8 Days China Sightseeing & History Tour

Day-by-day Itinerary

1. Day 1: Xian Arrival (D)
   Tang Dynasty Dance & Music Show, Dumpling Dinner

   Upon your arrival, the guide will meet you by holding a name board at Xian airport/ Train station. Then transferr to hotel for check-in.

   After rest, the guide will meet you again at 6pm, and take you to the banquet hall where you will be entertained to taste over 20 varieties of dumplings which are stuffed with seafood, minced meat and fresh vegetables. Please advise in advance if you are a vegetarian or have other special diet requirement while booking. Chinese people hold the complex for dumpling, that’s why there’s a tradition of eating dumpling during holidays especially Spring Festival.

   After the prelude feast, please prepare to enjoy the exquisite and splendid Tang Dynasty Dance & Music Show, a performance of music and dance, also the colorful costume and diversified instruments, which makes you drown in it and bring you back to the Tang Dynasty over one thousand years ago.

   After a highly impressive evening, transfer back to your hotel around 9 pm.

   

2. Day 2: Xian
   Shaanxi History Museum, Ancient City Wall, the Great Mosque, Muslim Quarter, Drum & Bell Tower Square (B+L)

   AM: Get picked up from your hotel lobby at 9:00 am. Your first stop of the day is Shaanxi History Museum, which is one of the biggest museums in China. It houses the cultural heritage of Shaanxi Province and shows the development of the Chinese civilization. Next move on to the Ancient City Wall, the most complete preserved and the largest existed city wall in China. It was originally built in the Ming Dynasty for military defense and now becomes a symbol of Xian. You have an option to ride a bike on the top of it and enjoy the amazing view of the entire city area inside the City Wall.

   Noon: Lunch in local restaurant.

   PM: Then it’s time for lunch break to eat a traditional-style Chinese meal. After lunch make your way to the Great Mosque, a major spot for religious activities for over 60,000 Muslims in Xian. Different from the Mosque in Arabic, the Mosque here in Xian possesses a lot of Chinese traditional style in both its design and artistic outlook. You will also take a walk at the famous Muslim Quarter where you will find many local snacks and crafts. Meanwhile, you can leisurely roam at the Drum & Bell Tower Square and take some photos here. When all the sites are finished, we escort you back to your hotel around 5-6 pm.

   

3. Day 3: Xian
   Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum, Big Wild Goose Pagoda, North Square of Bid Wild Goose Pagoda (B+L)

   AM: The guide will meet you at 9am, and then start one of the highlights of this tour: Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum. As one of the top ten historical interests in China, Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum is also listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site a decade ago including Vault 1, 2 and 3. and the bronze chariot and horsed museum.

   Noon: Lunch in local restaurant.

   PM: After lunch, you will continue exploration to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and catch sight of the 1,300-year-old pagoda. It was built in Tang Dynasty 652 A.D. for the purpose of preserving the Buddhist sculptures brought from India to Chang’an (ever name of Xi’an) by XuanZang. Here you’ll get some free time to wander around the North Square of Bid Wild Goose Pagoda.

   After the full-day tour, you will be transferred back to your hotel in Xian.

   

4. Day 4: Xian – Taiyuan by Train – Xinzhou by Car
   Yanmen Pass, Mount Wutai (B)

   AM: In the early morning, the driver will pick you up and transfer you to the north railway station for high-speed train to Taiyuan. The train rides about 3.5 hours.

   Upon your arrival, local guide and driver will greet you and then take you to Xinzhou city to which you will pass by some noted historic sites along the journey.

   Noon: Lunch on your own.

   PM: First, you will come to Yanmen Pass, an important part of The Great Wall, which is the ancient pass that has undergone the most combats and the longest history in China. It is named “China’s First Pass” due to the special status and value. Next, proceed the tour to Mount Wutai, one of the four fmous Buddhism Mountains in China. It stands in a place which has scattered temples, odd peaks and sheer precipices, a holy land full of Buddhist elements and beautiful scenery.

   Finally, you will stroll at one or two local temples with distinct features if the time permits. There are 47 existing monasteries that were once worshiped by many emperors in different dynasties. Among them, Foguang Temple and Nanchan Temple are two old existing wooden structures in China. Xiantong Temple, Tayuan Temple, Bodhisattva Roof, Shuxiang Temple and Luohou Temple are listed as “five meditation places on Mount Wutai”.

   When finishing the tour, you will stay over night in local hotel.

   

5. Day 5: Xinzhou – Datong by Car
   The Hanging Temple (B)

   AM: In the morning of today, you will continue releasing yourself and finding the true essence of Buddhism in two or three monasteries, experiencing the specialty of local religious culture. Explore deeper here in Mt. Wutai scenic area that integrates natural scenery, ancient art, historical relics, Buddhism culture, folk customs and summer recreation.

   Noon: Lunch on yoru own.

   PM: After that, you will be driven to Datong city, which locates about 300 kilometers away from Mt. Wutai. Before arriving at Datong, you will first visit and marvel at The Hanging Temple after 4 hours’ driving. The monastery was built on cliff which is 75 meters above the ground and it has a history of over 1400 years till today. The ingenious structure of the temple and its position in Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism are the main attraction points of it.

   After the tour, transfer to Datong hotel.

   

6. Day 6: Datong
   Yugang Grottoes, Shanhua Temple, Huayan Temple, Nine Dragon Screen (B+L)

   AM: Today’s adventure begins with Yugang Grottoes, which is honored as one of the “Four Great Grottoes Arts” in China, together with Luoyang Longmen Grottoes, Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes and Tianshui Maijishan Grottoes. It was in 460 AD that the Yungang Grottoes was carved. Travelers could learn the profound Buddhist history, culture and arts through those grottoes and wall paintings. Nowadays, there are 51 caves and over 5100 Buddha figures large or small left, being totally a treasure of Chinese religion.

   Noon: Lunch in local restaurant.

   PM: Subsequently, go on the tour to Shanhua Temple that was originally built in the Tang dynasty. Unlike many monasteries, Shanhua Temple does not have a gate. There are majestic statues of the Four Heavenly Kings who look all the same fierce and serious. The next station is Huayan Temple, named after a sentence from The Buddhist Classic – Huayan Sutra. It covers an area of 66,000 square meters, which deserves the fame of Liaojin dynasty arts museum owing to the buildings, statues, walls, murals and other forms of tangible arts.

   The last stop for today’s tour is Nine Dragon Screen. This 600 year-old screen wall was built in the early Ming Dynasty by the 13^th son of the Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang in front of his mansion. The screen is 8 meters tall and 45.5 meters long. The nine dragons on the screen wall win the screen’s name. Besides the dragon figures, the vivid plants and animals figures are also the highlights to appreciate on the screen.

   As the tour is over, we escort you back to your Datong hotel.

   

7. Day 7: Datong – Taiyuan by Train – Pingyao by Car
   Mengshan Giant Buddha (B)

   AM: Today you will take the morning train (K7808/08:30-11:28) running back to Taiyuan. Upon your arrival, the local guide will pick you up.

   Noon: Lunch on your own.

   PM: Pay a visit to Mengshan Giant Buddha that is located in over 20 kilometers southwest from Taiyuan city. The rock surface of the giant Buddha is weathering due to the erosion of the wind and rain, but it still looks amazing for its giant size as a sculpture.

   After that, the driver will transfer you to another destination – Pingyao. After check-in at the local hotel, please have a good rest then.

   

8. Day 8: Pingyao – Xian by Bullet Train
   Pingyao City Wall, Rishengchang Former Bank, Ming Qing Street, City God Temple (B+L)

   AM: Today we will do a full day tour in 2700 years old Pingyao ancient City Wall. On the wall top you will have a bird’s eye view of the whole Pingyao City. Next we will move to the Rishengchang Former Bank where you will witness the rudiment of Chinese styled bank in ancient China.

   Noon: Lunch on your own.

   PM: In the afternoon we will take a walk in a street that keeps the looking in the Ming and the Qing Dynasty, which is called Ming Qing Street where you can experience the trading way of the Ming and the Qing Dynasty, and purchase some local specialty if you like. Afterwards we will visit Pingyao City God Temple. In the temple we will appreciate wonderful wood carvings, paintings and sculptures.

   After the tour, take the bullet train to Xian. Service ends here.