Itinerary

Key: B-Breakfast, L-Lunch, D-Dinner, SD-Beijing Roast Duck Dinner, SL-Homemade Lunch

Day 1 – Depart Home for Beijing, China
Meet and greet at the airport and transferred to your hotel. Revel in the amazing city lights on your trip. Be sure to get plenty of rest for the next day.

Day 2 – Beijing: Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, 2008 Olympics Games Sites (Hotel B, L, D)

• Tiananmen Square: the world's largest public square.
• The Forbidden City: a vast complex of halls, temples and housing which make up the former residence of Chinese emperors for over five centuries.
• Beijing National Stadium: home to the 2008 Olympic Games sites. The stadium showcases the world's largest structure built of steel.
• Chinese Tea Ceremony: learn about traditional Chinese tea culture.
• Dinner: a delicious Peking duck dinner at one of Beijing's most prestigious restaurants.

Day 3 – More Beijing: Great Wall of China, Jade Factory, Capital Museum (Hotel B, L) 

• Great Wall of China: one of the seven wonders of world. The Great Wall extends across mountains and valleys for more than 3,000 miles.
• Jade Factory: learn about Chinese jade and traditional culture.
• The Capital Museum: contains over 200,000 cultural relics in its collection.
• Optional evening entertainment: acrobatic show.

Day 4 – More Beijing: Temple of Heaven, Silk Factory, Rickshaw Tour, Summer Palace (Hotel B, L, D)

• Temple of Heaven: start your day with a Tai Chi lesson then capture the detailed essence of the rich colours blended together on the hand painted tiles and roofing structure of the temple.
• Silk Factory: learn about Chinese silk history. Silk fabric was first developed in ancient China with some of the earliest examples found as early as 3500BC.
• Rickshaw Tour of Hutong: the amazing grey brick courtyard residence is Beijing's oldest and remains infused with timeless culture and history. Visit a local family for a warming meal in their residence.
• Summer Palace: China's best preserved and largest imperial garden.
• Optional evening entertainment: kung fu show.

Day 5 – Beijing to Xi'an (B)
A free day to explore the city before taking a night train to Xi'an. Places you can visit:

• Lama Temple: one of the largest and most important Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in the world, combining Han Chinese and Tibetan styles of artwork.
• Beijing Zoo: best known for its collection of rare animals such as the Giant Pandas.

Day 6 – Xi'an (B, L, D)
Arrive in Xi’an in the morning.

• Big Wild Goose Pagoda: regarded as the landmark of Xi’an. As ancient Chinese dynasties expanded their territories to the west, many Buddhist scriptures, monks and envoys began visiting China. The temple was built for scholars to translate the scriptures into Chinese and became a holy place for pilgrimages. The courtyard behind the pagoda tells many great stories of Buddhist envoys.
• Provincial Museum: See archaeological excavations of the Xi’an area, covering periods from the Neolithic Age 20,000 - 8,000 years ago to the glorious dynasties of 980AD.

Day 7 – Xi'an: Terracotta Warriors, Ancient City Wall (B, L, D)

• Terracotta Warriors: you will be given ample time to exhibit the warriors belonging to the era of the infamous Emperor Qin Shihuang. It was discovered in 1974 when a farmer was digging for water, who came across one of the biggest discoveries of the world. It has led to massive excavations of an army of over 7,000 life-size Terracotta Warriors and horses moulded by clay. You will get to explore the vast sea of clay warriors in all three vaults.
• Ancient City Wall: the wall represents one of the oldest and best preserved Chinese city walls. Construction of the first city wall of Chang'an began in 194BCE and lasted four years.

Day 8 – Farewell to China (B, in-flight meal)
Depart Xi’an on a flight back to Beijing where you will be transferred to Beijing Capital airport for your scheduled flight home.