TP 20 - The roots of the Chinese culture

Arrival Beijing and transfer to hotel  

Lunch at local restaurant  

Visit Temple of Heaven, a praying and sacrificial place of the Ming and Qing Emperors and followed by a “Flea Market”  

Hotel accommodation  
Meal: L

Breakfast at hotel  

Full day tour includes Great Wall (Badaling Section), which was built in 770-475 B.C., climbing on top of 2484 miles long Great Wall is really amazing.  Summer Palace, the summer-residence of the former emperors with one of the biggest and best preserved gardens in China.  Visit a pearl factory en route and experience 45 mins of Foot Massage afterwards

Lunch at local restaurant  
Hotel accommodation  
Meal: B/L

Breakfast at hotel  

Visit Tiananmen Square, where the Mao’s Mausoleum and the Congress Hall are located; and  followed by Forbidden City, with the emperors palace in the heart of Beijing (So called because it was off limits for 500 years, covering an area of 250 acres, protected by an 10.7m high wall, marked off by towers at each corner)  

Lunch at local restaurant  

Visit Hutongs, lanes or Alleys formed by lines of Siheyuan (a compound of houses around a courtyard) where old Beijing residents live, witness the vicissitude of the city by a trishaw  

Peking duck dinner at local restaurant  

Transfer to train station for train K608/K605 (00H38/06h48) to Datong 
Overnight on train  
Meal: B/L/D

Arrival Datong and transfer to hotel  
Breakfast at hotel  

Visit Hanging Temple, built in 1400 years ago, hosts worship for the Taoists, Confucians and Buddhists, the temple is hanging on the middle of the cliff and is still in perfect conditions after so many years.  Afterwards, Visit Yungang-Grottoes, which comprises of 53 caves and more than 51000 statues, the grottoes are an outstanding example of the Chinese stone carvings from the 5th and 6th centuries. The Five Caves created by Tan Yao, with their strict unity of layout and design, constitute a classical masterpiece of the first peak of Chinese Buddhist art, and then visit Huayan Temple with the nine dragon wall. Lunch at local restaurant.  

Hotel accommodation  
Meal: B/L

Breakfast at hotel  

Transfer to Wutai Shan (about 4 hours), climbing up 2200M by vehicle en route  to visit the one of the oldest wooden building in China, situated in western Yingxian County. Yingxian Pagoda was built in 1056 during the Liao Dynasty, the octagonal pagoda, towering nearly 70m high with nine internal stories, is a masterpiece of structual engineering. Calligraphy displayed inside the tower offers valuable information for the research of calligraphic arts. Lunch at local restaurant  

Arrival Wutai Shan and transfer to hotel  
Hotel accommodation  
Meal: B/L

Breakfast at hotel  

Full day visit Xiantong Temple, Tayuan Temple, Longquan Temple, Wuye Temple and the Pushading Peak  

Lunch at local restaurant  

Hotel accommodation  
Meal: B/L

Breakfast at hotel  
Free for leisure  
Lunch at local restaurant   
Down from Wutai Shan and transfer to Taiyuan (about 3.5 hours), capital city of Shanxi Province. 
Arrival Taiyuan and transfer to hotel   
Hotel accommodation 
Meal: B/L

Breakfast at hotel  

Visit Yingze Dajie, the market where all the wholesaler bargaing for the sales, and Museum of Shanxi Province (an old Confucius temple).  Afterwards, visit Jinci Temple, a combination of historical cultural relics and beautiful landscapes. Lunch  at local restaurant  

Hotel accommodation  
Meal: B/L

Breakfast at hotel  
Transfer to Pingyao (about 2 hours).  Upon arrival, visit the Qiao Family, with the area of 8724 square meter, the courtyard was the house of the richest family Qiao in Qing Dynasty in China, though 2 centuries has bee passed, it still keeps the original splendor in architectural style. Lunch at local restaurant. Visit City Wall   

Hotel accommodation  
Meal: B/L

Breakfast at hotel  

Visit Confucius temple and Tao’s Monastery. Lunch at local restaurant. Walking through the old street to find out the secret of “Antique” China.

Hotel accommodation  
Meal: B/L

Breakfast at hotel  
Free for leisure before lunch at local restaurant 

Transfer back to Taiyuan, on the way stop over at the Shuanglin Temple, a notable Buddhist temple for its collection of over two thousand decorated clay statues dating from the 12th-19th centuries and visit a local distillery of Chinese spirit 

Arrival Taiyuan and proceed to train station for an overnight train 2535 (21h50/07h46) to Xian 
Overnight on train  
Meal: B/L

Arrival Xian and transfer to hotel  
Breakfast at hotel. 

Full day tour includes lunch at local restaurant.  Visit Terracotta Warriors Museum, which houses more than 6000 life-sized terracotta figures of soldiers and horses in perfect battle array are showing the superb sculptural art of that time, Wild Goose Pagoda and old City Wall 

Hotel accommodation
Meal: B/L

Breakfast at hotel  

Transfer to Huashan (about 2 hrs), and then take the cable car up to North Peak.  Visit Shengmu Temple and Laojun Temple with lunch en route  

Down from Huashan and transfer to Luoyang  (about 4 hours) 

Arrival Luoyang and transfer to hotel  

Hotel accommodation  
Meal: B/L

Breakfast at hotel  

Visit White Horse Temple and Longmen Grottes, with it’s 100000 images and statues of Buddha and his disciples carved into the rocks 

Lunch at local restaurant  

Hotel accommodation  
Meal: B/L

Breakfast at hotel  

Visit Song Shan - Shaolin Monastery with lunch.  The monastery is founded in the 5th century by an Indian monk and is long famous for its association with Chinese martial art 

Transfer to Zhengzhou (about 2 hours) for flight to Shanghai  
Arrival Shanghai and transfer to hotel

Hotel accommodation  
Meal: B/ L

Breakfast at hotel  

Visit Jade Buddha Temple, which houses a 2M high sitting white Jade Buddha., and Yuyuan Garden, with history of more than 400 years and decorated with masterpieces of architecture. Lunch at local restaurant. Visit famous The Bund and Nanjing Road  

Hotel accommodation  
Meal: B/L

Breakfast at hotel  
Transfer to Longyang Station for Maglev train to airport for departure flight  
Meal: B

* * * * * * * * End of Program * * * * * * * *

Remarks:

Program included :
01> Accommodation with breakfast and meals as mentioned in the above tour program.
02> Private transfers and tours conducted by local German-speaking guide as mentioned in the above tour program. (English-speaking guide will be provided in Datong, Wutai Shan, Taiyuan Pingyao and Luoyang)
03> Admission ticket for sightseeing as specified in the itinerary.
04> Domestic airfare (economy class) inclusive of tax for Zhengzhou / Shanghai
05> Ticket for soft sleeper berth (4 beds in each cabin) on trains Beijing / Datong and Taiyuan / Xian.

Program NOT included :
01> Other than the above itinerary
02> Application of visa for China
03> International airfare enter and exit China
04> Personal expenses
05> Service during free time
06> Gratitude for local tour guides, drivers and porters

Remarks:
01> Blackout dates: 12-21 Feb 2010 (Chinese New Year), 30 Apr-03 May 2010 (Labour Day Holiday), 28 Sep - 08 Oct 2010 (National Day Holiday) & Shanghai Formula 1 (exact date has to be confirmed)
02> Flight / train no. and schedule mentioned in the itinerary is for reference only and which is subject to change at the discretion of the carriers.
03> A surcharge of USD 100 per room will be applied if clients are visiting Luoyang within the date of 05.-30.4.2010 due to Peony Festival.
04> Hotels in Datong and Pingyao provide basic accommodation with simple Chinese breakfast
05> The best travelling season for the captioned tour is from mid March to early November.