*Pandas, palaces and Pagodas

B: breakfast    L: lunch    D: dinner

Day 1 Beijing D
On arrival in Beijing transfer to the 5*Capital Hotel for three nights. Welcome dinner tonight.

Day 2 Beijing B/ L/ D
See Mao’s mausoleum and the Monument to he People’s Heroes in Tiananmen Square, then
walk across to the Forbidden City, home to China’s ‘celestial’emperors for over 500 years until the last
one was evicted in 1924. Tour the lavishly decorated chambers and halls that a million workers created,
then drive to Jingshan Park for panoramic views over Beijing. Enjoy a thrilling Kung Fu performance tonight.

Day 3 Beijing B/ L/ D
Walk along the Great Wall of China at its most dramatic but lesser-visited section, Mutianyu, where
22 watchtowers stand guard over the rugged terrain. Back in the city, stroll through the manicured
gardens of the Summer Palace and admire its painted long corridor, seventeen-arch bridge and
Marble Boat. Special Peking Duck dinner.

Day 4 Xian B/ L/ D
Visit the Temple of Heaven, the meeting point of Heaven and Earth designed according to the ancient principles of numerology and symbolism. Fly to Xian to stay two nights at the 4*New World Hotel.

Day 5 Xian B/ L/ D
Two centuries before Christ, China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, ordered the creation of an army
to guard his tomb here in China’s first capital, and 7,000 of these terracotta warriors, horses, chariots
and weapons were unearthed in the 1970s and are on display. Later climb onto Xian’s ancient city
walls, and tonight attend a special Tang dynasty music and dance show.

Day 6 Hangzhou B/ L/ D
At the Shaanxi Provincial Museum, China Holidays’ guests are allowed to touch some of the precious relics from Xian’s heyday as an imperial city. Fly to Hangzhou, a city described by Marco Polo as “beyond dispute the finest and noblest in the world”. Stay two nights at the 4* Best Western Meiyuan Hotel.

Day 7 Hangzhou B/ L/ D
Take a romantic cruise on West Lake with its landscaped banks, temples, pagoda and distant hills,
then visit a traditional pharmacy and an extravagant manor house that belonged to a prosperous 19th
century local businessman. Enjoy scenes from the olden days along Qinghefang Street.

Day 8 Suzhou B/ L/ D
Drive through the Yangtze Delta to Suzhou, famous for its waterways, silk, gardens and beautiful girls.
Visit the Silk Embroidery Institute to admire its skilled double-sided embroidery, and the Panmen
City Gate, the only land and water gate left in the world. Stay overnight at the 4*Bamboo Grove Hotel.

Day 9 Shanghai B/ L/ D
Learn about how the relationship between man and nature is expressed in Chinese landscaping at the
exquisite Garden of the Master of the Nets and the Humble Administrator’s Garden. Drive to Shanghai
for two nights at the 4Lansheng Hotel, and stroll along the famous Bund, once the richest and most
fashionable street in Asia.

Day 10 Shanghai B/ L/ D
Relax in the poetic surroundings of Yuyuan Garden, an oasis of calm in the city, see the white jade  tatues at the Jade Buddha Temple and at the Shanghai Museum, arguably China’s best, view superb displays of rare, ancient treasures. Later walk though the quaint and trendy district of Xintiandi and marvel at the skill and daring of acrobats at an exhilarating show.

Day 11 Yangtze Cruise B/ L/ D
Fly to Yichang to embark on an utterly memorable Yangtze River cruise, four nights aboard the luxurious
Century Sun. Unpack and settle into your spacious, comfortable cabin and from your private balcony
watch the lights of Yichang disappear as you slowly glide up the Yangtze.

Day 12 Yangtze Cruise B/ L/ D
See the extraordinary Three Gorges Dam this morning, a vast construction 7,761ft long across the river to create the world’s largest hydroelectric power plant. The Century Sun makes her way through the five giant shiplocks before cruising into the dramatically beautiful Xiling Gorge.

Day 13 Yangtze Cruise B/ L/ D
Explore one of the Yangtze’s tributaries, the Daning River, on a small boat through the lovely Lesser
Three Gorges, and an optional shore excursion later is to the temple of the White Emperor City. Back
on board, cruise through the mysterious and once notoriously dangerous Qutang and Wu Gorges.

Day 14 Yangtze Cruise B/ L/ D
Take a shore excursion at Fengdu, and enjoy the on-board activities and vistas of Qutang Gorge.

Day 15 Chengdu B/ L/ D
Disembark at Chongqing and drive to Chengdu via the spectacular rock carvings at Dazu, where
thousands of Buddha statues and stone pictures line mountain caves. At Chengdu stay two nights
at the 4*Tibet Hotel.

Day 16 Chengdu B/ L/ D
Get close to one of the world’s most adorable and endangered animals, at the Panda Research Base
where the current status and future of giant pandas is the of great concern. The base supports both
those animals living in the wild and also works on a successful breeding programme. Later, step back in
time as you walk along Kuanzhai Lanes, a quaint and colourful part of town, and attend an intriguing and
entertaining Sichuan ‘face-changing’Opera.

Day 17 Guilin B/ L/ D
Fly to Guilin for an overnight stay at the 4*Park Hotel.

Day 18 Yangshuo B/ L/ D
A day of wonder and romance begins with a cruise along the lovely Li River whose landscapes of cloudcapped karst mountains, sparkling waters and green rice fields have inspired painters and poets since time immemorial. At Yangshuo browse the intricate handicraft stalls at West Street, before enjoying the spectacular son et lumiere show of a tragic love story. Stay two nights at the 5Yangshuo Resort.

Day 19 Yangshuo B/ L/ D
Take a gentle walk along the Yulong River–a major tributary of Li River–through charming, rustic scenery, and climb the marble steps up Moon Hill later to peer through the natural crescent-shaped hole at the peak, down through the wreaths of mist to a stunning panorama of mountains and river.

Day 20 Beijing B/ L/ D
Fly from Guilin to Beijing, and then see off at Beijing Airport in Beijing.