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Tour Code: WYC
Tour Length: 13 days
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MAGICAL CHINA & THE YANGTZE RIVER
Day 1 - (Tue.) Board your transpacific flight. Day 2 - Arrive in Shanghai, China. (Wed.) Welcome to China's most populous city and center of trade and industry. Hotel rooms are available for immediate check-in. Day 3 - Shanghai. (Thu.) Full day of sightseeing. Stroll along the Bund, the city's riverfront boulevard lined with historic buildings, housing, banks, and trade houses. You - ll visit a SILK FACTORY and experience the YU YUAN GARDENS. Enjoy lunch in a local restaurant and visit the CHILDREN'S PALACE, one of China's famous kindergartens. Your Tour Director will host a WELCOME DINNER tonight as you meet your traveling companions. This evening, you - ll be amazed at the fabulous ACROBATIC SHOW. (B,L,D) Day 4 - Shanghai - Yichang (Embarkation)"Yangtze River Cruise. (Fri.) Visit the SHANGHAI MUSEUM before flying to Yichang. Board the Victoria Anna for a 4-night cruise through the breathtaking Three Gorges of the Yangtze. (B,D) Day 5 - The Three Gorges Dam Site. (Sat.) This morning, visit the Three Gorges Dam site, where the Chinese progress toward building the largest dam of its kind in the world. After lunch, sail through the Three Gorges ship locks and the Xiling Gorge. (B,L,D) Day 6 - Shennong Stream or Daning River. (Sun.) This morning, disembark for a BOAT EXCURSION down either the Daning River or Shennong Stream, depending on conditions. After lunch, head upstream through the Qutang Gorge, the shortest but most dramatic gorge, and the Wu Gorge, known for its quiet beauty and forest-covered mountains. You can nearly touch the perpendicular walls rising from the riverbanks as your captain negotiates this narrow gap. (B,L,D) Day 7 - Wanxian or Shibaozhai or Fengdu. (Mon.) Depending on river conditions, one of the following shore excursions will be offered: Wanxian, "Gateway to Eastern Szechuan Province," where you will see an acrobatic show, market, and possibly a school; Shibaozhai, with its 400-year-old, 12-story red wooden pagoda perched high on a cliff side; or Fengdu, where you - ll visit Snow Jade Cave. (B,L,D) Day 8 - Chongqing (Disembarkation)"Xi - an. (Tue.) Bid farewell to your ship's crew upon arrival in Chongqing, China's capital during World War II. The city is high on a hill overlooking the Jialing and Yangtze Rivers. Visit a local zoo to see pandas before boarding your flight to the city of Xi - an in central China. (B,L,D) Day 9 - Xi - an. (Wed.) One of the largest and wealthiest cities in the world when China dominated the silk trade, Xi - an today is an archaeological treasure-trove. Sightseeing begins with a visit to the nearby DAYAN PAGODA, built in 652 A.D. Then learn to write like a local during a traditional Chinese CALLIGRAPHY CLASS. During lunch, enjoy a NOODLE-MAKING DEMONSTRATION by a master chef and learn how Chinese noodles are made by hand. In 1974, the enormous tomb of China's first emperor, Qin Shi Huangdi, was accidentally discovered by local farmers. Marvel at the legion of TERRACOTA WARRIORSthat has been guarding the burial site for 2,000 years. This evening, enjoy "The Tang Dynasty" DINNER SHOW, featuring a colorful assemblage of classical performances. (B,L,D) Day 10 - Xi - an - Beijing. (Thu.) This morning, visit Xi - an's South Gate; you may even see some locals practicing their morning Tai Chi. Visit a LACQUER WORKSHOP before flying to Beijing, China's capital city. Enjoy a rickshaw ride through one of Beijing's HUTONGS, the city's ancient alleys. During this visit, you - re welcomed into the courtyard of a family's home, a daycare center, and a retirement community to experience life in this historic neighborhood. (B,L) Day 11 - Beijing. (Fri.) Your full-day sightseeing starts with a visit to the FORBIDDEN CITY and its IMPERIAL PALACE, once the home of China's great emperors. Nearby is 100-acre TIAN - ANMEN SQUARE, the largest public square in the world. Enjoy lunch in a local restaurant and continue to the former SUMMER PALACE, a complex of pavilions, temples, and galleries set among beautifully landscaped grounds and situated on Kunming Lake. Tonight, experience local culture at the PEKING OPERA, including a behind-the-scenes look at the colorful make-up being applied to the performers. (B,L,D) Day 12 - Beijing. (Sat.) The GREAT WALL OF CHINA once stretched 4,000 miles across China's barren northern terrain from the Bohai Sea to the Gobi Desert. Head north to a village where the Great Wall is well preserved and walk along the wall to enjoy sweeping vistas of this mammoth fortress. Then visit a CLOISONNE WORKSHOP, where you will see local artisans use the techniques of this ancient art form to turn pieces of copper into colorful decorative items. After lunch in a local restaurant, take a leisurely walk down the SACRED WAY of the Ming Tombs and marvel at the impressive hand-carved stone statues. This evening is the perfect finale to a great touring adventure as you - re hosted to a special Peking Duck FAREWELL DINNER. (B,L,D) Day 13 - (Sun.) Your homebound flight arrives the same day. (B) |
