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Day 4:
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Beijing Opera & Dinner
$65 per person
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Join us for a special visit to a Beijing Opera performance 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. Rather, 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.
Please note: We recommend you reserve this optional tour before you depart due to the limited number of tickets available.
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Day 7:
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Shanghai by Night with Dinner
$55 per person
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On an optional tour, discover the beauty of Shanghai after dark. Your tour begins with 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. The cost of this optional tour includes dinner.
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Day 8:
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Suzhou with Lunch
$85 per person
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Join us today 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. 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 courtyard that has been reproduced at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. After an included lunch at a local restaurant, visit a silk factory to see how silk is made from mulberry-munching silkworms to thread to fine cloth. The cost of this optional tour includes lunch.
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Day 15:
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Tang Dynasty Cultural Show & Dinner
$90 per person
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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.
Please note: Space is limited on this optional tour, so we recommend you reserve before you depart.
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Day 17:
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Yao Shan Tea Garden with Lunch
$40 per person
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Join us on an optional tour to the Yao Shan Tea Garden. At this Chinese tea farm, you will learn from a tea master how the delicate leaves are picked from the tea tree and then dried, much of the harvesting process 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. This tour includes lunch at a local restaurant.
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Day 20:
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Kowloon & the New Territories with Seafood Lunch
$90 per person
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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, and the Nan Lian Garden, an island of serenity in the style of the Tang Dynasty. 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.
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