11 Days Tour to the Peaceful Water Towns

Day 1

Arrive in Beijing, the Capital city of China, your local guide will meet you at the airport and transferred to your hotel. Free at leisure for the rest of the day.
Meals: No meals
Accommodation: In Beijing

Beijing, China's capital and one of the great travel destinations of the World, offers sights and cultural relics found no where else on Earth. The city has a character all its own; there are quadrangles, small alleys, tricycle, boiled mutton, roasted duck, arts and crafts, Peking Opera, The Great Wall, the 2008 Olympics venue and a vibrancy that is the distinctive flavor of Beijing. 

 

Day 2

Beijing
Depart from your hotel, you will enjoy your today’s visit covering Tian'anmen Square, the World's largest urban square and the Forbidden City, the largest and most complete ancient imperial palace in the world. Then visit the Temple of Heaven in the afternoon. Peking Roasted Duck is available for your optional dinner.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Beijing

As the biggest city center square in the world, Tian'anmen Square covering 44 hectares in the heart of Beijing. It is the place where history-changing events and ceremonies occurred. A few steps away, come to visit the Forbidden City, which was the Imperial Palace for 24 emperors during the Ming and Qing Dynasties and, it is one of the largest, and certainly the most completely restored, ancient architectural complex in the world. Walk in the footsteps of Emperors; come to the museum and see with your eyes, and feel with your hearts; you’ll begin understand what life in this richest of feudal realms was like for the Imperial Rulers, their concubines and their slaves.

After enjoying a delicious lunch, continue on to the Temple of Heaven. Departing from the Imperial vermilion and gold hues of the Forbidden City, The Temple of Heaven is decorated in blue, the color of the Heavens. The perfect harmony between the architectural environment and nature can be felt here; you might easily imagine the vivid spectacle of a great sacrifice to the Heavens for a good harvest. The magnificent Hall of Prayer of Good Harvest is one of the most important and impressive building in China.

For today optional dinner, how about taste the famous Peking Roasted Duck, as it is the best-known dish in Beijing. It is very tender and unforgettably delicious. You’ll visit a local restaurant to enjoy a full meal and learn the proper way to experience Peking Roasted Duck. From the whole roasted duck to the soup of duck bones, you'll enjoy a banquet made from every part of the duck. Moreover, the chef will demonstrate his skill of cutting the skin of the duck for your entertainment. 

 

Day 3

Beijing
The star attraction of China is its Great Wall, a massive defensive structure built to keep intruders from entering the mainland. Today you will have the opportunity to traverse the ancient steps of Mutianyu Great Wall first, then Ming Tombs (Changling Tomb), the once lavish burial chambers of 13 emperors of the Ming Dynasty. 
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Beijing

Mutianyu Great Wall was first built in the mid-6th century during the Northern Qi, making it older than the Badaling section.  It is connected with Jiankou in the west and Lianhuachi and Jinshanling in the east. In 1569, the Mutianyu Great Wall was rebuilt, mainly with granite and is one of the best-preserved sections with the largest construction scale and best quality among all sections of Great Wall, being 7-8 meters high and 4-5 meters wide with 22 watchtowers on this 2,250-meter-long section. It served as the northern barrier defending the capital and the imperial tombs.

Then, you will have chance to visit the Ming Tombs which located in the northern suburbs of Beijing. Altogether there are thirteen tombs of Ming Dynasty Emperors from the period after the capital was moved from Nanjing to Beijing. You'll visit the Changling Tomb, burial site of Emperor Yong Le, the biggest and first built at this historic site. The Lingsi Palace in Changling Tomb's second yard really deserves a visit. This is unique, a magnificent palace made of camphor wood. The ceiling is colorfully painted and supported by sixteen solid camphor posts. The floor is decorated with gold bricks.

 

Day 4

Beijing    Hangzhou
Before starting your tour to the southern China, it will be a good experience that taking a Hutong Tour by rickshaw to visit the ancient lanes and alleyways of Beijing. In the afternoon, be transferred to the airport for your flight to Hangzhou.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Hangzhou

If exploring the Forbidden City has improved your understanding of the lifestyles of China ancient Imperial Court, then this Hutong Tour will give you an insight into the lives of ordinary Chinese people and reveal their social culture in today Beijing City. The narrow streets of old Beijing are known as Hutongs. You take a rickshaw tour along the Hutongs and see the 100-year-old houses, courtyards and a vanishing way of life in today Beijing.

Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang Province, is located by the Qiantang River at the Southern end of the Grand Canal.  As one of the most renowned and prosperous cities of China for much of the last 1,000 years, Hangzhou is also well-known for its beautiful natural scenery, with the West Lake as the most well-known location. The Venetian Marco Polo supposedly visited Hangzhou in the late 13th century. His book refers to the city as "beyond dispute the finest and the noblest in the world."

 

Day 5

Hangzhou
Today, enjoy your one day city tour that start with a visit to the West Lake, then, go for a short visit to Lingyin Temple, which is regarded as one of the four temples by the side of the West Lake. Afterwards, you will go to the Huqingyu's Traditional Pharmacy for a short visit. If the time allows, you can also have chance to visit the Tea Museum. Huaiyang Cuisine is available for your optional dinner (at your own expense).
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Hangzhou

"Rippling waters shimmering on a sunny day,
Misty mountains shrouded by the rain;
Plain or gaily decked out like Xizi;
West Lake is always alluring.”
 
These sentiments by the famous poet Su Dongpo, comparing West Lake with Xizi, the most renowned beauty of the Song Dynasty, leave one in no doubt of the splendor of the scenery that inspired them. Enclosed by the hills on three sides, the West Lake mirrors the surrounding landscape to form a panorama of great beauty. The lake was originally part of the Qitang River until its outlet became silted up. It is now 15km in circumference with an average depth of 1.8 meters.

The Lingyin Temple is regarded as one of the four temples by the side of the West Lake.  The main hall, 33.6 meters high, is one of China's tallest single-story buildings, further distinguished by double eaves. Within, a statue of Sakyamuni, carved out of 24 pieces of camphor wood and gilded with 104 ounces of gold, stands an impressive 19.6 meters high.

Built in 1874 by Hu Xueyan, a "red-top official merchant", the Huqingyu's Traditional Pharmacy is worth mentioning that Huqingyu Drugstore fully carried out the medicine-making techniques and industry standards stated in the Prescriptions of the Bureau of Taiping People's Welfare Pharmacy drafted by the authorities of the Southern Song Dynasty. It is also fair to say that Hangzhou is the origin of "ancient Chinese pharmacopoeia" and Hu Qingyu Drugstore is an inheritor of the great tradition.

While you are enjoying the beautiful sightseeing of Hangzhou, you can also try the well-known Huaiyang Cuisine which is the style prevailing in Shanghai, Hangzhou, Ningbo and Suzhou. The basin of the lower reaches of the Yangtze and the coast are blessed with the products of rivers, lakes and the sea; everything for seekers of fine food. Huaiyang dishes are characterized by the addition of a relatively high proportion of soy sauce.

 

Day 6

Hangzhou    Wuzhen Water Town
Just 1 hour driving, you will reach Wuzhen, this peaceful water town, which surrounded by rivers that has a special beauty that has not yet been overrun by tourists.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Wuzhen

Even on a cold, rainy spring day, Wuzhen, a town surrounded by rivers, about 80 minutes south of Shanghai, has a special beauty which has not yet been overrun by tourists. Its recent restoration gives it a pristine appearance missing in other traditional water towns such as Zhouzhuang.

Like many towns located south of the Yangtze River, Wuzhen is built along rivers, in this case the East Town River and Town River. They run through the town and main scenic spots all gather along rivers, which run 1.3 km from east to west. Visitors walked through the long pavilion and in front of shops, as the cries of vendors rise and fall on the ear. The air is full of the smells of fresh vegetables, walnuts, fish and shrimp. The signboards of coppersmiths and grain shops still swing in the wind, reminding tourists of their history, but the doors are tightly closed. 

 

Day 7

Wuzhen Water Town    Suzhou
Continue your relaxing time there then, in the afternoon, take 2.5 hours driving to your next destination – Suzhou, another city been called "the paradise on earth".
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Suzhou

Founded in 514 BC, Suzhou is one of the oldest towns in the Yangtze Basin. And Suzhou remains one of the most beautiful cities in China with its blue web of interlocking canals and classical gardens that inspired the Chinese to name it “paradise on earth” and Marco Polo to call the city the “Venice of the East” during his visit.

Day 8

Suzhou
Suzhou is an ancient town interlaced by canals and has been aptly nicknamed the Venice of the East. Your sightseeing tour of Suzhou will cover the Humble Administrator's Garden and New Suzhou Museum designed by I.M. Pei. Then continue to Silk Factory to find out how silk is being made. After the tour, be transferred back to your hotel. 
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Suzhou

Humble Administrator’s Garden (Zhuozheng yuan) is the best representation of Chinese classical gardens of the Ming Dynasty. Its design is duplicated in many gardens throughout China, and there‘s even a replica in the New York Metropolitan Museum. In total, the garden contains 48 different buildings with 101 tablets, 40 stelae, 21 precious old trees, and over 700 Suzhou-style penza. In 1997, Zhuozheng Yuan, along with other classical gardens of Suzhou was proclaimed a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Suzhou Museum is a museum of more than 15,000 pieces of collections. Most are ancient paintings and calligraphy, ceramics, crafts, unearthed relics and revolution relics. New Suzhou Museum is the last design of Chinese-American architect I. M. Pei in his career. It is not only a public construction symbol in Suzhou, but also an innovative mark bridging Chinese architectural culture from the tradition to the future.

Silk has a history of some 4,500 years in China, so they have become adept at producing many different types of silk, as well as dyeing it and weaving different patterns into the fabric. Suzhou is famous for its silk production. In the Silk Factory you can see a display of the life-cycle of the silk worm and demonstrations of how the silk is harvested from the cocoons and eventually woven into fabric. It is quite astonishing to learn that one cocoon can produce about 2 km of silk strand, and that several of these strands are twined together to make a single thread. The process is so slow and painstaking; it comes as no surprise that genuine hand-made silk articles are so expensive.

 

Day 9

Suzhou    Tongli Water Town    Shanghai
After one hour driving, you will reach Tongli, another small water town. Enjoy your half day relaxing visit in Tongli and touch its profound culture and representative vista of water town in Southern China. In the afternoon, be transferred back to Suzhou and took your express train to Shanghai.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Shanghai

Originally named Fushi, Tongli is an old but very well preserved water township with a history of more than 1,000 years. Built in the Ming and Qing dynasties, it encloses 5 lakes and 15 canals dividing the town into 7 islands which are connected by 20 ancient bridges of the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. Tongli is famous for its one garden, two halls and three bridges. One garden refers to Tuisi Garden. Two halls are Chongben Hall and Jiayin Hall. Three bridges are Taiping Bridge (“Safety” in English), Jili Bridge (“Good luck” in English) and Changqing Bridge (“Longevity” in English). Local tradition calls for those celebrating a Wedding or Birthday to pass over all three bridges.  

Shanghai
Today, enjoy your full day city tour covering the Jade Buddha Temple. Then move to Yuyuan Garden, a Chinese classic garden in city downtown, and the nearby old street. Afterwards, have a leisure stroll along the Bund, Shanghai’s famed waterfront promenade and Nanjing Road, China's No. 1 commercial street for souvenir shopping. Tonight if you are interested, you can enjoy the Acrobatics show has an optional activity.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Shanghai
 
Today you'll find a Buddhism shrine - Jade Buddha Temple, which is located in a crowd of Shanghai City. It was first built in 1882 in Jiangwan on the southern outskirts of Shanghai. In order to make it convenient for the adherents to visit, it was bodily moved to Shanghai City at the present sire in 1918. It is named for its two bejeweled white jade Buddha. It receives thousands of visitors and worshipers everyday while keeps its sanctity and charming. Carved from a whole piece of white jade, the sitting jade Buddha statue is translucent with a solemn expression, displaying the excellent skill and extraordinary art of Chinese people.

Yuyuan Garden has a lot of stories for it was severely damaged in the 19th century and was restored in 1961. This garden was first built in the 16th century by provincial governor, Pan Yunduan, in honor of his father who was the then government minister. It has many scenic courtyards decorated with baroque rockery, pools, and flora that are all connected by corridors and passageways. The delicate design and exquisite layout of the whole garden reveals a strong impression of 'garden in the garden, whole in the part.

Then it comes to the Bund, the showcase with the old buildings of colonial-era leftover along Huangpu River. The renowned waterfront district is the city's most famous landmark. The word BUND is of Anglo-India origin meaning embankment on the waterfront. It is also the popular site to enjoy the night view of the city.

Nanjing Road which is a good shopping area, starts at the Bund and runs westward, with People's Square in the middle. Renown for its bustling and modernization, Nanjing Road earns its reputation as the 'First Commercial Road in China', which is the good shopping heaven for your trip as the same as the Fifth Avenue in New York and Avenue des Champs-Elysées in Paris. Some of the traditional food and handicrafts of Shanghai can be found here. 

Shanghai offers colorful recreations with rich contents and creative form. Your night may be filled with an interactive old form of art known as the Acrobatics. Those professional performers have been trained of as early as age six or seven so that they can play so well and excellent. It definitely will be an unforgettable night in your memory.

 

Day 11

Departure Shanghai
Free at leisure until to be transferred to the airport for your next destination.
Meals: Breakfast

Service Ends