7 Days Yunnan Classic Tour

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Best of the Middle Kingdom 8 Days / 7 Nights

China is home to rich and vibrant cultural tradition which is rooted in its time-honored history. This 8-day tour covers three ancient capitals of China: Beijing, Luoyang and Xi’an. We begin in the ancient and modern capital of China, whose imperial architecture and solemn rituals construction create an atmosphere of tranquility and culture after decades of trauma and civil war. We then take the flight to Luoyang, the second ancient capital with the holy Longmen Grottoes which has 100,000 images and statues of Buddha and his disciples. Xi’an, China's ancient capital during the flamboyant and sophisticated Tang Dynasty, has so much to offer you a wonderful trip. This thriving modern city retains its incredible Qin Terra-cotta Army Museum and the impressive Bell Tower, symbols of its glory and importance.

Features:
Local specialties and night shows listed at the bottom for your delight
Fine selected hotels at wide range of choices for your comfort
Comprehensive and unique program
Knowledgeable guides, experienced drivers and vans in good-condition

ITINERARY

D1	Arrival, Beijing (No meals) Arrive in Beijing, your gateway city of China tour. Be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel. With no sightseeing planned, the remainder of the day is spent free at leisure. Beijing, China's capital and a well-known tourist city of the world, offers sights and cultural relics found no where on earth. The city has its own individuality, that's the flavor of Beijing. The quadrangle, small alley, tricycle, boiled mutton, roasted duck, Peking Opera, arts and crafts you can see, hear and feel them all only when you come to the city yourself. After a good rest in a comfortable hotel TCT recommended, you are ready for the incoming exciting tour with full energy.

D2	Beijing(B/L) Depart from hotel in the morning to visit Tian'anmen Square, the largest urban square and Forbidden City, the largest and most complete ancient imperial palace in the world. Then visit Temple of Heaven in the afternoon. Peking Roasted Duck and Peking Opera are available for your optional dinner and night entertainment. As the biggest public square in the world, Tian’anmen Square conquers you with its grandeur at the first sight. You are quite glad to begin your first-day tour here. Then you are leaded to Forbidden City. It is the imperial palace for 24 emperors during Ming and Qing Dynasties and the biggest ancient architecture complex in the world. You walk in the museum to see with your eyes, to touch with your hands and fell with your hearts. Thanks to this wonderful visiting, you know how the richest feudal country was and how the top rulers and their concubines lived. After enjoyed a nice Chinese lunch , you continue your trip to Templeof Heaven. Different from the red and golden in the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heave is based on a color of blue, which stands the color of sky. You feel the perfect harmony between the architecture and nature and a circle and peace spirit of Chinese people. You even could imagine the vivid pictures of a great sacrifice to the Heaven for good harvest through the description of local guide. Today's dinner should be a highlight of your tour if you desire to taste the most famous Peking Roasted Duck. From the whole roasted duck to the soup of duck tones, you'll enjoy a banquet of every part of duck. Moreover, the chef shows his skill of cutting the skin of duck on live. Not only your taste is fulfilled but also your eyes are entertained. At night, it is lucky that you'll have an opportunity to enjoy the opera of nation- Peking Opera. Skillful performers convey their exact feelings to you through various facial making-ups and featured musical instruments. The Chinese culture is completely revealed.

D3	Beijing-- Luoyang(B/L) In the morning drive 75km to visit the Great Wall (Badaling Section) first and Ming Tombs (Changling Tomb), the once lavish burial chambers of 13 emperors of the Ming Dynasty. Take an overnight soft-sleeper train to Luoyang. The Great Wall (Badaling Section) is located in the suburb 75km northwest of Beijing. The highway from Beijing to the Great Wall is smooth and comfortable. The Great Wall is the symbol of China and the wisdom of Chinese people. It is very unbelievable that Chinese succeeded in building such a great architecture with simple tools in ancient time. The construction of the Great Wall began in the 5th century BC. The wall has a total length of 6,700km, traveling up and down over numerous mountains and valleys. Starting in the east at Shanhaiguan Pass, it crosses Hedi Province, Beijing, Shanxi Province, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Shaanxi Province, and ending up in Jiayuguan at Gansu Province. It is said the Great Wall is the only man-made project which is visible from the moon. Badaling Section is one of the best preserved and most accessible parts with the essence of the whole Great Wall. The Ming Tombs are located in the northern suburbs of Beijing, consisting of 13 tombs of the emperors of the Ming Dynasty after the capital was moved from Nanjing to Beijing. Now there are only two tombs, Changling and Dingling, open to the visitors. The Lingsi Palace in Changling Tomb's second yard as really deserves a visit. This is unique as it is the only huge palace made of camphor wood. The ceiling is colorfully painted and supported by sixteen solid camphor posts. The floor is decorated with gold bricks. Located in the west of Henan Province, Luoyang is on the middle reaches of the Yellow River. As one of China ancient capital cities, Luoyang was a seat of power for 13 dynasties and is a saint city in respect of the historical and cultural background. Its name comes from its strategic location by the Luo River. Used to be a well-known city with long history, Luoyang is nowadays an energetic and charming city. Moreover, it is a famous and excellent tourism city with 21 state-level key heritage sites, and more than 640 other level key heritage sites, including over 400 thousand pieces of unearthed relics being found.

D4	Luoyang(B/L) Arrive in Luoyang in the morning. Visit Longmen Grottoes -the amazing display of art and craftsmanship and White Horses Temple. Water Feast from the Tang Dynasty is available for your optional dinner. Suited 12km south of Luoyang, Longmen Grottoes is one of three main treasure houses of stone inscription art in China. Longmen Grottoes is a complex of some 2,100 caves with more than 100,000 statues and 3,600 inscriptions carved on stone tablets. In Chinese, Longmen means ‘Dragon Gate’. In this amazing display of art and craftsmanship, you’ll find Buddha that range in size from tall (17.14m) to small (2cm) and everything in between. Strolling along the rock path built on the cliff, you will see Guyang Cave, Binyang Cave and Cave of Ten Thousand Buddha, each with its own legend . Located in east of Luoyang, White Horses Temple is nested between the Luo River and Mang Hill. During the Eastern Han Dynasty, the emperor dispatched several monks to India for the sake of obtaining Buddhist scriptures. They were brought back to China on a white horse, which is why the White Horse Temple got its name. With its distinctive red walls, exquisite palaces and towering pagoda, the temple sits gently amid green pines and cypress groves, adding a solemn and silent quality to the complex. It is honored as ‘the Cradle of Buddhism in China’. A trip of Luoyang would be incomplete without a taste of Water Feast from Tang Dynasty. There are two reasons it got its name. One is for its top soup flavor among all dishes and the other is for the incessant dishes which has a similarity with the flowing water. Innovated by common people, Water Feast was favored by the only Empress in Tang Dynasty and became a kind of royal cuisine. Water Feast is distinguished for being ‘spicy and sour.' Their uniquely flavor is created by a mixture of spices and condiments. Even Chinese former Premier Mr. Zhou Enlai and Canadian former Premier Mr. Pierre Elliott Trudeau had highly appraised the Water Feast when they visited Luoyang in 1972.

D5	Luoyang-Xi'an (B/L) Leave for Xi'an in the morning by soft-seated train. Explore the Ancient City Wall, one of the oldest and best-preserved walls in China as well as the Bell Tower in the afternoon. Xi 'an is a city with time-honored history. It is the city can bring you back in time to ancient Chinese civilization. During its 3,100 years development, 13 dynasties have occupied the region. Besides, the city was the start point of the famous Silk Road. You'll find Xi 'an a large city with a much more relaxed atmosphere than that of Beijing. There are lots of cars but without the traffic pace of Shanghai. One of the important reason for no subway in the city is that there is large part of the wealth of ancient treasures buried here. You start the trip off to the nearby the Ancient City Wall. It is the most complete city wall that has survived in China as well as one of the largest ancient military defensive systems in the world. Then the Bell Tower was used to strike the time. It was first built for the Yingxiang Temple and moved to its present site in 1582.

D6	Xi'an (B/L) Ample time will be provided for the visits of those famous spots including the Qin Terror-cotta Army Museum, one of the world's most important archaeological finds with troops, horses and carriages in battle formation and Banpo Neolithic Village Museum. Either Jiaozi Banquet or Tang Dynasty Show with Dinner is available for your optional meal. Being a capital of 13 dynasties, Xi’an has so much to offer. Today’s attractions are the best of the best. From your hotel, your local guide directs you to the site where local farmers drilling a series of wells in search of water found excavations of Qin Terror-cotta Army Museum by accident in 1974. It has been regarded as the '8th Wonder of the World.' It was created to guard Emperor Qin Shihuang's tomb that's to protect him in his afterlife in the mind of ancient Chinese. Three excavation pits have been opened to the public with a fourth underway. During his visit to China, US former President Clinton came to visit the dig. The fine troops, horses and carriages in battle formation are ancient art treasure and complete illustration of the history of Qin Dynasty. Then set forth to Banpo Neolithic Village Museum located east Xi'an. It is one of the most important sites of the Neolithic culture that existed 6,000-7,000 years ago. Archeologists have uncovered a residential area, a pottery workshop and a cemetery in an area that covers some 50,000 square meters of ancient ruins. This evening you could choose Jiaozi Banquet which covers over 10 kinds of Jiaozi in China as your dinner. The shapes of Jiaozi various from one to another, such as rabbit, duck, shrimp, peanuts and so on. Or you can enjoy Tang Dynasty Show with Dinnerthat was made for emperors only in ancient China. You'll enjoy the sumptuous dinner while watching a fabulous dancing and singing performance of Tang Dynasty. This is not only a performance of Chinese traditional dancing and singing but also a recurrence of Chinese ancient society and culture

D7	Xi'an-Beijing (B/L) In the morning visit the Shaanxi History Museum before being transferred to airport for your flight to Beijing in the afternoon. In the ancient city like Xi 'an, the museum should be an indispensable part of your visit. Shaanxi History Museum is a showcase of the civilization from Emperor Qin Shihuang to the present day. The museum is housed in a striking Tang Dynasty-style pavilion and features an enormous collection of 113,000 historic and cultural relics. Be transferred back to Beijing, where you will take your International flight home tomorrow

D8	Departure, Beijing(B) Your China tour is over all too soon as you are transferred to the airport and board the homebound International flight, bidding a fond farewell to this ancient land.