14 Days Tour to Ancient Capitals

Day 1

Arrival Beijing
Arrive in Beijing, the Capital city of China, you will be met 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 in the morning to visit 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's 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 Section of the Great Wall. Then drive back to the city for Summer Palace. If you desire, enjoy optional Peking Opera tonight.
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.

Originally known as the "Garden of Clear Ripples", the Summer Palace is a magnificent imperial garden located 15 km north of Beijing City. This is the largest ancient preserved garden in China and a former summer retreat for Emperors and the chosen few! The site includes more than 100 ancient style pavilions, mansions, towers, halls, temples, bridges and an enormous clear water lake. What is most enjoyable about the Summer Palace, it is simply a gorgeous place to relax, escape the smoke and crowds of the city and spend an afternoon walking. It is said one could just as easily spend one week out here as one afternoon. Here is a rare chance in Beijing, to lose the crowds and 'clear away the cobwebs'.

Peking Opera is China national treasure. Expert performers convey powerful emotions to the audience through song, dance, facial make-up, exquisite masks and costume, skilled use of body language and sympathetically integrated musical accompaniment.
 

Day 4

Beijing
In the morning explore the Yonghe Palace, where the artworks combined Han Chinese and Tibetan styles. Then take a truly special excursion to the Hutong. Rickshaw will take you through those narrow alleyways to reach the Shiheyuan of a local Beijing residence. Here you can stop for a culture glimpse at how life is lived deep in these ancient streets.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Beijing

Yonghe Palace is a temple and monastery of the Geluk School of Tibetan Buddhism, it located in the northeastern part of Beijing. It can be dated back to A.D 1694, during the Qing Dynasty, which originally served as an official residence for court eunuchs. It was then converted into the court of the Prince Yong (Yin Zhen), After Yongzheng's ascension to the throne in A.D 1722, half of the building was converted into a lamasery, a monastery for monks of Tibetan Buddhism. The other half remained an imperial palace.

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

Day 5

Beijing    Zhengzhou  
Take a short flight to Zhengzhou, Henan Province, you will then have chance to visit the Yellow River Scenic Area and take a jet boat cruisefor one section of the river.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Zhengzhou

Zhengzhou formerly called Zheng County is a prefecture-level city, and the capital of Henan province, People's Republic of China. It also serves as the political, economic, technological, and educational centre of the province, as well as being a major transportation hub for Central China. It lies on the southern plain of the Yellow River.

Yellow River Scenic Area is composed of four parts: Wanglongfeng Scenic Spot where the Water Conservancy Project to divert the Yellow River water to Zhengzhou was built in 1972; Yueshan Temple Scenic Spot where the Zijin Tower and Iron Chain Bridge are found; Luotuo (Camel) Bridge with its 10-meter-tall statue of Emperor Yu the Great and nearby, the Stele Forest of the Yellow River with some 570 pieces inscribed by famous contemporary calligraphers; Hanba Erwangcheng Scenic Spot, which is made up of East and West Guangwu cities, two royal cities built in 203 BC by Liu Bang, first Han emperor and Xiangyu, ruler of the State of Chu when the two pitted their forces against each other there.

Day 6

Zhengzhou    Kaifeng    Zhengzhou
After breakfast, you will take a short driving to Kaifeng (83km) for your one day excursion there, to appreciate the spirit of Dragon Pavilion, Iron Pagoda and Xiangguo Monastery.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Zhengzhou
 
The Dragon Pavilion Park was first the former mansion of a mission of the Tang Dynasty. Later it turned into an imperial palace in the later Liang, Later Jin, Later Han and Later Zhou periods. In the Song Dynasty, an imperial court including imperial palace was built here and called royal residence. Owing to the overrun of the Yellow River, all the buildings constructed in the previous historical periods were underwater. In 1734 in the Qing Dynasty, provincial governor Wang Shijun built the large-scale Longevity Palace here. The palace was also known as the Dragon Pavilion for it housed memorial tablet of the Yellow Emperor. Its main building is the present Dragon Pavilion Hall, with two lakes in front, one was called family Pan and the other family Yang. Climbing up to the Dragon Pavilion, tourist will have a good view of Kaifeng city.

The Iron Pagoda Park was known as the Kaibao Temple Pagoda originally and was built by the Song emperor for keeping the relics of Sakyamuni. The 13-story octagon pagoda is 55.63 meters high and built with brown glazed bricks, like an iron pagoda in the distance, so its name. It becomes famous at home and abroad for its excellent architecture art and magnificent shape and is praised as the first pagoda under the heaven. This pagoda is the tallest, largest oldest and well-preserved glazed brick pagoda in the country. Since its construction, it has experienced war, floods and earthquakes several times but it still stands firmly. Inside the pagoda, there are 168 brick steps leading to the top floor, circling the column in the middle. From the top floor, the tourist can view the belt-like Yellow River and clouds around the pagoda. To view the clouds around the Iron Pagoda is one of the eight scenes in Kaifeng.

Xiangguo Monastery is one of the ten famous monasteries and temples in China. It was originally built in 555 AD during the Northern Qi Dynasty; it has a history of over 1,400 years. In the Northern Song Dynasty, the monastery was enlarged many times and became the largest monastery and the national Buddhist center at that time.

Day 7

Zhengzhou    Dengfeng  Luoyang
Take a few hours driving (74km) to Mount Songshan. At the foot of the mountain are the famous Shaolin Temple and the Pagoda Forest. Vegetarian food will be served as lunch today. Our visits of the temple will end up with a Kung Fu performance from martial arts master. What you used to see on TV will now be real. After that, continue your driving to Luoyang
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Luoyang 

The Shaolin Monastery or Shaolin Temple is the main part of the Shaolin Scenic Area on Mount Songshan. The temple was constructed in 495 to welcome Indian eminent monk. The Shaoling temple is long famous for the coexistence of Chan School and martial art for Westerners.

The Pagoda Forest is the graveyard of the Shaolin Temple. Housing the tombs of eminent monks from different historical periods, it is the largest pagoda forest in China. The levels, or stories, on the pagodas must be odd numbers (from 1 to 7) and are based on the achievements of the Buddhist masters they were built for. The era the pagodas were built in affects the shape (round or square) and the number of sides (4 or 6).
 

Day 8

Luoyang
Today, start your tour with the visit to Longmen Grottoes and White Horse Temple, the first Buddhist temple in China.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Luoyang

Situated on the central plain of China, one of the cradles of the Chinese civilization, Luoyang was one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China. It is a sacred place of Chinese civilization, as it was the birthplace of Heluo Culture, which gave rise to the most ancient Chinese classic known as The Book of Changes. Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism thrived here, as did the idealist school of philosophical thought.

The Longmen Grottoes are located 12km south of present day Luoyang. The grottoes, which overwhelmingly depict Buddhist subjects, are densely dotted along the two mountains: Xiangshan (to the east) and Longmenshan (to the west). The Yi River flows northward between them. From north to south, the distance covered by grottoes is about 1km. There are over 2100 niches, more than 100,000 statues, some 40 pagodas and 3600 tablets and steles in the caves of Guyang, Binyang and Lianhua. Along with the Mogao Caves and Yungang Grottoes, the Longmen Grottoes are one of the three most famous ancient sculptural sites in China.

White Horse Temple was the first Buddhist temple in China, established under the patronage of Emperor Ming in the Eastern Han capital Luoyang in the year 68. From then on, Buddhism was introduced into the East China and late has become a big religious school in the country and has spread to Japan and Korea. So the temple is respected as the cradle of Chinese Buddhism.
 

Day 9

Luoyang    Xian
Take morning train (about 5 hours) to Xian. On arrival, your local guide will meet you at the train station, you will then start to explore the city with the visits to Shaanxi History Museum.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Xian

Xian, steeped in history and still giving up secrets, is your gateway to ancient Chinese civilization. In its 3,100 recorded years of evolution, it has been home to 13 dynasties. Xian was also the end of civilization for those setting out on the famous Silk Road. Today’s Xian is a vibrant, modern city, but surrounded by history, even underfoot! So there can be no underground railways due to the obligation to preserve the wealth of ancient treasure still awaiting discovery.

As the regional capital and doorway to the Silk Road, Xian was one of the richest, most well-protected cities in all of China. The famous Shaanxi History Museum introduces the visitor to area's rich culture, from Emperor Qin Shihuang to the present day in this walled city. The museum is house in a striking Tang Dynasty-style pavilion and features an enormous collection of 113,000 historic and cultural relics. This is where you experience history, with chronological dynasties exhibits that take you through the dynasties.
 

Day 10

Xian
Today is all about Xian. Your first destination is Qin Terracotta Army. It has been regarded as the 8th wonder of the world and the most significant excavations of the 20th century. Then get back to city for the Xian City Wall and Bell Tower. Tang Dynasty Show with Dinner is available for your optional meal this evening.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Xian

As an ancient capital city to 13 dynasties, Xian has a rich recorded history, frequently enhanced by the evidence of new discoveries, like the 1974 unearthing of the fabulous Qin Terracotta Army, the long forgotten army created to guard Emperor Qin Shihuang's tomb. In accordance with ancient beliefs, this grand project was mounted at enormous cost by the cruel and tyrannical Emperor, only to be attacked, plundered, burnt and buried after his funeral by the peasants who had labored under the whip to build it. Then, over two thousand years later, this "Eighth Wonder of the World" was rediscovered by farmers digging a well. The fine troops, horses and carriages in battle formation are a National ancient art treasure. Three excavation pits are now opened to the public and a fourth is nearing completion. You can, like US President Clinton, now gaze in wonder upon this historic site, listed by UNESCO in 1987 as a world cultural heritage.

Then we get back to city for the Xian City Wall, which represents one of the oldest and best preserved Chinese city walls, as well being one of the largest ancient military defensive systems in the world. The city itself is neatly arranged along the city wall. This impressive structure is just a precursor to the remarkable discoveries awaiting visitors to Xian. 

Also within the city, we'll see the Bell Tower which is the most well-preserved the best-known among many ancient cities of China. It used to strike the time. It was first built as one part of the Yingxiang Temple and moved to its present site in 1582. Since then, it became the geographical center of the ancient capital.

Tonight you can choose to enjoy a Tang Dynasty Show with Dinner that was created for "emperors only" in ancient China. You'll enjoy the sumptuous dinner while watching a fabulous dancing and singing performance of the Tang Dynasty. This is not only a performance of Chinese traditional dancing and singing, but a re-enactment of Chinese ancient ceremony and culture.
 

Day 11

Xian    Nanjing
In the morning, take flight to Nanjing, locates in the East of China. Upon arrival, visit Zhonghua Gate, Temple of Confucius and Qinhuai River.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Nanjing

The name of Nanjing from the Tang Dynasty until the Qing Dynasty was Jinling. It is the capital of China's Jiangsu Province, and a city with a prominent place in Chinese history and culture. Nanjing, literally 'Southern capital', served as the capital of China during several historical periods and is listed as one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China. And Nanjing was the capital of the Republic of China before the Chinese Civil War in 1949.

Located in the south of the city proper of Nanjing, Zhonghua Gate was originally the south front gate of the capital of the Southern Tang Dynasty (937-975). In the enceintes, there are caves for keeping soldiers, and two 11-meter-wide sloping paths outside of the eastern and western walls leading to the gate tower. Its architectural structure and form as a ancient city gate are rarely seen in China.

The Confucius Temple, located on the Northern bank of the Qinhuai River while the Large Screen Wall on the southern bank, is for people to worship Confucius, the great thinker and educator in ancient China. Now it is one of the bustling areas in Nanjing with the East and West markets. 

The Qinhuai River used to be called Huai Water, and was renamed Qinhuai for the legend that Qin Shihuang, the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC), ordered to introduce Huai Water to the city by excavating a mountain. It is a branch of the Yangtze River, running about 110 kilometers, a major watercourse around Nanjing City. In ancient times, places around the Qinhuai River and the Confucian Temple were already very prosperous. The banks along the Qinhuai River were the gathering place for noble and wealthy families, and were also frequently visited by scholars. Floating lights are the most famous view on the Qinhuai River. On the river, any boat or ship, large or small, will hang color lamps. It is a very important activity for a visitor to ride such a boat, floating on the river to enjoy the scenes.
 

Day 12

Nanjing    Hangzhou
Finish the sightseeing in Nanjing by visiting the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum. Then be transferred to Hangzhou by bullet train.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Hangzhou

The Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum is for Dr. Sun Yat-sen, the great forerunner of China’s democratic revolution. Sheltered by hill slopes, the mausoleum faces the south, and consists of a semi-circular square, memorial archways, tomb passage, the gate tablet pavilion, memorial hall and coffin chamber. The mausoleum is in the pattern of a "clock of freedom", wishing the whole world would take the democratic road.

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 13

Hangzhou
Begin your visits of Hangzhou with West Lake cruise. Then visit Lingyin Temple, Six Harmonies Pagoda and Huqingyu's Traditional Pharmacy. Today optional Huaiyang Cuisine is available as your dinner.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In 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.

Standing by the Qiantang River in Hangzhou, the Pagoda of Six Harmonies (Liuhe Tower) has for hundreds of years been praised by poets and men of letters. The pagoda was constructed first in 970 during the Northern Song Dynasty to suppress the tidewaters. It is nearly 60 meters tall with 13 stories outside and seven inside. From here you can have a good view of the Qiantang River meandering far into the distance.

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 14

Hangzhou    Shanghai, Departure
After breakfast, be transferred to Shanghai for your homebound flight.
Meals: Breakfast

Service Ends