10 Days of Yangtze Culture Tour with Beijing and Shanghai

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

Destination: Beijing
Today's Activities: Mutianyu Cable Car (One way), Great Wall at Mutianyu, Mutianyu slideway(One way), Temple of Heaven
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch
- Mutianyu Cable Car(One way): 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.
- Great Wall at Mutianyu: This less-crowded section of the Great Wall is a about 1.5-2 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.
- Mutianyu slideway(One way): It is a new kind of entertainment suitable to people regardless of age.Adopting the principle of acceleration of gravity, the pulley rushes down from top of the mountain and goes through a slideway of 1580 meters, which is exciting,breathe-taking,safe and comfortable.You can regulate the speed of the pulley, and enjoy the beautiful views of the Great Wall.
- 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
Today's Activities: Tiananmen Square, The Forbidden City, Short Hutong Tour in Xicheng District
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch
- Tiananmen 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.
- Short Hutong Tour in Xicheng District: Hutong is a maze of historic alleyways with old single storey traditional courtyard houses, which are now fast disappearing. In this one hour tour, you can hop on a rickshaw to ride through the narrow alleys as well as visit a local family then walk on the Silver Ingot Bridge (Yinding Bridge) and find out about the different thresholds of the courtyards.

Destination: Beijing to Chongqing to Yangtze, Flight No. TBA
Today's Activities: Cruise pier Transfer (Chongqing), Hotel to airport Transfer (Beijing), Airport to Cruise pier transfer (Chongqing), Three Gorges Museum, Ciqikou Old Town, , Board the ship from 5:00pm to 8:00pm and departs Chongqing at 10:00pm.(Dinner is not included)
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch
- Three Gorges Museum: The best exhibits are those on the history of the Yangtze and, of course, the Dam. It also houses some excellent stone and terracotta sculptures, art and interesting artifacts, items from the war years, and temporary exhibitions. The museum faces the impressive People's Hall, built to resemble the Temple of Heaven, across a lively square, itself a hub of activity.
- 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.

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

Meals: Breakfast, Chinese 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).You also have the option of visiting the White Emperor City.

Meals: Breakfast, Chinese 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 Shanghai, Flight No. TBA
Today's Activities: Cruise pier Transfer (Yichang), Airport Transfer (Yichang), Airport to Hotel Transfer (Shanghai), Shore excursion to The Three Gorges Dam Site. Arrive in Yichang at 1:00pm.
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese 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: Shanghai
Today's Activities: Yuyuan Garden, Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall, Yuyuan Market, The Shanghai World Financial Center, Julong Silk Exhibition
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch
- Yuyuan Garden: Located at a very busy marketplace in a complex of traditional-style buildings, backing onto Yu Gardens, you can find everything there from popular local snacks and food, crafts, antiques and souvenirs to Starbucks, teahouses and some great restaurants. There is a small (reconstructed) Temple (Chenghuang: Temple of the City Gods) in there as well.
- Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall: A short walk across Renmin Square from the Shanghai Museum, this is a fascinating insight into Shanghai's future. The 2nd floor has a giant walkaround model of the city, and other floors have great displays, interactive exhibitions and walkthroughs of aspects such as the ports, greening, leisure etc.
- Yuyuan Market : Located next to the Yuyuan Garden and also known today as the City God Temple, it was built in the fifteenth century during the Ming Dynasty. The City God Temple is a Taoist temple which is composed of many halls such as the Grand Hall, Middle Hall, Bedroom Palace, Star Gods Hall and etc. The City God Temple has a great influence on the residents of Shanghai. The religious festivals of the temple are considered to be the festivals for all Shanghai people.
- The Shanghai World Financial Center : The Shanghai World Financial Center is a super tall skyscraper. It is a mixed use skyscraper, which will consist of offices, hotels, conference rooms, observation decks, and shopping malls on the lower floors. The hotel component has 175 rooms and suites and goes by the name: The Park Hyatt, Shanghai. On September 14, 2007, the skyscraper reached 492.3 meters (1,615.2 ft) and became the tallest structure on mainland China, including Hong Kong, as well as the world's third tallest building (including unfinished ones), after the Burj Dubai and Taipei 101.

Destination: Shanghai
Today's Activities: Zhujiajiao Water Town, Zhujiajiao Cruise
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch
- Zhujiajiao Water Town: Shaped like an ancient fan, it is an old town with hundreds of years of history. Thousands of architectures of Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty stand by the lakes and 36 stone bridges retain the ancient style.
- Zhujiajiao Cruise:

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