Day 1
Arrival in Beijing
Arrive in Beijing. Be met at the airport and transferred to the hotel. Just relax and take a leisured stroll around the city. You can excurse and reveal this charming city by person. Your 7 Days Escorted China Tour of Beijing and Shanghai begins. Happy travel!
Beijing is the cultural and political capital of the People’s Republic of China. This ancient city has remained a constant throughout the many incarnations of the Chinese nation, a history stretching back over 5000 years. The history of modern Beijing, however, began in the 13th century, when Genghis Khan built his fortress city Khanbaliq amongst the ashes of Yanjing - the Liao Dynasty capital that he burned to the ground in 1215. Beijing remained the centre of power throughout the reigns of the succeeding Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties - most of the last 800 years. After the Nationalist Government in Nanjing was usurped by the Communists Party in 1949, Mao Zedong made his capital in Beijing; famously announcing the birth of the People’s Republic of China in Tiananmen Square on October 1, 1949. Beijing’s lengthy and diverse history can be seen on the streets of Beijing, in the variety of monuments and palaces built by emperors and governments over the centuries. Beijing is one of the world’s most iconic cities; full of must-see sights for all first-time visitors to the Middle Kingdom.
Day 2
Beijing
After breakfast,pick-up time is between 7:30 and 8:20. First Forbidden City, the largest and best-preserved palatial complex still existing, also known as the Palace Museum. After lunch, visit the Temple of Heaven, the place where the Emperors prayed for peace and harvest. Finally visit Summer Palace, the best-preserved imperial garden in the world that boasts centralized architectural masterpieces as well as scenic beauties. Return to your hotel.
Forbidden City: Forbidden City also known as Palace Museum was home to 24 emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. In the ancient time, the emperor claimed to be the son of the heaven and therefore their supreme power was conferred upon them from the heaven. Their residence on the earth was built as a replica of the Purple Palace where the God lived in the Heaven. Such divine place was certain forbidden for the ordinary people and it is why the Forbidden City is so called. The museum is a real treasures house of Chinese cultural and historical relics, recognized as one of the most important five palaces in the world. The splendid architecture of the Forbidden City represents the essence and culmination of the traditional Chinese architectural accomplishment. In 1961 the Palace Museum was listed as one of the important historical monuments under the special preservation by the Chinese central government and in 1987, it was nominated as the world cultural heritage by the UNESCO.
Temple of Heaven: The Temple of Heaven is a large park and temple complex situated in more or less the south central area of Beijing. Its center piece is a large tower built, it is said, entirely of wood and not using a single nail. It is said that the main features of the park are its trees and inhabitants. The park is filled with more than a thousand species of tree, some of which are hundreds of years old, despite their relatively small size. One thing you could notice here is that most of the architecture here. The park also attracts local residents by the thousand each day, which come to practice singing, martial arts, Peking opera, chess, dancing, and calligraphy. Of course, this can be said of many parks in Beijing, but the Temple of Heaven attracts more than its fair share.
Summer Palace: UNESCO has this to say of the Summer Palace: a masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design. The natural landscape of hills and open water is combined with artificial features such as pavilions, halls, palaces, temples and bridges to form a harmonious ensemble of outstanding aesthetic value. The Summer Palace, in the Haidian District, northwest of central Beijing, is said to be the best preserved imperial garden in the world, and the largest of its kind still in existence in modern China. It is hardly surprising that, during the hot Beijing summers, the Imperial Family preferred the beautiful gardens and airy pavilions of the Summer Palace to the walled-in Forbidden City. Dowager Empress Cixi took up permanent residence here for a time, giving rise to some wonderful tales of extravagance and excess.
Day 3
Beijing
After breakfast, pick-up time is between 7:30 and 8:20. Then drive to Ming Tombs, the Tombs of thirteen Emperors of Ming Dynasty with 500 year history located about 50 kilometers to the north of Beijing. After lunch, drive to Badaling Great Wall, taking about 40 minutes. After the tour, transfer back to your hotel.
Ming Tombs: The Ming Tombs, located in Changping District, about 50 kilometers from the northwest of Beijing, are surrounded by mountains on three sides. The imperial cemetery covers an area of 120 square kilometers and there are 13 Ming Dynasty emperors buried there (along with 23 empresses and a number of concubines, princes and princesses), thus it is also called The 13 Mausoleums. These tombs are the best preserved Chinese imperial tombs and have been nominated by UNESCO as world cultural heritage.
Badaling Great Wall: The Great Wall was initially built in the Spring and Autumn Period. During the following 2,000 years, the construction, connection and restoration of the wall had never ceased. The present Great Wall was largely built in the Ming Dynasty. The Badaling stretch, the best preserved portion of the Ming Great Wall, was widely realized as the essence of the Ming Great Wall. Standing on the top of Badaling and looking to the distance, one will be amazed at the great wonder of the Wall. In 1961 it was listed by the Chinese State Council as a key national historical heritage protection site. Later in 1988, it was nominated by the UNESCO as a world cultural heritage.
Day 4
Beijing - 
- Shanghai
Free activities on your own. This afternoon transfer to Beijing Rail Station and take the High speed train to Shanghai. You will be picked up and transferred to hotel after 5 hours.
Shanghai is not only a flourishing metropolis with modern skyscrapers and vibrant living pace, but also a city with rich history and enclosed with graceful natural sceneries. If you arrive in Shanghai early today and would like to explore something interesting after a good rest at the hotel. The newly rising Xin Tian Di (also known as New World area) is our first recommendation, where the buildings are perfectly combined in both classical and western styles. When night falls, Xin Tian Di becomes bright and dynamic. People of different nationalities, races, ages, classes gather here for recreational purposes. Bars, restaurants, boutiques, cinema and square are all available, where must be a good place to ease your fatigue. Ask your guide for some guidelines and take a taxi there on your own to enjoy your time there.
Day 5
Shanghai
Today's highlights includes The bund, Xintiandi, Nanjing Road, and the huangpu river Cruise is recommended for you (optional).
Shanghai is not only a flourishing metropolis with modern skyscrapers and vibrant living pace, but also a city with rich history and enclosed with graceful natural sceneries. If you arrive in Shanghai early today and would like to explore something interesting after a good rest at the hotel.
The newly rising Xin Tian Di (also known as New World area) is our first recommendation, where the buildings are perfectly combined in both classical and western styles. When night falls, Xin Tian Di becomes bright and dynamic. People of different nationalities, races, ages, classes gather here for recreational purposes. Bars, restaurants, boutiques, cinema and square are all available, where must be a good place to ease your fatigue. Ask your guide for some guidelines and take a taxi there on your own to enjoy your time there.
The Bund: The Bund is the long corridor of Shanghai. For more than 100 years, it has been the symbol of Shanghai. Shanghai people are proud of the Bund. It shows the culture of Shanghai and the creation of modern civilization to people. The architecture along the Bund is unanimously honored as a "World Architectural Fair", including all kinds of tall buildings like the Gothic style, the Baroque style, the Roman style, the classical style, the Renaissance style and the combination of Chinese and Western style. Generally speaking, the beauty of a city should contain three elements: architectures, sculptures, and evanescence. Of the three elements, sculptures are also called the eyes of a city. It is an important part for a city’s beauty.
Nanjing Road: It is one of the landmarks of Shanghai. Most people say that if you have never been to the Nanjing Street, it is equal that you have never been to Shanghai. If you can get up early in the morning, you must be attracted by the Nanjing Street. At that time, the shops and restaurants are closed, but the street is quite busy. People are doing all kinds of things. Some are dancing, some are doing shadowboxing, some are playing sliding board, etc. It is just like a park, which has an outstanding compare with the street on flourishing day.
The Huangpu River is the symbol and embodiment of Shanghai, just like the Thames of London, the Seine of Paris and the Danube of Budapest. This river is synonymous with the History of Shanghai, being inextricably intertwined with the social and economic life of the city and having nurtured its prosperity and witnessed its honors and disgraces. The Huangpu River is a must for travelers to Shanghai. Huangpu River, mother river of Shanghai, is a branch of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. It is an average of 400 meters wide and 9 meters deep. The Huangpu River is not only the mother river of Shanghai, but also assembles the splendid tourist attractions of the city.
Day 6
Shanghai
Full day private tour: Jade Buddha Temple, Yu Yuan Garden, Shanghai Museum- and Back to your hotel.
Jade Buddha Temple: built in 1989, Jade Buddha Temple covers two-and-a-half acres in southwest Houston and consists of the Grand Hall, Kwan-Yin Hall, the Youth Activity Center. Yu Garden: a "Chinese" style market with everything you think can be treated "Chinese". The Bund, called the Zhongshan Road, is a famous waterfront and regarded as the symbol of Shanghai for hundreds of years. Shanghai Museum: the museum contains more than 112,000 Chinese cultural relics from the Old Stone Age to modern times.
Yu Garden: It is a renowned traditional landscape garden in Jiangnan. It is also a historical site and tourist attraction famous at home and abroad. It was built by a man named Pan during the Ming Dynasty. It was changed and rebuilt for hundreds of years by different descendents of the original builder. The garden is a virtual maze of caves, gardens, rockeries, paths, bridges, and buildings. Even though many people have had a hand in rebuilding the garden over the centuries, it is seamlessly blended. Every corner you turn has a new surprise, and a total different view.
Shanghai Museum: As a museum of ancient Chinese art, Shanghai Museum possesses a collection of 120,000 precious works of art. The museum style and presentation surround visitors with artifacts demonstrating ancient wisdom and philosophy. The exterior design of the round dome and the square base symbolizes the ancient idea of a round heaven and a square land. Its rich and high-quality collection of ancient Chinese bronze, ceramics, painting and calligraphy is specially celebrated in the world. The museum is divided into eleven galleries and three exhibition halls. The eleven Galleries cover most of the major categories of Chinese art: Ancient Bronze, Ancient Ceramics, Paintings, Calligraphy, Ancient Sculpture, Ancient Jade, Coins, Ming and Qing Furniture, Seals, and Minority Nationalities.
Day 7
Depart from shanghai
In the last day, after you enjoy the breakfast in Shanghai, you will be transferred to the airport. Your amazing 7 Days Escorted China Tour of Beijing and Shanghai is finished.
In the past few days you have had a wonderful time in China. You must be fascinated about China. We are sure that you enjoy its splendid culture and unique scenery and you can be our best ambassadors to share that experience with your friends and neighbors. We sincerely hope to see you revisit China again with your friends. Also we hope you are satisfied with our GWD’s information and service.
