8 Days Yangtze Three Gorges Tour with China History

Destination: Arrive in Beijing, Flight not included
Today's Activities: Airport to Hotel Transfer (Beijing)

Destination: Beijing
Today's Activities: Tian'anmen Square, The Forbidden City, Hutong Tours in a Rickshaw
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch
- Tian'anmen Square: The world's largest city square and enduring symbol of China's national pride, surrounded by many imposing buildings including the Heavenly Gate (entry to the Forbidden City), Museums, government buildings and Chairman Mao's Mausoleum.
- The Forbidden City: The Imperial Palace, home to 24 Emperors between 1420 and 1911. Great squares, halls and gates contrast with the intricate networks of side halls, gardens, courtyards and quarters for those who lived in this 'city within a city'. The exhibitions, both permanent and temporary, are also absolutely fascinating. Expect to spend at least 2-3 hours, wear good walking shoes and protection from the weather.
- Hutong Tours in a Rickshaw: A maze of historic alleyways and old single storey traditional courtyard houses, now fast disappearing. Dotted around the hutong are the Drum and Bell Towers, Tea House, and local people's houses. Your tour includes a visit with a local family.

Destination: Beijing
Today's Activities: Mutianyu Great Wall(with round way cable car), Temple of Heaven, Cloisonne Factory
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch, Roasted Duck Dinner
- Mutianyu Great Wall(with round way cable car): This less-crowded section of the Great Wall is a about 2.5 hours' drive from downtown Beijing. A cable car takes you to a good section (avoiding a very steep climb), where you can walk along the wall, through the watch towers and enjoy superb views as it snakes across the hills and mountains. You can return by cable car, walk down or walk along the wall for about an hour to descend by chairlift. Wear good walking shoes and protection from the weather.
- Temple of Heaven: Situated in the southern part of the city, the temple of heaven covers the total area of 2,700,000 square meters. The temple was built in 1420A.D. It is the place where emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties would offer sacrifice to heaven and pray for good harvests. The main buildings of the temple including the Circular Mound Altar, Imperial Vault of Heaven and Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest.The surrounding gardens are full of interesting activities, particularly weekend mornings.

Destination: Beijing to Chongqing to Yangtze, Flight No. TBA
Today's Activities: Hotel to airport Transfer (Beijing), Airport Transfer (Chongqing), Cruise pier Transfer (Chongqing), Goose Neck Park, Ciqikou Old Town, Light Rail Transit Experience, Board the ship from 5:00pm to 8:00pm and departs Chongqing at 10:00pm.(Dinner is not included)
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch
- Goose Neck Park: Very popular with the locals who come here to enjoy the gardens, play Mahjohngg, make music or just relax. Nice views over the river and Chongqing, there are also a number of interesting buildings and former Embassies in the grounds, plus an enormous long painting of the Yangtze.
- Ciqikou Old Town: This lively old area has been partly restored, and remains an authentic and busy community. The old wooden houses and narrow streets furthest from the river are mostly unimproved, closer to the river there are craft and souvenir shops, teahouses and music, and lots of local food and snacks. The locals certainly love their food – this is a good chance to try some.
- Light Rail Transit Experience : Take light rail transit to travel is a different and fancy experience.
When visitors seat in the rail, they could get the view of Jialing River and natural scenery of the Mountain city

Destination: Yangtze
Today's Activities: Shore excursion to Fengdu Ghost City (8:00-10:00am).

Meals: Breakfast, Chinese and Western Lunch, Chinese Dinner
--Fengdu is where the devil lives, according to Chinese legend. They say that spirits go to heaven, and evil goes to Fengdu. The town is overlooked by Ming Shan Hill, home of Tianzi, the King of the Dead. The whole place has an eerie feel to it with deserted streets, tower blocks, empty shops and banks. The only people here are those who make a living from visiting cruise boats.

Destination: Yangtze
Today's Activities: Shore excursion to Shennong Stream(1:30pm-5:30pm).

Meals: Breakfast, Chinese and Western Lunch, Chinese Dinner
--Shennong Stream is another tributary of the Yangtze River, and its fast-flowing, crystal clear water runs southwards through deep gorges. The stream races past large and small karst caves, flocks of swallows, sheer cliffs, deep gorges, waterfalls, three-colored springs, rapids, the ancient plank path, a suspended coffin in the cliff, groups of ancient tombs and marvelous karst formations.

Destination: Yangtze to Yichang to Beijing, Flight No. TBA
Today's Activities: Cruise pier Transfer (Yichang), Airport Transfer (Yichang), Airport to Hotel Transfer (Beijing), Shore excursion to The Three Gorges Dam Site. Arrive in Yichang at 1:00pm.
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese and Western Lunch
--Three Gorges Dam, the largest water conservancy project ever undertaken by man and it has been a dream for several generations of Chinese people. The construction of the dam formally began in 1994. The body of the dam was completed in 2003, and the whole construction will be competed in 2009. It will be 2,335 meters long, 185 meters high, 18 meters wide on the top and 130 meters wide at the bottom. The tourists can get access to the top of the dam and enjoy different kinds of photo opportunities.

Destination: Depart Beijing, Flight not included
Today's Activities: Hotel to airport Transfer (Beijing)
Meals: Breakfast