9 Days China Cultural Tour of Beijing-Datong-Pingyao-Xi’an

Day-by-day Itinerary

1. Day 1: Beijing Arrival

   Ni Hao! Welcome to our 9-day China tour focusing on cultural exploration! Upon your arrival at Beijing airport/train station, the local driver will pick you up from the exit gate by holding a welcome board with your name and transfer to the downtown hotel for check-in. Free and easy on your arrangement for the rest of the day.

   Meal: N/A

   Accommodation: Overnight in Beijing

2. Day 2: Beijing History & Culture Tour
   Discover the Imperial Heritage of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in China

   Today is the day to explore highlights of the Beijing city! First, come to the largest city square in the world - Tian'anmen Square, which has a very important role in China's history. Wander around the square and learn about the rich history from your well-informed tour guide.

   Next, walk for 10 minutes to the Forbidden City, once the royal palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties. It is one of the largest and most well-preserved ancient wooden structures in the world, with more than 70 palaces and over 9,000 rooms. Walking into the grand and majestic complex, immerse yourself in China’s long history and marvel at this architectural masterpiece.

   

   After lunch, spend your afternoon in the Summer Palace, the best place where the emperors of the Qing Dynasty spent their summers. Here you will enjoy the amazing lake view, explore the exquisite long corridor, appreciate precious cultural relics, step on the elegant stone bridge, see high old trees, etc. You can enjoy an optional boat ride on the Kunming Lake (at your own expense).

   Beijing Hutongs are full of history which attracts many worldwide tourists! Today your tour guide will take you to feel the charm of the hutongs in the Shichahai Scenic Area. Taking a rickshaw to ride along the ancient alleys, you will experience authentic old Beijing life and witness the blending of tradition and modernity.

   Meal: Breakfast + Lunch

   Accommodation: Overnight in Beijing

   

3. Day 3: Beijing Tour to Great Wall
   Hike on the Mutianyu Great Wall for the Beautiful Scenery

   Get up early in the morning and follow your guide to enjoy the nice morning time in the Temple of Heaven and see how local people spend their morning time in the square. Temple of Heaven was built for the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties to offer sacrifices to heaven and pray for good harvests. You will marvel at the craftsmanship and learn more historical facts about ancient China.

   

   After lunch, continue your China tour in Beijing to the famous Mutianyu Great Wall. It is currently the longest Great Wall in China, with an open section of about 2250 meters. With dense enemy buildings and magnificent scenery, Mutianyu is the most beautiful section. Many foreign leaders have visited Mutianyu for sightseeing. We will arrange for you to go up by cable car and then take a hike to enjoy the natural scenery. Of course, you can choose to hike up the Great Wall instead of the cable car ride. After descending from the Great Wall, drive back to the city center.

   On the way back to the hotel, stop to have an exterior visit of the marvelous Bird's Nest and Water Cube, built for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Walking around the outside of the building, take some pictures of the unique buildings.

   Meal: Breakfast + Lunch

   Accommodation: Overnight in Beijing

   

4. Day 4: Beijing to Datong Tour by High-speed Train
   Explore Ancient Grottoes, Temple, and Wall Sculpture

   In the morning, the driver will pick you up from the downtown hotel and drive around 1 hour to Beijing West Train Station for your high-speed train to Datong. The train rides for around 2.5 hours and you can have a nap on the train.

   When you arrive at Datong South Train Station, there will be a local English-speaking tour guide waiting for you at the exit gate.

   Firstly, drive westwards to Yungang Grottoes. As the first batch of key cultural relics under state protection, also on the world heritage list, Yuagang Grottoes has a highly cultural and artistic meaning. It not only shows the traditional Chinese artistic style, but also incorporates the art characteristics of ancient India, the western regions, and the Central Plain. Yungang Grottoes is the beginning of the "sinicization" of Chinese grotto art which mainly stores 45 grottoes and 51,000 stone statues.

   

   Later, continue your China cultural tour of Datong to Shanhua Temple which is a Buddhist temple with a great fusion of Han culture in the Song Dynasty and the ancient northern ethnic culture of the Jin and Liao Dynasties. Although it’s less visited compared with other Datong attractions, the artistic level of relics there including sculptures, wall paintings, and ancient architecture shows a pretty high level.

   Last, pay a visit to the Nine-Dragon Wall, built in the late Ming Dynasty, which is composed of colored glaze. Nine dragons are different in shape and form, each of which is connected by water grass, white clouds, and rocks. It presents the superb sculpture skills of ancient China.

   Meal: Breakfast + Lunch

   Accommodation: Overnight in Datong

   

5. Day 5: Datong to Taiyuan Tour
   Visit a Cliffside Temple and Explore a Historic Cultural Site

   After breakfast, your Datong tour continues to Hanging Temple. Located between the cliffs of Mt. Hengshan, it is a unique temple in China that integrates Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. The whole monastery is built in a wooden framework structure. Though not very big, it astonishes people with the building design that relies on a mortise joint and embeds into the cliff without falling down.

   

   Later, drive around 3.5 hours to Taiyuan. Today's China tour in Taiyuan starts at the Jinci Temple, which is the No.1 attraction that you should not miss. It is the earliest imperial sacrifice garden existing today, dating back to the Western Zhou Dynasty, about the 11^th century B.C. Immerse yourself into the elegant temple to learn the local history and culture with professional commentary from your expert guide.

   Meal: Breakfast + Lunch

   Accommodation: Overnight in Taiyuan

6. Day 6: Taiyuan to Pingyao Tour
   Explore An Ancient City with Centuries-old History and Paper Cutting Class

   After breakfast, drive around 40 minutes to Pingyao and start your visit to Pingyao Ancient City.

   Bearing a history of over 2,700 years, sharing the title Four Best Preserved Ancient Chinese Cities, this ancient city is one of the only two ancient cities succeeding in applying World Cultural Heritage in China. Pingyao started to be built in the Western Zhou Dynasty (827BC-782BC) and extended in 1370 AD, Ming Dynasty. Until today, the basic layout and landscape of the Ming and Qing Dynasties are still visible in Pingyao.

   Like most city walls, the Pingyao City Wall was built for defense against foreign invasion and was patched 26 times in later generations. Stretching around the city 6,000 meters in length and up to 12 meters in height, the Wall divided the small city into 2 distinct worlds inside and outside. The inside was prosperous in trade with the streets lined with shops and people coming and going.

   

   You will be guided to visit the relics of the famous Rishengchang Exchange Shop to trace the history of the Chinese financial industry. Built in 1823 by the general manager Lei Lvtai with fund support from local rich merchant Li Dajin, Rishengchang had even dominated the economic artery of the Qing Empire in the 19th century.

   Setting your feet on Ming-Qing Street, one of the busiest commercial streets in China, you shall have a better idea in mind about how advanced the development in China was at that time. Today, the relics of those ancient shops still are well preserved and visible, including exchange shops, banks, drugstores, butchers, and pawnshops...

   Besides, taking in a Paper Cutting Class in the ancient city would be a big highlight today. Following a local expert and waving the scissors in your hands, you will amazingly get a vivid bird or fish, through which the interesting Chinese culture could be caught a glimpse.

   Meal: Breakfast + Lunch

   Accommodation: Overnight in Pingyao

   

7. Day 7: Pingyao to Xian Tour by High-speed Train
   Glimpse Shanxi Merchant Culture and Architecture

   Today you will head to Qiao Family Courtyard which could be said as a name card of travel to Shanxi Province. It’s a typical folk art museum with strong characteristics of Shanxi merchants’ culture, reflecting the social and economic life in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

   Different from the tiny and elegant ancient town embraced by streams in southern China, Qiao Family impresses visitors strikingly with its square layout, tall and thick walls, grey bricks, and red lanterns as well as classic overhanging eaves, suddenly bringing you back to ancient northern China when you stepping into the yard.

   

   Later, move on to Shuanglin Temple. It is a lesser-known site, but collecting incredible artwork in its lengthy past. It’s a Buddhist temple where you will meet many delicate wall paintings, colored statues, and beautiful buildings of the Tang, Song, and Ming Dynasties.

   After the tour in Pingyao, you will be dropped off at train station to catch the 3.5-hour high-speed train to Xian. Upon arrival at Xian, a local driver will transfer you to your well-selected hotel.

   Meal: Breakfast + Lunch

   Accommodation: Overnight in Xian

8. Day 8: Xian Highlights Tour
   Marvel at the Life-size Clay Warriors 2,200 Years Ago

   Meet your private tour guide and begin your China tour package in Xian at the Terracotta Army. Known as the Eighth Wonder of the World, the Terracotta Warriors slept under the ground for 2,200 years before the accidental discovery by local farmers who were digging wells. The life-size clay warriors differ from one another in clothing, hairstyle, posture, and facial expression. Since its opening to the public in 1979, it has attracted millions of people from all over the world each year. You will be guided to visit Pit 1, 2 and 3.

   

   After lunch, transfer you back to the Xian downtown area to climb up the Ancient City Wall, a military defensive system in old times. You can optionally ride a bike on the top of the City Wall and enjoy the amazing view of the entire area inside the City Wall.

   Next, have a walk on Bell Tower & Drum Tower Square, a landmark building in Xian. Nearby, visit the famous Muslim Street, a paradise for food lovers where you will find all kinds of delicious local snacks such as Biang Biang Noodle, Roujiamo (Chinese Hamburger), and Yangrou Paomo (Mutton and Bread Pieces in Soup).

   Meal: Breakfast + Lunch

   Accommodation: Overnight in Xian

   

9. Day 9: Departure from Xian

   It's time to say goodbye to Xian today. Your driver will pick you up at your hotel lobby and transfer you to the airport for your departure flight (usually 4 hours in advance for international flights and 3 hours for domestic flights). Our 9 days private China culture tour to Beijing Datong Pingyao Xian will end here. Wish you a pleasant journey!

   Meal: Breakfast + Lunch

   Accommodation: N/A