Tours

• Special
• China Group Tours 2010/11
• Indochina Tours 2010/11
• Local Packages 2010/11
• China Minibreaks 2010/11

Grand China (Tourcode: EH)

Enjoy the historical highlights, culture and beautiful scenery with a 13 nights, 14 days tour to Beijing, Xian, Yellow Mountain,Hangzhou, Suzhou and Shanghai, land price from NZ$3230

Day 01 Arrival/Beijing

Arrival Beijing, the dynamic capital of the People's Republic of China. Once the imperial city of Mongol,
Ming and Manchu emperors, Beijing today is still extraordinarily rich in historical sites and cultural relics. After clearing airport formalities,meet your local guide and transfer to your hotel.

Day 02 Beijing (B/L/D)

Tour the Tian'anmen Square, the biggest public square in the world. If permitted, we visit Mao's Mausoleum. After lunch, visit Forbidden City, the vast complex of palaces,which was the home to successive emperors for more than 500 years. Included is admission to the living quarters, museum and jewellery
sections. Tonight you will experience the famous Beijing Duck Banquet for your welcome dinner.

Day 03 Beijing (B/L/D)

Morning tour to the Great Wall, stretching almost 4,000 miles from the Pacific Ocean to the sands of Central Asia and efittingly crowned one of the ten wonders of the world. Along the way, you will stop at a jade carving factory where you can watch artisans at work. Continue to the Summer Palace,
the largest and the best preserved of all imperial palace gardens, which boasts such delights as the famous Marble Boat and the ornately painted "Long Corridor" and take a boat ride on its Lake Kunming if the weather permits. After dinner, you will witness the amazing Beijing Acrobatic Show.

Day 04 Beijing (B/L)

In the morning, enjoy a pedicab tour of the Hutong,the "old city"with neighbourhoods of narrow alleyways and courtyard gardens.Here you will experience local life on a family visit and a kindergarten school. After our special lunch in a local family home, tour to the Temple of Heaven, the 500 year old Temple houses altars on which sacrifices and offerings were laid to the gods in a glorious setting of gardens, trees and sculptures.Visit a local market if time permits. Evening at leisure.

Day 05 Beijing/Xian (B/D)

Morning, transfer to the airport for a flight to Xian. Upon arrival, visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. Today you will sample the Xian dumpling dinner. Afterwards, you will see the traditional Tang Dynasty Show.

Day 06 Xian (B/L/D)

Morning tour to the greatest archaeological discovery of the century, the 2,000 year-old Terracotta Warriors interred with the Emperor Qin Shi Huang. In the afternoon, we will visit the Great Mosque, the best-preserved Islamic mosque in China and focus for the Suzhou 30,000 Chinese Muslims of Xian.

Day 07 Xian/Hangzhou-Yellow Mountain(B/L/D)

Transfer to the airport for a flight to Tunxi,and then take a coach ride to the Yellow Mountain. On arrival, the breathtaking
mountainous scenery will strike you. Accommodation will be at a hotel in Tunxi.

Day 08 Yellow Mountain (B/L/D)

In the morning, you will take a cable car up to Yellow Mountain, immortalized by Chinese poets and painters and now a favorite vacation retreat for top Chinese officials and important state guests. You will see the famous sights including the "Summit of Brightness,"Beginning-to-believe Peak, Dropped Rock, Paiyun Pavilion and "Monkey viewing the sea" We will stay overnight at a hotel on top of the Yellow Mountain.

Day 09 Yellow Mountain (B/L/D)

In the morning, we will watch the magnificent sunrise if weather permits before taking a cable-car down from the mountain and taking a coach ride to Yixian County to visit
the Ancient Residences of Hongcun Village, which was listed as one of World Cultural Heritage Sites by UNESCO in 2000, which
is also a place where the movie "Crouching Tiger and Hidden Dragon"was shot. Drive back to Tunxi. Take a short tour to the old Tunxi Street and visit an ink stone factory.

Day 10 Yellow Mountain-Hangzhou (B/L/D)

This morning, we take a coach back to Hangzhou. Hangzhou is a well-known tourist, historical, and cultural city and one of
the six ancient capitals in China.

Day 11 Hangzhou (B/L)

Visit the Hua Gang Park and West Lake. You will appreciate the fabled scenery such as "Broken Bridge" "Autumn Moon over the Calm Lake" and "Three Pools mirroring the Moon". You will take a short cruise tour on the West Lake, then visit to Lingyin Temple,which is among the ten most famous Buddhist temples in China and has a history of over 1300 years. Hangzhou is famous for Longjing Green Tea; you will visit a tea plantation to taste its famous tea as well as learning about the ancient tea making process.

Day 12 Hangzhou-Suzhou-Shanghai (B/L/D)

In the morning, take a side trip to Suzhou, a small town famous for its classic gardens and often so-called "Oriental Venice" You will visit the Master of the Nets Garden, Silk Spinning Mill. Afterwards, you will take a boat cruise on the Canal constructed over 1300 year ago in Sui Dynasty. If time permits,
we take a short visit to newly renovated Shan Tang Street. Late in the afternoon, we will travel by coach to metropolitan Shanghai.

Day 13 Shanghai (B/L)

In the morning tour we will visit the Bund, a popular promenade along the Huangpu River, where the old meets the modern in
Shanghai. You may see the local people performing Tai Chi during your stroll along the bund. Afterwards, we will visit the Old Town with its winding alleyways, lined with shops, teahouses and restaurants, and then to the elegant and tranquil Yu Garden. Afternoon tour the Shanghai Xintiandi, which is a
new tourist attraction in downtown Shanghai, featuring the city's unique "Shikumen" houses and a maze of narrow alleys, which have been converted into cafes, restaurants, bars, art retail shops. Dinner will be on your own arrangement.

Day 14 Shanghai/Departure (B)

Today you are free for some last minute shopping before being transferred to the airport for your flight back home.

Inclusions

• 4-star hotel accommodation or similar on twin shared basis
• All road transport by modern airconditioned vehicles from arrival until end of the tour in China
• Meals, sightseeing and entrance fees as specified in the itinerary
• English-Speaking local guides
• English-Speaking national guide (only for 10+ group size)
• Travel wallet and CTS Backpack

Exclusions

• New Zealand departure tax
• Chinese visa fee
• Personal travel insurance
• Compulsory Tipping see Page 64
• Tour extension
• Personal expenses