15-Day Classic China Study Tours

Afternoon — Arrival in Beijing
Welcome to Beijing, the capital of China! To make your arrival as smooth as possible, your private guide greets you in the arrivals hall and escorts you to your hotel by private vehicle. Your guide also handles your luggage and assists with the hotel check-in process.

Evening — At Your Leisure
Lunch or dinner will be arranged according to the voucher provided for you; otherwise, you can find some local restaurants nearby or dine at the hotel. The rest of the day is yours to rest and recover from your journey.

Morning — Temple of Heaven
Begin your day at the Temple of Heaven, an esteemed complex of religious structures where emperors once prayed for good harvests, epitomizing the connection between Earth and Heaven. Built in the Ming Dynasty and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is also a beloved public park where you can watch local residents practicing their distinctive morning exercises.

Lunch — A Well-Known Local Eatery
For lunch, enjoy a meal at a well-known local eatery featuring authentic regional cuisine. Your guide assists you in selecting dishes that suit your taste.

Afternoon — Tian'anmen Square & the Forbidden City
Stroll through Tian'anmen Square, one of the world's largest public squares, then delve into the enigmatic Forbidden City, the world's largest imperial palace. Home to 24 emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties, it contains hundreds of halls and courtyards; venturing off the main axis uncovers fascinating tales of notable figures often overlooked by conventional tours.

Evening — At Your Leisure
The evening is yours to enjoy at your leisure in Beijing.

Morning — Mutianyu Great Wall
Hike the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall, ascending between Towers 10 and 23 for views of restored Ming Dynasty watchtowers and forested ridges. An optional toboggan ride offers a fun descent from the wall.

Afternoon — Summer Palace
Visit the Summer Palace, a Qing Dynasty imperial garden complex and UNESCO World Heritage Site. Cruise Kunming Lake past the Marble Boat and Longevity Hill, then explore Suzhou Street, a recreated Qing-era market of shops and waterways.

Evening — High-Speed Train to Datong
In the evening, board a high-speed train to Datong. On arrival, transfer to your hotel for check-in.

Morning — Yungang Grottoes
Explore the Yungang Grottoes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site of more than 45 major caves carved with 5th-century Buddhist figures. Begun in the Northern Wei Dynasty, the caves hold tens of thousands of statues. The 17-meter Buddha of Cave 5 embodies the dynasty's devotion, and the intricate apsara (celestial nymph) reliefs are among the finest carvings on site.

Afternoon — Hanging Temple
Visit the Hanging Temple, a roughly 1,500-year-old wooden structure clinging to the cliffs of Mount Heng. Walking its narrow walkways, you find statues of Laozi, Confucius, and Sakyamuni coexisting under one roof — a rare reflection of China's three great traditions.

Evening — Datong Ancient City Wall
End the day at the Datong Ancient City Wall, whose illuminated Ming-era ramparts glow after dark. Archery demonstrations add a lively note to the evening.

Morning — High-Speed Train to Pingyao
Board a high-speed train to Pingyao, traveling through the landscapes of Shanxi on your way to one of China's best-preserved ancient towns.

Afternoon — Pingyao Ancient Town
Explore Pingyao Ancient Town, a UNESCO-listed 14th-century trading hub whose walls, lanes, and courtyard houses survive largely intact. Walk the cobblestone streets to Rishengchang Draft Bank, founded in 1823 and regarded as China's first draft bank, and see its secret vaults. Together the buildings recall the town's days as a center of commerce and finance.

Evening — Qing Dynasty-Themed Dinner
Enjoy a Qing Dynasty-themed dinner accompanied by storytelling and folk music, a memorable way to experience the region's history and culture.

Morning — Shuanglin Temple
Visit Shuanglin Temple, a roughly 1,400-year-old temple celebrated for its more than 2,000 painted clay statues. The figures date largely to the Song Dynasty, and the Avalokitesvara with 1,000 Arms is a superb example of the craftsmanship of the period.

Afternoon — Qiao Family Compound
Explore the Qiao Family Compound, an 18th-century merchant mansion with intricate woodcarvings, brickwork, and hidden courtyards. As you walk its lanes and halls, you learn about the merchant culture of Shanxi and the Jin business tradition that produced some of China's wealthiest trading families.

Evening — Free Time in Pingyao
Enjoy free time to shop for local lacquerware or attend a traditional shadow puppet show. The evening is yours to enjoy at your leisure.

Morning — Pingyao City Wall
Walk a stretch of the Pingyao City Wall, whose Ming-era fortifications extend for about 6.4 kilometers around the ancient town. Climb the South Gate for sweeping views over gray-tiled rooftops and temple spires, and imagine the town as it stood when it was a thriving commercial center.

Afternoon — High-Speed Train to Xi'an
Transfer to the station and take a high-speed train to Xi'an, China's ancient capital and the eastern gateway of the Silk Road. Your guide meets you on arrival and accompanies you to your hotel.

Evening — Muslim Quarter
Explore the Muslim Quarter, a lively food street in the heart of Xi'an. Taste cumin-spiced lamb skewers, persimmon cakes, and fresh pomegranate juice as you wander. Visit the Great Mosque, whose buildings blend Islamic and traditional Chinese architecture in a style shaped during the Tang Dynasty.

Morning — Warrior Replica Making & Terracotta Army
Begin at a local warrior replica-making center near the museum, where you craft a miniature terracotta warrior by hand and learn about the traditional techniques. Then visit the world-famous Terracotta Army, the burial complex of Qin Shi Huang, China's first emperor, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site ranked among the greatest archaeological discoveries of the 20th century.

Cultural Insight
The army was discovered in 1974 by farmers digging a well, and the thousands of life-sized soldiers, each with a distinct face, were buried to guard the emperor in the afterlife.

Afternoon — Big Wild Goose Pagoda
Drive back to the city and visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda in the Da Ci'en Temple. This is where the famous Tang Dynasty monk Xuanzang translated the Buddhist scriptures he brought back from ancient India.

Evening — Tang Dynasty Dinner & Show
Enjoy a Tang Dynasty-styled dinner and music show, a cultural landmark that blends dining with performance. The evening features the renowned Great Tang Empress dance show.

Morning — Shaanxi History Museum
Visit the Shaanxi History Museum, home to some 370,000 artifacts spanning the region's long history. Highlights include Tang Dynasty gold and silver ware and Han Dynasty jade, offering a vivid sense of Xi'an's past as a capital and Silk Road hub.

Afternoon — Muslim Quarter
Explore the Muslim Quarter, where the city's Chinese Muslim community has lived and traded for centuries in the streets near the Bell Tower and Drum Tower. The area has been a center of settlement since the Tang Dynasty, and its food stalls, shops, and mosques make it one of Xi'an's liveliest districts.

Evening — High-Speed Train to Chengdu
Take a high-speed train to Chengdu. On arrival, you are met and transferred to your hotel for check-in.

Accommodation
Hotel options include The Temple House Chengdu, a chic blend of traditional Sichuan architecture and modern art, and Chengdu Marriott Hotel Financial Center, a high-rise hotel with skyline views and a Sichuan tea lounge.

Morning — Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding
At the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, observe playful cubs munching bamboo and climbing trees in spacious enclosures. Your visit also introduces the conservation efforts working to protect this beloved endangered species, from breeding programs to habitat protection.

Lunch — Sichuan Hotpot
Feast on Sichuan hotpot at Haidilao, where numbing peppercorns and fiery broths ignite the senses. Cooking fresh ingredients at the table makes for a lively, interactive meal.

Afternoon — Jinli Ancient Street
Explore Jinli Ancient Street, a Tang Dynasty-style lane lined with tea houses, snack stalls, and artisan workshops. It is a pleasant place to browse local crafts and soak up Chengdu's relaxed pace.

Evening — Sichuan Opera
Cap the day with a Sichuan opera performance, featuring face-changing performers and fire-spitting acts. The show highlights one of the region's most distinctive theatrical traditions.

Morning — Dujiangyan Irrigation System
Discover the Dujiangyan Irrigation System, a 2,200-year-old UNESCO World Heritage Site built to tame the Min River. Its ingenious channels, embankments, and spillways, made with nothing more than bamboo, stones, and skilled labor, still control flooding and water the fields of the Sichuan plain. Walk across the Anlan Cable Bridge to appreciate the scale of this enduring engineering marvel.

Afternoon — Qingcheng Mountain
Hike Qingcheng Mountain, a Taoist sanctuary shrouded in misty forests and long revered as a birthplace of Taoism. Visit the Tianshi Cave, associated with the origins of the Taoist tradition, and savor Taoist vegetarian dishes at a hillside temple. The serene paths and forested slopes make an ideal setting for quiet reflection.

Evening — At Your Leisure
The evening is yours to enjoy at your leisure back in Chengdu.

Afternoon — Arrival in Shanghai
Fly to Shanghai, China's futuristic metropolis and a global center of finance and culture. Your guide welcomes you and accompanies you to your hotel for check-in.

Evening — The Bund Night Tour
Embark on a night tour of the Bund, the historic waterfront where Art Deco buildings glow alongside neon-lit skyscrapers such as the Oriental Pearl Tower. The contrast between the old banking houses on one bank and the modern skyline on the other makes a striking introduction to the city.

Morning — Shanghai Museum
Visit the Shanghai Museum, a large-scale museum devoted to ancient Chinese art and one of the country's first national first-class museums. Its galleries present masterpieces of bronze, ceramics, calligraphy, painting, and jade, offering a wide-ranging introduction to China's artistic heritage.

Afternoon — Yu Garden & Markets
Visit Yu Garden and the surrounding markets. Laid out in the Ming Dynasty, Yu Garden is both a historical and cultural landmark of Shanghai and a treasure of traditional Chinese garden design, with rockeries, koi ponds, and zigzag bridges. The bustling bazaar around it is a lively place to browse local crafts and snacks.

Evening — At Your Leisure
The evening is yours to enjoy at your leisure in Shanghai.

Morning — Depart Shanghai for Suzhou
Depart Shanghai and travel to Suzhou, the historic canal city renowned across China for its classical gardens. Begin with the Humble Administrator's Garden, one of the most famous classical gardens in Suzhou, laid out in the 16th century during the Ming Dynasty. It is admired for its graceful water features, rockeries, and pavilions, and for the harmonious balance of nature and architecture that defines the Chinese garden tradition.

Lunch — Local Restaurant in Suzhou
Enjoy a meal at a local restaurant in Suzhou before continuing your exploration of the city.

Afternoon — Pingjiang Road & Lingering Garden
Stroll along Pingjiang Road, a historic lane that preserves the traditional architecture and culture of Suzhou and is lined with canals, stone bridges, and small shops. Afterward, explore the Lingering Garden, a compact and delicate classical garden known for its sequence of interconnected halls, pavilions, and courtyards, each with its own distinctive charm.

Evening — Return to Shanghai
Take the high-speed train back to Shanghai, concluding your day trip to Suzhou. Your guide sees you back to your hotel.

Morning — Departure from Shanghai
Your guide assists with hotel checkout, and a private vehicle transfers you to Shanghai Pudong International Airport for your onward journey. Your guide helps with your luggage and sees you to the departure hall, ensuring a smooth end to your time in China.