China

Upon arrival, transfer to our hotel overlooking the Bund riverfront.

After breakfast, set out to experience this immense city of 25 million. Begin in the oldest section of the city with a walk through the maze of lanes and alleys surrounding the lovely Yu Garden. After lunch, tour the Shanghai Museum, considered one of the most comprehensive collections of ancient Chinese art. Tonight, we toast the start of our journey at a special welcome dinner.

Spend time today learning about Shanghai’s unique western origins, colonial past, and how it has become China’s most important financial and commercial city. Explore sites in the French Concession area and meet with local experts. Enjoy a gripping acrobatics performance later this evening.

This morning, head to the airport for our flight to Dali. Upon arrival, check in to the Linden Centre, a charming cultural exchange hub founded by a Stanford alum.

Explore the grounds of the Linden Centre, a lovingly restored historic mansion complex located on the outskirts of an undeveloped rural village near Erhai Lake. Next, go on an excursion to a local market with stops at noodle and cheese workshops. After lunch, stroll around Dali Old Town with its quaint tea shops and impressive Ming-era stone walls and gate towers.

Venture to Erhai Lake to walk along the scenic shoreline, taking in views of the surrounding mountains. Spy majestic herons and perhaps catch site of local fishermen casting for golden trout and catfish.

Transfer to the airport this morning for our flight to Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province. After a tasty lunch of noodles and dumplings, visit the Du Fu Thatched Cottage to wander its extensive park and gardens and delve into the history and poetry of the Tang dynasty. Next, stroll through Kuan Alley and marvel at the traditional buildings with stone courtyards and myriad tea shops and cafes. End the day with a Sichuan dinner and a performance at the Shufeng Yayun opera house.

Sichuan Province is one of the most important homes to the panda. Visit the extensive Chengdu Panda Research Base to see and learn about both “greater pandas” and the not-so-well-known “lesser pandas.” Pandas have become an iconic example of how reduced habitats have brought creatures in the wild to near extinction. Researchers share with us efforts they are taking to increase and strengthen the population of this delightful creature. Afterward, travel to Sanxingdui, an archaeological site that unearthed incredible bronzes, gold objects, jades, elephant tusks, and cowrie shells from the Bronze Age.

Today, we visit the Dujiangyan irrigation system, an ecological engineering feat originally constructed around 256 BCE. This system is still in use, bringing the waters of the Minjiang River to the fertile farmland of the Chengdu plains. The afternoon and evening are at leisure for independent exploration.

Transfer by train this morning to Xian, one of the only cities in China that still retains a complete city wall. Visit the Great Mosque in the heart of one of Xian’s oldest neighborhoods, the Muslim Quarter. Stop by the Bell Tower of Xian before transferring to our hotel and checking in. Dinner this evening is on our own.

The capital cities of eleven separate dynasties were located at the site of present-day Xian. Visit to the Shaanxi History Museum to survey relics and artwork from these seminal periods of Chinese history, covering a period of more than 5,000 years from Neolithic times. Following lunch at a local restaurant, drive outside the city to the farmlands to see the terra cotta army excavations and the exhibit hall of the Qin Emperor’s bronze chariots. We feast on dumplings at a special banquet this evening.

This morning visit the Han Yang Ling Museum, built for exhibiting, protecting, and studying the relics unearthed from the mausoleum of Han Emperor Liu Qi and his Queen, Wang Shi. After lunch at a local restaurant, board our train for Beijing. Upon arrival in Beijing, transfer to our hotel and check in before dinner at a local restaurant.

We travel outside the city by coach to visit the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall, where we enjoy free time to walk along the Wall for views of the surrounding countryside. After lunch at a nearby restaurant, continue to the Ming Tombs, which serve as the resting place for 13 emperors. Walk the Shen Dao, or Spirit Way, among fanciful stone animals and human figures and visit Changling Tomb, the tomb of the third emperor of the Ming dynasty, Yongle, and his empress Xu. Return to Beijing for dinner on our own.

Today, we embark on an exploration of the Forbidden City, the imperial palace of the Ming and Qing Dynasty emperors, their families, and staff. Located in the heart of Beijing, the complex of courtyards, pavilions, halls, and gate towers covers 250 acres. After lunch, transfer to the Temple of Confucius to marvel at the stone carvings and ancient cypress trees of China’s second-largest Confucian temple.

Visit the Temple of Heaven, a complex that consists of three main structures: the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest, the Imperial Vault of Heaven and the Circular Mound Altar of Heaven. Enjoy time at leisure for independent exploration before gathering to celebrate our grand tour at a special farewell dinner.

Following breakfast at our hotel, transfer to the airport and check in for flights returning home.