China & the Yangtze River (2012)

Embark on your transpacific flight from your choice of several U.S. gateway cities.

Arrive in Beijing this afternoon or evening. A Grand Circle representative will meet you at the airport and escort you to your centrally located hotel. You'll also meet your Program Director today.

Join us after breakfast for an opportunity to get to know your Program Director and fellow travelers at an orientation briefing. Your Program Director will go over the details of your upcoming trip and answer any questions you may have. You'll also hear about and have the opportunity to purchase optional tours.

After the briefing, set off on a sightseeing tour of Beijing. You'll walk around what is probably the world's largest and most imposing public square. Tiananmen Square has been the setting for mass Red Guard rallies through the years and, in 1989, saw huge pro-democracy demonstrations.

The city of Beijing is built around Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. Beijing is not only the political and administrative center of China, it is also the single greatest repository of monuments and treasures from the Imperial era. Beijing was not laid out until the rule of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). In traditional Chinese thought, the world was conceived of as square. A city, especially a capital, was supposed to be square, a geometric reflection of the cosmic order.

You'll enter the Forbidden City, so named because it was off limits to visitors for 500 years. Completed in 1420, this was the center of Imperial palaces for the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties. The last dynasty fell in 1911, though the last Qing emperor lived here until 1925 when it became a museum. The city contains 800 ceremonial buildings, containing 9,999 rooms, and a courtyard that can hold 100,000 people. Marvel at its acres of grandeur—elegant palaces, pavilions, courtyards, and gardens—all walled in as a rectangular island within a moat wide enough for naval engagements.

You'll enjoy lunch at a restaurant outside the Forbidden City. Then join us for a tour of Beijing's Hidden Lanes.In the past, several thousand lanes, alleys, and quadrangles formed residential areas for ordinary people living in the capital. The word hutong refers to the narrow lanes created by the walled residential compounds built one on top of the other in these cramped districts. Surrounding the Forbidden City, many hutongs were built during the Yuan (1206-1341), Ming (1368-1628), and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. In the prime of these dynasties, the emperors, in order to establish their absolute power, planned the city and arranged the residential areas.

About half the population of Beijing lives in hutongs, which comprise one-third of the sprawling city's total area.The high walls surround the traditional siheyuan quadrangle, made up of four, single-story buildings fronting a courtyard. Hutongs are named for the groups who live within, for instance, the Bowstring Makers' Lane, or if populated by a single family, their surname. Unfortunately, encroaching urban development now threatens hutongs.

You'll take a rickshaw and then walk through Beijing's ancient narrow hutongs, seeing the old houses and learning about the daily life of ordinary Beijing citizens. Then, we split up into smaller groups to visit with local families and enjoy a tea break.

Your day is complete with a Welcome Dinner featuring traditional Chinese cuisine at the hotel this evening.

Today enjoy a full-day Temple of Heaven and Summer Palace tour. You'll begin at the Temple of Heaven, which was built in 1420 during the Ming Dynasty to offer sacrifices to heaven and for a successful harvest.

A masterpiece of architecture and landscape design, the Temple of Heaven comprises a number of buildings, gardens, and pathways whose organization symbolize the relationship between Earth and Heaven. The design layout instituted here profoundly influenced Chinese architecture and planning for centuries. Among the stellar structures is the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest, which has triple eaves, gorgeous glazed tiles, and dramatically carved marble balustrades. Built without nails, cement, or steel rods, the entire structure is fixed by wooden mortise and wooden brackets with the support of twelve pillars.

Next, you'll tour the Summer Palace, the former summer retreat for the imperial family during the late Qing Dynasty and now China’s largest and best-preserved royal garden. It has an 800-year history, beginning with the creation here of the Golden Hill Palace during the Jin Dynasty. Much later, in 1750, the Garden of Clear Ripples was built on this site. The garden has been restored twice since then, after being damaged by foreign military forces.

This twelve-square-mile complex includes many pavilions, temples, palaces, and halls in a landscape of hills amidst open water. You might find the Long Gallery an interesting feature, as it measures more than 2,300 feet long and offers paintings depicting Chinese legend, history, and natural settings.

Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant, followed by time on your own. This evening is free for you to enjoy as you wish.

OR

Join us for a special visit to the Beijing Opera at a local theater tonight. The Chinese opera is an ancient theatrical art, and the opera troupes in Beijing set the national standard for this highest expression of Chinese culture. This is not like the Western opera, full of arias and centered around singing. It’s a beautiful and delicate blend of grand opera, ballet, song, drama, and comedy that spans the entire history of China, its folklore, mythology, literature, and culture. The cost of this optional tour includes dinner.

Begin today’s full-day tour with a visit to a cloisonne (enamelware) factory. Cloisonne is an ancient craft, and you will observe the skills involved in creating this decorative art form. Artisans create brilliantly colored pieces with often complex patterns, using strips of metal and traditional painting techniques.

Then, continue your tour with a ride through the suburbs to the Jun Du Hills, arriving at the fabled Great Wall of China. Construction of the Great Wall, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, began during the Warring States Period (403-221 BC) with sections built in scattered areas. It was only following China’s unification under the first emperor Qin Shi Huangdi (221-206 BC) that some 300,000 men were put to work connecting the segments into one rampart of brick, stone, and earth nearly 4,000 miles long. Intended to shield the nation from invaders, the Great Wall is now, ironically, one of China’s leading tourist attractions.

Originally built in sections to protect various provinces from northern tribes, the wall’s construction ranges from brick-and-mortar to earthen ramparts. In the 1950s, restoration was begun on several significant portions of the wall—including one of the most impressive, at the Jun Du Hills, where construction started in 1345. As you walk along its ramparts, undulating up and down steep hills and graced with massive lookout towers, imagine the scenes of battle, ceremony, commerce, and labor that have taken place along its serpentine path to the sea.

Marvel at the great stone towers that each could garrison hundreds of soldiers. Learn that the towers are built at a distance of two bowshots apart—meaning that the entire wall could be defended by the archers within it. Find out why the wall snakes along such a winding path—Chinese mythology maintains that demons and evil spirits can only travel in a straight line, and the undulating wall effectively keeps them out.

After lunch at a local restaurant, your tour continues in the peaceful valley that the Ming emperors chose as their burial ground. Pass through a great marble gateway more than four centuries old, and onto Sacred Way, the Avenue of the Animals, lined with massive stone statues of kneeling and standing elephants, lions, camels, and fanciful beasts. Nearby, you will see tombs housing the remains of 13 emperors and innumerable treasures. These 13 imperial tombs were built from 1409 to 1644, and are spread over nearly 25 square miles.

Enjoy an included dinner at a local restaurant tonight.

This morning, we admire the grace and skill of the students at a local Kung Fu School and may get a bit of a lesson from its young pupils. Then we travel to a local jade workshop, where we can peruse pieces made by local artisans before enjoying an included lunch at a local restaurant.

This afternoon, you transfer to the airport for your flight to Shanghai. On arrival in Shanghai in the early evening, you are met and transferred to your hotel. Dinner tonight is on your own.

Enjoy a leisurely breakfast before starting today's morning tour. Begin with a stop to see the lavishly decorated Jade Buddha Temple, a relatively new but elegant structure that has stood for less than 100 years.

The Buddha statue is older than the current temple, and is carved of solid white jade, encrusted with jewels. You'll then make a stop at a nearby carpet factory.

After a traditional Mongolian barbecue lunch, you travel along the famous Bund, a five-block-long riverfront promenade containing many of Shanghai's banks and trading houses. Here, every afternoon finds street performers and vendors sharing the boulevard with pedestrians. In the mornings, locals gather to practice the slow, deliberate movements of Tai Chi; and the evening marks the emergence of well-dressed courting couples.

End your tour with a visit the Shanghai Museum of Art and History, showcasing fascinating glimpses into ancient everyday Chinese life and a rich collection of artifacts from the Song to Qing dynasties.

Enjoy this evening at leisure in Shanghai.

OR

On an optional tour, discover the beauty of Shanghai after dark. Your tour begins with an included dinner and continues with a cruise on the Huangpu River, known as the "Mother River" of Shanghai. As you cruise, glimpse vestiges of old and new Shanghai in the architecture along its banks, all resplendent with lights.

You'll disembark to explore Shanghai's vibrant new Pudong district, and enjoy a panoramic drive through the city before returning to your hotel.

You have a full day to follow your own interests in Shanghai.

OR

Join us on an optional full-day tour to 500-year-old Suzhou in China’s fabled Silk Region. This is the city of silk, gardens, and canals that inspired Marco Polo. Travel by train (just over 40 minutes), arriving in mid-morning.

Suzhou means “Plentiful Water,” and its Grand Canal is crowded with strings of barges laden with fruits, vegetables, construction materials, and coal. The Grand Canal, second only to the Great Wall as a Chinese engineering feat, was begun 2,400 years ago. Graceful bridges cross over the water, and tile-roofed whitewashed houses sit close to shore. On arrival, you’ll disembark the train and take a short ride to the waterfront. From here, you’ll cruise the canal to the Water Gate, which connects Suzhou to the southern end of the canal and was used as a “toll gate” for the canal’s commercial traffic. Then visit the Wangshi (Master of the Fishing Net) Garden, built in 1140 and boasting a peony-filled courtyard that has been reproduced at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

After lunch at a local restaurant, visit a silk factory to see how silk is made from mulberry-munching silkworms to thread to fine cloth. Marco Polo reported that so much silk was produced in Suzhou that every citizen was clothed in it. At one time, Suzhou guarded the secrets of silk making so closely that smuggling silkworms out of the city was punishable by death. Return to Shanghai by motorcoach (about a two-hour drive) by dinnertime.

Relax this evening and enjoy a Western-style dinner at your hotel.

After breakfast, begin your exclusive Discovery Series events by getting a feel for everyday life in Shanghai with a visit to a local market. Then, visit a local senior center.

Before noon, you join a Shanghai family for another, very special Discovery Series event—a Home-Hosted Lunch. You’ll see local customs enacted firsthand as your gracious hosts prepare and serve a typical Chinese meal.

Your afternoon is at leisure to do as you choose. Enjoy dinner this evening at a local restaurant, then discover the breathtaking artistry of Chinese acrobats during an included cultural performance.

After breakfast, you'll fly from Shanghai to Wuhan, capital of Hubei Province. Wuhan is noted as the most important site of the revolution and as a gateway to the Yangtze Gorges. From here, you'll transfer by bus to Yichang—a journey of approximately five hours.

Upon arrival in Yichang, you embark your Yangtze River Cruise ship and enjoy a late dinner.

Wake up early as you sail toward San Dou Ping Village to see the site of the controversial Three Gorges Dam project. Until huge new locks on the north bank are completed in a few years, ships will pass the dam site via a temporary channel, which has been dug out of the south bank.

This will be a thought-provoking visit as you hear about the monumental construction project and its effects on the people and landscape. When complete, this massive hydroelectric project will displace 1.25 million people and submerge countless archaeological sites, 13 cities, 140 towns, and 1,352 villages, creating a reservoir equal in size to Singapore.

Sit back and enjoy the scenery of the Yangtze as we depart Sandouping and spend the remainder of the afternoon sailing this massive river. You’ll enter Xiling Gorge, the longest of the gorges, noted for its narrow, precipitous cliffs. You’ll sail through some of the most dramatic scenery in the world—past tombs, shrines, and caves—through stretches of tranquil water and swirling rapids. As you cruise, look for the Twelve Peaks (enshrouded in rain and mist), Five Sisters Peaks, Three Brothers Rocks, The Needle, and Goddess Peak.

In the evening, enjoy the Captain’s Welcome Cocktail Party and a “welcome aboard” show with traditional Chinese costumes and dancers. You’ll have dinner onboard as the ship begins cruising.

Our River Cruise takes you through Wu Gorge, known for its magnificent scenery of lush green mountains. For the next 150 miles, the Yangtze has forged its way through a spectacular barrier of solid limestone ridges known as the Three Gorges.

Weather permitting, you’ll disembark your cruise ship this morning and take a ferry ride to the entrance of Shennong Stream. Here, you will board authentic small boats for an excursion on the Daning River or Shennong Stream (depending on the water levels) to the Lesser Three Gorges. Narrower than the great Three Gorges, these remarkable canyons are considered just as impressive as their larger counterparts. In time-honored fashion, trackers from shore will pull your boat forward.

Back aboard our cruise ship by mid-afternoon, you continue through the Qutang Gorge, the shortest and narrowest of the three, but quite spectacular. This narrow gorge is a one-way passage, so upstream ships must often wait for downstream ships to clear it before entering.

Today you disembark for a shore excursion to Wanxian, the largest city due to be flooded by the Three Gorges Dam reservoir. When docking, you will see buildings sprawled along the steep riverbanks.

You'll get a personal perspective on the effects of the Three Gorges Dam project during an exclusive Discovery Series visit to the home of a local family that was forced to relocate when their village was submerged. Afterward, you will visit the Hanging Coffin Museum and learn about this region's ancient cliffside burial rites, then return to your ship and resume cruising.

During the rest of your day of cruising, you'll observe the old and the new of China. Because of the rise and fall of the river over millennia, the terraced fields are among the most fertile in all of China.

Each year, new fields are carved out of the higher slopes to prepare for the future rise in the reservoir to be created here. As you pass the many river towns along the banks, you can watch the industry and commerce that drives the economy of this watery inland region.

Continue cruising on the Yangtze this morning and arrive in Chongqing after breakfast. In April of 1997, Chongqing was separated from Sichuan Province, and became an independent municipality, encompassing the entire Yangtze Valley between Wushan (Lesser Three Gorges) and Chongqing proper. You'll disembark and tour this proud mountain city, which was the capital of China during World War II, and today, is the most important inland industrial city in China.

During your tour, you'll visit the Stilwell Museum dedicated to "Vinegar Joe" Stilwell, commander of American forces in China, Burma, and India during World War II. Here, you'll learn about the colorful history of the American Volunteer Air Group, the "Flying Tigers," who were based here during the war.

After lunch at a local restaurant, we drive to the zoo to see the pandas. With their cuddly good looks, giant pandas seem to hold a universal appeal. However, they remain one of the world's most endangered species, with just an estimated 1,000 surviving in the wild. Native to China, these bamboo-chompers inhabit small, fragmented pockets in Sichuan, Gansu, and Shaanxi provinces.

About 110 giant pandas live in zoos and breeding facilities, with fewer than 20 outside China. These bears have thrived at the Beijing Zoo, where they were first bred in captivity in 1963. Biologists at the zoo also recorded the first successful birth from artificial insemination in 1978. You'll observe these solitary creatures in their specially designed habitat.

In late afternoon, you transfer to the Chongqing airport to take a short flight to Xian. On arrival, you transfer to your hotel, home for the next two nights. When ancient Peking (now Beijing) was just a remote trading post, Xian was the capital of the Middle Kingdom and one of the world's biggest and richest cities, the geographical beginning of China's fabled Silk Road. The town itself is famous for its city walls, measuring more than eight miles in circumference. Xian (then named Chang'an, meaning "Everlasting Peace") reached its peak during the Tang Dynasty. It was once one of the largest cities in the world, with a population of almost two million.

This evening, enjoy an included dinner at a local restaurant.

Today, enjoy a full-day excursion to visit China’s greatest archaeological attraction, the Qin Mausoleum. More than 2,000 years ago, the Emperor Qin Shi Huang was buried in an earth mound, along with 6,400 life-sized terra cotta warriors, archers, and infantrymen, together with their horses and chariots—individually sculpted from live models.

In the early 1970s, farmers digging a well accidentally uncovered some of these soldiers. Since then, three large pits have been uncovered, and are now on view to the public. Walkways have been constructed to give you a bird’s-eye view of the stunning sight of an entire army carved in incredible detail (each man and each horse with his own distinct personality). Here they stand, in battle formation, set in the ground to guard and protect the great emperor’s tomb. No visit to China would be complete without witnessing the astounding Qin Terra Cotta Army, an exquisite and beautifully preserved symbol of an ancient era.

Today, you'll be the guests of a local family for a Home-Hosted Lunch. After lunch, you'll visit Huo Kou Primary School or Shao Ping Dian Primary School, a community-founded school that is supported in part by Grand Circle Foundation. You'll be welcomed by students and have the chance to visit classrooms, read English together, witness traditional brush painting, and perhaps play some table tennis or other sports.You return to Xian in late afternoon.

After dinner on your own, you have the evening to relax at your hotel or discover a little more of the city independently.

OR

Experience the culinary and cultural delights of ancient Xian this evening with an optional Tang Dynasty show and dinner. The beautiful costumes, enchanting dances, and ancient music of the Tang Dynasty—a period of peace and exceptional creativity from AD 618 to 907—have been carefully recreated for your enjoyment. This type of performance has been treasured as a national art that reflects the glory and richness of the Tang Dynasty. Dinner is served before the show.

After breakfast, set off to see the Ming Dynasty 14th-century City Wall and the Small Wild Goose Pagoda. One of the oldest pagodas in China, it is housed in the Jianfu Temple. Today's discoveries also include a stop at a lacquerware factory.

Savor a Chinese specialty as you enjoy a dumpling lunch at a local restaurant. This afternoon, you'll transfer to the airport and fly from the dry northwestern plateau of Xian to the moist, semi-tropical mountainous region of Guilin.

In the words of a Chinese poet, Guilin is known as the land of the "finest misty limestone mountains and rivers under heaven." Here you'll find China's most "Chinese" scenery, the familiar subject of so much of the country's beautiful art.

Dinner is on your own and the rest of your evening is at leisure.

Your morning and afternoon are free to relax or do some exploring on your own.

OR

Join us this morning on an optional tour to the Yao Shan Tea Garden. At this Chinese tea farm, you will learn from a teamaster how the delicate leaves are picked from the tea tree and then dried, and how much of the harvesting process is done by hand. You will also hear about the history and traditions that surround the growing and brewing of tea.

Toward the end of your visit to the garden, you can taste a flavorful cup of tea brewed from local leaves and experience its subtle charm. Teas will also be available for purchase. Your Yao Shan Tea Garden visit includes lunch.

Later this evening, we gather for a Western-style dinner at a local resaturant.

After breakfast, board a local river craft and cruise the Li River, passing humped limestone peaks, fishermen astride bamboo rafts, washerwomen squatting on the shore, and water buffalo ambling down to the banks for a dip. Here you can see the captive cormorants with their leashed necks, perched on rafts waiting for orders to go fishing. These are the celebrated scenes often seen in Chinese watercolors and scroll paintings. Lunch is served on board the boat during your River Cruise.

In the early evening, you are transferred to the airport for your flight to Hong Kong, long the center of trade in Asia and the world's busiest port. Please note: Depending on the water level of the Li River, the order of activities on Day 17 and Day 18 may be changed.

You have breakfast at your hotel and then begin a morning tour that introduces you to the major sites of this vibrant city. First, make the journey between Kowloon and Hong Kong Island the way locals have for more than 100 years—aboard the Star Ferry. A motorcoach will then bring you to the Central district and the Western district, the older part of Hong Kong. You’ll drive up Victoria Peak, which offers a spectacular view of the harbor, islands, and imposing skyscrapers. This famous hill, more than 1,800 feet high, is called Tai Ping Shan in Chinese—”Mountain of Great Peace.”

Then see where Hong Kong plays and prays as you visit the beach of shrine-dotted Repulse Bay. You’ll also see Deep Water Bay and visit the floating village of Aberdeen, which may soon become only a memory as the houseboats are moved to other harbors. Thousands of people spend their lives and make their livings on junks and sampans in the harbor. Toward the end of your tour, we have time for a stop at a jewelry factory.

Your afternoon and evening are at leisure. You may want to visit the district of Wan Chai. The district became notorious after World War II, known for its hostess clubs, tattoo parlors, bars, and sailors on leave looking for a good time. Richard Mason’s 1957 novel, The World of Suzie Wong, describes the district’s bygone era.

You can visit Stanley, one of Hong Kong’s oldest fishing villages and now a thriving and popular marketplace, or you can have a meal at one of the harbor’s floating restaurants.

You have the full day at leisure to explore the city. Relax, see the sights on your own, or look for some of the bargains in this city famous worldwide for its duty-free shopping.

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Join an optional tour traveling through the eastern part of the New Territories, leased to Britain by China in 1898 for a period of 99 years. Known as "the land between," the peninsula across Victoria Harbor consists of rocky coastline and lush, hilly farmland—a welcome respite from the hustle and bustle of the city itself.

Take a stroll through the local flower market, followed by a visit to Bird's Market, where pet birds are sold and traded. Then, visit the Wong Tai Sin Temple, a colorful example of a traditional Chinese place of worship. Continue on to the Sai Kung Fishing Village where you'll see how the people of Hong Kong buy and sell fresh seafood. Then enjoy a seafood lunch at local restaurant in Sai Kung.

Tonight, gather with your fellow travelers for a Farewell Dinner.

Say zai jian (goodbye) to China and your Program Director today. After breakfast, you'll be assisted to the airport for your flight home. Or extend your discoveries of Asia with our optional extension in Bangkok, Thailand.