13 Days Chinese Kung Fu Culture Exploration Tour

Summary

Day 1 Arrive in Beijing
Day 2 Beijing:Tiananmen Square,Forbidden City,Temple of Heaven,Summer Palace
Day 3 Beijing:Mutianyu Great Wall,Ming Tomb,Water Cube & Bird's Nest(from outside)
Day 4 Beijing to Luoyang by Train:Beijing Hutong,take train to Luoyang
Day 5 Luoyang:Shaolin Temple,Pagoda Forest
Day 6 Luoyang to Xian by train:Longmen Grottoes,take train to Xian
Day 7 Xian:Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses Museum, Drum Tower, Muslim Quarter,Tang Dynasty Show, Dumpling Banquet
Day 8 Xian to Mt.Wudang by private vehicle: Xi'an Ancient City Wall,Big Goose Pagoda,drive to Mt.Wudang
Day 9 Mt.Wudang:Golden Summit,Zixiao Temple,Nanyan Temple
Day 10 Mt.Wudang to Wuhan by Train: take train to Wuhan,free on your own
Day 11 Wuhan to Shanghai by Flight:Yellow Crane Tower,fly to Shanghai
Day 12 Shanghai:Yu Garden, Yuyuan Bazaar, Shanghai Musuem,Nanjing Road, The Bund,Huangpu River Night Cruise
Day 13 Shanghai Depature

Day 1

Welcome to China! Upon arrival, our Beijing local guide will meet you at the exit of the airport with a welcome sign "China Private Tour". Transfer to your hotel for check-in. The rest day is free on your own to explore the city or rest in your hotel to recover the jetlag.

Day 2

In the morning, you will be picked up at your hotel lobby.
Firstly, you will pay a visit for Tiananmen Square. It is the largest city plaza in the world. Tiananmen Square is the geographical center of Beijing City. It is the largest city square in the world, occupying an area of 440,000 square meters (about 109 acres), and able to accommodate 1000000 people at one time. Tiananmen Gate on the northern square was the site where the Chairman Mao announced the establishment of the People's Republic of China.

After sightseeing, walk into the Tiananmen you will meet the one of the world’s 5 most important palaces – Forbidden City, The Forbidden City, also named the Palace Museum, shares the honor of being one of five world-famous palaces with the Palace of Versailles in France, Buckingham Palace in England, the White House in the U.S. and the Kremlin in Russia. The incomparable palace occupies an area of 720,000 square meters (177.9 acres) and has approximately 8,700 rooms. A high red wall with a total length of 3,400 meters (3,718 yards) encases the palace.


Have lunch at the local famous Peking Roast Duck restaurant, taste the most famous duck in Beijing and try some local cuisine in Beijing.Roast duck — or Peking Duck, as it's often known — has been served in Beijing for around 600 years, according to Liu. First served by palace chefs during the Ming dynasty, it has royal pedigree.


In the afternoon, drive about 6km to next imperial site -Temple of Heaven. The temple was constructed in 1420 during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), and was enlarged during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). It is the grandest cult architecture complex in the world and a masterpiece of the Chinese people created in ancient times. It covers 2,700,000 square meters (667 acres). Emperors of the two dynasties used to worship the heaven and pray for rich harvests, as the feudal emperors thought they were the son of the heaven.

Next, you will visit Summer Palace. It first built in 1750, largely destroyed in the war of 1860 and restored on its original foundations in 1886 – is 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.

After dinner, you will be taken back to your hotel.

Day 3

In the morning, our guide will pick you up at your hotel lobby. Your tour starts with visiting Mutianyu Great Wall, it about 70KM far way from downtown. There is an old saying "If you haven't climbed the Great Wall, you haven't seen China." Many of your friends who visited China before might have told you this. It is indeed an experience of life. As one of the best-preserved parts of the Great Wall, Mutianyu section of Great Wall used to serve as the northern barrier defending the capital and the imperial tombs. It's known for its beautiful surroundings - dense woods and rich pastures changing colors with the seasons of a year.

Your lunch is offered near the Great Wall in a local Chinese restaurant.

After lunch, pay a visit for Ming Tombs. The Ming Tombs lie in Changping County, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) northwest from the urban area of Beijing. It is actually a tomb cluster of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), including thirteen emperor's mausoleums, seven tombs for concubines and one grave for eunuchs.  

In the afternoon, return to the downtown Beijing and visit the Olympic Green Park, constructed for the 2008 Summer Olympics. Visit the National Stadium ( bird's nest). Its located at the Olympic Green, the stadium cost US$428 million. The design was awarded to a submission from the Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron in April 2003 after a bidding process that included 13 final submissions.

Then continue to visit the "Water Cube" ( National Aquatics Center),  is one of the best venues of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, built with donations from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan compatriot and overseas Chinese. It was chosen through public appraisals as one of “China ten big new architecture views” by The U.S. magazine "Business Weekly".

After dinner, drive you to enjoy one of most popular show in Beijing-Legend of Kung Fu Show. A thrilling modern day theatrical production, bringing together traditional Chinese martial arts and a vibrant show atmosphere.Performed daily at the widely acclaimed Beijing Red Theatre.

After the tour, you will be taken back to your hotel in Beijing.

Day 4

Pick up from your hotel and take you to know about Beijing local culture. In the morning, walking along the Hutong alley and taking the rickshaw to experience the old life of Beijing. Hutong is a window into Beijing folk life. Drive you to Nanluoguxiang Hutong, it's one of the best preserved historical areas in downtown Beijing, is famous for its hutong and siheyuan courtyards. Recently the popularity of Nanluoguxiang has increased noticeably with tourist numbers on the rise after 2008 Olympic Games. You will do a short walking along the authentic Beijing Hutong. will give you a deep impression of the local residents’ live.

You will have lunch at local family, to taste the home- cooking style.

After lunch, transfer to Beijing train station to catch the trian to Luoyang, it takes around 4 hours. Upon on your arrival, our Luoyang local guide will meet you at the exit of train station with a welcome sign "China Private Tour". Our guide will take you to have dinner before drive to your hotel.

Day 5

In the morning,our guide will meet you at your hotel lobby and drive you to visit White Horse Temple. White Horse Temple is the first Buddhist temple in China, established in 68 AD under the patronage of Emperor Ming in the Eastern Han dynasty capital Luoyang. The site is just outside the walls of the ancient Eastern Han capital, east of Luoyang in Henan Province. It is considered by most believers as "the cradle of Chinese Buddhism". The geographical landmarks to the south are Manghan Mountain and Lucoche River.

Your lunch is arranged at Shaolin Temple, to learn the temple diet and try some food in temple. Lunch at the Shaolin temple is served at 11:30 a.m. and consists of tofu and rice paired with a mixture of five or six different types of raw or cooked vegetables.

Next, you will visit Shaolin Temple, also known as the Shaolin Monastery, which is a Buddhist temple in Dengfeng County, Luoyang. Dating back 1,500 years when founded by Fang Lu-Hao, Shaolin Temple is the main temple of the Shaolin school of Buddhism to this day. Shaolin Monastery and its Pagoda Forest is a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the "Historic Monuments of Dengfeng".

At the end of the tour, you will be taken to Luoyang for dinner at local restaurant to try some authentic food and then back to your hotel.

Day 6

Today you will start your tour with Longmen Grottoes, the Longmen Grottoes are some of the finest examples of Chinese Buddhist art. Housing tens of thousands of statues of Buddha and his disciples. There are as many as 100,000 statues within the 2,345 caves, ranging from an 1 inch (25 mm) to 57 feet (17 m) in height. The area also contains nearly 2,500 stelae and inscriptions, whence the name “Forest of Ancient Stelae", as well as over sixty Buddhist pagodas. Situated in a scenic natural environment, the caves were dug from a 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) stretch of cliff running along both banks of the river.

After lunch, transfer to Luoyang train station to catch the train to Xian. Upon arrival, our Xian local guide will meet you at the exit of train station with a welcome sign "China Private Tour". Drive you to your hotel and the rest day is free on your own.

Day 7

In the morning, our guide will meet you at the pointed time. Today, you will visit the highlights of Xi'an city.

Firstly, drive you to Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses Museum, it known as "the eighth Wonders of the world", the museum shows a surprisingly high level in sculpture which is listed as the most significant discovery of the 20th century. Up to now, there has discovered a total of 179 accompanying burial pits of different connotations and various shapes in Qinshihuang’s Mausoleum area.


Your lunch is arranged at local restaurant with tasting local cuisine.Such as Liangpi,it is made from rice, this cold noodle dish is a summer favourite through Shaanxi province as well as other places around China.

After lunch, you will Drum Tower & Bell Tower, which is the largest bell tower in structure and shape and the best-preserved one in China. The Drum and Bell towers located in the center of the ancient city of Xian, are two of its most famous symbols.

Contunie to visit the Muslim Quarter. It is a fascinating area where you can find exotic food, interesting people (some of the residents are still look like their Arabian cousins) and great souvenir stalls. You can taste many authentic Islamic snacks, like beef or mutton Rou Jia Mo (Chinese Hamburger), northwestern style noodles, Yangrou Paomo and many other attractive snacks that will not make you disappointed. The restaurants and eateries here are serving their food in budget prices.

Today, you will have a Xi'an Dumpling Dinner, which is famous in Xi'an.Our guide will lead you to Shaanxi Grand Opera House and help you find your seat for the most famous Xi'an Dumpling Dinner within the Opera House.In Xian, a must for visitors to try is the delicious dumplings. While tasting those dumplings, customers will be astonished by the cooks' smart cooking methods include steaming, boiling, pan-frying, deep frying, and roasting. It seems that all of the indigenous meat and vegetables can be used for the dumplings' stuffing, such as pork, mutton, beef as well as celery, radish, cabbages, etc. Nowadays, by the cooks' continuously improving, the dumpling has been one of the local best foods to entertain visitors from home and abroad..

After dinner, you will enjoy the local colorful and splendid Tang Dynasty Dance Show, which is a performance of music and dance that imitate the Tang Dynasty over one thousand-year ago. The Tang Dynasty Music and Dance Show, a wonderful performance of the ancient music and dance, is a must when you visit Xian.

Day 8

In the morning, our guide will pick you up from your hotel. Today, you will visit Xi'an Ancient City Wall. As one of the UNESCO's World Heritage Site, Xi'an Ancient City Wall was built in the 14th century, under the regime of Emperor Zhuyuanzhang in Ming dynasty, had the function of protecting the cities or towns as military defense systems in ancient China. Xi'an Ancient City Wall is one of the oldest, largest and best preserved Chinese city walls.

Next, visit the Big Goose Pagoda in Xi'an. The Big Wild Goose Pagoda attracts numerous visitors for its fame in the Buddhist religion and its simple but appealing style of construction. It is rated as a National Key Cultural Relic Preserve. One of the pagoda's many functions was to hold sutras and figurines of the Buddha that were brought to China from India by the Buddhist translator and traveler Xuanzang.

After lunch, drive around 4.5 hours to Mt.Wudang, which is another origin of Chinese Kung Fu, especially for its Taichi Quan, to continue your exploration. After dinner, our guide will help you to check in the hotel

Day 9

After breakfast, your full day Wudang Mountain Taoism exploration starts. First, take a visit to Wudangshan Museum to get a basic understanding about Taoism before visiting the sacred mountain. Walking through the eight halls, you can learn about the history of Taoism, architecture, celebrities, Taoist statues, folk customs, music and martial arts.

Then,take toursit bus to Qiongtai Palace with 14 temples preserved where is the starting point of cable car. Then take a cable car to the highest peak in Wudang - Tianzhu Peak at 1613 meters and explore Golden Summit(Jinding or Peace of Harmony), which is the symbol of Wudang Mountain, for a panoramic view of the Taoist mountain and temples. With the impressive natural sea of clouds, sunrise and sunset, lush forests and rocks, the Palace of Harmony is like a heaven on earth. After having a wonderful time on the summit, enjoy a walk to admire Taihe Temple if your energy permits.

Then head to Purple Cloud Palace, one of the best preserved palaces with 9 buildings and 182 rooms on Wudang Mountain. Looking from the axle wire, the constructions locate there symmetrically along the mountain, splendid and gorgeous.

After that, continue your visit to Nanyan Temple to explore this stunning palace on the cliff and visit various Taoist temples, stylish architectures and cliff inscriptions.

If you are interested in Tai Chi or other Kung Fu learning, you can take 1 or 2 hours Kung Fu experience course under the guidance of professional Taoist masters.

Later, take cable car down and back to your hotel. Have dinner in your hotel.

Day 10

Free on your own until our driver pick you up from your hotel and transfer to Shiyan City train station to catch the train to Wuhan, it takes around 4 hours. You will be picked up from Wuhan train station and drive to your hotel in Wuhan.

Day 11

In the morning, our guide will meet you at your hotel lobby and take you to visit one of famous attractions in Wuhan-Yellow Crane Tower. If you're in Wuhan, an absolute must-see is the Yellow Crane Tower. Regarded as one of the Four Great Towers of China, the tower stands on the banks of the Yangtze River at the top of Snake Hill. It is incredibly beautiful and its cultural significance led to its being made the symbol of Wuhan city. It goes without saying that it is one of Hubei's most popular tourist attractions.

After lunch, you will be transferred to Wuhan airport for your flight to Shanghai.Once you arrived, our Shanghai guide will meet you at the exit of airport with a welcome sign "China Private Tour" and transfer to your hotel in Shanghai.

Day 12

You will be picked up from your hotel in Shanghai. Drive you to visit Shanghai Museum. It houses a comprehensive collection that perfectly showcases the Middle Kingdom’s millennia old history. Spread over five floors, covers most of the major categories of Chinese art with a collection of 12, 300 pieces in 21 categories of valuable cultural relics.

Next you will visit Yu Garden, it not only regarded as best private garden in Shanghai but also the best in southeast China.The garden enjoyed a history over 400 years since its first establishment by Pan Yunduan who had intended to bring happiness and pleasure to his parents and relatives.

And then walking to nearby to Yu yuan Bazaar, there are many small streets and lanes where vendors sell their products and food stuffs to the tourists and local people.It is an ideal place for you to find some specialists.


Your lunch is arranged at Nanxiang Dumpling House to try the most famous Shanghai Xiaolongbao(soup dumpling).A favorite of dim sum eaters around the globe, are considered to be a Shanghai specialty, rumored to have originated here in the 19th century. Legend has it that this world-renowned snack started out as an experiment by a cake shop owner in Nanxiang who decided to try out a riff on his popular steamed bread.

After lunch, drive you to the Bund area. The Bund is a waterfront area in central Shanghai.When you come here, you can embrace the best cityscape, feast on the rich architectural fashions and know why Shanghai is glorified as "Paris of the East". There are a number of attractions in the area, such as Shanghai World Financial Center, the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, Century Park, Century Boulevard, Jinmao Tower etc. It is one of the most famous tourist destinations in Shanghai.

Walking with your guide to Nanjing Road, another popular landmark of Shanghai. It is a shopping paradise as well as a ideal place tootake a wonderful walk to explore the modern atmosphere of the city.

You will have a dinner before cruise, the last thing for today is Night cruise along the Huangpu River. When traveling in Shanghai, you should not miss a cruise tour on the Huangpu River. It is the best way to admire Shanghai's classic skyline views of colonial architecture and modern skyscrapers along the river.

After the cruise, you will be taken back yo your hotel in Shanghai.

Day 13

Free on your own until our driver pick you up from your hotel lobby at appointed time, transfer you to airport for your flight to next destinastion or back home. Your 13 Days China Kung Fu Culture Exploration Tour comes to end. Have a pleasent trip!

Price Per Person in US Dollars

Price Includes 1. All transfer and city transportation 2. Air-conditioned car or van 3. Hotels specified in the itinerary, all based     on two persons sharingone standard room; 4. Meals specified in the itinerary: Western     breakfast in hotels Chinese lunch and     dinner in local restaurants 5. Sightseeing: All arrangements mentioned     in the itinerary will be covered All first     admission/entrance fees in the itinerary 6. Tour guide: Conducted by a professional     tour guide

Price Excludes 1. International air-tickets 2. Airport departure tax. 3. International or domestic air tickets which     are not listed in the itinerary. 4. Insurance coverage of personal loss, illness     or damages incurred during your trip 5. Tips to the tour guide and driver 6. Meals not specified in the itinerary. 7. Personal expenses: phone bills, laundry,     optional tours, postage, excess baggage     charge, entertainment fees out of the     itinerary. 8. Single Room Supplement.