Post-Tour (Itinerary 2: 1-5 June, Beijing – Xian – Shanghai)
June 1 Departure from hotel to airport and morning flight to Xian Arrival in Xian, welcome by our guide and transfer to Grand Castle Hotel (5 star) Lunch in local restaurant Afternoon tour to Big Wild Goose Pagoda, City Wall, Provincial Museum Tang Dynasty Dinner show June 2 Full day tour to Terracotta Warriors and Banpo Museum Lunch in Museum Restaurant Dumpling Dinner June 3 Departure for airport and morning flight to Shanghai Arrival in Shanghai, welcome by our guide and transfer to Guangdong Hotel Shanghai (5 star) Full day tour to Yu Garden, Old Town and Shanghai Museum Lunch and dinner in a local Chinese restaurant Acrobatic show June 4 Full day tour to the bund, Oriental VT Tower, Jade Buddha Temple Shopping at a silk carpet factory and Nanjing Road Dinner and lunch in a local restaurant June 5 Departure transfer to airport (by own air tickets to home) Package price: US$906/per person with single supplement US$200/per person The above price includes: - All-round transfers and sightseeing tours with English speaking guide, - Hotel accommodation with daily buffet breakfast - Daily lunch and dinner in each city - Tang Dynasty show in Xian, Acrobatic show in Shanghai - Economic air fare Beijing/Xian/Shanghai - Admission fee to the sightseeing tours as indicated in the itinerary The above price excludes: - Air fare to and from China - Personal expenses in each city - Mini-bar in the hotel room - Tipping for guide and driver Tour will start with minimum 2 people.
Xian Terracotta Army
The Terracotta Warriors and Horses are the most significant archeological excavations of the 20th century. It is a sight not to be missed by any visitor to China. Upon ascending the throne at the age of 13 (in 246 BC), Qin Shi Huang, later the first Emperor of all China, had work begun on his mausoleum. It took 11 years to finish. Life size terracotta figures of warriors and horses arranged in battle formations are the star features at the museum. They are replicas of what the imperial guard was supposed to look like in those days of pomp and vigor.
The State Council authorized to build a museum on site in 1975. When completed, people from far and near came to visit. Xian and the Museum of Qin Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses have become landmarks on all travelers' itinerary.
Banpo Museum
Banpo Museum is located in the east of Xian and is the site of a village that dates back around 6,000 years to the Neolithic era, which is known as the Yangshao Culture in China. The site was discovered in 1953 and covers an area of approximately 50,000 sq meters. Excavations revealed 45 houses, pottery, kilns, a burial ground, grain stores and tool stores. Banpo is considered to be one of the best examples of an agricultural community of this era anywhere in the world. It is claimed that the residents of this ancient village lived in a matriarchal community where the women organized everything from the hunting and farming to the building of the village and digging the defensive moats that protected the wellplanned community. Other relics uncovered at the site include examples of the pottery of this era and over 10,000 tools and household utensils.
Huaqing Hot Springs
Huaqing Hot Spring is situated 30 kilometers east of Xian at the foot of the Lishan Hills. The Springs were a popular retreat for Emperors more than 2500 years ago, many of whom enjoyed bathing in the perfectly clear mineral water. Today this is a favorite site for Chinese tourists. And the history behind the area is very vivid and colorful. Today, visitors can bathe in the 43 degree C water. There is a "Hot Springs Bathhouse" which is rather like a private bathroom in a five star hotel.
Shanxi Provincial History Museum
Located inside the Confucian Temple of Taiyuan City, is a local comprehensive museum of China. It was prepared in 1918 and opened to the public in 1919. Its initial name was the Educational Book Museum of Shanxi Province. Then it was changed successively into the People's Education Hall of Shanxi Province in 1933, the Book Museum of Shanxi Province in 1949, and was finalized as the Shanxi Provincial Museum when combined with the Relics Hall of Taiyuan City in 1953.The first Han (206 B.C.-220 A.D.) emperors built upon the foundations of the Qin and expanded their territory enormously. Unlike the Qin, however, they allowed the cultures of the new territories to remain intact and encouraged trade and commerce among the various parts of the empire. One envoy reached India, but the ruling king of India thought it impractical to form a defensive alliance at such a distance. Instead, a multinational trade agreement emerged, for when the envoy returned to Xian with detailed reports of the western states, he was sent back with a large delegation and items to trade. Silk was an immediate hit. (Over time, silk exports reached as far as Rome, where it was a highly valued commodity.)
Bronze chariot and horses
The bronze chariots and horses were the earliest and most exquisitely made bronze valuables. They enjoy the highest class
and have the most complete harnessing wares. They are also the largest bronze ware discovered in the history of world archaeology. The excavation of the bronze chariots and horses provides extremely valuable material and data for the textual research of the metallurgical technique, the mechanism of chariots and technological modelling of the Qin Dynasty.
Big Wild Goose Pagoda
As the symbol of the old-line Xian, Big Wild Goose Pagoda is a well-preserved ancient building and a holy place for Buddhists. It is located in the southern suburb of Xian City, about 4 kilometers (2.49 miles) from downtown. Standing in the Da Ci'en Temple complex, it attracts numerous visitors for its fame in the Buddhist religion, its simple but appealing style of construction, and its new square in front of the temple. It is rated as a National Key Cultural Relic Preserve as well as an AAAA Tourist Attraction.
City Wall of Xi’an
When Zhu Yuanzhang, the first Emperor of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), captured Huizhou, a hermit named Zhu Sheng admonished him that he should "built high walls, store abundant food supplies and take time to be an Emperor," so that he could fortify the city and unify the other states. After the establishment of the Ming dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang followed his advice and began to enlarge the wall built initially during the old Tang dynasty (618 -907), creating the modern Xian City Wall. It is the most complete city wall that has survived in China, as well one of the largest ancient military defensive systems in the world.
Xi’an Grand Castle Hotel http://www.anahotelxian.com/
The hotel is conveniently located only 40 minutes by car from Xian International Airport. Facing the South Gate of the old city wall, the hotel's distinctive appearance, modeled after Xian's ancient Big Goose Pagoda, harmonizes perfectly with the surrounding square and the Ming Dynasty wall inside. The hotel's modern design, advanced facilities, and superlative service allow you to experience the flavor of Xian’s unique Chinese lifestyle in comfort. The hotel has 340 guestrooms and suites which are luxuriously decorated and very comfortable. The hotel has numerous restaurants which serve mouthwatering Chinese, Western and Japanese food.
Shanghai Shanghai Museum
Located in the center of Shanghai in People's Square, Shanghai Museum is a large museum of ancient Chinese art. The museum style and presentation surround visitors with artifacts demonstrating ancient wisdom and philosophy. The exterior design of the round dome and the square base symbolizes the ancient idea of a round heaven and a square land. Shanghai Museum possesses a collection of 120,000 precious works of art. Its rich and high-quality collection of ancient Chinese bronze, ceramics, painting and calligraphy is specially celebrated in the world.
The Oriental Pearl Tower
The Oriental Pearl Tower stands by the bank of Huangpu River. It is in the center of Lujiazui, opposite of the Bund, which is famous for its grand buildings of various architectural styles. The tower is 468 meters high. It is the highest TV Tower in Asia and is the third highest one in the world. The designers magically set the eleven beautiful spheres of various sizes up from the green grassland to the blue sky with two giant spheres shining like two rubies. The whole design is rich in poetic and pictorial splendor, which gives the tourists the impression that pearls of various sizes are dropping onto the emerald plate.
The Bund of Shanghai
The Bund is 1.5 kilometers long in total from Waibaidu Bridge in the north to East Jinling Road in the south. It runs along the Huangpu River on the east side, while its west side is aligned with 52 tall buildings of various styles: Gothic, baroque etc., from where the Western Powers exercised control over Shanghai's politics, economy, as well as culture in old China. The basic style of these architectures is identical and the overall outlines are in total harmony. Viewing them from afar or strolling among them, one is invariably impressed by their magnificence and grandeur. This "Display of Multi-national Architectures" has become a symbol of Shanghai. At nightfall, when all the artistic lights decorating the buildings at the Bund are switched on, a myriad of crystal palaces appear, setting each other off, along with the TV Tower of the Oriental Pearl at the eastern bank of the Huangpu River. Tourists are mesmerized by the view.
Jade Buddha Temple
Jade Buddha Temple is the most famous Buddhist temple in Shanghai. Built in 1881, the temple is located at eh intersection of Anyuan road and Jiangning Road. It is called Jade Buddha because it contains two Buddha statues carved out of white jade. Rebuilt in 1918, the temple consists of the Amitabha Hall (Mituodian), the Grand Hall (Daxiongbaodian), the Hall of Three Sages (Sanshengdian), and the Jade Buddha Tower (Yufolou). The lastmentioned is located in a courtyard, and visitors must exchange their street shoes for a pair of clean slippers before entry is allowed. Inside the central alcove is a sitting statue of the Jade Buddha, 1.9 meters in height, radiant, and solemn. In the story below is the recumbent Buddha, carved out of white jade; lying on a wooden couch and supporting his head with one hand, he keeps his eyes open and looks serene. According to legends, both statues were shipped to Shanghai from Burma by the monks of Mount Putuo.
Yu
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Located south of the Bund, the old Chinese city was a walled fishing town when the British arrived in 1843. Modern Shanghai grew up around it. It used to be a maze of tiny alleys, but the streets have been widened in recent years and are crowded with tourists. At the center of the Old City are the Chenghuang Temple and the Yu Garden, in which stands the Huxining Teahouse, said to be the model for the design on the willow-pattern plates much loved by Europeans in another era. The Bridge of Nine Turns zigzags to make it difficult for evil spirits to get
across (since, as is well known, evil spirits have problems with corners). The Yu Garden is a classical Chinese garden with over 30 pavilions linked by a maze of corridors and bridges over ponds.
City God Temple
Located next to the Yu Garden and also known today as the Yu Garden Market, the City God Temple was built in the fifteenth century during the Ming Dynasty. Originally a temple built to honor the Han statesman Huo Guang (68 B.C.), it is a busy market today, specializing in traditional arts and crafts. Outside, however, it still looks like a temple. One hundred years ago, as more and more pilgrims came to worship in the temple, many peddlers began to open shops near the City God Temple. Slowly, a popular, old-fashioned market came about. Today, around the temple and in a circumference of one-third of a mile there are more than one hundred small shops and restaurants, and the products they sell number 16,000 or more. Shanghai residents enjoy shopping here; they can find things unobtainable elsewhere and they dine at their favorite restaurants.
Guangdong
Hotel
Shanghai
http://www.gdhhotels.com/ Guangdong Hotel (Shanghai) is located on Yi Xian Road, Dabaishu Industry & Trading Center in Shanghai, adjacent to the prestigious universities, such as Fudan, Tongji and Shanghai international studies university. The Dabaishu area is one of the 12 commercial zones in Shanghai, where conveniently linked by track line 3 and inner elevated ring road. It is a 15 minutes ride to the Bund and the downtown area. The hotel is a 26 stories building with 338 rooms. The European-style rooms bring you passion and romance, where the Japanese-style rooms remind you the
tranquility found
in
nature.