12-Day Chinese Kung Fu & Panda Tour

Day-by-day Itinerary

1. Day 1: Beijing Arrival

   Welcome to Beijing - the starting point of your 12 days China tour package from Beijing! Beijing is not only the capital of China, but a city where history and modernity, culture and nature blend perfectly. Upon arrival at the Beijing Capital International Airport, a local Chinese-speaking driver will pick you up and escort you to your downtown hotel for check-in.

   The rest of the day is free for you to explore Beijing. If you need any suggestions on your free time, we will be very happy to help you.

   Meals: N/A

   Accommodation: in Beijing

2. Day 2: Beijing Highlights Tour
   Explore the Historical Sites of Royal Family

   After breakfast, your guide will pick you up for a visit to Tiananmen Square. Located in the city center, the square is one of the largest city squares in the world. It is a sacred site for major celebrations, grand gatherings, and foreign affairs receptions in China.

   After that, continue walking a short distance north to the Forbidden City, a royal palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties in China, located at the center of Beijing's central axis. It was listed as a World Cultural Heritage site in 1987. There are nearly 9,000 rooms, and your guide will take you to visit some important sites and tell you stories about what happened here.

   

   After a delicious Chinese lunch, head to the Qing Dynasty royal garden - the Summer Palace.

   Located in the western suburbs of Beijing, it is the most well preserved imperial palace and garden in China. The entire park covers an area of 3.009 square kilometers, with water surface accounting for about three-quarters. It is composed of Wanshou Hill and Kunming Lake. It was built based on the scenery of West Lake in Hangzhou, drawing inspiration from the design of Jiangnan gardens. To spend your leisurely afternoon, you can choose to take a cruise on Kunming Lake (for an additional fee).

   Optional Night Activity: Kungfu Show

   Chinese Kung Fu has a very wide influence in the world, and most foreigners know Kung Fu from Jackie Chen and Bruce Lee's films. You can choose to enjoy a superb Kung Fu show at Red Theater. The entire cast is very professional and talented which combines fantastic martial arts, challenging acrobatics and a wonderful story.

   Meals: Breakfast + Lunch

   Accommodation: in Beijing

3. Day 3: Beijing Great Wall Tour
   Ascend the Mutianyu Great Wall via Cable Car and Have a Hike

   Today will be the highlight of your Beijing tour as you will be hiking on the famous world heritage Mutianyu Great Wall. It would be around 2 hours' driving, and you can take this chance to see the urban and suburban scenery of Chinese capital on the way.

   Mutianyu Great Wall is the most scenic part of the Chinese Great Wall. It was built in the early Ming Dynasty at 1368 and stretches for 5,400 meters. 90 percent of the Mutianyu is covered by vegetation. So in each season this part of the Great Wall will treat visitors with its unique scenery. You will take a cable car to the top. For down the Great Wall, there is also an option of toboggan to see the spectacular scenery from different angles (optional).

   

   After descending from the Great Wall, take you to visit Ding Tomb, one of the Ming Dynasty Tombs. You will admire its architectural beauty & historical significance.

   Drive back to Beijing, stopping to view the Bird's Nest (National Stadium) and the Water Cube from the outside. They are the famous buildings from the 2008 Olympic Games. In the evening, you can enjoy the famous palace dish - the famous Peking Roast Duck at Quanjude Restaurant (additional charge).

   Meals: Breakfast + Lunch

   Accommodation: in Beijing

4. Day 4: Beijing to Luoyang Tour by High-speed Train
   Visit Imperial Sacrificial Buildings and Glimpse the Life of Beijingers

   After breakfast, we will go to admire the Temple of Heaven. Located in the southern part of Beijing, this magnificent royal structure served as a complex of sacrificial buildings where emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties prayed for peace and harvest.

   Next, you will experience a rickshaw ride through the traditional hutongs. Go to visit a local family and learn about their daily life and even experience cultural activities such as learning calligraphy and weaving Chinese knots (extra charge).

   

   After lunch, your tour guide will escort you to the Railway Station to board a high-speed train to Luoyang. Upon arrival at Luoyang Longmen Railway Station, a local driver will meet you and transfer you to your hotel in Luoyang.

   Meals: Breakfast + Lunch

   Accommodation: in Luoyang

5. Day 5: Luoyang Kung Fu Tour
   Take a 2-Hour Kung Fu Class after Watching A Wonderful Kung Fu Show

   After breakfast at the hotel, your tour guide will take you to Dengfeng to explore the legendary Shaolin Temple. Shaolin Temple was founded in 495 AD and is not only the birthplace of Zen Buddhism, but also the Chinese Kung Fu. It is known as the "the holy land of Kung Fu". The tour guide will take you to visit some major sites and explain the stories of the mountain gate, Heavenly King Hall, Bell Tower, etc.

   Pagoda Forest has collected over 200 pagodas from the Tang Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty. This site is a graveyard for the departed eminent monks. Pagodas are of different shapes, heights, and arrangements, making them look like a forest, so the place got the name Pagoda Forest.

   Then, you will watch an exciting Kung Fu performance, a highlight of the scenic area, by the skilled Shaolin Temple monks. It lasts for 30 minutes around.

   

   After the show, you will learn Kung Fu passed down through several generations of Shaolin monks under the guidance of a professional teacher. (2 hours) Afterwards, take a walk around and observe the daily practice of advanced students. You will witness the rigorous training that practitioners undergo to become true Shaolin Kung Fu masters.

   Meals: Breakfast + Lunch

   Accommodation: in Luoyang

   

6. Day 6: Luoyang to Xi'an Tour by High-speed Train
   Discover the Historical Gems from Museum to Grottoes

   This is the last day of your China tour in Luoyang. Before leaving, you will be guided to visit Luoyang Museum. Established in 1958, this museum has an exhibition area of 17,000 square meters. It has a collection of 20,315 cultural relics, including 5406 precious relics, especially famous for Xia, Shang, and Zhou Dynasty bronze ware, Han pottery figurines, Tang tri colored glazed pottery, and Song Dynasty porcelain.

   Next, we will transfer to the Longmen Grottoes, the world's largest treasure trove of stone carving art with the most statues. It has gone through more than 10 dynasties and were built for over 1400 years. There are 2345 existing cave niches here, with over 110,000 statues. A large number of colorful paintings were used during construction, but most of them have now faded. Experience the beauty of ancient Chinese grotto art from your tour guide's wonderful commentary.

   

   After the tour, you will be escorted to Luoyang Longmen Railway Station to take a high-speed train to Xi'an.

   Meals: Breakfast + Lunch

   Accommodation: in Xi'an

7. Day 7: Xi'an Historical Tour
   Visit Three Pits of the Terracotta Army for Life-sized Warriors

   Your China tour of Xian starts after meeting your tour guide. He/She will take you to visit the world-famous Terracotta Army, known as the "Eighth Wonder of the World". You will be guided through Pits 1, 2 and 3, where you can see life-sized warriors, and many horses and chariots. After a Chinese-style lunch, we will drive back to the downtown area.

   

   Your tour continues to the Ancient City Wall. It is the largest and most well preserved ancient city wall in China, 12 meters high and 12-14 meters wide at the top. It is a closed rectangle with a circumference of 13.74 kilometers. On the city wall, you can choose to ride a bicycle at your own expense and enjoy the scenery inside and outside the city wall.

   Next, stroll around Muslim Street, a food street where you can not find almost all the snacks in Xian, including kebabs, steamed buns, Mutton and Bread Pieces in Soup, but also admire many exotic buildings in Islamic style. You will be guided to visit the Great Mosque, one of the two oldest mosques in Xian. The architecture was in traditional Chinese style, combined with Islamic style, with the roofs titled with glazed tiles, and most of the tiles are black.

   Meals: Breakfast + Lunch

   Accommodation: in Xi'an

8. Day 8: Xi'an to Chengdu Tour by High-speed Train
   Explore the Xian Landmark and Historical Artifacts

   Today is the last day of Xian tour. After breakfast, we head to a UNESCO World Heritage Site - the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. It is a well-preserved ancient building and a holy place for Buddhists, built to hold sutras and figurines of the Buddha that were brought to China from India by the Buddhist translator and traveler Xuanzang in the Tang Dynasty (618-907).

   

   Afterwards, you will immerse in the rich history at the Xi'an Museum. Cover an area of 160,000 square meters, Xi'an Museum consists of three parts: the museum, Jianfu Temple, and the Small Wild Goose Pagoda. The museum has a collection of 130,000 cultural relics from various historical periods in Xi'an, including some unearthed from influential dynasties in Chinese history such as the Zhou, Qin, Han, and Tang. The Tangsancai Horse (唐三彩腾空马) from the Tang Dynasty, unearthed in 1966, is the treasure of this museum.

   In the afternoon, take a high-speed train (about 4 hours) from Xi'an to Chengdu, the hometown of pandas. Upon arrival in Chengdu, you will be transferred to your hotel.

   Meals: Breakfast + Lunch

   Accommodation: in Chengdu

9. Day 9: Chengdu Panda Tour
   See Pandas Up Close and Experience A Slow-paced Local Life

   Today is a highlight of Chengdu panda tour! After breakfast, go to visit the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. It is well known for the protection and breeding of the endangered giant pandas that are unique to China. It is the cradle of giant pandas, where you can observe pandas of different ages eating, playing, and resting. If you're lucky, you can watch female pandas nursing their cubs.

   Next, head to 1400-year-old Wenshu Temple. It is still frequented by local people who come to pray and relax themselves today. It is a good place to learn Buddhism.

   

   In the afternoon, go to a local tea house for a cup of tea and enjoy some relaxing time. Then, your Chengdu tour in China comes the bustling Jinli Old Street. 550 meters long, the street was once one of the oldest and most commercial streets in the history of Western Shu. You can enjoy shopping and tasting some yummy food that you never saw before.

   In the evening, you can try the hotpot dinner / Sichuan cuisine or witness the wonderful Sichuan Opera Face Changing performance. (Optional activities)

   Meals: Breakfast + Lunch

   Accommodation: in Chengdu

10. Day 10: Chengdu to Shanghai Tour

    After breakfast, your private driver will transfer you to the airport for a 2-hour flight to Shanghai, the most prosperous city in China. Upon arrival, the local driver will meet you and escort you to the well-selected hotel.

    The rest of the day is on your own to relax or explore the city. Feel free to get some practical advice from your travel consultant.

    Meals: Breakfast + Lunch

    Accommodation: in Shanghai

    

11. Day 11: Shanghai City Tour
    Embark on a City Journey of Shanghai's Past and Present

    Your first stop on your China tour package in Shanghai is the Shanghai Museum. The museum covers an area of 2,800 square meters and houses 120,000 precious cultural relics. You will appreciate exquisite bronze ware, ceramics, calligraphy, painting, and more.

    Then, go to Yuyuan Garden, known as "Mountain and Forest in City", which was a private garden in the Ming Dynasty. It is a must see for domestic and foreign tourists in Shanghai. Built in 1559, the entire garden is designed in the style of southern architecture from the Ming and Qing dynasties. It features curved bridges, flowing water, and elegant pavilions.

    

    In the afternoon, ascend the Shanghai World Financial Center, one of the tallest skyscrapers in China. The building looks like a bottle opener from outside. You will go up to the 100th floor to have a marvelous panoramic view of the Huangpu River. Walking on the 55-meter-long transparent sightseeing corridor will be an exciting experience

    After that, walk along the first commercial pedestrian street in China, Nanjing Road. Last, go to the famous Wai Tan or the Bund, a waterfront promenade, to admire various international architectural styles and the night view of the Huangpu River. You can experience an optional activity - relaxing Huangpu River night cruise.

    Meals: Breakfast + Lunch

    Accommodation: in Shanghai

12. Day 12: Departure from Shanghai
    Explore Artistic and Creative Spaces of Shanghai

    Start your final day in Shanghai with a visit to the Jade Buddha Temple. This is a Song Dynasty-style building named after the Jade Buddha enshrined in the temple. It is a quiet and peaceful environment, which is regarded by locals as "a piece of pure land in the midst of the downtown area". Next, transfer you to visit Tianzifang, a creative work base transformed from a group of Shikumen buildings. You can see numerous art and cultural studios. Experience its old Shanghai lifestyle and exotic charm.

    

    After the visits, the China tour for 12 days with Kung Fu and Panda comes to an end. If you are interested in other destinations in China, we are always at your service.

    Meals: Breakfast

    Accommodation: N/A