14-Day Small-Group China Tour: Beijing, Xi'an, Guilin, Yangtze Cruise, Shanghai

This morning, your tour guide will pick up you at the hotel and take you to visit Tiananmen Square. You will see what the biggest urban city square in the world looks like.

From the Tiananmen Square, you will enter the Imperial Palace, also known as the Forbidden City to explore its fascinating halls and pavilions. Here, you will not only learn how the emperor handled political affairs and lived their lives, but appreciate numerous ancient art treasures. At noon, an a la carte welcome lunch will be served at a superb local restaurant, where you can have a taste of authentic Chinese food and the most famous Peking Roast Duck.

In the afternoon, visit the Yonghe Temple, a solemn imperial lamasery that has survived over 300 years intact and features a blend of Han, Mongolian, and Tibetan architecture.

At last, you will see the Temple of Heaven, with its unique architecture, where the emperors worshipped the heavens in hopes of good harvests.

This morning you will be taken to Mutianyu Great Wall to experience at first hand the wonder of the Great Wall. The round-trip cable car will be arranged. Standing on the wall and looking at it stretching up and down into boundless distance is an exciting experience and will leave you a life-long memory. To celebrate and commemorate this moment, we specially provide red wine for a group-toasting on the Great Wall.

In the afternoon, on the way back you will have a photo stop at the Olympic National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest.

After seeing giant pandas in the morning, you will visit the Summer Palace - the largest existing imperial garden with a graceful landscape and magnificent constructions.

The visit to the Terracotta Army will begin your day's journey. In the museum, there are three excavated pits displaying amazing warrior figures and Chinese ancient weapons. Afterwards, take a family visit to the home of the first discoverer of the Terracotta Army. And then make a mini clay warrior by yourself with the help of a local artisan.

In the afternoon, you will the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, which was built in the Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD) to store the Buddhist scriptures brought from ancient India.

The day begins with a leisure visit to the City Wall Park, where you can observe the day-to-day life of the locals. You may also practice Tai Chi with the master. Tai Chi, a soft form of Chinese martial arts, is considered the quintessential Chinese culture. After that, you will pay a visit to the City Wall. It is the most complete existing urban fortification in China. Cycling on the ancient wall is an exciting experience that many people like to try (bike rental fee is not included).

The Great Mosque in Xi'an is one of the oldest, largest and best-preserved Islamic mosques in China.

Then you will have a special lunch at the lively Muslim Quarter and try some local food.

This morning, you will take a flight to Guilin and your local guide will meet you at the airport and take you to the hotel for check in.

Your Guilin sightseeing starts with the famous Reed Flute Cave, which is a 240 meter karst cave that has various shapes of stalactites and stalagmites.

Take a cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo. Li River is the essence of landscape in this area, especially the section from Guilin to Yangshuo, which is reputed as 'A Hundred Miles Gallery'. The cruise ship will arrive at Yangshuo in about 4.5 hours.

After breakfast, you will disembark for an excursion to the Three Gorges Dam. Before that, you should pack your luggage and complete check-out procedures.

After finishing the excursion, the cruise ship company will drive you to the Three Gorges Tourist Center in Yichang city. Your local guide will meet you there and then see you off at Yichang East Railway Station for a bullet train to Shanghai.

This morning, you will visit one of the four largest museums in China, Shanghai Museum, which specializes in exhibiting art works from ancient times.

After that, explore Yu Garden and its nearby traditional bazaar. The symbol of the Garden is the Nine Zigzag Bridge built of granite and grass-white jade and the quaint, elegant mid-lake pavilion. Then an a la carte lunch is arranged for you at a local famous restaurant.

And then go to the thriving Bund area. Take a one-hour cruise along the Hungpu River - the mother river of Shanghai. As the symbol and a microcosm of the city, the river has witnessed the glory, humiliation, despair and prosperity of Shanghai.