Family Fun

Step off the plane in Beijing and meet your local guide in the airport arrivals hall • Explore the Forbidden City, a 600-year-old imperial palace once exclusive to royalty • Hike Jingshan for commanding views over its crimson courtyards • Discover Beijing’s hidden cricket culture in ancient hutongs, an almost-forgotten ritual even lifelong locals seldom witness • Savor Peking duck: watch lacquer-crisp skin crack like caramel, then cradle imperial perfection in whisper-thin pancakes • Conquer a two-hour Great Wall hike along ramparts that defended China’s northern frontier • Live an afternoon of royal splendor at the Summer Palace • Master ancient taiji amid the Temple of Heaven’s imperial grandeur before departing Beijing.

Marvel at 8,000 life-sized Terracotta Warriors standing guard for China’s first emperor over 2,200 years • Cycle atop Xi’an’s ancient city wall and enjoy a commanding view of the old city • Pilgrimage to the Great Mosque, where Islam thrived in China after arriving via the Silk Road a thousand years ago • Follow the scent of cumin and grilled lamb through Xi’an’s vibrant Muslim Quarter, where Silk Road flavors have thrived for 1,300 years • Experience Xi’an with more than just your eyes by sampling some of Xi’an’s famous dumplings at a renowned local restaurant • Admire Xi’an’s iconic Big and Small Wild Goose Pagodas blending Indian, Persian, and Chinese influences.

Travel at high speed on the bullet train to Chengdu • Observe China’s iconic, cuddly panda at Chengdu Panda Base • Gaze in awe as the Kung Fu Tea performer performs a series of dazzling movements inspired by tai chi and kung fu at Wangjianglou Park • Walk the Kuan Zhai Alleyways, a dynamic collision of traditional architecture and modern culture • Feast on Sichuan hotpot’s fiery broth, then gasp at a face-changing opera performer’s lightning-fast masks • Explore 1,000-year-old Wenshu Monastery, one of China’s largest and most well-preserved buildings of its kind • Stroll down Jinli Street buzzing with eateries and folk crafts, while sampling Chengdu’s classic street food.

Upon arriving in Guilin, your local guide will meet you in the arrivals hall for a private transfer to Longsheng • Hike along the verdant, softly undulating Dragon’s Backbone Rice Terrace • Test your skills using traditional methods to cook bamboo rice • En route to Yangshuo, explore Daxu Old Town, where an eccentric family museum and a stone-wheel soy milk workshop bring Ming Dynasty history to life.

Embark on a bamboo raft ride down the Yulong River among Yangshuo’s stunning karst mountains • Cycle through Yangshuo’s countryside farming villages • Climb up Xianggong Hill for panoramic Li River views, a photographer’s paradise • Enjoy the spectacle of Impression Liusanjie in a natural amphitheater, directed by Beijing Olympics’ mastermind • Cook Guangxi classics like beer fish with a local chef after sourcing ingredients at a lively wet market • Venture into a hidden limestone cave carved into Yangshuo’s surreal karst terrain underground • Watch the locals fishing using cormorant birds, showcasing the harmony between man and nature • Visit Fuli Old Town famed for its Chinese fans, and learn fan making from local artisans.

Fly to Shanghai. Upon arrival, your local English-speaking guide will welcome you at the arrivals hall and transfer you to your hotel • Join Shanghai’s morning rhythm in Fuxing Park with ballroom dancers and amateur choirs group • Amble down the elegant tree-lined streets of the former French Concession that housed Shanghai’s 20th-century revolutionaries, artists, and occupiers • Dine in Xintiandi’s restored shikumen houses • Wander the maze of pavilions and arched bridges of Yu Garden, the most celebrated classical garden in Shanghai • Take in Shanghai’s famous skyline from the bund.

Enjoy a seamless ride from Shanghai to Hangzhou by high speed bullet train • Stroll the West Lake shores that inspired poets, framed by tea hills, arched bridges • Sip chestnut-infused brews at a farmer’s home, and visit the spring famed for its pristine water • Discover Lingyin Temple, rebuilt 16 times yet eternally serene amid whispering groves and pilgrim devotion • Relax on your evening train back to Shanghai.

Your local guide will escort you to Pudong Airport at 430 km/h aboard Shanghai’s Maglev and help you check in with your flight home.