EPIC CHINA

Firstly, you will pay a visit to the Temple of Heaven Park to see several spectacles that will also enable a better understanding of Chinese society. We recommend an early start today, something that we’re sure will pay-off, but as it’s your trip you’re free to plan as you wish! Every morning, the park welcomes mass sessions of public exercise (including taiji, kung-fu, sword-dancing, meditation, tango, and gymnastics) as well as locals practicing calligraphy on stone with water. In summer it is an intriguing to see - because of the heat, the water evaporates almost as quickly as it is written!

After a leisurely bout of people-watching, you will then discover the temple itself. Notable for its architectural simplicity, the temple reflects early Buddhist and Taoist beliefs. The temple experience continues with a visit to the lesser-known White Cloud Temple where Taoist monks still wear their hair in a traditional style and visitors come to rub sculptures representing the 12 signs of the Chinese Zodiac. If time allows, you’ll also be able to visit Beijing Mosque, a symbol of the expansion of Muslin merchants to China from Central Asia. Lunch will then be taken in a leading local restaurant.

After lunch you will have the opportunity to visit Yong He Gong Lama Temple, which proudly boasts an 18-meter-high Buddha statue carved from one block of wood. The last temple visit of the day takes you to the Temple of Confucius – a teacher whose moral codes provide the cornerstone of Chinese culture. A visit here will round off the day of temple tours which, together with your guide’s expert explanations, will give you a valuable knowledge base of China’s religions before being driven back to your hotel to spend the rest of the evening at your leisure.

Formerly a home of emperors, the Forbidden City was the Chinese Imperial Palace in the days of the Ming Dynasty and was lovingly restored in time for the Beijing Olympics in 2008. You’ll have the chance to take in the serene surrounding courtyards and stately rooms of this vast and elegant 720,000-square-meter complex which was completed in 1420 during the reign of Emperor Yongle. The Forbidden City served as the Imperial administrative center until the fall of the Empire in 1911 and according to legend is made up of 9,999 rooms.

Our guide will take you to climb the hill behind the historic city to get spectacular views of the site and the layout of Beijing, helping you gain a greater understanding of the chaotic city.

After taking the time to fully absorb the majesty of the 500-year-old City, you’ll then make tracks to catch the six-hour overnight train to Datong. Riding the overnight traditional train is an unforgettable experience and is a unique way to appreciate subtle nuances of Chinese culture.

Safely tucked up in your own soft-sleeper cabin, you’ll discover that train travel in China is a cultural experience, not just a means to an end as you share a beer or baijiu (Chinese rice wine) with locals and consume scandalous amounts of sunflower seeds and freshly made noodles before getting some well-deserved sleep on this comfortable sleeper service.

The precarious looking structure holds fast due to an ingenious wooden construction supported by beams built into the rock-face. The temple was built in such an unconventional way, not because of an eccentric whim, but so as to avoid the floodwaters of the river below. All three of China’s main religions (Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism) were worshipped here and the temple was also an ancient resting point for travelers.

After taking in the spectacular views of the unique temple, you will then continue to Yingxian to see the world’s tallest wooded pagoda, which stands at 67m. The eight-sided Yingxian Wooden Pagoda, constructed in the 11^th century, houses a giant 11m statue of the Goddess Sâkyamuni.

You will then arrive in Pingyao, regarded as the perfect example of and preserved medieval city in China, lined with paved alleyways and traditional courtyard-style homes lit with red lanterns, all surrounded by reinforced city walls. You will have the chance to explore the town walls by bike, avoiding the tourists that gather to clutter the walkways.

The once-impenetrable wall is 6km long, 10m high and has 72 watchtowers dotted along it, each of which has a piece of artwork by Sun Tzu, a high-ranking military general and tactician and the author of ‘The Art of War’, recognized as one of the most defining works on military strategy.

You will spend the evening in a traditional home built either during the Ming or Qing dynasty, which have been transformed into a quaint boutique hotel. Here you’ll be given the option of sleeping on a traditional kang, a bed made of bricks heated by a small fire set underneath.

The tour will then take you to visit Rishengchang, which started as a small dye store in the 17^th century and grew to become China’s first bank, which helped Pingyao’s establishment as China’s first financial center. Next you will go to visit the local yamen, which during Imperial times was an administration center, courthouse and even a prison.

Your guide will then take you to Taiyuan, the capital of Shanxi to visit Jinci, a building constructed in honor of Prince Shuyu who founded the Jin state (772-403 BC). The temple is aligned with the values of Confucianism and ‘filial piety’, and is much older than any form of religion in China. Practicing Confucianists maintain links with the dead by offering food, burning paper money and incense and ‘sweep the tombs’ on Qingminjie (Tomb-Sweeping Day).

The Hall of the Holy Mother is a perfect example of a Confucianism temple and is boasts superb wooden dragon sculptures that surround the temple, often only found in imperial places of worship. Be sure to ask your guide to tell you hear story of ‘why the emperor never joked’.

After visiting the temple you will be taken to the Taiyuan airport and board a two-hour flight to Xi’an where you will be met by your guide and transferred to your hotel.

At the tomb, it is possible to view the recently unearthed statues through the glass floors of each pit. The trip also includes a visit to an excellent little museum which allows you to see some of the most well preserved pieces. The excellent layout and quality of the site makes this trip unmissable. 

After the visit you take a two-hour flight to Guilin, in the Guangxi Autonomous Region, famous for its numerous hill tribes and stunning scenery which includes the rock peaks which border the Li River, an endless number of caves, rice terraces at Longsheng, and the waterfalls of Detian.

In Guilin you will discover Reed Flute Cave which takes its name from number of reeds growing at the cave entrance which are used to make flutes. After taking in a kitsch lightshow, guests are given torches to admire the stunning stalactites and stalagmites that litter the cave.

Having explored the cave you may then take a stroll around Shan Lake, known for two marvelous pagodas – one dedicated to the sun and the other for the moon. You will then spend the evening in Guilin, at another of our carefully selected hotels.

Marco Polo described Hangzhou as a “Heaven on Earth”, at least in part due to the West Lake, a recent addition to UNESCO’s world heritage sites. Each season here offers something different, yet spectacular in its own way: in winter, the snow rests upon the water and transforms the lake into a piece of art with frozen plants.

In spring, the peach and plum trees are in full bloom bringing bursts of color back to the park, and in summer countless water-lilies create a perfumed blanket on the lake’s surface. The locals like to say that the moon is bigger and more beautiful in autumn, and this can best be seen from the ‘three pools mirroring the moon’ on Xiaoling Island.

You’ll be given the chance to take a scenic bike ride around the lake as you explore one of the most picture-perfect symbols of traditional China. The curved bridges lead to small islands in the heart of the lake, and there you can discover, amongst other things, the charmingly romantic Quyuan gardens.

You will also visit the tea plantations, another specialty of the region of Zhejiang and home to Longjing tea (one of most expensive teas in the world). Tea is China’s favorite drink and gained popularity in the Tang dynasty (618-907) when it was traded around the world. During your trip to the plantation, you may also be fortunate enough to meet a local tea producer who can introduce different tea types: green tea, black tea, Oolong tea, fragrant tea, white tea or even ancient ‘tea bricks’.

After taking in the splendid scenery by bike, you will be free to spend the evening at your leisure before getting a good night’s sleep in your comfortable hotel.

While visiting this this area you will learn about fengshui (which when translated literally means ‘wind’ and ‘water’), also known as ‘geomancy’. Hongcun, for example, is one of the best original examples of the application of fengshui in China.

The village layout has been deliberately shaped to reproduce of the silhouette of a buffalo. Its intestines are symbolised by the village’s complex network of canals, and its stomach by the central valley into which they all flow, and two large trees just outside the village represent the horns of the buffalo.

Hongcun was used as one of the locations during the filming of ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ in 2000 by Ang Lee, as was the demure village of Chengshitang which you will visit next. Originally constructed by a salt merchant, the region is a perfect representation of the prosperity and refinement of Chengshitang.

From there you will travel to Tachuan, a seemingly timeless village located at the entrance of a valley that in autumn is masked in red and yellow tones, which enhances the resplendent chalked white houses and makes for an exquisite photograph. Less crowded that other villages nearby, the best way to pass the time in Tachuan is by losing yourself in the labyrinth of grey-marble alleyways or by taking yourself out into the surrounding countryside so that you can fully appreciate the history and symbolism of this extraordinary region.

Your next stop will take you to Xidi, which is known for its three-level paifang (archway) at the entrance to the village which pays tribute to a member of the village clan who became a scholar. Xidi is also notable for having the largest number of merchants’ houses, whose sculpted wooden panelling is particularly attractive. These houses have been immortalised by the tireless work of students of fine art and photography enthusiasts.

The final stop of the day brings you to Nanping, which boasts 500-year-old houses and is one of the best examples of an ancestral hall in the region, the Ye Family Ancestral Hall. A visit here will give you an insight into ancestor-worship, a fundamental practice of Chinese culture that has endured to this day. After returning the bikes, we will continue the journey to the Huangshan (Yellow Mountains), ascending by cable-car and spending the night at the summit. The nights here are fresh and the weather unpredictable, and as such waterproofs, walking shoes and warm clothes are a necessity.

In the morning of day 16 you will head to the French Concession, a symbol of a time when Western powers were accorded many privileges. You will start your trip with a stroll through Fuxing Park where you will have one last chance to watch Chinese locals practicing their ritual of early morning exercise. Especially worth watching are the tango dancers whose music fills every corner of the park. You may even stumble upon a lone dancer, moving to imaginary music - a truly magical moment.

During colonial times this area was a center of vice and a no-go area for the police during the ‘roaring 30s’. A far cry from what you can see today as stroll around the surrounding roads and admire the local colonial homes that have been transformed into restaurants, bars and boutiques – a reflection of the changing face of Shanghai inspired by increasing commercialism in modern China.

You will then continue to Xintiandi, a renovated area considered one of the liveliest parts of the city. Your guide will ensure your walk ends at Tianzifang, a maze of animated alleyways full of restaurants, boutiques and small art galleries similar to those found in Xintiandi but much more authentic.

Next you will visit the Pudong district, which until as recently as the 1990s was just a marsh were only farmers and water buffalo frequented. Now the area is one of the most important business centers in Asia complete with skyscrapers and some of Shanghai’s most iconic buildings including Shanghai World Financial Center (the tallest building in Shanghai), where you can admire the city from the highest panoramic terrace in the world.

Next, after taking the Bund Sightseeing Tunnel across the Huangpu River to Puxi, you will discover the Bund itself, Shanghai’s famous pedestrianized walkway past some of Puxi’s historical buildings. You may then explore the famous Nanjing Road and its colorful signs and mixed crowds of tourists and locals reflecting the image of the modern Asian capital.

After Nanjing Road, you will arrive at People’s Square, the former site of the Shanghai Racetrack before returning to your hotel.

Your guide will take you on a morning bike ride around the narrow streets of the old town, a good way to avoid the early tourist crowds that flood the gardens later in the day. Cycling along the cobbled streets, you will be able to take in the white sculpted wooden facades and black tile roofs of the local houses. You’ll also pass by the many canals and perhaps see locals who still use the canals to wash their clothes and clean their homes.

You will discover the Humble Administrator’s Garden and the Master of the Nets Garden, guided by a Chinese gardener who will talk to you about his art, in particular penjing (which translates as ‘the countryside in a flowerpot’) also better known as bonsai. Traditionally, Chinese gardens are a miniature reproduction of nature; the presence of rocks represents mountains, ponds symbolize lakes and running water imitates rivers.

The finale of your day will be a traditional Chinese massage, or ‘acupression’ that concentrates on acupuncture points to stimulate the body’s natural healing process to help restore your vitality so that you return home even more relaxed and refreshed than before you arrived.

Your final evening after the massage will be free to spend at your leisure in Shanghai, perhaps grabbing some last-minute souvenirs, or taking one last delicious dinner before you wind down and pack for home.