Today you arrive in Beijing, the capital of China, and a vibrant and cosmopolitan metropolis. You’ll be met on arrival and transferred to your hotel for an opportunity to settle in and look forward to your forthcoming tour through some of the wonders of China.

History shows that Beijing has been occupied for thousands of years but today its heart dates largely from the Ming and Qing Dynasty periods with many older remains too.

After breakfast today we will walk from the hotel through famous Tiananmen Square to visit the largest complex in the city from these Ming Dynasty times – The Forbidden City. This was the royal palace and is a massive and grand affair that can provide no better introduction to the city and indeed country.

The word ‘hutong’ originally meant a ‘space between two tents’ and dates from Mongol times. You can see how it has given its name to the narrow network of traditional streets, complete with courtyard houses that can still be found albeit in decreasing numbers, in Beijing as we wander on our afternoon tour.

This evening is free for you to take in a traditional Peking opera or acrobatic show – both are optional and can easily be arranged via your local guide.
 

One of the great highlights of the trip today as we head out of Beijing.
Our first stop is at the superb Ming Tombs. Located 50 km northwest of the city these are the final resting place of no fewer than 13 emperors of the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644). Perfectly preserved the mausoleums provide an intriguing insight into royal life and death with the tomb of Emperor Zhu Di and his empresses the most magnificent.
The Great Wall is one of the world’s greatest sights. The Great Wall is made up of several connecting structures from various periods of time and is known in China as the Wan Li Chang Cheng, or 10,000 League Fortification. The classic image of the wall exists for only a relatively short part of its entire length and we have chosen to visit at Mutianyu, a less-busy section.
This section winds 1.4 miles through high hills and ridge, its 8m high sides demonstrate its impregnability. At 4m wide and with both of the inner and outer sides having parapets the wall is less wall and more castle! 22 watchtowers provide communication points. In addition to its strategic location the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall is also famous for its breathtakingly beautiful scenery.

After our visit we return to Beijing. Again there is the opportunity to either simply relax or to enjoy optional visits.

Later this evening we board the overnight train (soft-class) for Xian.
 

After checking in our city tour today introduces some of the many wonders of this remarkable ancient capital of China.

Sat at one end of the Silk Road Xian, or Chang’an as it was then known was home to more than 10 dynasties and has a history that stretches back to Neolithic times.

We start our explorations heading from the imposing Bell Tower into the Hui Muslim quarter visiting the Grand Mosque as we go. This amazing structure is traditionally Chinese in look, but is none the less the focus of the city’s Muslim minority. If time allows we may visit our friend Mr. An.

Next we take a walk on the city’s walls for amazing views as we next head to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, 4 km south. The pagoda stands in the Da Ci'en Temple complex and attracts numerous Buddhist pilgrims and dates from AD652 and the reign of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty (618-907). It takes its name from a legend that where previously meat-eating Buddhist were converted to vegetarianism by a passing goose falling from the sky and the belief that this was a sign they should abstain from meat eating.

Returning to your hotel there is time to relax before perhaps taking in one of the city’s unmissable Tang Dynasty shows.
 

Immediately recognisable the Terracotta Warriors have been amazing visitors ever since they were discovered by a farmer digging a well. His unwitting find lead archaeologists to unearth the defensive army of Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi of the Han Dynasty who, in the 3rd century BC, wanted to assure himself of a well-protected afterlife. His mausoleum some 1.5 km away is the stuff of schoolboy imagination, with secret passages and traps to catch the unwary, Indiana Jones-style. It has yet to be excavated.

The life-size warriors are housed in vast pits and it is said that no two are alike. There are horsemen and infantry, officers and other ranks, all frozen in time and the site deserves its UNESCO World Heritage status.

On returning to Xian later this afternoon your time is free to explore, perhaps to the renowned Shaanxi Museum.
 

A free day to explore this wonderful city at leisure.

Today we fly south to Chengdu.

We are now in Sichuan Province, home to spicy food and, famously, pandas. This morning we set off for the panda research centre where work goes on to increase the numbers of this cute and highly endangered animal.

Found only in limited amounts of forest in remote parts of this remote southern region the panda needs all the help it can get. Education is helping, but the main way that assistance is afforded is by helping them breed here at the research centre. You’ll have the opportunity to see pandas “in the fur”, as it were, as you make a memorable visit today!

The rest of the day is free to explore Chengdu. Attractions include Wuhou Memorial Temple, Qingyang Palace and Wenshu Monastery for those that want to explore further.
 

Today we take the train from Chengdu to Chongqing and on arrival board our cruise boat.

The cruise boat offers attractive and comfortable on-board en suite cabins and facilities. There's an Observation Room, bar & coffee shop, ballroom, beauty salon and gift shop.

Starting at the White Emperor City in the west and ending at Daxi Stream in the east, the Qutang Gorge, or Kui Gorge, known for its magnificence, is “only” 8 kilometres long. The shortest in the world-famous Three Yangtse Gorges, it is the most spectacular. In this section, the Yangtse carves its way through the gorge between the sheer precipices of overhanging mountains on both sides. The mountain peaks are nestled in the clouds, making for some of Qutang Gorge's magnificent views.

Kui Gate sits at the entrance to the gorge, two perpendicular cliffs rear over the river surface on either side, looking like a pair of giant door leaves. Here the width of the river is reduced to 100-200 meters and the narrowest places are no more than a few dozen metros while the principal peaks on the banks are as high as 1,000-1,500 meters.

The turbulent waters flowing in the deep gorge along a continuous line of peaks make a most magnificent picture. The rolling and roaring river bursts through the rock gate that towers over the water.

Having entered Kui Gate Pass, one would be faced by Mount Chijia (Bare-backed Soldier mountain) on the north bank and Mount Baiyan (White Salt Mountain) on the south bank. The former calls to mind a soldier without top armour, hence the name Chijia. The latter is so named because of its silvery colour no matter whether the weather is fine or overcast.

170 km east of Chongqing, on the north bank of the river, Fengdu, on the Ming Hill, has a history of 1,900 years, and is regarded locally as the "City of Ghosts". It was the legendary capital of Ghost State by Daoists.
A local saying goes, "devils go to hell while people go to Fengdu in the after life". It has been a background for many ghost stories by novelists since ancient time and it is a place for travellers to explore Chinese culture about ghosts and the after life.

The Ghost King sculptured statue is 138 meters high and 217 meters wide. The tongue only is 81 meters long and mouth 70 meters wide. The picture is carved into the mountain to a depth of 26 meters. Visitors can climb the body of the king to the top of the mountain. Guinness World Records has listed it as the biggest sculpture carved on a rock.

With temples constructed on the Ming Hill

by the river bank and many statues of ghosts and devils moulded in the temples, these terrifying statues describe the after-life where people who disobey ancient Chinese morals are punished in every horrifying way.

After the Three Gorges Project is completed, most of the ghost city will be submerged. It's been planned relocated across the Yangtse River.
 

This 60-kilometer tributary of the Yangtse River rises in the southern part of Shennongjia Natural Reserve and joins the Yangtse at Xirangkou in Hubei's Badong County. It runs out of the deep valley through the forest at a height of 3000m above sea level, and rushes southward between rocky cliffs. It covers 60 km and in total 17 rivers and streams flow into it. 

The crystal clear steam flows from north to south through deep gorges and finally it merges with the Yangtse at the east of the mouth of Wu Gorge. The crystal clear and unpolluted water flows swiftly and a tour by sampan is just like a shooting arrow. One exciting sport played here is "Gliding in the Water". The section of the river earmarked for this game is twenty kilometres long and passes along the Mianzhu, Yingwu and Longchang Gorges. One rides a boat starting in a branch of the Shennong Stream and glides past the four-kilometre-long Mianzhu Gorge and then enters the main stream of the Shennong. The boat glides over the cobble-strewn river bed, its bottom often banging against the stones.

It is not without risk yet exhilarating. It is thrilling to battle with the nature. The boat will raft to a Longchuanhe Village where the Tujia ethnic group lives. Being the descendents of ancient Ba people, they are hardworking and hospitable and are renowned singers and dancers. Normally some performance by the local people will be included after the boat trip. The Shennong Stream is newly opened, designed as a substitute for the Lesser Three Gorges.

Like the neighbouring Lesser Three Gorges in Wushan County, the ancient plank path runs along the river, mysterious ancient coffins suspended high on the cliff, wild monkeys running under the primitive trees and bushes. Dark green clear water, dark green trees, dark green mountains along the stream stretch and disappear into faraway.

When the Yangtse flows out of Qutang Gorge and past the broad valley of the Daning River, it enters the scenic Wu Gorge.Wu Gorge is forty-five kilometres long, extending from the mouth of the Daning River in Wushan County, Chongqing City in the west to Guandukou in Badong County, Hubei Province in the east. Also known as the Great Gorge, famous for its deep valley and quiet beauty. Wu Gorge is a long and neat gorge divided into two sections - the Golden Helmet and Silver Armour Gorge and the Iron Coffin Gorge. Noted for its deep and serene scenes, the Wu Gorge is full of zigzags, weird peaks, rising mists and beautiful sights.

As the river cut through the Wushan Mountains, its roaring currents change their directions constantly. Travelling through the gorge in a boat, one sometimes may find the way blocked by mountains. But a sharp turn of the boat brings one to an area of entirely different scenery. It is the most beautiful part of the Yangtse, green trees and bushes, together with fogs and clouds, cover the high peaks. The famous Twelve Peaks on both banks of the river, in particular, are the most spectacular.

There are many famous historical sites too. The town of Zigui is attracting a large number of tourists because it is the native place of the great ancient poet and patriotic politician Qu Yuan and the famous beauty Wang Zhaojun from East Han Dynasty 2,000 years ago.

The Three Gorges Project is the largest hydro-electric project in the world. It has helped in flood control, power generation and navigation.

A visit to the project is a revelation and a testimony to China’s construction prowess.

We disembark at Yichang, and head to the airport to catch flight to Shanghai in the later afternoon.
 

Setting out today we embark on a walk from famous Nanjing Road to the Bund, visit Yu Yuan Garden in the old part of town and via antique markets to the Old French quarter.

Nanjing Road is home to internationally recognisable brands names of the super rich and is the by-word for style and elegance in the city – quite a juxtaposition to what we have been used too. Shanghai sits on the Huangpu River and its waterfront Bund is lined with stately buildings dating from the time when colonial powers had influence here. Today the Bund provided a place for Shanghai residents to relax, walk and in the early morning practice their tai chi and other exercises.

Yu Yuan Gardens is a superb example of classical Chinese garden design and dates from the 16th century. Pavilions, water, meticulous planting all combine to create what Pan Yunduan, the gardens’ creator, hoped was a peaceful place for his parents to live out their old age in.

This afternoon we visit the Shanghai Museum where over 120,000 precious works of art can be found in eleven galleries and three exhibition halls covering Chinese art, ancient bronzes, ceramics, sculpture, jade, calligraphy and minority nationality treasures.

This evening why not take a trip to see the famous Shanghai acrobats at one of their evening performances (optional).

The tour ends with a transfer from the hotel to airport.