China 2007: Builders of the past and future

Tentative departures:
      April 11-24, 2007 (An optional extension in Shanghai is possible.)

Est. cost: $2955 (excluding international airfare)

(Cost is based on a group of 11 to 15 participants, double occupancy.)
(Single supplement: est. $510.)

Price includes all hotels, land costs, tours, guides, most meals and 5 flights inside China!!

Forbidden City fortification tower

Shanghai, Jin Mao Tower, one of Asia’s tallest buildings

TENTATIVE ITINERARY:

(Most meals are included in the cost of the tour: B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner)

Beijing: Here the new and ancient worlds collide. Amid the bustle of a vast and modern city, there are some of the most astonishing and beautiful manifestations of the past. You will visit The Forbidden City to glimpse the opulent life and traditions of the Ming and later Qing emperors who ruled into the 20^th century. Sacred sites, such as the Yong He Gong lamasery or the Temple of Heaven, will introduce you to some of the powerful spiritual traditions of Chinese culture. You will explore the narrow alleys of some of the old hutong neighborhoods and dine in style on delectable Beijing duck and other culinary specialties.

Day 1: depart USA (L, D on airplane)

Day 2: arrival-transfer to Wang Fu Jing Grand Hotel or similar-welcome dinner. (D)

Day 3: Tian’an men Square with Mao Memorial Mausoleum-the Forbidden City and Jing Shan Park-lunch-Yong He Gong Lama Temple-hutong tour by pedicab-dinner of local Beijing specialties. (B, L, D)

Day 4: The Great Wall at Badaling-lunch-afternoon options: visit the Summer Palace or explore other sites your own, such as the Temple of Heaven, Beihai Park, National Museum of China, China Art Gallery-Beijing duck dinner. (B, L, D)

Xi’an: Long before Beijing became an important city, Xi’an was the center of the Chinese world for many centuries. It certainly rivaled Rome and Constantinople as the greatest and most cultured city in the world. It is the only large Chinese city with nearly intact city walls, the foundations of which are originally from the Tang dynasty about 1500 years ago. More than 2000 years ago, Emperor Qin Shihuang unified all China for the first time and ruled from here. (Film buffs should see the movie Hero, which fictionalizes events surrounding the ascent of this emperor.) Near his tomb, a peasant digging a well in 1974 made one of the 20^th century’s most important and amazing archeological discoveries-the buried army of at least 8,000 to 10,000 life-size warriors and horses, fashioned of terra cotta and outfitted with arms and even chariots.

Day 5: Morning flight from Beijing to Xi’an-lunch-afternoon exploration of city, including the impressive city walls, Shaanxi Museum, and the Great Mosque with its lively market-near our hotel in the vibrant city center around the Bell Tower and Drum Tower, we will enjoy a dinner of famous Xi’an dumplings-evening stroll around the fountains near the Big Goose Pagoda. (B, L, D)

Day 6: This morning we will tour the excavations and museums at Bingmayong to see the Terra Cotta Warriors and to learn about the early history of China explore the city impressive city walls and visit the Shaanxi Museum, which houses a beautiful collection of art and artifacts from China’s many dynastic ages-lunch-afternoon flight to Kunming and on to Lijiang. (B, L)

Lijiang: Yunnan Province in the Southwest of China is amazingly varied. It includes many minority nationalities and vastly different landscapes, from jungles along the Burma border to high mountains near Tibet. It is impossible to see everything in one trip, but we will take time to explore carefully one of the most beautiful regions. Lijiang lies in the far northwest of the province and is the home of the Naxi people, an ancient and strongly matriarchal group descended from Tibetan tribes. The old city is a maze of winding, cobbled lanes, gushing canals, stone bridges and low-slung wood-and-tile houses. This area may have inspired the fictional “Shangri-La,” and you will venture out to see some of the towering peaks, deep valleys, and mountain meadows where yaks are the local livestock.

Day 6: Evening arrival at our courtyard hotel, the Yulong Garden Hotel, nestled in the edge of Lijiang’s Old Town.

Day 7: To get acquainted with this amazing town, we will take a morning walking tour of the old city, including Sifang Jie (the old market square, where Naxi men and women gather daily to socialize and dance) and the Mu local chieftain residence. After a lunch of local food, we will visit Yuhu Naxi village and the former home of Joseph Rock (the famous and somewhat eccentric Austro-American botanist and explorer who stayed here on and off from 1922 to 1949). After dinner, you may choose to attend a charming dance performance which celebrates the ethnic diversity of Yunnan Province. (B, L, D)

Day 8: Today we will go to the high meadows around Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. If the skies are friendly, we can see the snow-capped peaks and glaciers. We will stop at white water river and where you can take a ride on one of the herdsmen’s yaks, if you would like. If the weather is clear, we will take a lift to Dragon Spruce Meadow to enjoy the forest and mountain vistas. Lunch-then free time to explore the city, shop for handcrafts, and watch the Naxi people dance in the town squares. (B, L)

Day 9: For another mountain adventure, we will travel to Tiger Leaping Gorge. After making its first bend, the Yangzi River (here called the Jinsha Jiang) rushes between peaks some 12,000 feet above it. Everywhere here there are breathtaking views inside one of the deepest chasms in China. Lunch-afternoon return via Naxi villages to Lijiang. (B, L, D)

Day 10: Flight from Lijiang to Chongqing. (B, L)

Yangtze River and Three Gorges: The history of China has been written largely by the rivers that have carved their paths through the Chinese landscape for thousands of years, and none is more storied and important than the Yangtze. For all of recorded history, ships have sailed the Yangtze deep into the interior of Asia, making it a main artery for trade and commerce-the Three Gorges area was always held to be one of the most beautiful (and in the past, most treacherous) stretches of the river. The farming on the Yangtz’s vast flood plain below the Three Gorges has provided sustenance for much of the Chinese population, but its periodic rampages have also cost hundreds of thousands of lives. The Three Gorges region has long been famous as one of the most scenic stretches of the mighty river. For nearly a century, Chinese leaders have considered the idea of taming the mighty river. Now, despite all the controversy, the impossible has become a reality. Far and away the largest dam and most powerful hydroelectric project in the world, it stands more than 600 feet high and almost 1 Ω miles across. Critics have fretted over the impact on the environment and the displacement of the human population. Supporters point to its potential to prevent floods, to generate enormous amounts of clean energy, and to expand the reach of the largest ships, which will travel through its mammoth locks and far into the interior of China.

Whatever your opinion, the recently completed dam is certainly one of the wonders of the 21^st century. We will take a 3-day journey on a luxury ship through the beautiful Three Gorges; we will stop at scenic towns and sites of natural beauty along the way and will sail across the gathering waters to tour the great dam itself: the world’s largest engineering project.

Day 10: Arrival in Chongqing. We will settle into our cruise ship cabins, and will then enjoy the rich and spicy cuisine that makes this region so famous. (D)

Day 11: In the morning, our deluxe ship will depart downriver. In addition to enjoying good food and on-board entertainment, we will make an afternoon stop at Fengdu, with its amazing temple on Mt. Minshan that chronicles the many stages of the ancient Chinese vision of hell. Then we will press on for a relaxing evening and good rest on the water. (B, L, D)

Day 12: Today will find us in the heart of the Three Gorges (Qutang Gorge, Wuxia Gorge and Xiling Gorge). We will leave the boat for a side trip into the beauty of Daning River’s “Lesser Three Gorges.” Then we will continue along the main river into the growing reservoir behind the great dam. (B, L, D)

Day 13: This morning we arrive at the Three Gorges Dam. We will disembark and enjoy a tour of the amazing achievement to get a first-hand impression of the scale and functioning of this monumental structure. We will transfer bus to the Yichang airport for our flight to the astonishing city of Shanghai. In Shanghai you can take an evening stroll along the Bund with its old colonial buildings along one side of the Huangpu River and the futuristic panorama of the skyscrapers of the Pudong district across the water. And you will want to find a place to enjoy the justly famous cuisine of the city. (B, L)

Day 14: Use the morning to amble along Nanjing Road, the heart of commercial Shanghai. If you want, you may opt to ride the Maglev train to the airport for your flight back to the US at almost 270 miles per hour!!!

Or, if you prefer

Shanghai Option: You may extend your stay for 1, 2, or several days in the amazing city of Shanghai! Once it was seen as the exotic, mysterious and lawless city of adventurers, gamblers, dandies, tycoons, missionaries, pimps and international intrigue. Now it is a stunning modern metropolis of skyscrapers and high finance, but it still retains some vestiges of its past. We will be happy to arrange for you to extend your hotel stay in the center of this fascinating city. You may want to ascend to the top of the tallest buildings, take a cruise on the Huangpu River to see the stunning cityscapes, visit one of the most interesting museums in China, or go shopping in the maze of the Yu Garden market or in the modern malls!