( Kunming : The Stone Forest )

Day 1/Arrive in Beijing                                                              
Arrive in Beijing, the capital of China. Transfer to your comfortable hotel on arrival. (D)

Day 2/Beijing                                                                             
Begin the day's activity with a visit to Tian'anmen Square, the largest urban square in the world. Tian'anmen was built in 1417 and served as the entrance gate to the Imperial Palace. Move on to visit the Imperial Palace, well-known as Forbidden City which is the large scale construction of the palace extended from 1406 to 1420. It was the imperial palace during the Ming and Qing dynasties. 24 emperors lived and ruled China from here. Stop at the National Center for the Performing Arts, which adjacent to the Tian'anmen Square (No entry). In the afternoon, visit Temple of Heaven, built in 1420 A.D., which was originally the platform to offer sacrifices to Heaven during Ming and Qing Dynasties. The buildings and parklands reflect an ancient Chinese thought of "the Heaven is round and the earth is square". Enjoy Peking Duck for Dinner. (B,L,D)

Day 3/Beijing                                                                            
Today's highlight is the visit to the Great Wall, one of the "Seven Wonders of the World" and a symbol of Chinese civilization. Then, drive to visit the statue-lined Shenlu (Spirit Road) leading to the Ming Tombs, here you can see some marvelous stone sculptures. The Ming Tombs area is for 13 deceased emperors of the Ming Dynasty. Visit the Changling Tomb which is the largest of the 13 as you can imagine it is quite impressive. On the way back to hotel, stop at Olympic Park and outside view the National Stadium (Bird's Nest, no entry) and the National Aquatics Center (Water Cube, no entry), which are the main stadium of the 29th Olympiad in 2008. (B,L,D)

Day 4/Beijing                                                                            
Visit the enchanting Summer Palace, the largest and best-preserved imperial garden in China. As a masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design, it integrates the natural landscape of hills and open water with manmade features such as pavilions, halls, palaces, temples and bridges into a harmonious and aesthetically exceptional whole. In the afternoon, you will visit the Yonghe Lama Temple, the largest and most perfectly preserved Tibetan Buddhist Lama Temple outside Tibet. It was built in 1649 as the residence of Prince Yong of Qing Dynasty, and was converted to a temple after he became Emperor moving to Forbidden City. (B,L,D)

Day 5/Beijing-Xi'an                                                                 
After a relaxed breakfast at hotel this morning, you will walk through some old "Hutongs", lanes or alleys formed by lines of Siheyuan (a compound with houses around a courtyard). Fly to Xi'an, served as an ancient capital beyond compare. In the afternoon, climb the ancient City Wall, actually built on the fortifications of Tang Forbidden City, standing 12 meters high, 12-14 meters across the top, 15-18 meters thick at the bottom, 13.7 meter in length with a deep moat surrounding it. It is the most complete city wall that has survived in China, as well being one of the largest ancient military defensive systems in the world. Then, visit Forest of Steles Museum, with 900 years of history, it 3,000 pieces of the earliest stone steles of different periods, from the Han Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty. (B,L,D)

Day 6/Xi'an                                                                              
Begin the day's activity with an once-in-a-lifetime viewing of the extraordinary Terracotta Warriors and Horses, 2,200-year-old underground army of he first feudal Emperor, Qin Shihuang. Life size terracotta figures of warriors and horses arranged in battle formations are the star features at the museum. Stop to visit a mountain village on the back way. After lunch, pay a visit to Big Wild Goose Pagoda, originally built in 652 A.D. in Tang Dynasty (618-907A.D.), it functioned to collect large volume of Buddhist scriptures that were taken from India by the eminent monk of Xuanzang. (B,L,D)

Day 7/Xi'an-Chengdu                                                             
Take a morning flight to Chengdu, the regional capital of Sichuan Province, is always praised as the Tian Fu Zhi Guo (Storehouse of the Heaven). It is the habitat of Giant Panda, as well as known as "wonderful world of nature". Pay a visit to Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, a non-profit organization for the study and protection of the giant panda, situated on the Axe Hill 10km from the north suburb of Chengdu City. (B,L.D)

Day 8/Chengdu-Leshan-Mt. Emei                                         
Today's highlight is to visit Leshan Giant Buddha, said to be the biggest Buddha statue in the world. The Giant Buddha statue, carved on the mountain, stands 71 m high, with its back against Jiuding Mountain and facing the confluence of the Minjiang, Dadu and Qingyi rivers. There are more than 90 stone carvings and Buddhist shrines on both sides of the Giant Buddha. Then, head for Mt. Emei, a lush and tall sacred mountain dotted with twenty active temples and monasteries linked by hundreds of thousands of stairs.(B,L,D)

Day 9/Mt. Emei-Chengdu                                                      
After breakfast, visit Baoguo Temple, built against the mountain terrain. Then, you will go to Golden Summit of Mt. Emei by cable car, sightseeing the Golden Summit and enjoy the cloud sea. Its main peak, the Golden Summit, is 3099 meters (about 3389 yards) above the sea level, seemingly reaching the sky. Standing on the top of it, you can enjoy the snowy mountains in the west and the vast plain in the east. Then, drive back to Chengdu. (B,L,D)

Day10/Chengdu-Kunming                                                     
Fly to Kunming in the morning, which is known as "The City of Eternal Spring", indeed a well-known site for sightseeing and a summer resort. Drive to visit Dragon Gate, the magnificent scenic place in Western Hill. A stone archway was built at the entrance with the inscription Dragon Gate at the top. The view of Dianchi Lake below is a thrilling sight from this breathtaking building on the cliff. Then, Yuantong Temple, at the foot of Yuantong Hill in the northern part of Kunming. With a history of more than 1200 years, Yuantong Temple is the grandest and one of the most important and active Buddhist temples in Kunming. Many people gather here to participate in Buddhist ceremonies on the 1st and 15th of each lunar month. Walk along the Flower and Bird Market at Jingming Street is an interesting places either for a leisurely stroll or to purchase some lovely things. (B,L,D)

Day11/Kunming-Stone Forest (Shilin)-Kunming              
Today's highlight is to visit Stone Forest. The Stone Forest is in Lunan Yi Nationality, which is about 120km from Kunming. This area offers visitors a unique landscape of stark limestone pillars twisted and sculpted by wind and water erosion some 270 million year ago. From a distance, these stone pillars look indeed like a dense forest; hence the name of Stone Forest. It covers an area of 350 square kilometers, yet only about 11.92 square kilometers have been developed as scenic landscape open to the public. Then, drive back to Kunming for overnight. (B,L,D)

Day12/Kunming-Guilin                                                         
After breakfast, pay a visit to Kunming Municipal Museum, a local comprehensive museum with an area of 5,000 sq meters. The exhibitions in the five regular halls are Dinosaur Fossil Exhibition, Bronze Culture Exhibition, Sutra Exhibition of Dizang Temple and Kunming City Exhibition. Fly to Guilin in the afternoon, one of China's top attractive destinations. Transfer to the hotel on arrival. (B,L,D)

Day13/Guilin-Yangshuo-Guilin                                           
Today's highlight is the cruise down the Li River, stretching 83km waterway from Guilin to Yangshuo, which is the masterpiece of Li River, decorating with rolling hills, steep cliffs, fantastic caves, leisurely boats and lined bamboos. The cruise will give you a chance to savor the lovely view of the area's extraordinary limestone peaks. The cruise ends in Yangshuo. Visit local markets. Then, drive back to Guilin. (B,L,D)

Day14/Guilin-Hangzhou                                                      
Take sightseeing of the beautiful Fubo Hill, well known as the wonderland on wave with its exquisite peak rising high and its foot half in water and half on land. Then, visit Seven-Star Park which was named after the tale that the seven peaks of Mountain Qixing (Seven Star) were the seven stars in the north sky falling down to the earth. Hills, rivers, caves and stones are highlights of this park. Check out the Elephant Trunk Hill, situated majestically on the western bank of Li River, resembling an elephant sucking water from the river with its long trunk. Take afternoon flight to Hangzhou, another ancient capital city in southern China, which is famous for its natural beauty and historical and cultural heritages.(B,L,D)

Day 15/Hangzhou                                                               
Ancient Chinese people praised the West Lake area as a land of intoxicating beauty. "Ripping water shimmering on sunny day; Misty mountains shrouded the rain; Plain or gaily decked out like Xizi; West Lake is always alluring.", was composed by the famous Song Dynasty poet Su Dongpo (960-1127) to describe its beauty. Today's highlight is to appreciate the incomparably lovely West Lake with its soaring bridges and flower-bright islets. Enjoy a boat ride on West Lake. Visit the Huagang Park (Flower Harbor Park), the most attractive waterside park. Enjoy a walk along the Su Causeway that is spanned with six bridges offering different views, the willows tossing among blooming peach flowers in spring. You will also visit Tea Museum showing the history and production of Chinese tea. Then, move on to visit the Meijiawu Tea House, the tea village of famous Dragon's Well Tea. (B,L,D)

Day16/Hangzhou-Suzhou                                                  
Visit Huqingyutang, a pharmacy shop and museum of traditional Chinese medicine. Huqingyutang and Tongrentang in Beijing are the two most famous stores of traditional Chinese medicines in China, one in the south and the other in the north. Then, pay a visit Former Residence of Hu Xueyan, who set up Huqingyutang Drugstore and was called "the medicine king in south of the Yangtze River", boasts 13 towers, Zhiyuan Garden, pavilions, terraces, a small bridge over a flowing stream and bright verandas, all ingeniously designed. Ride a train to Suzhou, known as "Venice in the East". (B,L,D)

Day17/Suzhou                                                                    
Take a morning train (or by bus) to Suzhou, known as "Venice in the East". Pay a visit to Lingering Garden, renowned for the artistic way in which the spaces between various kinds of architectural forms are dealt with, and Garden of the Master of the Nets, the smallest of the Suzhou residential gardens, the most impressive because of its use of space which creates the illusion of an area that is much greater than its actual size. Then, pay a visit to New Suzhou Museum, the last design of Mr. I. M. Pei in his career. It is not only a public construction symbol in Suzhou, but also an innovative mark bridging Chinese architectural culture from the tradition to the future. Prompting the protection of Suzhou cultural heritage, the new museum also has turned a new page for Suzhou Museum. Grand Canal of China is the world's oldest and longest man-made canal. Enjoy a boat on the Grand Canal reveals the traditional way of lift for the people who have lived here for generations. China's emperors took such route many times to inspect their territory and people in the South, leaving lots of legends and stories in the history. (B,L,D)

Day18/Suzhou-Shanghai                                                 
Take a morning train to Shanghai, known as "Paris in the East". Visit the Bund in the morning, at the west shore of the Huangpu River, the splendid row of early 20th century Europe buildings remains the quintessential Shanghai sight. Pay a visit to Yuyuan Garden, a well-restored Suzhou-style garden, which was specially built for Pan's parents as a place to enjoy themselves a tranquil and happy time in their old age. The pavilions, halls, rockeries, ponds and cloisters are unique characteristic. And also take a walk through Chenghuangmiao (known as Yuyuan Garden Market) built in the fifteenth century during the Ming Dynasty. It filled with antique markets and specialty stores. Enjoy a fabulous Acrobatic Show in the evening. (B,L,D)

Day19/Shanghai                                                              
This morning, you will visit Shanghai Museum, a leading attraction of the city since it opened in 1994, containing some priceless collections of paintings, porcelains and bronzes. Then, move on to visit Xujiahui Cathedral (St. Ignatius Cathedral), Shanghai's great cathedral, opened by the Jesuits who'd had a church here as early as 1608 (today's structure dates to 1910). Proceed to visit Jade Buddha Temple, built in 1882 to keep two jade Buddha statues which had been brought from Burma by a monk named Huigen. The two precious jade Buddha statues, one sitting Buddha and one Recumbent Buddha, are carved with whole white jade. Some free time is for you to explore the city. (B,L,D)

Day20/Leave from Shanghai                                         
Transfer to the airport and board on your homebound flight. TOUR ENDS! (B)

Note: B-Breakfast  L-Lunch  D-Dinner

Hotel List (or the same standard) & Price:                                                                                                   

Following price is based on private China tour, why to choose our private tour:
√ Travel with private van and guide
√ Flexible to customize your China Tour
√ Flexible departure date, whenever you want

 4-star hotel:

Price in standard room, with 2 person in 1 double room: USD--pp

 3-star hotel:

Price in standard room, with 2 person in 1 double room: USD--pp

Included:
- Twin sharing accommodation with buffet breakfast
- Domestic fights in economic class with airport tax: Beijing-Xi'an, Xi'an-Chengdu, Chengdu-Kunming, Kunming-Guilin, Guilin-Hangzhou
- Train tickets (overnight train with soft sleeper, daytime train with soft seat): Hangzhou-Suzhou, Suzhou-Shanghai
- Lunch and Dinner as mentioned in the itinerary in local good restaurant
- (first) Entrance fee mentioned in the itinerary
- Individual English speaking guide (No private guide on the Yangtze Cruise)
- All Transfers specified in the itinerary by air-conditioned van

Excluded:
- International flight and airport tax
- China Entry Visa
- Tips, personal expenses
- Single room supplement
- Transfer, guide service for "day at leisure"
- Guide service during the plane, train or cruise

*  High season: May, Sep & Oct 2009 (Nov in Shanghai) 
* Shoulder season: Mar, Apr, Jun 01 - Aug 31 & Nov 2009
*  Low season: Dec 2009, Jan, Feb 2010