10 days china golden route

includes: beijing, xi'an, shanghai & guilin

d1 arrive in beijing, meet at airport and transfer to your hotel.

d2 begin the day with a visit to tiananmen square, the world's largest. then, move on to the imperialpalace, also known as the "forbidden city" that symbolizes the imperial and traditional china. after lunch, you will go to visit the enchanting summerpalace, one of china's largest and best-preserved imperial gardens. a peking duck banquet concludes your first full day activities in china.

d3 head for yonghegong lamasery and the confucius temple this morning. after lunch, visit temple of heaven, the place where the emperors of ming and qing dynasties worshipped heaven and prayed for peace and harvest. tonight's dinner is the royal cuisine at fangshan restaurant in beihaipark. enjoy a short episode of classic peking opera after dinner in a nearby theatre.

d4 today's highlight is your visit to the great wall, symbol of chinese civilization. on your way back to the city, stop by shenlu (holy road) to see some marvelous stone sculptures.

d5 after a relaxed breakfast at hotel this morning, you will take a walk through some old "hutongs", a kind of ancient-city compound, to see traditional style courtyards and locals doing their daily chores. sample some authentic chinese family food in their home before heading for xi'an. check in 4-star hotel upon arrival.

d6 begin the day with a once-in-a-lifetime viewing of the extraordinary 2,200-year-old terra cotta warriors of china's first emperor, qin shihuang. after lunch, visit the superb shaanxi history museum, the best of its kind in china. tonight, you are invited to enjoy a splendid dinner show with tang dynasty style performance.

d7 sightseeing in the 1200-year-old wild goose pagoda, and the old city wall which was built in ming dynasty. after lunch, you are transferred to the airport for an afternoon flight to the beautiful city of guilin. you will stay at 4-star hotel in guilin. breakfast, lunch and dinner.

d8 today's highlight is cruising down the li river, which stretches 83 kilometers from guilin to yangshuo. have lunch on boat. the cruise ends in yangshuo, a charming town frequented by young western backpackers. tour the local market and nearby villages before returning to guilin by bus. enjoy a fascinating zhuang ethnic song and dance performance after dinner.

d9 fly to wonderful shanghai this morning. visit yuyuan garden and jade buddha temple upon arrival. later, check in 4-star hotel by the huangpu river. take a stroll on the bund before heading for an exciting acrobatic show.

d10 relax and depart shanghai.