Welcome to Beijing, capital of China. Beijing has been the political and cultural center of China for over 600 years. Upon your arrival, you will be met by your guide at the airport and then transfer to hotel in down town by private car. Take a rest to recover from the jetlag or walk around the hotel to get a glance of this historical metropolis.

Full day city guided sightseeing today starting from around 8.30am with pick-up from hotel. Your first stop is Tiananmen Square, named after the Tiananmen ('Gate of Heavenly Peace') located to its north, separating it from the Forbidden City. The square contains the Monument to the People's Heroes, the Great Hall of the People, the National Museum of China, and the Memorial Hall of Mao Zedong, the founding of the People's Republic of China. It is within the top ten largest city squares in the world (440,500 m2 or 109 acres). Later, walk to the opposite of Chang’an Avenue to visit the Forbidden City (closed on Monday), the former Chinese imperial palace and state residence of 24 Emperors of China from the Ming dynasty. Constructed from 1406 to 1420, the complex consists of 980 buildings and covers 72 hectares (over 180 acres). The palace exemplifies traditional Chinese palatial architecture, and has influenced cultural and architectural developments in East Asia and elsewhere. After a visit to imperial palace in the morning, you will go to learn local people’s lifestyle in the afternoon at Panjiayuan Antique Market. It is home to over 3,000 dealers who scour the countryside in search of antiques, family heirlooms and curios. You may find some interesting objects as souvenir and the best bargains are offered on weekends. Chinese cuisine is famous for its richness and diversity. Tasting different Chinese foods and snacks is another great travel experience. Today’s dinner, you will enjoy Beijing Roast Duck, an important dish for the royal families of Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasty.

After breakfast in hotel, you will go for a private escorted tour to the Great Wall at Mutianyu section, one of the great wonders in the world and the symbol of China. Stretched from east to west for about 5000 thousand kilometers and served to keep nomadic tribes out in ancient China, the Great Wall is reputed as one of the seven construction wonders in the world not only for its long history, but its massive construction size, and its unique architectural style as well. You will take cable car to get to the wall and towers for a 2hrs’ visit on foot. Some towers might be a challenge for you with steep steps to access. Back to down town in the early afternoon and take a leisure wandering in Hutongs, a lane or alley formed by traditional courtyard compounds lining both sides. Thanks to Beijing's long history and status as capital for six dynasties, almost every Hutong has its anecdotes, and some are even associated with historic events. In contrast to the court life and elite culture represented by the Forbidden City, Summer Palace, and the Temple of Heaven, the Hutongs reflect the culture of grassroots Beijingers. OPTIONAL NIGHT SHOW Beijing Kung Fu Show: A rare chance to watch the real Shaolin Kung Fu. The performers are the best and have mastered the difficult moves. Beijing Opera Show: It is one of the most famous traditional Chinese opera. The artists wear heavy make-up and act out the legends and romance with their unique style of singing and dance.

This morning, you will visit the Temple of Heaven at the south of Beijing city. It is a masterpiece of architecture and landscape design where the ancient emperors used to pray for the God's bless of the whole nation. Now, as a public park, it is a place that local people, especially senior citizens spend their leisure time. You may have chance to join them to play Taichi, dance or sing. After simple lunch for Zha Jiang Mian, Beijing’s traditional and signature noodle, you will take high speed train to Xian. The bullet train takes around 4.5hrs with highest speed at 300kph. When you arrive at Xian, you will be met and take private car to hotel.

Worked as the capital of 13 dynasties in ancient China for over 1000 years, Xian is called one of the Four Ancient Capitals in the World. Today, you will go to visit the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum, one of the most important archaeological finds in the 20th century, to get a glance of the glorious history of the city. It is a collection of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China who unified all of China in 221 BC. The three pits containing the Terracotta Army held more than 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses, and 150 cavalry horses, the majority of which remained buried in the pits near Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum. Back to down town in the afternoon, you will visit Big Wild Goose Pagoda, which was built in 652 during the Tang dynasty. One of the pagoda's many functions was to hold sutras and figurines of Gautama Buddha that were brought to China from India by the seventh-century Buddhist monk, scholar, traveller, and translator Xuanzang. OPTIONAL NIGHT SHOW Tang Dynasty Singing and Dancing Show - A wonderful performance of the ancient music and dance. This is also a good way know more about the ancient Tang dynasty and some more history and art of that period.

As the start point of ancient Silk Road, Xian has many historical sites tell the stories of Sino-west communication thousands of years ago. Today, you will visit some of them. Exploration starts from the Ancient City Wall, which was built under the rule of the Hongwu Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang as a military defense system and exhibits the "complete features of the rampart architecture of feudal society". You can either take a walk or rent a bike to ride on the wall. Later, visit Shaanxi History Museum (closed on Monday). As one of the main museums in China, it collected over 370,000 precious relics which were unearthed in Shaanxi Province, including bronze wares, pottery figures, and mural paintings in Tang tombs. In the afternoon, you will go to Muslim Quarters of Xian, where lives with around 32,361 Muslim residence, 49.8% of the total Muslim population in Xi'an city. Visit Grand Mosque, built in a Chinese architectural style and most of the grounds are taken up with gardens. Except for some Arabic lettering and decorations, the mosque has neither domes nor traditional-style minarets. Bell Tower, standing at the edge of the Muslim Quarters, is also the center and a symbol of the city. The tower contains several large bronze-cast bells from the Tang Dynasty.

Transfer to the airport for flight to Lhasa, capital city of Tibet. Located on the Qingzang Plateau at the southwest of China, Tibet is a mysterious and sacred place for western people because of its Tibetan Buddhism and amazing plateau sceneries. Upon arrival in Lhasa Gongga Airport, you will be transferred to hotel in Lhasa city. Free at leisure for rest of the day to acclimatize the high altitude. You can take a rest in hotel or go for a walk nearly and make sure you’re fine with the altitude change and ready for the exploration the next day.

Enjoy breakfast with some Tibetan foods and then you will be picked up by your guide and driver. Your first destination is the Potala Palace, which served as administrative center, seat of government, monastery, fortress and the home of all the Dalai Lamas from the Fifth to the Fourteenth in the past. Now, it is a monumental building of Lhasa and listed in UNESCO world cultural heritage site of 1994. In the afternoon, visit the Sera Monastery, around 4 kilometers north of Lhasa. It is famous for the excellent Buddhist debating among lamas. The debating takes place from 3:00 pm every day in a garden next to the central assembly in the center of the monastery. It would be a great experience to see lamas debating. Afterwards, learn to prepare Tibetan food at a local restaurant. Before that, our guide will escort you to a vegetable and meat market to buy some raw material. After the cooking course, enjoy Tibetan food cooked by yourselves.

This morning, we will drive to Ganden Monastery situated high up on the Gokpori Ridge about 45km east of Lhasa. It is one of the “great three” Gelukpa university monasteries in Tibet. Other two are Sera Monastery and Drepung Monastery. The Ganden Monastery consists of over 50 structures. The main halls in the monastery are the Main Assembly Hall, Zhacangs, Khangtsens and Myicuns. In addition, there are a number of rare and precious cultural relics, such as Qing Dynasty armor and embroidery in Ming Dynasty. Ganden Monastery lies in a hilly natural amphitheater. You can obtain a fabulous view if standing on the top of the Ganden Wangpo hill and Kichu valley behind Ganden monastery. Afterwards, let’s drive to Trupshi village and visit a local Tibetan family. Warmly welcomed by the host, you will be treated by a cup of Tibetan tea, then enjoy the time freely- chatting with the hosts. Taste some Tibetan snacks or have a leisure walk around. In the afternoon, visit the Jokhang Temple, which is considered as the most sacred and important temple for most Tibetans. The temple is currently maintained by the Gelug school, but they accept worshipers from all sects of Buddhism. The temple's architectural style is a mixture of Indian vihara design, Tibetan and Nepalese design. At the square in front of the temple, you can see pilgrims licking their heads at the entrance of the Jokhang Temple. They may walk and lick their heads all the way from home to this sacred place to fulfill their life willing. Around the square is the famous Barkhor Street, good place to learn local people’s lifestyle and look for souvenirs for friends and family.

Check out after breakfast and drive 2.5hrs to Yamdrok Yumtso Lake, one of the “Three Holiest Lakes”, also known as one of the most beautiful lakes in Tibet. With an altitude of 4441 meters, the magnificent lake lies between grand mountains with snow on the tops and covers an area of 638 square kilometers. Take a leisure walk along the bank of the lake. After the visit, transfer to the airport for your flight to Chengdu.

Located in Sichuan Basin with an average altitude of 285 meters above sea level, the surrounding Chengdu Plain is known as the "Country of Heaven". The city is famous for its Sichuan Food and China’s most famous creatures, giant Pandas. This morning, you will go to see lovely pandas at Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Base, 10 kilometers north of Chengdu city center. You will be there before 9am to meet panda’s breakfast time and following playing time. After the visit, you will visit a traditional wet market nearby to see local people buy their everyday foods and how they bargain. You will have chance to learn spring-roll or wonton making. When in hometown of famous Sichuan Cuisine, sure you cannot miss the chance of tasting authentic Sichuan foods. Today’s lunch is prepared at a local restaurant with local Sichuan dishes, and supposed to stir up your appetite. After lunch, go to Renmin Park to take a walk and enjoy a tea time to experience local tea culture. The park is the place that local people, especially senior people and family go to do exercises, play music, dance and play their most loved Mahjong. You last stop is Kuanzhai Alleys, which consist of three parallel Chinese old-style alleys. This is also a good place you can find many local snacks. OPTIONAL Nigh Show: Sichuan Opera - It is another quintessence of Chinese art besides Peking Opera. You can see the famous face-changing show in some Sichuan Opera performance.

Take high speed train to Dazu, a town 90km west to Chongqing. You will be met by your Chongqing guide upon arrival and transferred to visit Dazu Rock Carvings, a series of Chinese religious sculptures and carvings and UNESCO World Heritage Site. The carvings date back as far as the 7th century AD, and provide outstanding evidence of the harmonious synthesis of Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. After the visit, transfer to Chongqing, a city built on mountains and got the nickname of “mountain city”. It is formerly a city of Sichuan Province and now a municipality like Beijing and Shanghai. Take a walk at Jiefangbei Pedestrian Street and enjoy famous hotpot dinner before going to pier and boarding your cruise ship. Your ship will set sail at around 9.30pm.

On board, you may join the morning Tai Chi class, and take shore excursion to "the Ghost City" Fengdu or Shibaozhai depending on the schedule of the cruise companies. Since 2010, some cruise companies offer optional shore excursions during your cruise, please kindly check with your travel consultant for more information.

Today you’ll get a close look of the enchanting landscape as you board a small boat and cruise along a tributary to the Yangtze to explore the exceptionally beautiful Lesser Three Gorges or Shennong Stream depending on the arrangement of the cruise company.

Shore excursion to the amazing Three Gorge Dam, the world's largest power station in terms of installed capacity (22,500 MW). Later, disembark at Yichang and transfer to have lunch in local restaurant. Transfer to airport in time for flight to Shanghai.

As the economic and financial center of China, Shanghai brings you not only the skyscrapers and fashion shops. In the past 200 years, western and eastern cultures mixed well here to a special “Haipai” culture in Shanghai. This trip will take you to trace a real Shanghai. Your first stop is the Bund, which is the famous water front with new-erect modern skyscrapers on the opposite Pudong district and aged buildings of the colonial period along the Huangpu River. Later, proceed to Yu Garden, which is the paragon of the traditional south Chinese garden. It was inaugurated in the Ming dynasty and has a total area of 20,000 square meters. Adjoin to the garden is the Chenghuang Miao, old quarters of Shanghai. Take a walk there and enjoy dim sum lunch in local restaurant. In the afternoon, you will go to Xintiandi, a car-free shopping, eating and entertainment area where composed of restored traditional shikumen (stone gate) houses on narrow alleys. You last stop is Shanghai Tower, the tallest building in China and the 2nd tallest building in the whole world. Taking the world's fastest elevator to the 546m high floor, the world's highest observation deck, you can have a bird view of the city. OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES ERA Intersection of Time Acrobatic Show - performed by Shanghai Acrobatic Troupe, one of the best of all Chinese acrobatic troupes. As a multimillion-dollar stunning acrobatic extravaganza, the first of its kind in China , ERA is a multimedia odyssey whose inspiration is a direct result of the combination of traditional Chinese acrobatic arts and modern technology.

Full day free at leisure for your own exploration. As an international city, Shanghai is an easy travel destination for westerners. You can make most of the visit with convenient transportation and English index. Suggested sites are History Museum, M50 Art Zong, Tianzifang, Nanjing Road. Shanghai Museum - is a museum of ancient Chinese art, and is considered one of China's first world-class modern museums. The museum has a collection of over 120,000 pieces, including bronze, ceramics, calligraphy, furniture, jades, ancient coins, paintings, seals, sculptures, minority art and foreign art. M50 Art Zone – similar to New York’s SoHo and Beijing’s 798 Art Zone, M50 is a contemporary art district in Shanghai that houses a community of more than a hundred artists whose studios are open to the public. The site was formerly Shanghai Chunming Roving Factory. Since the year of 2000, the factories and warehouses have been converted into art galleries, artists’ studios, design agencies and other visual art and cultural businesses of various sizes. Tianzifang - is a touristic arts and crafts enclave that has developed from a renovated traditional residential area in the French Concession area of Shanghai. It was converted from factory buildings in the 1930s to private studios, retaining most of the old constructions. It is now home to boutique shops, bars and restaurants. Nanjing Road - usually referred to the eastern part of Nanjing Road, largely pedestrianized and is the main shopping streets of Shanghai. Its eastern section is in Huangpu District and extends from The Bund west to People's Square. The western section begins at People's Square, where Shanghai Museum, Renmin Park and Shanghai Grand Theatre are located.

You will be picked up from hotel in time and transfer to airport for your flight back to sweet home.