Cruising the Yangtze River, the world’s third longest river Yangtze River, from Shanghai to Chongging. Marvel at the magnificence of Beijing, Xi’an and Shanghai with a visit to the Forbidden City, the Terracotta Warrior Museum and the Jade Buddha Temple.

Destination: Shanghai, China

Activity: Culture, Boat travel, Historic sites , Nature & Adventure

Price: start from $1,590 per person

Duration: 13 Days / 12 Nights

Trip schedule 2010
Apr: 7 – 19, 14 – 26, 21 Apr – 3 May, 28 Apr – 10 May
May: 5-17, 12-24, 19-31, 26 May – 7 Jun
Jun: 2-14, 9-21, 16-28, 23 Jun – 5 Jul, 30 Jun – 12 Jul
Jul: 7-19, 14-26, 21 Jul – 2 Aug, 28 Jul -  9 Aug
Aug: 4-16, 11-23, 18-30, 25 Aug – 6 Sep
Sep: 1-13, 8-20, 15-27, 22 Sep – 4 Oct, 29 Sep – 11 Oct
Oct: 6-18, 13-25, 20 Oct – 1 Nov, 27 Oct – 8 Nov
Nov: 3-15, 10-24

Tour Rates* (Price/Person) in U.S. Dollars
Period	Single	Double	Triple	Group 4-6	Single Supplement
7 Apr 2010 – 14 Apr 2010	2,275	1,656	1,656	N/A	N/A
21 Apr 2010 – 19 May 2010	2,302	1,669	1,669	N/A	N/A
26 May 2010 – 7 Jun 2010	2,223	1,630	1,630	N/A	N/A
2 Jun 2010 – 18 Aug 2010	2,196	1,617	1,617	N/A	N/A
25 Aug 2010 – 6 Sep 2010	2,288	1,656	1,656	N/A	N/A
1 Sep 2010 – 20 Oct 2010	2,368	1,696	1,696	N/A	N/A
27 Oct 2010 – 8 Nov 2010	2,288	1,656	1,656	N/A	N/A
3 Nov 2010 – 15 Nov 2010	2,196	1,617	1,617	N/A	N/A
10 Nov 2010 – 24 Nov 2010	2,143	1,590	1,590	N/A	N/A

Rates include 7% VAT tax and 10% hotel service charge. Major credit cards accepted. No extra charge, no minimum

Note: Booking should be made at least 14 days in advance. The Triple rates are based on a twin sharing room with an extra bed for the third person. Fuel surcharge may apply in some program and will be advised upon booking.

Itinerary

Day 1 Arrival Shanghai

Arrive Shanghai. Transfer to the hotel

Day 2 Shanghai (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Full day sightseeing at the Bund, Yu Garden, Jade Buddha Temple, Children’s palace and Carpet Factory.

In the evening, dinner and watch acrobatic shows.

Day 3 Shanghai (Breakfast, Lunch)

Morning excursion at Zhujiajiao, a river-town near Shanghai with lunch.

In the afternoon, visit Shanghai Museum.

Day 4 Shanghai – Yichang - Yangtze River Cruise (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Flight to Yichang. A short city tour before boarding the cruise. Embark the 4 Star Boat MV Splendid China of CITS Presidential Cruises. Overnight onboard.

Day 5 Yangtze Cruise (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Set sail at 8 a.m. Excursion to the New Dam construction site.

Day 6 Yangtze Cruise (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Off-shore cruise to Shennong Stream.

Day 7 Yangtze Cruise

Off-shore excursion to Fengdu Ghost city.

Day 8 Arrival Chongging - Xi’an (Breakfast, Lunch)

Arrival Chongqing at 9 a.m and disembark. Sightseeing in Chongqing: Zoo and Giant Pandas. Afternoon flight to Xi’an. Transfer to the hotel.

Day 9 Xi’an (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

A full day tour at the Terra-cotta Museum, the ceramics and pottery center an the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. Dumpling Dinner with Tang Dynasty Shows.

Day 10 Xi’an – Beijing (Breakfast)

Morning flight to Beijing. Upon arrival in Beijing, tour the Summer Palace and transfer to the hotel.

Day 11 Beijing (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

A full day city tour to visit the Temple of Heaven, Tian Anmen Square, Forbidden City.

Day 12 Beijing (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Full day sightseeing: the Great Wall at Badaling section and Changling of Ming Tombs with Sacred Way. In the evening, Peking Duck dinner with cultural shows.

Day 13 Beijing Departure

Departure transfer to the airport for homeward flight.

Package Includes:

• 8 night accommodation with buffet breakfast:-
  3 nights in Shanghai at Galaxy Hotel or similar
  2 nights in Xi’an – Xian Aurum International Hotel or similar
  3 nights in Beijing – Chang An Grand Hotel  or similar
  4 nights on MV Splendid China of CITS Presidential Cruises & all meals on board
• Sightseeing with lunch & dinner listed in the above itinerary
• Professional English speaking tour guide service in each city
• Round trip airport/hotel/pier transfers in each city
• Domestic airfare Shanghai /Yichang, & Chongqing / Xi’an / Beijing with airport tax.
• The single supplement includes the rate of single cabin on cruise.

Package Excludes:

• International flights
• International Airport Tax out of Beijing
• Personal expenses
• Gratuities to guides, drivers, porters & cruise staff.
• Entry visa to China

Note:

• A single traveler will be charged 40 US dollars for a round trip transfer from the airport to the hotel on an arrival flight.
• Travelers who arrive and/or depart on a day other than the day stated in the schedule mentioned above will be charged 20 US dollars for a transfer (per person/ per way) from the airport to the hotel and vice versa.
• The reservation of at least 14 days prior to your arrival date is required. An additional USD 35 per person will be charged for late booking.
• All visitors to China and Tibet, including those of Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau, need to apply for a visa at the Chinese Embassy or consulate in or near your country. Passports must be valid for at least six months before your travel to china. Visa application should be lodged at least 3 weeks before your entry.

About the Package

The Yangtze River
Known in China as Changjiang River (the Long River), the Yangtze River is China’s longest River and ranked third in the world. The river, which is 3,900 miles long, has its origin in the treeless mountains of Tanggula Ranges in Upper Qinghai. It is the border line that geographically divides China into north and south.The upper part of the river, which is the most attractive part, starts from Qinghai Province to Yichang in Hubei Province. It consists of varied terrains from sheer mountain ranges to charming landscape. This part stretches some 200 kilometers long and passes through three magnificent Gorges; namely Qutang, Wu and Xiling. The first has its width at only 100 meters with some 60 meters hydraulic gradient. The second one is flanked with mountains as high as 1,000 meters. The third gorge is the location of the grand Yangtze Three Gorge Dam.
Perhaps the best time to cruise the Yangtze River is between April to June and again from September to October. The river has low tide during winter (December to February) and sees heavy rainfalls between July and August. Please check with your agent before booking the cruise.

Beijing

Forbidden City
Covering an area of 720,000 square metres with more than 9,000 rooms, this is the Palace Museum. It is also known as the Purple Forbidden City. It is the largest and most well preserved imperial residence in China today. Under Ming Emperor Yongle, construction began in 1406. It took 14 years to build the Forbidden City. The first ruler who actually lived here was Ming Emperor Zhudi. For five centuries thereafter, it continued to be the residence of 23 successive emperors until 1911 when Qing Emperor Puyi was forced to abdicate the throne. In 1987, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization recognized the Forbidden City as a world cultural legacy.

The Great Wall
The Great Wall, symbolizing China’s ancient civilization, is one of the world’s most renowned projects. It is a distance of 75 kilometres northwest of Beijing. Its highest point at Badaling is some 800 metres above sea level.

Construction of the Wall first began during the period of the Warring States (476 – 221 BC). Formerly, walls were built at strategic points by different kingdoms to protect their northern territories. In 221 BC after the first Emperor of the Qin Dynasty unified China, he decided to have the walls linked up and extended.

The Wall traverses mountains and gullies. It was extremely difficult to build along steep slopes under harsh conditions. Some of the slabs of rock were as long as two metres and weighed as much as one ton. All the rocks, bricks and lime had to be carried up the mountains at the cost of backbreaking labour. The earth and bricks were passed up from hand to hand or carried in baskets by donkeys and goats. The large slabs were moved up slopes by means of rolling rods and hoisting bars. According to rough calculation, the amount of bricks and rock used to build the Wall would have been enough to build a wall five metres high and one metre thick around the world.

The Summer Palace
Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty was aware that a peaceful northern frontier was of great importance to the Ming Palace, he chose this valley to build his tomb. All his successors followed his example and had their tombs built here, except one who was dethroned and buried in the western suburb. Out of the sixteen emperors, thirteen lie here with their empresses and concubines.

The summer Palace, located approximately twelve kilometers to the northwest of Beijing’s city proper, was first built in 1750 and rebuilt in 1886. An outstanding example of imperial gardens in classical Chinese style, the Summer Palace spreads on an area of 2.9 million square metres, three fourths of which are water surfaces. Its major attractions are the Wanshou (longevity) Hill and the Kunming (Jade Spring) Lake. The garden is a showcase of pavilions in diversified, exotic designs which are strung together by a corridor more than seven hundred metres in length and a seemingly unending chain of balustrades of snow-white marble.

Xian

The terracotta warriors of Emperor Qinshihuang
In March 1974, villagers of the Xiyang Village, while welling, stumbled on the tomb of Emperor Qinshihuang’s Tombs. The big tombs are made up of thousands of terracotta figures of soldiers, horses and weapons. The Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses are the most significant archeological excavations of the 20th century. This is a sight not to be missed and apparently the highlight of the trip to Xian.

When Qin Shi Huang, who was the first Emperor of China, ascended the throne at the age of 13 in 246 BC, the young emperor had work begun on his mausoleum. It took 11 years to finish. Many treasures and artifacts were found with thousands of life size terracotta figures and horses.

The museum features more than thousands pieces of terracotta figures of warriors, horses chariots and weapons.The discovery of the tombs has put Xian on the tourist map and become one of the 10 most famous places in China. It was listed by UNESCO in 1987 as the world cultural heritages.

Great Wild Goose Pagoda
Located in Daci’en Temple in the southern suburb of Xian, the Great Wild Goose Pagoda is regarded as the masterpiece excelling the Nature. The pagoda was built in 652 AD when a famous Chinese monk Xuanzang presented a memorial to the emperor to build the grand Dayan Tower to store the Buddhist scripture he fetched from India. It was also a sanctum where he worked on the translation of the Buddhist scripture.

Mounting the grand Dayan Tower, looking into the distance while leaning on the handrail, you can see the whole ancient city of too many beautiful things, which makes you relaxed, happy and reluctant to leave.

Xian’s City Gate
After the establishment of the Ming dynasty in the 14th century, Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang began to enlarge the wall built initially during the Tang dynasty (618 -907), creating the modern Xian City Wall. It is China’s best preserved ancient city wall and one of the largest ancient military defensive systems in the world.

Shanghai

Pudong: Special Economic Zone
Pudong is bounded by the Huangpu river in the west and the East China Sea in the east. Located on the other side of the Bund, Pudong is the special Economic Zone. With a population of 1.5 million, Pudong has 13 residential districts and 28 townships under its jurisdiction. Its futuristic Oriental Pearl Tower, with a giddy height of 468 meters, stands as the world’s third tallest TV tower. The tower’s observation floor is 263 meters high and 45 meters in diameter. It is the best place to get a bird’s-eye view of Shanghai. It goes without saying that the skyscrapers and towers in Pudong have already come to symbolize Shanghai.

Shoppers’ paradise
Shanghai is a “paradise for shoppers”. The famous 5-km-long Nanjing Road, known as China’s No. 1 Street, is lined with more than 350 shops and department stores selling clothing, food and specialty goods. In the evening, the road is lit up with colourful neon signs. The newly-expanded Huaihai Road, Jingling Road East and Sichuan Road North are also busy commercial sections with hundreds of stores and shops selling all kinds of merchandise. For exotic shoppers, Yuyuan Bazaar offers all sorts of local products.