Great For :
Highlights
- Traverse China’s Silk Road legacy, from Beijing’s imperial landmarks (Great Wall, Forbidden City) to Xi’an’s Terracotta Army, showcasing ancient Chinese military might.
- Immerse in Buddhist art at Dunhuang’s Mogao Caves, where 1,600-year-old murals depict Silk Road trade and religious fusion, a UNESCO wonder unique to China’s northwestern frontier.
- Experience Gobi Desert culture with a camel ride around Crescent Lake, and explore Turpan’s Karez Well system, an ancient Chinese irrigation marvel still in use today.
- Witness the contrast of traditional and modern China: from Urumqi’s Flaming Hill (inspired by Journey to the West) to Shanghai’s Bund, where colonial architecture meets Pudong’s skyscrapers.
Package Included
- Transportation: Domestic flights (Xi’an-Dunhuang, Urumqi-Shanghai), high-speed trains (Beijing-Xi’an, Dunhuang-Turpan), private air-conditioned vehicles with Chinese knot decorations.
- Accommodation: 12 nights in 4/5-star hotels (e.g., Crowne Plaza Beijing, Wyndham Grand Xi’an, Radisson Blu Shanghai).
- Meals: 12 breakfasts, 5 a la carte lunches (including Dunhuang’s Gobi-style meal and Shanghai’s farewell banquet).
- Meals as specified (Breakfast + Lunch on most days, no meals on arrival/departure days).
- Guides: Private English-speaking guides specialized in Silk Road history, Buddhist art, and local cultures.
- Activities: Entrance fees, Mutianyu Great Wall cable car, camel ride at Echoing-Sand Dune, Mogao Caves guided tour.
Tour Plan
Day 1: Arrival in Beijing
- Morning: Airport pick-up by guide with a traditional Chinese welcome scroll.
- Afternoon: Free to explore Wangfujing Street, visit the 600-year-old Liu Laogen Tea House for traditional storytelling.
Day 2: Beijing Imperial Tour
- Morning: Tiananmen Square → Forbidden City, learn why Qing Dynasty couplets used white paper (Manchu cultural tradition).
- Lunch: Peking Duck at Xihe Yaju, served in imperial-style porcelain.
- Afternoon: Temple of Heaven, witness locals practicing Tai Chi around the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests.
Day 3: Great Wall & Modern Beijing
- Morning: Mutianyu Great Wall (cable car), hike to watchtowers built by Ming General Qi Jiguang.
- Afternoon: Drive by Bird’s Nest, visit a local market to see Chinese knot artisans at work.
Day 4: Beijing to Xi’an
- Morning: Summer Palace boat ride on Kunming Lake, admire the Long Corridor’s paintings of Chinese myths.
- Afternoon: High-speed train to Xi’an, guide shares stories of the Silk Road’s eastern starting point.
Day 5: Xi’an’s Terracotta Wonders
- Morning: Terracotta Army Museum, explore the new exhibition of colored warriors and bronze chariots.
- Afternoon: Shaanxi History Museum，a Tang Dynasty artifact from Persia.
Day 6: Xi’an Cultural Immersion
- Morning: City Wall cycling (600-year-old Ming fortifications), join locals doing whip cracking in City Wall Park.
- Afternoon: Small Wild Goose Pagoda → Great Mosque, marvel at its Chinese-style pavilions blending Islamic architecture.
Day 7: Xi’an to Dunhuang
- Afternoon: Fly to Dunhuang, camel ride at Echoing-Sand Dune, learn why Crescent Lake has remained an oasis for 2,000 years.
Day 8: Dunhuang’s Buddhist Gems
- Morning: Mogao Caves, visit Cave 220 with Tang Dynasty murals of Silk Road merchants.
- Afternoon: High-speed train to Turpan, guide explains the Karez well system en route.
Day 9: Turpan’s Ancient Civilization
- Morning: Jiaohe Ruins (2,000-year-old mud city), Karez Well tour to see China’s earliest underground irrigation.
- Afternoon: Sugong Pagoda, the only all-brick pagoda in Xinjiang, built without a single nail.
Day 10: Turpan to Urumqi
- Morning: Gaochang Ruins → Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves, view murals depicting Buddhist monks from Central Asia.
- Afternoon: Drive by Flaming Hill, hear stories of Journey to the West’s Monkey King conquering the fiery mountain.
Day 11: Urumqi to Shanghai
- Evening: Arrive in Shanghai, free to explore the Bund’s illuminated colonial buildings.
Day 12: Shanghai Fusion
- Morning: Shanghai Museum (bronze wares) → Yu Garden, admire the Yulinglong rock, a Song Dynasty .
- Lunch: Xiaolongbao at Nanxiang Steamed Bun Restaurant, learn the “sip-first” eating ritual.
- Afternoon: Huangpu River cruise, compare Pudong’s Oriental Pearl Tower with the Bund’s historic skyline.
Day 13: Departure from Shanghai
- Morning: Airport transfer, receive a souvenir silk scarf with Mogao Caves patterns.