12 days china classic tour-a

includes: beijing, xi'an, chongqing, yangtze river, wuhan & shanghai

d1 arrive in beijinag, capital of china, a friendly english speaking guide will meet and transfer you to the hotel.

d2 see the well-publicized tian'anmen square, then the ancient forbidden city, the imperial palace and the beautiful summer palace. walk through traditional courtyard neighborhoods dating from ming dynasty, beijing's hutongs. enjoy a famous peking duck dinner.

d3 full day excursion to the great wall of china that now offers a cable car to the summit. later, on the return, drive along the famed sacred way to visit the museum of the ming tombs. enjoy a traditional chinese entertainment while sipping the tea and local dessert delicacies in laoshe tea house.

d4 after breakfast, tour the temple of heaven where the qing emperors worshipped. then, your guide will take you to the airport for flight to xi'an. upon arrival your guide will take you for a tour of the bell tower, drum tower, the big wild goose pagoda. check into the hotel.

d5 sightseeing will include the excavations of terra-cotta warriors and horses, one of the greatest archaeological finds of the century, then visit hua qing imperial hot springs and banpo neolithic village. in the evening enjoy a tang dynasty music and dance dinner show.

d6 morning: free to explore in xi'an. after lunch, your guide will take you to airport to board the flight to chongqing. upon arrival, you board a deluxe 4 star cruise ship for overnight.

d7 today you begin your downstream cruise. arrive at fengdu, the legendary ghost town. you will visit the mingshan hill's temples. continue to sail to badong.

d8 the cruise will sail through the most magnificent qutang gorge, the first of the three gorges. then you will be transferred to a small sampan for an excursion along the shengnong stream to view the parrot gorge and dragon boat gorge. return to the cruise and you will pass the wu gorge and xiling gorge.

d9 you will be taken on a bus to cross the three gorges bridges to see this controversial project up in the close. the project includes the five-step ship lock, the diversion canal, power station and dam construction. upon returning to the cruise, you will sail through the gezhou dam ship lock.

d10 continue sail along the yangtze river. your cruise will arrive at wuhan around 12:00n.your local tour guide will meet you at the pier, city tour if time permits. then fly to shanghai. check into the hotel and rest. enjoy shanghai acrobatic show in the evening.

d11 visit this bustling metropolitan city, which is becoming a symbolic of the rapid growth of china's economy. escorted tour to the old town, yuyuan garden, jade buddha temple. also visit the architectural master piece -shanghai museum, the bund (waterfront) and nanjing road for shopping.

d12 after a relaxed breakfast in your hotel, your guide will take you to the airport and hug you good-bye.