynasty which is about 1400 years ago, the Bell Tower and the Drum Tower. (B+L)

Drive another 240 kilometers to Jiayuguan and transfer to the hotel. Visit the Jiayuguan Pass, the western starting point of the Great Wall from Ming Dynasty. It is also an ancient military castle and known as the First Majestic Pass Under Heaven. Also you will visit the First Fire Tower of Great Wall where the soldiers would light the fire and smoke to alarm the enemy attack and the biggest underground art gallery, Wei-jin Mural Tombs. (B+L)

Drive for 385 kilometers to Dunhuang. After lunch and a short rest at the hotel, you will experience a short and interesting camel ride along the Echoing-Sand Dune to reach Crescent Lake. When the sun is about to set, the vast desert, the limpid lake and the leisured camels together constitute a harmonious picture. If you are interested, you may try the sand sliding there. (B+L)

Today you will have a full day tour to the Mogao Grottoes and the Dunhuang Museum. The murals and status in Mogao Grottoes is a gleaming gem of world civilization and has invaluable value of Buddhism research. Please kindly note that photographing is strictly forbidden there. In the evening, take an overnight soft sleeper train to Turpan. (B+L)

Your local guide will meet you at the railway station which is 57 kilometers away from downtown and transfer you to the hotel. We will book the breakfast at the hotel for you so that you can refresh yourself and have a short rest. Today's itinerary includes the Jiaohe Ruins, the largest, oldest and best-preserved earthen city in the world, the Karez Irrigation Channels and the Sugong Pagoda. (B+L)

Take 5 hours flight to Shanghai. Your local guide in shanghai will pick you up on time and transfer you to the hotel. The rest of the day is free. You may ask your guide for advice to explore the city by yourselves if you do not want to rest at the hotel. (B+L)

In the morning, visit the Shanghai Museum and Yuyuan Garden. After a la carte lunch, a short cruise tour from the Bund area to Yangpu Bridge along the Huangpu River is arranged for you in the afternoon. You will also have an opportunity to walk around the Bund area and visit an old street in Shanghai. (B+L)