Upon arrival at Beijing International Airport, your dedicated guide will greet you outside baggage claim. En route to your booked four or five-star city center hotel, your guide will introduce you to Beijing’s highlights and history. You can spend the rest of the day exploring this incredible city.

Meals included: None

Today, after breakfast, you will tour Beijing with your guide, who will pick you up at your hotel. Visit Tiananmen Square, the world’s largest city square. Cross the street to the magnificent Forbidden City, a culturally and historically significant landmark in China that was home to the Chinese royal family for five centuries. After touring the Forbidden City, you will take a rickshaw through Beijing’s maze of hutongs. Experience Chinese culture and folk art by learning Chinese brush calligraphy, Peking Opera masks, and kite making. Before returning to your hotel, enjoy Sanyuanli, a famous local food market, where you can buy fruits and snacks in preparation for your next trip to Mutianyu Great Wall.

Meals included: Breakfast

Note: Your guide may adjust your itinerary as the Forbidden City is closed on Mondays.

After breakfast today, you will be picked up at your hotel and your first stop will be the Mutianyu Great Wall, a less visited section of China’s 1,400-year-old iconic structure, about 70 km from Beijing. Take a pleasant round-trip cable car ride for picturesque views, then walk along the Great Wall to see Ming Dynasty guard towers and stunning views. Visit the Summer Palace as you return to the city in the afternoon. Admire the beautiful gardens and imagine the lifestyle of a royal summer resort during the emperor’s time. A short stop at Beijing’s stadiums and swimming pools – the Bird’s Nest and the Water Cube – built for the 2008 Summer Olympics and Paralympics – provides a stark modern contrast to China’s ancient history. After visiting these tourist hotspots, you will return to your hotel to rest before another day of sightseeing the following day.

Meals included: Breakfast

Start another wonderful walking tour of China with a visit to the famous Temple of Heaven, where the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties performed ceremonies and sacrifices to pray for good harvests and prosperity for the country. Proceed to Beijing Railway Station, where your guide will check you in for your flight to Luoyang. The journey will take approximately 5 hours (300 km/h), giving you plenty of time to relax and enjoy the diverse scenery along the way. Upon arrival in Luoyang, your local guide will meet you and escort you to your 4-star or 5-star hotel.

Meals included: Breakfast

After breakfast, depart for a tour of Luoyang’s historic sites. It will take approximately 40 minutes by car to reach the majestic Longmen Grottoes. Upon arrival, take an escorted electric vehicle along the Yi River to the scenic area, where you will see more than 100,000 famous Buddha statues. Due to centuries of continuous construction, the statues here present different styles from the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-557 AD) and the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). There is the Wanfo Cave, named after the 15,000 Buddha statues carved on the north and south sides of the cave, each of which is approximately 4 cm in size. Fengtian Temple is the largest cave and has some of the most exquisite carvings in China. The temple houses one of the most iconic Buddha statues, Vairocana, which stands over 17 meters tall and has an extremely calm expression that is breathtaking. Before returning, you will have the opportunity to cross the bridge over the Yi River and take some amazing panoramic photos of Vairocana.

Note: An optional short boat trip on the Yi River is available to enjoy panoramic views of the caves and limestone cliffs of the Longmen Grottoes.

The afternoon sightseeing includes a visit to the White Horse Temple, the first Buddhist temple in China, dating back to 68 AD. It features marvelous ancient architecture that has remained intact for over 1,900 years. Enjoy the tranquility of the thousand-year-old temple and immerse yourself in the historical stories that your knowledgeable guide is happy to share. Travel by comfortable van for approximately 1.5 hours to Dengfeng, the home of the Shaolin Temple. Upon arrival in Dengfeng, check in to your hotel and rest up before your exciting Kung Fu experience the next day.

Meals included: Breakfast

This morning, you will enjoy an exciting morning training experience with a one-hour Kung Fu class at a local martial arts school. After your Kung Fu experience, head to the world-famous Shaolin Temple. Shaolin Kung Fu is one of the highlights of a trip to China, and you will have the opportunity to watch exciting Kung Fu performances here. Authentic performances of movements such as Tongzi Kung, Mantis Fist and Monkey Fist always excite visitors. After watching the performance, continue through the mountain gate and walk along the paved road leading to the ancient temple complex. Witnessing the rise and fall of many dynasties throughout history, Shaolin Temple exudes the atmosphere of a bygone era. You can immerse yourself in the history of the majestic halls, bell and drum towers, colorful murals and ancient stone tablets from the Ming and Qing dynasties. About 300 meters west of Shaolin Temple is a peaceful pagoda forest with more than 230 brick pagodas where the ashes or remains of eminent monks are buried. The height and size of the tombs vary according to the monks’ Buddhist achievements or merits. After strolling through the silent forest, you will return to Luoyang and take the high-speed train to Xi’an. Upon arrival at Xi’an North Station, your guide will pick you up and send you to your hotel.

Meals included: Breakfast

Note: The local guide may adjust the sequence of the arrangements to synchronize with the Kung Fu performance.

After breakfast, you will explore the Ancient City Wall of Xi’an, currently the largest and best preserved city wall in China. The ancient city wall surrounds the former capital of China and is nearly 14 kilometers long, which you can explore freely on a tandem or regular bicycle. The next stop is the highlight of today’s sightseeing – the world-famous Terracotta Army. Recognized as the world’s largest underground military base, this extraordinary archaeological discovery houses thousands of unique life-size terracotta warriors. You can visit the workshops of local villagers and try to make your own terracotta warrior or terracotta warrior. Return to the city for a change of pace and enjoy the tranquility of the Great Mosque of Xi’an, located in the heart of the city’s old neighborhood. Built in the mid-seventh century AD, the Great Mosque is the oldest and largest Islamic mosque in China. You can mingle with the locals and find a variety of cuisines in the Muslim Quarter, which is home to many authentic restaurants and souvenirs. Enjoy a shadow play in the Gao Family Courtyard, the former residence of a Ming Dynasty official, which is a traditional Chinese building. The last stop before returning to your hotel today is Xi’an’s famous Bell and Drum Tower Square.

Meals included: Breakfast

After breakfast, check out of your hotel and your guide will take you to the Xi’an History Museum, where you will discover more than 370,000 artifacts from Chinese history. Visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, one of Xi’an’s two iconic Buddhist pagodas. You may have the opportunity to go to the top of the pagoda and overlook Xi’an’s 1,400 years of history, followed by a contemplative walk through the temples and gardens. After the morning’s activities, you will be transferred to the train station to catch the bullet train to Chengdu. Upon arrival in Chengdu, your local guide will meet and transfer you to your hotel, and give you a brief introduction to Chengdu on the way.

Meals included: Breakfast

Note: Your guide may make changes to your itinerary as the Xi’an Museum is closed on Tuesdays.

Today, you will visit the Dujiangyan Panda Base as a panda volunteer. You will clean the work area, prepare bamboo, make pandas’ favorite food “wo wo tou” (steamed corn cakes), learn about the science of pandas, and closely observe the keepers feeding and training the pandas. The panda keepers will supervise your activities and your guide will provide translation. We will provide you with a certificate as a souvenir of this special day. Return to the center of Chengdu to enjoy the Chengdu-style Sichuan Opera, appreciate the ancient Chinese drama art, the magical Chinese face changing (face changing), and try to uncover the secrets of this ancient art.

Note: Children under eight years old can join the standard panda tour of the Panda Base when accompanied by an adult, but cannot serve as panda volunteers due to age restrictions.

All children who can serve as panda volunteers must meet the health and safety requirements of the research base to safeguard the well-being of the pandas.

Meals included: Breakfast

After checking out, your guide will take you for a stroll through the bustling Jinli Street. With unique local street food and handicrafts all along the street, you will immerse yourself in the typical local culture. Spend a leisurely morning in the bamboo forest of Wangjiangting Park, then taste traditional Chinese tea before driving to Chengdu Airport for your flight to Shanghai. Upon arrival, your local guide will pick you up and transfer you to your four-star or five-star hotel, where you can spend a comfortable and relaxing day or spend time exploring this exciting city.

Meals included: Breakfast

Tour Shanghai, starting with a visit to the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum. Explore 11 different themed halls and enjoy a variety of activities. Watching 3D and 4D movies at the Science Cinema will be a special experience. Stroll along Nanjing Road, China’s busiest shopping district. For a change of pace, visit Yu Garden, where you can marvel at the beautiful gardens; then stroll through the nearby Yu Garden Market. Make the most of your afternoon and stroll through the quiet streets of Dongping Road or Sinan Road in the former French Concession, where you will find the essence of classic Shanghai.

Meals included: Breakfast

Note: As the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum is closed on Mondays, your guide may change your itinerary.

Your guide will pick you up at your hotel and drive you to the airport for your flight home. Alternatively, if your flight departs from Shanghai Pudong International Airport, depending on your flight departure time, your guide can accompany you to the airport on the Shanghai Maglev Train (the world’s fastest commercial high-speed electric train), which is a special experience, while your luggage will be transported to the airport by the driver.

Meals included: Breakfast