Classic China and the Yangtze River

Highlights:

• Guided tour in Beijing, including a visit to Tiananmen Square, Temple of Heaven, Great Wall of China and more.
• Stop in Xian to see the impressive Terra Cotta Warriors recently excavated and now a UNESCO World Heritage site
• Three-night cruise on the Yangtze River aboard a Victoria Cruise ship with an opportunity to tour the Three Gorges Dam Project
• Three nights in Shanghai, China’s dazzling commercial center

Day 1: Depart U.S. for Beijing, China

Day 2: Arrive Beijing

You’ll arrive in the Chinese capital mid-afternoon where you’ll meet your Odysseys Unlimited Tour Director and transfer directly to the hotel. There’s time to unpack and enjoy a short rest before joining your tour director for a brief walking tour of the area. This evening you are free to dine on your own at the hotel or at one of the many local restaurants.

Accommodations: Renaissance Beijing

Day 3: Beijing

This morning we meet with our Odysseys Unlimited Tour Director and fellow travelers for an information briefing about the journey ahead. After lunch on your own, we set out to visit Tiananmen Square – the Gate of Heavenly Peace – in the very heart of the city. It’s a vast area said by some to be the greatest public square on earth. It was also the site of several infamous uprisings in China’s 20th-century history, including the eight rallies that began the Cultural Revolution in 1966 and the student protests in 1989. Next we move on to the Forbidden City, which operated as the seat of power during five centuries of Chinese dynasties. Imperial and impressive, the Forbidden City boasts three great ceremonial halls and three principal palaces where the extravagant living quarters housed more than 34 successive emperors. This evening we gather together for a welcome dinner of traditional Peking Duck.

Accommodations: Renaissance Beijing
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 4: Beijing/Great Wall

First we enjoy a fascinating small group highlight: a tour of Beijing through the city’s ancient back alleys called hutongs. We’ll travel by rickshaw down these back streets and tiny alleyways to witness a way of life that is fast disappearing in modern-day China. As more and more modern apartment complexes are being built, the communal lifestyle that you’ll see on today’s tour is becoming obsolete – and may soon disappear entirely. Our visit with a Beijing family in their home here offers us a glimpse of this time-honored tradition.
After lunch at a local restaurant, we drive past Olympic Park to view the Bird’s Nest and Water Cube stadiums that were used during the 2008 Summer Olympics. As we continue on, we visit the only manmade structure on earth that is visible from space: the Great Wall of China, which stretches some 2,480 miles across the country. It was also one of history’s most time-consuming projects: construction began in the 5th century BC and finished in the 16th century AD. We’ll be concentrating on Mu Tian Yu, a scenic and less crowded section of the Great Wall, where we take a cable car for the brief ride to the highest restored portion. It’s a breathtaking sight, one you won’t soon forget. Late this afternoon we return to our hotel and dinner is on your own this evening.

Accommodations: Renaissance Beijing
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 5: Beijing

Today’s touring begins this morning at the Temple of Heaven, among China’s most beautiful shrines, with two circular ceremonial buildings crowned with blue tile roofs. After the tour here, you have an option to visit a pearl shop featuring a demonstration on fresh water pearls. Those who are not interested in the demonstration can enjoy a walk through a nearby farmers market and park. After lunch at a local restaurant we travel to the Summer Palace, the former royal retreat that is now one of the loveliest spots in Beijing, a park for both visitors and local citizens, with a large lake, imperial pavilions, and palaces.

Accommodations: Renaissance Beijing
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 6: Beijing/Xian

Early this morning we depart for the airport for the 90-minute flight to Xian, home of the world-renowned Terra Cotta Army, arriving mid-day. Once among the world’s greatest ancient cities, Xian devolved into a provincial backwater until the accidental discovery in 1974 of the great army of hand-carved warriors that had been buried for centuries. Upon arrival, we enjoy a lunch of traditional Chinese dumplings before touring the impressive nine-mile city wall and moat, one of the largest surviving ancient military defense systems in the world. Following the tour, we visit the Shanxi Provincial History Museum, a striking Tang-Dynasty style pavilion housing a collection of 113,000 historic and cultural artifacts unearthed in nearby Shanxi. This evening we enjoy a Tang Dynasty show and dinner.

Accommodations: Sheraton Xian
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 7: Xian

Our day begins with a visit to the Wild Goose Pagoda, built in 652 AD and noted as a symbol of Xian, prized especially for its architectural beauty. From here we drive to a store that sells jade. We learn what constitutes good jade and the difference between jade and jadeite, before we are left to browse. For those who do not wish to browse, we return to the Old town and city wall for a time. After lunch at a local restaurant we venture to the astounding Terra Cotta Warriors, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Created to guard the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang who ascended the throne in 246 BC, this is one of China’s most memorable sights. Discovered by a fortuitous accident in 1974, the terra cotta soldiers rest in three massive vaults, the largest consisting of more than 1,000 figures in battle formation. The figures each stand about five feet tall; each head and face is different, and the mass-produced bodies are clad in knee-length battle tunics. The soldiers once carried actual weapons, including swords, spears, and crossbows that have long since been plundered. A smaller vault holds four groups including men with crossbows, charioteers, infantry, and cavalry in many positions, including one particularly striking figure of a cavalryman leading a horse. And in the final vault we see what appears to be battle headquarters, with an honor guard and animal bones indicating that the area was used for animal sacrifices. We view the open vaults from above while standing on a series of walkways then visit the remarkable museum nearby which houses the two famed bronze chariots unearthed in 1982 – and which we can see up close here. After returning to our hotel late this afternoon, we enjoy a Western-style buffet dinner there tonight.

Accommodations: Sheraton Xian
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 8: Xian/Chongqing

This morning we transfer to the airport for the one-hour flight to Chongqing. Called the Mountain City, Chongqing is surrounded by hills in a most scenic setting. After lunch together and if time permits, we visit the Chongqing Zoo to see the beloved pandas, and the Stilwell Museum dedicated to World War II General Joseph Stilwell. After dinner in a local restaurant, we board our Victoria Cruises premier ship. Tonight we set sail downriver – for good luck, as the Chinese do.

Accommodations: Victoria Cruises Premier Ship
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 9: Yangtze Cruising – Fengdu

It’s one of the world’s classic voyages: sailing the fabled Yangtze River. The river’s source is in the mountains above Tibet, and it receives some 700 tributaries during its 3,600-mile course through China. The third longest river in the world, the Yangtze continues to serve as a major waterway for boats, barges, and fisherman, as it has for more than 1,000 years. Early this morning we disembark in Shiboaozhai or Fengdu (depending on water levels) for the 20-minute walk to visit the Red Pagoda. Considered a gem of Chinese architecture, the 12-story pagoda built in 1816 simply rests against the rocks behind it – it is not secured in any way. After returning to the ship mid-morning, we continue cruising downstream. This evening we attend the Captain’s Welcome Dinner.

Accommodations: Victoria Cruises Premier Ship
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 10: Yangtze Cruising – Daning River/Lesser Gorges/Wu Gorge/Xiling Gorge/Three Gorges Dam

After traversing the first of the Yangtze’s fabled Three Gorges, Qutang, known for the sheer, dramatic precipices lining either side of the-five-mile long passageway, we disembark in Wushan and board a smaller ferry boat for an excursion along the Daning River, a Yangtze tributary that is home to the stunning Lesser Gorges. Here we can see rock walls up close, along with monkeys playing in the treetops, and ancient coffins and calligraphy etched into the rocks. We return to our Victoria Cruises ship for lunch and resume cruising; early this afternoon we enter 25-mile Wu Gorge. With precipitous peaks often enshrouded in clouds and rich vegetation clinging to the slopes that flank the water, Wu Gorge is considered the most beautiful of the Three Gorges. Late afternoon we reach the western section of 42-mile Xiling Gorge. Partway through our voyage through Xiling Gorge we approach the locks of the Three Gorges Dam; once the lockmaster determines our entry time, we commence our three-hour transit of the world’s largest hydroelectric dam.

Accommodations: Victoria Cruises Premier Ship
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 11: Yangtze Cruising – Three Gorges Dam Site/Xiling Gorge/Disembark/Shanghai

Early this morning we disembark to tour Sandouping, site of the immense Three Gorges Dam. We see and learn about this incredible project from an observatory overlooking the site. The idea for this massive (and controversial) dam was born nearly a century ago, though it was just recently completed. Some five times larger than Hoover Dam, the Three Gorges Dam is the largest of its kind, with walls reaching more than 600 feet high and 6,500 feet in length. The subsequent lake is now the world’s largest reservoir, stretching all the way to Chongqing and providing as much as 10 percent of China’s hydroelectric power. Centuries old villages are now submerged, and several “new towns,” or relocated villages have been created throughout the region. Even though the dam project is complete, the Gorges can soar as high as 3,000 feet, and you’ll have the opportunity to see this fabled landscape as we cruise, the majestic vertical cliffs reaching toward the sky, a land steeped in mystery and legend. It’s an extraordinary opportunity to look to China’s past and future and know that you’ve been here at a crossroads in its history. Following our tour we return to the ship mid-morning and resume cruising through the eastern section of Xiling Gorge. After lunch we arrive in Yichang, where we disembark again and travel to the airport for our flight to Shanghai. After checking in at our hotel, you are free for dinner on your own. Please note: Because of very limited flights from Yichang to Shanghai, our group may travel by motorcoach to Wuhan and then fly to Shanghai.

Accommodations: Hilton Shanghai
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 12: Shanghai

During the 20th century Shanghai gained notoriety as the “Paris of the East,” the stronghold of European life in Mainland China; a bustling modern metropolis where economics ruled. But after the rise of communism and the expulsion of foreigners, Shanghai slowed down considerably. Now, however, it is thriving once again, and is again among China’s, indeed Asia’s, fastest growing cities. Today we tour the city, including the Children’s Palace, where local children study traditional dance, theater and music after school. This afternoon we tour beloved Yu Yuan Gardens, a 400-year-old Ming-influenced complex whose six sections comprise a harmonious whole. Later we tour the acclaimed Shanghai Museum of ancient Chinese art, known especially for its collections of bronzes, ceramics, paintings, and calligraphy. After dinner tonight on your own we attend a show of traditional Chinese acrobatics.

Accommodations: Hilton Shanghai
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 13: Shanghai

This morning we visit the Bund, the mile-long riverside embankment where foreign investors-and their buildings-once held sway over Shanghai. Still one of the city’s most popular attractions, the Bund draws visitors and locals alike. The remainder of the day is at leisure to explore on your own or for last-minute shopping, your tour director can offer suggestions. For those interested, you can visit a silk shop demonstration. Tonight we enjoy a farewell dinner together at our hotel.

Accommodations: Hilton Shanghai
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 14: Depart for U.S.

You’ll depart for the U.S. today, arriving on the West Coast then connecting with your flight home.

Meals: Breakfast