12Days Cameo China

Today you will be taken for city tour visiting The Bund, Yu Garden, Jade Buddha Temple and a carpet factory. Situated on the Huanpu River in the Yangtze Delta, Shanghai was a sleepy trading town of 300,000 until 1842 when the Treaty of Nanjing opened the door to the West. Its incredible growth to become the largest city in China in just 140 years bears witness to the adaptability and enterprise of the local people. The focal point of 19^th Century Shanghai is the Bustling waterfront called the Bund. Starting at the Bund and stretching for six miles is what must be the busiest street in the world, Nanjing Road. Hundreds of shops line this amazing street and they sell every conceivable item. Noisy, crowded and fast-paced, Shanghai is a city that requires plenty of time to explore.

The Yuyuan Garden, in the heart of the old Chinese city, is a fine example of Ming Court Garden. The Garden is a series of “scenes” and pavilions connected by corridors and stairs to create the illusion of great size in what really is quite small area. This area of the city is a maze of narrow, cobblestones, lanes, tea houses and dumpling shops.

One of Shanghai’s few Buddhist temples, the Jade Buddha Temple, has a two meter high rare white Jade Buddha, said to be brought from Burma by a Chinese monk in 1881. There is also a fine Jade Statue of the Buddha in a reclining position

Tonight a special treat as the Chinese acrobats perform their incredible Acrobatic Show.

Enjoy a cruise along the beautiful Li River, world-famous for its dramatic limestone karst scenery. Upon arrival in Yangzhou enjoy some free time to take in the relaxing atmosphere of this charming town. This evening you have the option to attend the spectacular show that uses the mountains and river as a stage with a staggering cast of 600!

The Li River meanders south for 85km between Guilin and Yangzhou through the finest scenery that this part of the country can provide, and the six-hour cruise from the docks above Elephant Trunk Hill is, for some, the highlight of their trip to China. The cruise is a generally tranquil experience despite the legend that the spirit of every sailor who ever drowned on the Li River rocks boats as they navigate the rougher shoals. Along the way you’ll pass cormorant fishermen poling their almost submerged bamboo rafts, buffaloes wallowing in the fields and, of course, scores of grotesquely shaped hills with exotic names.

About a third of the way down is Wanfu Shi (Yearning for Husband Rock). The story goes that while sailing downriver a family ran out of rice and moored on an island so that the husband could look for help. When he failed to return, his wife picked up their baby and eventually found him fossilized on a hill top; mourning for him, she turned into stone too. The atmosphere ends abruptly after docking at Yangzhou.

Back to Guilin and enjoy a night walking tour. Guilin by night is when you see the best of this vibrant city.

A full day tour to the 2000 year old Army of Terracotta Warriors which remains stunningly well preserved: a vigilant force standing guard over an ancient imperial burial site. The 6000 life-sized terracotta warriors and warhorses were discovered in 1974 by farmers digging a well! There is speculation that the sculptors used fellow workers as models, each of the figures differs in facial features and expressions. On the way back, visit the Wild Goose Pagoda and Banpo Village.

Tonight enjoy a different taste of China at a Dumpling Dinner with Tang Dynasty Show 

Arrive in Beijing and transfer to the Hotel. Today take a City tour visiting Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and Summer Palace. Located at the centre of Beijing City is Tiananmen Square, where you can visit Tiananmen Tower, Monument to the People’s Heroes, Great Hall of the People, Mao Zedong Memorial Hall and see the national flag raising ceremony. The Square was the front door of the Forbidden City.

The Forbidden City, so called because it was off limits to commoners for 500 years, was the Imperial residence of the Ming and Qing Emperors. Now known as the Palace Museum it is the largest and best preserved cluster of ancient buildings in all China.

Also visit the Summer Palace, this was where the Imperial court would come to escape the heat of Beijing’s summer, and today it is a popular recreation spot.

A day tour to the Great Wall and the Ming Tombs, the burial ground of 13 of the 16 Emperors and the Sacred Way, an avenue flanked by real & mythical animals, that guard the tombs.

The world renowned Great Wall, a symbol of ancient Chinese civilizations, has stood for more than 2000 years. The wall originally a series of feudal defences built in the 5th Century BC and were linked up during the reign of the Emperor Qin, first Emperor of a United China, to form this 5000 km man-made barrier. The section of the wall that you will visit is at Badaling, 80kms from Beijing and was restored in 1957.

The Ming Tombs are the burial ground of 13 of the 16 Emperors (1368 – 1644 AD). Wander along the Sacred Way, a broad avenue flanked by twelve sets of animals, real & mythical, that guard the entrance to the tombs. The tomb of the 14^th Emperor, Ding Ling, is the only one that has been excavated and you can tour the underground passages and caverns.

Your program ends with a transfer to the airport.