Day 1 Forbidden City, Tian’anmen Square, Temple of Heaven, Hutong

09:00 a.m: Meet your local Beijing tour guide in your hotel lobby.






09:30-10:15 a.m: Visit Tian’anmen Square, a rectangular square of 440,000 sq meters. Tian’anmen Square echoes the layout of the Forbidden City to some extent. It also displays the major concept of China politics in ancient times namely, centralism. Many historic events took place here , the most famous of which is the Tian’anmen Incident. Now, it’s just a symbol.

10:30 - 12:30 p.m: Visit the magnificent Forbidden City, the largest Imperial Palace in the world. We’ll spend a couple of hours wandering around this amazing example of Imperial architecture and learning about the history of the palace. Enclosed by long scarlet walls extending 3.5km, the UNESCO-listed Forbidden City was the very central power of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. This large palace witnessed the prosperity and the decline of feudalism. Here you will directly experience how royals lived and how they ruled.

12:30 - 13:30 p.m: Enjoy local food in a nice restaurant popular with local Beijingers.  Lunch is for your own account.

14:00 - 15:30 p.m: Head for the Temple of Heaven. Situated in the southeast of the central city, the Temple of Heaven was originally constructed in the eighteenth year of Yong Le (1420) in the Ming Dynasty. The Ming and Qing emperors conducted annual ceremonies praying to Heaven for a good harvest. It combines the architectural technology of the Ming and Qing Dynasties together, which is rare in ancient Chinese architecture and it is the largest sacrifice complex in the world. Charmed by its size, colorful meaning and importance in China's history, the site was classified into the "Directory of World Heritage" by UNESCO in 1998.

16:00 - 17:00 p.m: Walk in the tranquil Hutongs. In those interlaced Hutongs, one can experience the life of the ancient Beijing people. With public toilets available, shops and vendors selling all kinds of goods to satisfy local people's daily needs, and people gossiping along the lanes to strengthen their relationships, one can walk through the history and savour the unique culture. Thus, we say that where there a lane, there is a story.

17:00 p.m: Drop off at your hotel.






    

Day 2 Mutianyu Great Wall, Summer Palace

07:30 a.m: Your tour guide will greet you in your hotel lobby to commence your day tour.

09:00 - 11:30 p.m: Drive around 1.5 hours to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall and have a quick lunch at the Subway(is this the sandwich food chain from around the world?)  at the foot of the Mutianyu Wall. This is one of the most famous and idyllic sections of the Great Wall. You will have a choice of taking the cable car or chair lift up the breathtaking wall and spend a leisurely 1 to 2 hours walking up and down the various sections exploring the Watch Towers and marvelling at the construction and beauty of the renowned and legendary Wall. You then have the option of an exhilarating toboggan ride back down or simply return the way you came with cable car.

11:30 - 12:30 p.m: Enjoy a typical Beijing lunch nearby the Mutianyu Great Wall (Lunch is for your own account).

14:00 - 16:00 p.m: Visit the Summer Palace. As the largest imperial garden in China, the Summer Palace was a summer resort for the royal families. There are huge lakes, bridges, corridors, pavilions, and various kinds of flowers and many rooms radiating the natural beauty and the grandeur of imperial gardens. With arched bridges and glittering ripples, pretty promenades and flowers in blossom, decorated corridors and ancient doors, and "breezeways" (a kind of hallway that allows the passage of a breeze between structures), all these present tourists enchanting and ever-changing scenery.

16:30 p.m: Return to your hotel and the Beijing section of your tour ends here.




    

Day 3 Beijing South - Shanghai Hongqiao by G123 (11:05 - 16:50)

09:00 a.m: Your Beijing driver will collect you at your hotel lobby and transfer you to the Beijing South Train Station. Then, you will take G123 and head for Shanghai.

16:50 p.m: Your Shanghai driver will be waiting for you upon your arrival. The rest of the day is open for your own exploration.

Day 4 Yuyuan Garden, Xintiandi & Shikumen House in French Concession, World Financial Center, Shanghai Mus

09:00 a.m: Meet your local Shanghai guide in the hotel lobby and set-off for the day tour.

09:10 - 11:30 a.m: Visit the Yuyuan Garden and old Bazaar area.  Situated in Anren Jie, Yuyuan Garden is the only fully restored classical Chinese garden in Shanghai. It was initially built by government officer Pan Yunduan in 1577 as a resort for his parents to spend their remaining years in comfort and happiness. “Yu” in Chinese signifies pleasure and satisfaction, thus, the garden was named as “Yu”. As a perfect model of the south Chinese landscaping style garden of the Ming and Qing dynasties, it is a MUST for all tourists coming to Shanghai. Wandering in pavilions, corridors, streams, courtyards and other natural features of the Garden, you will enjoy both the natural beauty and the human heritage. (what do you mean by human relics?)

11:30-12:40 p.m: Head to Xintiandi & Shikumen House in French Concession. XinTianDi, which means ”new heaven and earth,” is a new entertainment spot and new landmark in Shanghai. As you may know, ‘Shikumen’, the unique architectural style, has been called a fusion of eastern and western cultures, and was once very popular in 1930s’. A typical Shikumen building features a pair of black wooden doors framed by heavy stone, with an extravagant bronze handle on each of the doors.

12:40 - 13:40 p.m: Enjoy lunch in a nice local restaurant.

13:40 - 14：20 p.m:  Travel to the top of the World Financial Center and enjoy a birds-eye view of Shanghai city. Located in the Pudong district, it’s a skyscraper with mixed usage such as offices, shopping malls, conference rooms, a hotel and observatory decks. Up on the observatory deck you will enjoy a full view of the city.

14:40 - 16:20 p.m: Visit the Shanghai Museum. As one of the renowned ancient art museums, the Shanghai Museum has collected about 140,000 cultural relics. There are 10 classes of relics currently displayed. To appreciate the most spectacular relics in such a limited time period, our tour guides will introduce to you some of the historic ones. You will see ceremonial wares like a battle-axe and tripod, daily necessities in ancient life like pottery and porcelain, calligraphy works like the Oracle, and various jade ornaments.

16:30 - 17:10 p.m: Walk on the Bund. Located on the west bank of the Huangpu River in Shanghai, the Bund was originally a pathway for boatmen and hard laborers; while nowadays, the Bund has become the most characteristic view and the most recognized symbol of the city with its rich cultural connotations of hundreds of years. For the Europeans, it was like the Wall Street in the east, where prosperous trading took place and massive fortunes were made and lost. Other famous Shanghai landmarks like the Oriental Pearl TV Tower and the Jinmao tower stand proudly across the river from the Bund creating a stark contrast between the old and the new Shanghai, and a must see on your tour.




17:30 p.m: Drop you off at the hotel.






    

Day 5 Water Town, Tianzifang

09:00 a.m: Meet your tour guide for your final Shanghai tour.

10:00 - 13:00 p.m: Start your amazing Shanghai tour with Zhujiajiao Water Town. This town was a significant trading hub with nearby countries 1700 years ago, and boats were used to ferry all kinds of wares here. Lining the banks are many houses built in rows with interlaced narrow paths connecting each other. The best way to see the town is from a boat where you can enjoy a leisurely ride observing the life along the river (Boat ride for your own account). Walking the streets is also fun to be part of the bustling life.

13:00 - 14:00: Enjoy authentic local food with the guidance of your tour guide.

15:00 - 16:30 p.m: Leave for Tianzifang, another glimmering example of the preservation and development of the local Shikumen architecture. Located in a labyrinth of alleyways off Taikang Road near Dapu Bridge, it is an arts and crafts enclave developed from a renovated residential area with families still residing in the neighboring buildings. It is also referred to as Taikang Road. Based on the similar concept in Xintiandi of renovating whilst preserving the local Shikumen-style houses. This area has been converted into a great place for arts in Shanghai. Since 1998, many famous Chinese artists, including Chen Yifei, Er Dongqiang, Wang Jieyin and Wang Jiajun, set up their studios in Tianzifang, which has added to its fame.




17:00 p.m: Drop off at Shanghai hotel.