Scroll down for departure dates, prices and hotel list.

Day 1/Fri: Departing Home City
The journey begins with your transpacific flight departing from a city of your choice. We lose a day upon crossing the International Date Line.

Day 2/Sat: Arrival in Beijing
Meet our guide on arrival in late afternoon and transfer to the hotel. The balance of the day is at leisure.

Day 3/Sun: Beijing
Capital of China, Beijing is a world-class cultural and educational centre with a resident population of 22 million (2011), ranking it China's second largest city after Shanghai. Beijing is renowned for its opulent palaces, temples, and huge stone walls and gates, treasures that make Beijing the most popular destination city in China among both domestic and international visitors.

Get to know your fellow travellers after breakfast. Our sightseeing today takes in Tian'anmen Square, the Forbidden City, Jingshan Park and an old hutong - alleyway flanked with traditional residential courtyards. Dinner is a delicious Beijing roast duck feast. (B/L/D)

Day 4/Mon: Beijing
Morning visit to the Temple of Heaven. Situated in southeastern Beijing the Temple of Heaven is China's largest extant sacrificial temple where, during the Ming and Qing dynasties, the emperors conducted the elaborate and most exalted sacrifices addressed to "the Supreme Ruler of the Universe." Construction of the temple started in 1406, during the reign of the Ming Emperor Yongle, and took 14 years to complete. The temple was expanded under the Qing emperors Qianlong (1736-1796) and Jiaqing (1796-1820). Occupying 2,668 hectares (6,670 acres), the area of the Temple of Heaven is more than twice that of the Forbidden City.

Afternoon sightseeing at the majestic Summer Palace, a royal resort during the Qing Dynasty. We wrap up the day with a tour of Panjiayuan Flea Market or 798 Art District depending on traffic. The evening Peking Opera show is optional if available. (B/L)

Day 5/Tue: Beijing
Enjoy a full-day excursion to the legendary Great Wall, 70km northeast of the city. Zigzagging over 6,000 kilometres from east to west along the undulating mountains, the Great Wall, said to be visible from the moon, was built to hold off tribal invaders from the north. (B/L)

Day 6/Wed: Beijing - Xi'an
Enjoy some free time before flying to Xi'an after lunch. Eastern terminus of the fabled Silk Road and one of the ancient capitals of China, Xi'an is home to the Terracotta Army designed to follow the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC) into eternity. (B/L)

Day 7/Thu: Xi’an
Visit the excavation site of the Terracotta Army located 30km east of the city. Afternoon sightseeing at Shaanxi Provincial Museum. The modern, well-organized museum was completed in 1992 and traces the history of Xi'an from prehistory to the Qing dynasty (1644-1911). The extensive galleries and exhibitions offer the visitor an excellent introduction to the area that greatly improves understanding of the numerous historical sites in and around the city. Tonight we enjoy a spectacular music and dance show reminiscent of the Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D.), a period generally considered a golden era of the Chinese civilization. (B/L/D)

Day 8/Fri: Xi'an - Guilin
Today's schedule takes in the Grand Mosque and the adjacent Muslim Quarter. Afternoon flight to Guilin. A medium-sized city by Chinese standard, the city has long been renowned for its unique scenery. The name Guilin literally means "forest of sweet osmanthus", owing to the large number of fragrant Sweet Osmanthus trees in the city. We visit scenic Fubo Hill. (B/L)

Day 9/Sat: Guilin (Li River cruise)
Day cruise on Li River. The 83km stretch of the river between Guilin and Yangshuo affords breathtaking scenery as the river snakes through tall karst mountains, gigantic bamboo sprays, and picturesque villages -- sights that have inspired countless poets and painters for generations. Disembark in Yangshuo in mid-afternoon and drive back to Guilin. (B/L)

Day 10/Sun: Guilin - Chengdu
Free morning to explore on your own. Late afternoon flight to Chengdu, capital of populous Sichuan Province. (B/D)

Day 11/Mon: Chengdu
Tour of the Giant Panda Breeding Centre is followed by a visit to the museum built on the archaeological site of Sanxingdui Culture (Bronze Age). First chanced upon by a farmer in 1929, Sanxingdui, 40km west of Chengdu, continued to surprise the archaeological community in the decades to come. In 1986, two major sacrificial pits were discovered and the breakthrough aroused widespread academic attention from around the world. The Sanxingdui finds are exciting, but they remain enigmatic. So far no written records of this 5,000-year-old civilization have been found. (B/L)

Day 12/Tue: Chengdu - Lijiang
Morning schedule includes Wangjianglou (river view) Park and a traditional tea house. Fly to Lijiang in late afternoon. Lijiang is home to the ethnic Naxi people whose intriguing Dongba religion and unique customs coupled with the region's enchanting scenery combine to make Lijiang and its vicinity a fascinating place to explore. The old town known as Dayan is protected as a UNESCO-designated World Cultural Heritage Site. (B/L)

Day 13/Wed: Lijiang
A walking tour of the old town is followed by an excursion to Yunshanping or Spruce Meadow, an alpine pasture surrounded by virgin forests at the foot of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. En route we stop by an ancient village. The evening concert of classical Naxi music is optional if available. (B/L)

Day 14/Thu: Lijiang - Shangri-la (Zhongdian)
After breakfast we embark on an overland journey to Zhongdian. The day-long drive covers 200 kilometres of country road snaking through scenic river valleys and high mountains dotted by villages of various ethnic nationalities. En route we stop by at Tiger Leaping Gorge, the first bend of the Yangtze. (B/L/D)

Day 15/Fri: Zhongdian
We spend the morning visiting Bita Lake surrounded by virgin alpine forests and a Tibetan village along the way. Afternoon sightseeing takes in Songzanlin Monastery of Tibetan Buddhism, and a local market. (B/L/D)

Day 16/Sat: Zhongdian - Kunming
The morning flight to Kunming takes less than one hour. Capital of Yunnan Province, Kunming is widely known as the "city of eternal spring" due to its temperate climate year-round. Our sightseeing in Kunming includes the historic Western Hill Scenic Area. (B/L)

Day 17/Sun: Kunming - Shanghai
Enjoy an excursion to Stone Forest. Located 126km southeast of Kunming, the Stone Forest is a massive collection of gray limestone pillars created by water erosion. The tall rocks seem to emanate from the ground in the manner of stalagmites, with many looking like trees made of stone. Evening flight to Shanghai. (B/L)

Day 18/Mon: Shanghai
Before 1949, Shanghai was widely known in the West as a city of quick riches and paradise of the adventurers. After four decades of anemic growth in a state planned economy, Shanghai is roaring back to recapture its position on the world stage. With a population of 23 million and rapid economic expansion in the last 20 years, Shanghai has again become a leading global city with significant influence in commerce, culture, finance, media, fashion, technology and transport.

Our sightseeing in Shanghai begins with a stroll on the Bund - a waterfront promenade famous for its landmark neoclassical buildings of European style, followed by Shanghai Museum, Jade Buddha Temple, and Yu Garden. Evening entertainment is a dazzling acrobatic show. (B/L/D)

Day 19/Tue: Shanghai - Home City
Spend the morning packing and relaxing. Transfer to the airport to board return flight departing in the afternoon. Cross the International Date Line and arrive home the same day. (B)

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City	No. of Nights	Hotel	Star Rating
Beijing	4	Crowne Plaza U-Town or Sheraton Dongcheng
Xi'an	2	Sheraton Xi'an
Guilin	2	Sheraton Guilin
Chengdu	2	Jinjiang Hotel
Lijiang	2	Guanfang Hotel
Zhongdian	2	Paradise Hotel
Kunming	1	Green Lake Hotel
Shanghai	2	Sheraton Shanghai Hongkou

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