China Relaxation Tour

This day is predicted for arrival and settling in your hotel in Beijing. There are no other activities predicted.

The Forbidden City

The day begins with a visit to the Tiananmen Square. This is the largest square in the world and many important things in Chinese history started and ended here. It is surrounded with many monumental buildings and it is more than worthy of seeing. After that the tour goes to the neighbouring Forbidden City. It is one of the largest and best preserved imperial residences in the world. As the matter in fact it is the whole complex of various buildings and it was used by 24 emperors from 1368 until 1911. The next stop is a pretty interesting and unique. Treasure Houses have been redesigned and restored four times and now they contain double quantity of items than they used to. All of the artefacts displayed here belonged to the Qing Dynasty emperors. Finally, the last stop of the day is Hutong in Xiceng District. This is a labyrinth of old style single storey residences and it is disappearing pretty fast in the last couple of years. This is the chance to see it while it is still there. The lunch will be served at the local Restaurant. Meals: Breakfast and a Chinese Lunch

The Mutianyu Great Wall

This is the second day in Beijing and the first thing you will see is the Temple of Heaven. This is a huge religious complex that was once used as a place where the emperors were coming to pray for the good harvest. After that, you will be visiting the Great Wall. This is the largest defensive wall ever built and it really looks more than impressive. Mostly it is full of tourist so you will be taken to the sector called Mutianyu Great Wall which is far less crowded and much more comfortable for visiting. The transportation will be provided by a cable car. The lunch will be served at the local Restaurant which is very close to the wall. Meals: Breakfast and a Chinese Lunch

Marble Boat

This is the final day in Beijing and the only attraction you will be seeing today is the Summer Palace. It is another residential complex of the imperial family and it is not less beautiful or less significant than the Forbidden City. Still, the architecture is quite different and you will enjoy the visit pretty much. After lunch you will be transferred to the airport to catch the flight to the city of Xian. Meals: Breakfast and a Chinese lunch

The first stop o the day is one of the most interesting archaeological sites in the world. Namely, in 1974, by accident there were some 7000 Terracotta Warriors and Horses found in the vicinity and it is something that soon became one of the best known landmarks of China. The tricky part is that all of these terracotta figures are unique and there is no two of a kind. After this you will be visiting the Ancient City Wall. This is the best preserved defensive city wall in China and it was built in 13th century. Since it is 13 kilometres long, there is an option of renting a bike or an electric cart to see it. If the weather is bad this stop will be substituted with the visit to the Bell Tower. The lunch will be served at the local Restaurant. Meals: Breakfast and a Chinese Lunch

The day begins with a flight from Xian to Chongqing. Once you are there you will visit Ciqikou Old Town, a lovely and partially restored old city district that looks just like it was centuries ago. After that the tour goes to the Three Gorges museum. This place is dedicated to the Yangtze river and the dam but there are also some artefacts from other segments of the Chinese history. The accent is on the war years. Finally, you will embark on a ship that will take you to the cruise on this great river. The lunch will be served at the local Restaurant. Meals: Breakfast and a Chinese lunch

--Shibaozhai, literally means Stone Treasure Fortress, Located in Zhong County, it was first built in Qing Dynasty in 1750. Shibaozhai is one historic site that will look much different in 2009. The wooden architecture stands on the riverside. It is built by catch upon a rectangular rock with sheer cliffs with a height of 56 meters and 12 stories. And every floor of the wooden structure contains interesting artifacts. Each of the 12 floors of Shibaozhai is dedicated to a famous general of the Three Kingdoms period (220-265AD), a local scholar or a renowned Chinese poet.

--Taichi exercise.
Passes through the 1st gorge--Qutang Gorge.
Passes through the 2cd gorge---Wu Gorge.
Shore excursion to Shennong Stream(1:30pm-5:30pm). You have the option of visiting White Emperor City(RMB290 per person).
Crew's Performance.
Sails through the 5-steps Ship locks.
Shennong Stream is another tributary of the Yangtze River, and its fast-flowing, crystal clear water runs southwards through deep gorges. The stream races past large and small karst caves, flocks of swallows, sheer cliffs, deep gorges, waterfalls, three-colored springs, rapids, the ancient plank path, a suspended coffin in the cliff, groups of ancient tombs and marvelous karst formations.

--Shore excursion to The Three Gorges Dam Site. Arrive in Yichang at 1:00pm.
Three Gorges Dam, the largest water conservancy project ever undertaken by man and it has been a dream for several generations of Chinese people. The construction of the dam formally began in 1994. The body of the dam was completed in 2003, and the whole construction has been completed in 2009. It will be 2,335 meters long, 185 meters high, 18 meters wide on the top and 130 meters wide at the bottom. The tourists can get access to the top of the dam and enjoy different kinds of photo opportunities.

This day is reserved for seeing the best of Shanghai. The first stop will be Oriental Pearl Tower which is one of the tallest TV towers in the world. On its second floor is a museum and you can see some really interesting exhibitions there. After this, the tour goes to the Yuyuan Garden. This is a classic Chinese style garden and it looks rather nice and beautiful. Right next to it is the Yuyuan Market and this place provides some really nice shopping opportunities. Finally, you will get to see The Bund. This is a rather different part of the city since the architecture is all in European style. It was once a centre of commerce and nowadays it provides some exclusive shopping opportunities. The lunch will be served at the local Restaurant. Meals: Breakfast and a Chinese lunch

This is the day of departure. No meals are predicted.