14 days marvels of silk road

includes: beijing, xi'an, urumqi, turpan, jiayuguan, dunhuang & lanzhou

d1 arrive in beijing, the capital of china. the tour guide will meet you at beijing international airport, and then transfer you to hotel.

d2 beijing served as the capital for 5 dynasties over a period of 800 years, with each emperor identified as a dragon sent from heaven. begin your city tour with a visit to the summerpalace, built in classical chinese style in 1750 as a royal recreational resort. among its famous features are the 700-meter-long corridor with its wonderful painted gallery, the marble barge, and several magnificently painted pavilions and pagodas. next stop is the palace museum, more commonly known as the forbidden city, until recently opened only to the emperor's family. this complex, the largest imperial palace ever built in the world, features more than 800 buildings with over 9,000 rooms, resplendent golden- glazed roofs, red lacquered pillars and vermilion walls. see the high-walled "inner city" with its government buildings. sightseeing continues at the temple of heaven where the ming and qing emperors prayed to heaven for a good harvest. this evening you will enjoy a special imperial cuisine flavor served at fangshan restaurant.

d3 here is your chance to climb the great wall of china! this wonder of the world, built 2600 years ago, is one of the two man-made structures seen by the naked eye of us astronaut neil armstrong from outer space. later visit the ming tombs, the burial place of thirteen emperors and their families of the ming dynasty. year-long excavations have uncovered many rare treasures such as the gold royal crowns and the silk robes. tonight's special dinner gives you a real taste of the peking duck.

d4 in the morning, stroll around tian'anmen square (the gate of heavenly peace) , the largest square in the world, and also known as a witness for many historical and contemporary events. later fly to xian. visit the wild goose pagoda and the ancient city walls. in the evening, you will see a wonderful stage show of the tang dynasty.

d5 xian, the cradle of chinese civilization, was the state capital of 73 emperors spanning 11 dynasties during 1100 years dating from 4,000 b.c. after a visit to the huaqing hot springs, also known as the site for the famous xian incident, you will visit another wonder of the ancient world - the terra-cotta warriors. concealed under earth, those thousands of life-sized clay warriors, horses and chariots, as one part of the tomb of emperor qinshihuang, were accidentally discovered by a farmer while he was digging out a well. you would also see some archaeologists still working on site to uncover the rest part of the vast tomb complex of emperor qinshihuang, the first emperor in chinese history, and also the initiator of the great wall. for dinner, feast on numerous varieties of dumplings.

d6 take a morning flight to urumqi, transfer to your hotel, then go to visit the beautiful heavenlylake and take a boat cruise on it. overnight in urumiqi.

d7 visit nanshan sheep farm, here you will see the vast grassland filled with sheep and cattle along with cotton-candied clouds in the blue sky. later you will pay a visit to the homes of the kazak tribe, and taste their special tea and delicacy.

d8 this morning travel overland about 3 hours to turpan, where you will check into the hotel. sightseeing features gaochang, the ancient walled capital of the uighurs which flourished between the 7th and 14th centuries, and the ruins of jiaohecity, where large fragments of actual streets and buildings remain. you'll also visit grapevalley, in lush contrast to the desert surrounding it, and the amazing 2,000 year old karez irrigation tunnels, which brought water from melting snow on the mountains to this parched city. attend a music and dance performance in the evening.

d9 a morning tour includes the flamingmountains, named for their vibrant color, suliman's minaret and a local village before boarding an overnight train to jiayuguan.

d10 arrive jiayuguan and visit the old fortress standing at the westernmost point of the great wall. climb up this historic "last guard house" which guards the pass between two mountain ranges. this famous pass has been the subject of poems and ballads for centuries. overnight in jiayuguan.

d11 after breakfast transfer overland 4 hours to dunhuang, driving through the gobidesert and grasslands enroute. you'll see the beautiful landscape along the silk road. overnight in dunhuang.

d12 excursion to the mogao grottoes, the world's richest treasure trove of buddhist manuscripts and art. begun in 386ad and added to over the next 9 centuries, the grottoes total over 45,000 square meters and boast over 2,000 murals and sculptures. continue to the singing sand dunes and enjoy a camel ride into the dunes.

d13 take a morning flight to lanzhou, transfer to your hotel, then go to visit the white pagoda mountain and the provincial museum.

d14 after a relaxed breakfast in your hotel, transfer to airport for your departure.