Splendors of China

Arrival at Shanghai International Airport. Meet your guide, then transfer and check-in at the hotel in Shanghai. Free time and dinner on your own.
Jinling Purple Mountain Hotel Shanghai***** or similar

Breakfast，Lunch
After breakfast, visit the Shanghai Museum (closed on Mondays), which houses important collections illustrating the chronological evolution of Chinese art. Its eleven galleries contain some of the finest collections of paintings, bronzes, sculptures, ceramics, calligraphy, jade, furniture from the Ming and Qing dynasties, coins, seals, and minority arts.

After lunch, visit the Yu Garden, built in the 16th century. It was designed with circular shapes symbolizing the heavens: winding paths, circular doorways in the pavilions… every detail is meaningful. Earth mounds represent hills, small streams stand for rivers, the pond becomes the sea—depicting a miniature world.

To finish the day, visit the Jade Buddha Temple (Yufosi), home to two magnificent jade Buddha statues. Also, visit a silk workshop to learn about the ancient history of Chinese silk.

Dinner on your own and overnight at the hotel.

Optional: Dinner cruise on the Huangpu River
Jinling Purple Mountain Hotel Shanghai***** or similar

Breakfast，Lunch，Dinner
After breakfast, transfer to the train station for a high-speed train to Zhengzhou. Upon arrival and after lunch, depart for the Shaolin Temple, a world-famous monastery known as the cradle of martial arts where the renowned Kung Fu was developed. Its Pagoda Forest was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010. You will attend a Kung Fu demonstration.

After dinner, transfer and check-in at the hotel.
Hotel Ecologique Jinpeng***** or similar

Breakfast，Lunch，Dinner
After breakfast, depart for Luoyang to explore the Longmen Grottoes, home to the largest and most impressive collection of Chinese Buddhist art from the Northern Wei (386–534) and Tang (618–907) dynasties. Over 2,300 caves house Buddhist-inspired sculptures and reliefs that reflect the peak of Chinese sculptural art.

After lunch, transfer to the train station for a high-speed train to Xi’an.

Upon arrival, dinner and transfer to the hotel.
Grand Barony Xi’an***** or similar

Breakfast，Lunch
After breakfast, depart for the Lintong District, located 35 km east of Xi’an, where the Terracotta Army was discovered in 1974. This archaeological wonder is part of the mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shi Huang and has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987. Qin Shi Huang began work on his tomb upon ascending the throne, and after the unification of China in 221 BC, construction intensified, mobilizing over 700,000 workers for 38 years. The life-sized statues, averaging 1.86 meters in height and weighing around 300 kg each, are all unique and represent infantrymen, cavalry, archers, as well as bronze chariots and horses.

After lunch, visit the Small Wild Goose Pagoda and a well-known jade workshop.

Dinner on your own and overnight at the hotel.

Optional: Dumpling banquet with Tang Dynasty dance show

Grand Barony Xi’an***** or similar

Breakfast，Lunch，Dinner
After breakfast, transfer to the train station for a high-speed train to Beijing. Upon arrival, lunch and visit to the Summer Palace, the former imperial garden of the Qing dynasty. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Summer Palace is renowned for its natural beauty and the grandeur of its royal gardens. The entire complex covers an area of nearly 2.7 km².

Dinner at a local restaurant and transfer to the hotel.
Xiyuan hotel Beijing***** or similar

Breakfast，Lunch
After breakfast at the hotel, begin the day with a visit to Tiananmen Square, the largest city square in the world. Located at the heart of Beijing, it was the main entrance to the Imperial Palace during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Facing the Forbidden City (closed on Mondays), the square stretches across 40 hectares. To the north, the red walls of the Imperial City rise on either side of the majestic Tiananmen Gate.

Visit the Forbidden City, also known as the Imperial Palace, and referred to by the Chinese as the “Red City”. It was home to 24 emperors and consists of over 9,000 rooms across 72 hectares. After the fall of the empire in 1912, the Forbidden City was gradually opened to the public.

After lunch, visit the Temple of Heaven. Built in the 15th century during the Ming dynasty, it includes altars built in the South, North, East, and West of Beijing to offer sacrifices to Heaven, Earth, the Sun, and the Moon. Expanded during the Qing dynasty (1644–1911), it became the largest sanctuary in China, covering an area of 273 hectares. It is considered one of the most beautiful architectural complexes in the country thanks to its symbolic design, harmonious colors, and perfect structure.

Dinner on your own and overnight at the hotel.

Optional: Roast duck dinner and night tour of Beijing
Xiyuan hotel Beijing***** or similar

Breakfast，Lunch，Dinner
After breakfast, visit the Great Wall at Juyongguan, located in the Changping District. Its name originates from an expression dating back to the Qin dynasty. During that time, Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s soldiers were tasked with constructing this section of the Great Wall. To meet labor needs, they brought in low-cost workers, including immigrants and convicted criminals.

After lunch, visit the Lama Temple, the largest Tibetan Buddhist temple in Beijing and one of the best-preserved in China. Also known as Yonghe Temple, it boasts over 300 years of history and holds three world records: the tallest wooden Buddha, the trio of bronze Buddhas representing the past, present, and future, and the hill of 500 Arhats.

You will also take part in a class on the art and culture of Chinese tea.

Dinner at a local restaurant and transfer to the hotel.
Xiyuan hotel Beijing***** or similar

Breakfast
Breakfast at the hotel. Free time.

Depending on your flight schedule, transfer to the airport for your return flight to London.