9-Day Study Tours in Beijing and Hangzhou

Afternoon — Arrival & Hotel Check-in
Students are greeted at the airport and transferred to a centrally located hotel, then have time to rest and recover from the journey.

Dinner — Welcome Dinner
A welcome dinner introduces the group to Chinese cuisine and sets the tone for the days ahead.

Evening — Orientation
A brief introduction to Beijing's history and daily routines is shared, helping everyone feel oriented and ready for the adventure.

Morning — The Forbidden City
The Forbidden City, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, served as China's imperial palace for 500 years. Your group explores its grand halls, courtyards, and artifacts while learning about the lives of the emperors and the principles of traditional Chinese architecture. A scavenger hunt activity highlights symbols such as dragons and phoenixes, and the visit takes about three hours.

Afternoon — Hutong Tour
Explore Beijing's historic alleyways on a rickshaw tour, learning about old Beijing lifestyles and the courtyard homes that line the lanes. Your group can try making dumplings or flying kites, both traditional pastimes in the city, and the tour runs around four to six hours.

Evening — Flexible Evening / at your leisure
After a day of palaces and alleys, the evening is yours to enjoy at your leisure.

Meals
Breakfast at the hotel; lunch during tours; dinner at your leisure.

Morning — Mutianyu Great Wall
Students hike or take a cable car up the Mutianyu section, a beautifully restored stretch of Ming Dynasty wall famed for its dense watchtowers and lush mountain setting. Educators explain its role as a defensive system and the engineering behind its construction, while a fun team-building 'wall relay race' keeps the group engaged. Allow about four hours for the visit.

Lunch — near the Great Wall
Enjoy lunch at a restaurant near the Great Wall.

Afternoon — Olympic Park
On the return to Beijing, visit the Olympic Park to see the Water Cube (National Aquatics Center) and the Bird's Nest (National Stadium), flagship venues of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Interactive exhibits showcase China's sporting achievements, and students create Olympic-themed crafts. Plan roughly 1.5 hours here.

Evening — at your leisure
The evening is free to unwind after the day's adventures.

1. School Immersion 

  Students spend half a day at a top Beijing school, participating in Chinese language classes, calligraphy workshops, and traditional music lessons. They share cultural presentations with local students.  

  - Duration:3 hours

2、Summer Palace 

  This imperial garden blends lakes, pavilions, and gardens. Students take a guided boat ride on Kunming Lake and walk the Long Corridor, adorned with mythological paintings. Activities include sketching traditional architecture or learning Chinese painting.  

Morning — Temple of Heaven
Tour the Temple of Heaven, the iconic complex where emperors prayed for good harvests, built in 1420 during the Ming dynasty and later inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A guide explains the ancient rituals and symbolism of the circular altars and halls, and the visit is followed by a hands-on activity such as practicing Tai Chi in the surrounding park. Allow about 2.5 hours.

Afternoon — High-Speed Train to Hangzhou
Depart Beijing West Railway Station on a 4.5-hour bullet train to Hangzhou, one of China's fastest and most modern rail services. Along the way, your group learns about China's high-speed rail network and modern transportation advances.

Evening — Hotel Check-in & Local Dinner
Check into your hotel in Hangzhou and enjoy a dinner featuring local dishes such as Dongpo Pork, a slow-braised pork belly named after the Song dynasty poet and official Su Dongpo.

Meals
Breakfast at the hotel; lunch during travel; a dinner with Dongpo Pork in Hangzhou.

Accommodation
Check in at your Hangzhou hotel.

Morning — Hangzhou School Exchange
Spend the day at a local Hangzhou school engaging in cross-cultural activities with Chinese students. Join hands-on workshops such as tea ceremony, silk painting, or gardening, and take part in informal exchanges that build friendships across cultures.

Afternoon — Gifts & Performances
Continue the exchange into the afternoon as students swap gifts and perform short skits about their home countries, sharing music, stories, and traditions in a lively, informal setting. The visit offers a first-hand look at daily school life in China.

Evening — Flexible Evening / at your leisure
After a full day of exchange, the evening is yours to enjoy at your leisure.

Meals
Breakfast at the hotel; lunch at the school; dinner at your leisure.

Morning — West Lake
Take a boat tour of West Lake, a UNESCO World Heritage Site celebrated as a classic example of Chinese landscape design, and admire the lake's 'Ten Scenes', including the Leifeng Pagoda. As you drift across the water, join a poetry-reading session inspired by the classical Chinese verses written about West Lake over the centuries. Allow about three hours.

Cultural Insight
West Lake has inspired poets and painters for more than a thousand years, and its causeways, islands, and pagodas were shaped over successive dynasties to create the views celebrated today.

Afternoon — Lingyin Temple
Visit Lingyin Temple, one of China's oldest Buddhist temples, founded in 328 AD by the Indian monk Huili. Your group learns about Buddhist philosophy and meditation practices and observes traditional incense ceremonies, with the surrounding grottoes and carved stone adding to the atmosphere. Allow about two hours.

Late Afternoon — Hangzhou City Tour
Explore Hangzhou's modern landmarks on a city tour, seeing how the ancient lakeside city has grown into one of China's leading technology and commerce centers.

Evening — Flexible Evening / at your leisure
The evening is yours to enjoy at your leisure.

Meals
Breakfast at the hotel; lunch during tours; dinner at your leisure.

Morning — Xixi National Wetland Park
Take a guided eco-tour of Xixi National Wetland Park, China's first national wetland park, located in western Hangzhou and covering roughly 11.5 square kilometers of waterways, ponds, and reed beds. Your group learns about biodiversity and environmental conservation while taking part in activities such as bird-watching, traditional boat rides, or planting saplings. Allow about four hours in the park.

Afternoon — Continued Wetland Exploration
Continue exploring the park's waterways and green spaces at a relaxed pace, observing the rich plant and bird life that thrives in this protected landscape.

Evening — Farewell Cultural Experience
The day concludes with a farewell cultural experience, either a Chinese tea ceremony or a traditional puppet show. This is a chance to reflect on the trip and enjoy a final taste of local culture together.

Meals
Breakfast at the hotel; lunch during the wetland tour; dinner at your leisure.

Morning — Free in Hangzhou
The last morning is unscheduled, and after eight days of early starts most groups use it to sleep in, finish packing, or take a final short walk in the city. Your guide can arrange transport to the shops or the tea market if the group would rather fill the time.

Afternoon — Departure Transfer
Transfer to Hangzhou East Railway Station for the high-speed service to Shanghai, about forty-five minutes, and onward to Shanghai Pudong or Hongqiao for the international flight; or, where the group is flying out of the city directly, to Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport (HGH). Your guide assists with luggage and check-in.

Meals
Breakfast included.