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1. 12 Day China Cultural
Immersion Trip (2012)
ALL INCLUSIVE FOR ONLY $3500
th st th
DATES: May 20 -31 Deposit $500 Due by Feb 20 money order payable to “life experience”
Beijing, Suzhou, Tongli, Hangzhou, Shanghai
What's Included
Roundtrip non-stop flights from New York (JFK) to Beijing with Air China
China¶s 4-star hotel accommodations including American breakfasts, and with private bath
All China internal air, ground transportations and transfers
Comprehensive private sightseeing tours including entrance fees
24 bountiful meals including 10 American buffet breakfast, 7 lunches and 7 dinners
Unique Culinary Events including an authentic Peking Duck dinner, a traditional Mongolian Barbecue
buffet lunch
Special Evening Shows such as Chinese Acrobatics
Professional service of an expert, resident Tour Director throughout China for a group of 10 people or
more
Professional local guiding service in each destination city
Baggage handling service throughout China
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China Tour Itinerary
Day 1 Depart USA
Your exotic journey to China begins as you board China's national airline, Air China non-stop flight bound for
Beijing. En route, cross the International Dateline and lose a day. You'll recover this day on your return trip.
(IM)
Day 2 Beijing
Arrive in Beijing in the afternoon. Meet your local representative and transfer to your hotel. Relax and enjoy the
evening in China's historic and vibrant capital city. Beijing Huabin International Hotel
Day 3 Beijing
Tour Beijing's imperial treasures. First, Tian'anmen Square, the largest public square in the world, capable of
holding one million people. Stroll across its vast expanse. An assortment of historical buildings, Communist
monuments and huge museums, including Chairman Mao's Mausoleum, the Monument to the People's Heroes,
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and the Great Hall of the People - home of the National People's Congress, flank the Square. W alk through the
Gate of Heavenly Peace, under the famed portrait of Chairman Mao, to enter the Forbidden City, a 9,999-room
compound, where the 24 emperors of the Ming and the Qing Dynasties ruled the Middle Kingdom for nearly 500
years (1420-1911). Experience the architectural splendor of the palaces, ceremonial courtyards and private
quarters.
Lunch at a local restaurant, followed by a visit to Panda at Beijing Zoo. In the afternoon, you tour the idyllic
Summer Palace, with its sprawling encampment of temples, pavilions, and the 728-yard Long Corridor. The
Summer Palace served the Qing Dynasty as an imperial retreat from the stifling summer confines of the
Forbidden City. It is most associated, however, with the Empress Dowager Cixi who paid for the extravagant
Marble Boat with funds meant for the modernization of the Imperial Navy. It is the best preserved and the largest
imperial garden in China. Later, you enjoy a boat ride on picturesque Kunming Lake. (B,SL,D)
Day 4 Beijing
In the morning, you visit the Temple of Heaven; this remarkable building is considered the supreme achievement
of traditional Chinese architecture. During each winter solstice, the Ming and Qing emperors would perform rites
and make sacrifices to Heaven praying for good harvest for their empire. The most striking edifice is the "Hall of
Prayer of Good Harvests", which according to the emperor's Fengshui masters, is the exact point where heaven
and Earth met. Built in 1420, this masterpiece of Ming architecture, features triple eaves, dramatically carved
marble balustrades, and gorgeous glazed azure roof that symbolizes the color of heaven. Built without a single
nails, this 120-foot-high structure is fixed by four inner pillars represent the seasons, and two sets of 12 columns
denote the months and the traditional Chinese division of a day. Later, you take a photo stop at the "Bird Nest"
and visit the exterior portion of this magnificent complex - the main stadium of 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Afterwards, you take a scenic drive through the countryside to reach China's most renowned monument - the
Great W all. The 'original' wall was begun in the 5th century BC to keep out foreign invaders. Construction
continued for centuries, eventually linking up the walls of the former independent kingdoms. The Great Wall
meanders through China's northern mountain ranges from the Yellow Sea to the Gobi Desert - a distance of over
3500 miles! Chairman Mao once said "You haven't walked on the W all, you haven't been a good Chinese". Today
you will have ample time to climb a section of the Great W all and to get a sense of the enormity of this ancient
edifice. In the evening, savor a specially prepared meal of Beijing Duck, cooked to crispy perfection.
(B,L,SD)
Day 5 Beijing
Chinese history and modernity permeate Beijing with sites of cultural and historical importance; today is a free
day for you to explore this great city independently.
We recommend that you visit 798 Art Zone or Dashanzi Art District, it is a part of Dashanzi in the Chaoyang
District of Beijing that houses a thriving artist community, among 50-year old decommissioned military factory
buildings of unique architectural style. It is often compared with New York¶s Greenwich Village or SoHo, but
faces impending destruction from the forces driving Beijing¶s urban sprawl. (B)
Da 6 Beijing - Su]hou
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After breakfast, join our Culture InSites™ Program and experience the world of Beijing's Hutongs, via rickshaw.
This network of courtyard homes and narrow lanes traditionally linked the Old City. Tour the maze-like alleyways
and neighborhood residences. See the locals as they go about their daily activities. Highlights include visits to a
local kindergarten, to the 800-year-old Drum Tower and to a traditional courtyard style home. This unique tour
concludes with a meal served at the home of a local family.
In the afternoon, you fly to Shanghai then travel by motor-coach to Suzhou, which is often referred, by the
Chinese, as the "Venice of the East". Suzhou is a 2,500-year-old city renowned the world over for its traditional
gardens, ancient canals and silk production. In 1997 Suzhou's classic garden was designated an UNESCO
World Heritage Site.
The construction of the Grand Canal in the 7th century created a means whereby silk, the prized commodity
from this region could be transported to the Northern capital, Beijing, a distance of over 600 miles. With
prosperity came prestige as merchants and artisans plied their trade. During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644),
Suzhou flourished as a place of refinement, drawing an influx of scholars and merchants, who built themselves
numerous elegant gardens.
The Chinese garden developed as a synthesis of two concepts linked in Taoist philosophy - scenery and
serenity: the contemplation of nature in isolated meditation led to enlightenment. Therefore, the educated and
wealthy built natural-looking retreats for themselves with an urban environment. The garden creates poetic and
painterly concepts, and aims to improve on nature in creating a picture that looks natural but is in fact entirely
artificial. For this the Chinese garden designer used four main elements: rocks, water, plants, and architecture.
In the afternoon, you visit the Garden of the Master of Fishing Nets, and experience all of the elements of a
classical Chinese garden. It is said that the Master of the Nets Garden was named after one of its owners - a
retired official who wished to become an accomplished fisherman. Dating to 1140, it is considered by many, the
finest of all Suzhou's gardens. Although exceptional small, it succeeds, with great subtlety, in introducing every
element considered crucial to the classical Chinese garden. It includes a central lake, discreet connecting
corridors, pavilions with miniature courtyards, screens, delicate latticework, and above all, points which "frame a
view", as if looking at a perfectly balanced photograph. The best known building is the "Pavilion for W atching the
Moon", from where the moon can be viewed in a mirror, in the water, and in the sky. Suzhou Nanlin Hotel
(B,L,D)
Day 7Suzhou - Tongli
In the morning, you visit Tongli, a pretty little water town typical of the region. Tongli gives visitors a good idea of
what Suzhou must have been like in its heyday. Reminiscent of scenes from traditional Chinese paintings, it is
complete with canals, arched stone bridges, cobbled lanes, and tile-roofed wooden houses. All its houses open
out on to a network of canals that are spanned by dozens of stone bridges and are busy with transportation and
trading boats. Visit a courtyard mansion to learn about the lavish life style of its residents. Then, learn about
traditional Chinese wedding customs at a local folklore museum. Take an exciting ride on a gondola and
experience the charm of Tongli's waterways. You will have free time to browse and buy some local specialties
along the Old Street, which is lined with Ming style homes and storefronts.
Later, you tour the Silk Spinning Mill, where you will learn how silk is created from the mulberry-munching
silkworms to produce thread and fine cloth. Marco Polo once reported that so much precious silk was produced
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in Suzhou that every citizen was clothed in it. Enjoy the remainder of the day at leisure. (B,L,D)
Day 8 Su]hou - Hang]hou
After breakfast, you take a scenic drive to Hangzhou, one of China's premier tourist destinations. An old Chinese
saying states, "In heaven above there is Paradise, on earth there is Suzhou and Hangzhou". Hangzhou and its
West Lake have been the inspiration for poets and artists for centuries. Besides silk, the region is also a major
producer of tea. After lunch, take a cruise on the picturesque W est Lake, which is said to be created from a
pearl dropped by a phoenix and a dragon, and proclaimed by the Chinese ""the landscape composed by a
painter"". Stroll along the lake's causeways and immerse yourself in its beauty. You also visit the famed "Broken
Bridge" to marvel at the Golden Fishes. No tour to Hangzhou is complete without going to the world renowned
Dragon W ell Tea Plantation, where the legendary green tea is picked and processed by hand. The first picked
tea leaves of the new harvest were once reserved solely for the Emperor and transported to him via the Grand
Canal. You will learn about the harvesting, as well as the proper way to brew this healthful beverage. The
Chinese Tea Ceremony will be demonstrated. Sample the freshness of the tea. Appreciate its "green color,
smooth appearance, fragrant aroma and sweet taste". Hangzhou W est Lake Golden Plaza Hotel (B,L,D)
Day 9 Hang]hou - Shanghai
In the morning you tour the "Old Street" with Ming & Qing houses and stone cobbled lanes, where you visit the
Chinese Herb Museum, a rare opportunity to know China traditional herb and medication. After lunch, you travel
by motor-coach to Shanghai, China's vibrant financial and artistic center. Shanghai, literally means "above the
sea", is China's largest and most dynamic city, with a population of 18 million. In the 13th century it became a
minor county seat and so it remained until the mid-19th century when British commercial ambitions led to war
with China. The ensuing Treaty of Nanking allowed the British to trade freely from certain ports including
Shanghai. The city soon became an outpost of glamour, high living, and ultimately decadence. In the 1930s,
Shanghai is renowned as "the Pearl of the East".
Some places are forever associated with a single landmark and in the case of Shanghai it is surely the Bund.
After dinner, we take you for an evening walk along the waterfront promenade of the Bund. The Bund was at the
heart of colonial shanghai, flanked on one side by the Huangpu River and on the other by the hotels, banks,
offices, and clubs that were the grandiose symbols of western commercial power. See the ships and barges on
the Huangpu River, en route to the sea or going upstream to the interior of China. The modernistic Oriental Pearl
TV tower looms in the background redefining the skyline. Shanghai Crowne Plaza (B, L, D)
Day 10 Shanghai
In 1949, the communist took over and Shanghai was stripped of its grandeur. In 1990, the Pudong area across
the river from the Bund was declared as a special economic zone, and a revival started for the city. Today we
take you to futurist Pudong New Developing Area. Transformed from once fertile farmland, this new area is
rapidly becoming the symbol of modern China with its clusters of shinning metal and glass skyscrapers of world
class hotels, international financial institutions, and commercial centers towered above the Huangpu River.
You visit to the 88th floor of the Jinmao Tower, the third tallest building in China. At 1,380 feet, it is the world's
fifth tallest building, as well as home to the world's tallest hotel - the Grand Hyatt Shanghai. From its lofty
platform, you enjoy a stunning view of Shanghai.
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Later you have a traditional Mongolian BBQ Buffet lunch. In the afternoon, you visit People's Square and tour the
famed Shanghai Museum, an unique and inspiring piece of architecture, home to more than 120,000 cultural
relics of ancient China, including a priceless collection of jade, bronze, ceramics, paintings, furniture, etc. After
dinner, you attend an unforgettable performance of the Shanghai Acrobats.
After the performance, we drop you at the Xin Tian Di for a leisure and romantic night. Literally means "New
Heaven Earth", it is Shanghai's trendiest lifestyle destination. This 2-block complex of high-end restaurants
(some of Shanghai's best), bars, shops, and entertainment facilities, mostly lodged in refurbished traditional
Shanghainese shikumen (stone-frame) housing, is the first phase of the Taiping Qiao Project, an urban renewal
project. Busloads of domestic Chinese tourists traipse through in the evenings, W estern visitors feel like they've
never left home, and hip young Shanghainese flood here to enjoy the good life they feel they're due. (B,SL,D)
Day 11 Shanghai
Today is at leisure for you to explore this magnificent city on your own.
You will be provided with a specially prepared orientation list. Stroll through the Old Shanghai bazaar, shop at
Nanjing Road¶s emporiums, or enjoy a nostalgic evening performance by the renowned senior citizen¶s Jazz
band at the Peace Hotel. (B)
Day12 Journey home
After breakfast, board the Maglev, the world's fastest magnetic levitation train, for your trip to the Pudong
International Airport. The Maglev travels at a speed of 287mph and will cover the 20 mile distance in less than 8
minutes!
(B)
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