Day 1   Depart USA
Board your flight today bound for Beijing.   En route you cross the International Date Line.
Included Meals: Inflight Meals

Day 2    Beijing
Arrive in Beijing and meet your local guide and transfer to your hotel. Relax and enjoy remainder of the day in China’s historic and vibrant capital city. Your hotel is located in the heart of Beijing’s Wanfujing Shopping Street, just few steps away from Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City and many major tourist sites.
Hotel: Beijing Joy City Hotel  
Included Meals: Dinner

Day 3    Beijing
Tour Beijing’s imperial treasures. First, Tian’anmen Square, the largest public square in the world, capable of holding one million people. Stroll across its vast expanse. An assortment of historical buildings, Communist monuments and huge museums, including Chairman Mao’s Mausoleum, the Monument to the People’s Heroes, and the Great Hall of the People – home of the National People’s Congress, flank the Square. Walk through the Gate of Heavenly Peace, under the famed portrait of Chairman Mao, to enter the Forbidden City, a 9,999-room compound, where the 24 emperors of the Ming and the Qing Dynasties ruled the Middle Kingdom for nearly 500 years (1420-1911). Experience the architectural splendor of the palaces, ceremonial courtyards and private quarters. Lunch at a local restaurant. Then tour the idyllic Summer Palace, with its sprawling encampment of temples, pavilions, the marble boat, and the 728-yard Long Corridor. Enjoy a boat ride on Kunming Lake. Today, you also tour the “Bird Nest” – the main stadium of 2008 Summer Olympics. Dinner is followed by Peking Opera with face painting demonstration
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
    
Day 4     Beijing
Visit the Temple of Heaven; this remarkable building is considered the supreme achievement of traditional Chinese architecture. During each winter solstice, the Ming and Qing emperors would perform rites and make sacrifices to Heaven praying for good harvest for their empire. The most striking edifice is the “Hall of Prayer of Good Harvests”, which according to the emperor’s Fengshui masters, is the exact point where heaven and Earth met. Built in 1420, this masterpiece of Ming architecture, features triple eaves, dramatically carved marble balustrades, and gorgeous glazed azure roof that symbolizes the color of heaven. Built without a single nails, this 120-foot-high structure is fixed by four inner pillars represent the seasons, and two sets of 12 columns denote the months and the traditional Chinese division of a day. Take a scenic drive through the countryside to reach China’s most renowned monument – the Great Wall. The ’original’ wall was begun in the 5th century BC to keep out foreign invaders. Construction continued for centuries, eventually linking up the walls of the former independent kingdoms. The Great Wall meanders through China’s northern mountain ranges from the Yellow Sea to the Gobi Desert – a distance of over 3500 miles! Chairman Mao once said “You haven’t walked on the Wall, you haven’t been a good Chinese”. You will have ample time to climb a section of the Great Wall and to get a sense of the enormity of this ancient edifice. In the evening, savor a specially prepared meal of Beijing Duck, cooked to crispy perfection.    
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 5  Beijing
This morning, you join our Culture InSites™ Program and experience the world of Beijing’s Hutongs, via rickshaw. This network of courtyard homes and narrow lanes traditionally linked the old city. Tour the maze-like alleyways and neighborhood residences. See the locals as they go about their daily activities. Highlights include visits to a local kindergarten, to the 800-year-old Drum Tower and to a traditional courtyard style home. This unique tour concludes with a meal served at the home of a local family. In the afternoon, you are free to discover this magnificent city. Take advantage of your hotel’s prime location and explore Beijing on your own.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 6 Beijing – Yichang
You are free in the morning. In the early afternoon, you fly to Yichang, in preparation for a memorable Yangtze River – Three Gorges cruise. After a brief city tour, you board the 5-star M.S. Emperor. Settle into your cabin and check out the numerous amenities on board. The Yangtze River originates on the Tibetan Plateau and traverses a distance of 3900 miles before flowing into the East China Sea, near Shanghai. It is the third longest river in the world, after the Amazon and the Nile. With over 700 tributaries, the Yangtze River has been the lifeline and major commercial thoroughfare in China for millennia. The ship stays in port at night and sets sail early in the morning. M.S. Emperor  (Chinese 5-Star rating with guaranteed private balcony cabin)
Ship: M.S. Emperor
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 7  Yangtze Cruise
M.S. Emperor makes a stop at Sandouping, the site of modern China’s most ambitious engineering project – the construction of Three Gorges Dam and its hydroelectric power plant. View the current phase of this 17-year project. When completed in 2009, the dam will be 610 feet high and over a mile wide. The hydroelectrical power plant will be driven by the world’s largest turbines and have the generating capacity of 18 nuclear power plants. A reservoir 372-mile long will be created, with the end result of displacing 1.5 million people, submerging 1000s of their towns and villages and wiping out numerous archaeological sites. Whole cities have been relocated, precious topsoil brought to higher elevations and centuries-old lifestyles altered forever. Relax as your cruise continues. Choose your vantage point as the ship transits the five-stage shiplock and enters the spectacular Xiling Gorge – the first of the magnificent Three Gorges – for the next 150 miles, the Yangtze forces its way through a spectacular barrier of solid limestone ridges known as the Three Gorges. Attend the Captain’s Welcome Banquet in the evening.   
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 8  Yangtze Cruise
Another day of incredible views awaits you upon entering Wu Gorge. The softly layered peaks form a surreal backdrop as the ship courses through the rugged canyons. Wu Gorge, celebrated for its twelve misty peaks soaring above, has been the inspiration of Chinese painters and poets throughout the centuries. Transfer to the “Peapod” boat for an excursion to the Lesser Three Gorges or to the fabled Shennong Stream, depending on the water level. Notice the ruins of the ancient plank road along the cliff face as well as the coffins of the Ba people suspended from the cliffs above. The contrasting heights of these gorges and the narrowness of the river make this area one of the most dramatic scenes in the world. Tonight enjoy a dinner featuring local cuisine and onboard entertainment. 
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 9    Yangtze Cruise
Cruise into Qutang Gorge, the shortest and narrowest of the Three Gorges. Go out onto the deck to take in the natural beauty. Your boat docks at Fengdu – China’s “City of Ghosts”, where you visit temples and shrines dedicated to the gods of the underworld. This is the place of final judgment in the Yangtze basin. Landmarks in the town bore horrific names – Ghost Torturing Pass, Last Glance at Home Tower, Nothing-to-be-done Bridge etc. Tonight, enjoy a Farewell Banquet and a cultural show onboard.   
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 10    Chongqing – Xian
Your remarkable Yangtze cruise ends at the mountain city of Chongqing, China’s largest city with a population of over 30 million. If time permits, you enjoy a rare opportunity to see the Giant Pandas at the Chongqing Zoo. At lunch, we arrange the special cooking demonstration for you and you will go inside the kitchen to see how the Chinese “Iron Chef” prepares your local Suchuan spicy cuisine. Later fly to Xian. An ancient capital and the historic gateway to the Silk Road, Xian was the capital of the Middle Kingdom for 11 dynasties. In a time when ancient Beijing was just a remote trading post, Xian was the capital of China and one of the world’s largest and richest cities, with a population exceeding one million in the 10th century. In the afternoon, you tour the Wild Goose Pagoda, a Tang Dynasty landmark. This seven-story pagoda was initially constructed in 652 AD to house the Buddhist sutras brought back from India by the monk, Xuan Zang, who later translated them into Chinese. His pilgrimage to India is immortalized in the Chinese classic – “The Journey to the West”. Enjoy your evening at leisure.  
Hotel: Xian Goldstone Hotel
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 11    Xian
Today visit modern China’s greatest archaeological discovery – The Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses, which silently guarded the tomb of China’s First Emperor for over 2,200 years. In 1974, a local farmer uncovered the first of three massive earth and timber vaults, while digging a well. The extensive excavation, still in progress, has yielded over 6000 life-sized terra cotta warriors, each individually sculpted, with the physical characteristics of the humans they were modeled after. Archers, infantrymen, horses and bronze chariots have also been unearthed. A Circle Vision documentary is available on site. After lunch at a local restaurant, see a noodle making demonstration. Next, you take a walk through one of Xian’s most fascinating areas – the Muslim quarter, to the 7th century Great Mosque. Stand in four beautiful courtyards of ancient trees, ornate arches and stone steles, the Mosque is the center of life for the Muslim community – the descendants of the merchants that ferried the religion into China along the ancient Silk Road. Tour the lovely and unusual area with bustling stalls where you find some of the best street food in China. Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907), traditionally regarded as the golden age of China, was a time of patricians and intellectuals, Buddhist monks and Taoist priests, poetry and music, song and dance – a period of peace and exceptional creativity lasting 300 years. This evening, you attend a feast of culinary and cultural delights with a special Dumpling (dim sum) banquet followed by a fascinating Tang Dynasty stage show. Indulge yourself in this remarkable show and reinvent your China dream with a travel back in time to the world of China’s Golden Age, then come back to the present with a greater understanding of this amazing time.   
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 12     Xian – ShanghAI
After breakfast, you fly to Shanghai, China’s dynamic city, once referred as “The Paris of the East”. In the afternoon, you take a walk along the Bund, the elegant riverside promenade which symbolized European and foreign influence and affluence in the 1930s. See the ships and barges on the Huangpu River, en route to the sea or going upstream to the interior of China. The modernistic Oriental Pearl TV tower looms in the background redefining the skyline. 
Hotel: Skyway Landis Shanghai  (new 5-star hotel)
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 13    Shanghai
Begin your tour in the heart of old Shanghai at the 16th century city bazaar. This complex, with its classical architectural details, maze of walkways and reflecting pools, has been a marketplace and social center for over 200 years. In contrast, is the futurist Pudong area. Transformed from once fertile farmland, this new area is rapidly becoming the symbol of modern China with its world class hotels, international financial institutions, and commercial centers. Enjoy a stunning view of Shanghai from the 88th floor of the Jinmao Tower, the tallest building in China. At 1,380 feet, it is the world’s third tallest building, as well as home to the world’s tallest hotel – the Grand Hyatt Shanghai. Enjoy a traditional Mongolian BBQ Buffet lunch. In the afternoon, visit Shanghai Museum, an unique and inspiring piece of architecture, home to more than 120,000 cultural relics of ancient China, including a priceless collection of jade, bronze, ceramics, paintings, furniture, etc. After dinner, attend an unforgettable performance of the Shanghai Acrobats.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 14   Free day in Shanghai
You have options today! Enjoy a free day to explore this magnificent city on your own. Relax and enjoy afternoon tea at Xin Tian Di or shop till you drop. Your hotel has prime location – nearby are the old French Concession, Bund and Nanjing Road.  
Included Meals: Breakfast

SUZHOU OPTION:
For those we don’t want a free day in Shanghai, you may take an optional tour to the water town of Suzhou at only $35 per person.

After breakfast, travel by deluxe motorcoach to the fabled water town of Suzhou. Suzhou is often referred, by the Chinese, as the “Venice of the East”. It is a 2,500-year-old town renowned the world over for its traditional gardens, ancient canals and silk production. In 1997 Suzhou was designated an UNESCO World Heritage Site. The construction of the Grand Canal created a means whereby goods from this region could be transported to the Northern capital, Beijing, a distance of over 600 miles. With prosperity came prestige as merchants and artisans plied their trade; elaborate gardens were built. Upon arrival, take a cruise on the Grand Canal and see the long life along the river. Then visit the Garden of the Master of Fishing Nets, and experience all of the elements of a classical Chinese garden. In the afternoon, tour the Silk Spinning Mill, where you will learn how silk is created from the mulberry-munching silkworms to produce thread and fine cloth. Marco Polo once reported that so much precious silk was produced in Suzhou that every citizen was clothed in it. Travel by motor coach to Shanghai and enjoy your evening at leisure. You also have the flexibility to skip the Suzhou tour and rather indulge yourself in a bargain shopping spree at Shanghai’s emporiums. 

Day 15    Ride the Maglev to Airport!
After breakfast, you board the Maglev, the world’s fastest magnetic levitation train, for your trip to the Pudong International Airport. The Maglev travels at a speed of 287mph and will cover the 20 mile distance in less than 8 minutes! Then board your home-bound flight.
Included Meals: Breakfast