12-Day China Class Trip

Welcome to Beijing, the capital of China. You will be greeted by your ClassTrip.com tour director upon arrival at Beijing Capital International Airport. Today will be a free day to rest and settle in.

After enjoying breakfast, we will begin our first full day with a guided tour of Beijing. We will visit Tiananmen Square, a city square located in the center of Beijing. The Tiananmen Square was the site for the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre, where the famous hero “Tank Man” made his courageous stand. We will visit the Forbidden City, a palace complex in Dongcheng District consisting of 980 buildings featuring traditional Chinese architecture. The Forbidden City served as the home of Chinese Emperors and was the political center of the Chinese government for over 500 years. Due to the cities restricted access and centrality, the palace was named the Forbidden City. We will visit the Summer Palace, which is a vast ensemble of lakes, gardens, and palaces first built in 1750. The Summer Palace consists of 3,000 various Chinese ancient buildings that house historical relics from each of the dynasties which inhabited the land. The Summer Palace is an aesthetic masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design. The natural landscape of hills and open water combined with manmade features such as pavilions, halls, palaces, temples and bridges create a harmonious ensemble of outstanding aesthetic design. We will then enjoy a Dragon Boat ride on Kunming Lake of the Summer Palace to experience the beauty of the landscape on the water. We will gather for a Peking Duck dinner and spend the night.

After breakfast we will begin our day with a tour of the Mutyaniu section of the Great Wall of China. Mutyaniu offers a well-preserved section of the Great Wall that is often less touristy as well as Ming-era watchtowers and rolling hills. We will then enjoy a cable car ride to experience a scenic view of the Great Wall. We will visit the Bird’s Nest Olympic stadium, which is Beijing’s 80,000-capacity Olympic stadium. The stadium is the largest in Beijing and is an important olympic venue that staged the 2008 Summer Olympics. Following this we will enjoy a guided walking tour of a Hutong neighborhood that showcases the traditional daily life of ordinary people in Beijing. We will enjoy a Chinese dinner and spend the night.

After breakfast we will fly to Xi’an, which is home to the famous Terracotta Warriors. Our first activity for the day will be a bike ride along Xi’an’s Ancient City Wall that offer scenic views. From here on you will be able to explore Xi’an for the remainder of the day. We will gather for some Xi’an cuisine and spend the night.

After enjoying breakfast, we will visit the Terracotta Warriors, a collection of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China. The Terracotta sculptures are a form of funerary art that were buried with the emperor in 210 – 209 BCE with the purpose of guarding the emperor in his afterlife. Following this we will spend time in Xi’an’s Muslim Quarter where we will enjoy a variety of traditional street food such as mirror cake, steamed soup dumplings, and meat skewers. The Muslim Quarter is renowned for its strong culture as well as its food. We will gather to enjoy dinner and spend the night.

After breakfast we will travel to Chengdu via a high-speed train. We will then begin a guided tour of Chengdu, and will first visit Chengdu’s most famous pedestrian street, Jinli Ancient Street. The famous street covers an area of 30,000 square meters and is one of the oldest shopping streets in the Sichuan Province, tracing back to the Three Kingdoms Period, over 2,000 years ago. Jinli Ancient Street stretches 550 meters long and features a variety of shops, bars, and entertainment throughout. The buildings in the area have been reconstructed with a Ming and Qing architectural style. You can get a taste of authentic Chengdu flavor by trying the local snacks and specialties throughout the street. Our next stop will be at the Wenshu Monastery, a Buddhist temple located in the Qingyang District. The monastery covers an area of 12 acres and consists of five separate temples built from wood and stone. The Monastery features beautiful Chinese architecture and exhibits several fascinating sights such as the Hall of Shuofa Tang with its 10 iron statues of Buddhist guardian gods, as well as more than 100 bronze sculptures of Buddhas and Buddhist saints from the Qing era. The Monastery also exhibits several cultural relics, including a series of paintings and calligraphy done by leading Chinese artists and writers. We will enjoy a traditional Sichuan Hot Pot Dinner and then spend the night.

We will enjoy breakfast and spend half the day at the Chengdu Panda Base where you will be able to see the giant pandas in their habitat. While here we will learn about the centers research and conservation efforts to save giant pandas. We will then visit the Wuhou Shrine, which is one of Chengdu’s oldest temples that dates back to 302 AD. The temple was built in honor of Zhuge Liang, who was a famous strategist and statesmen and who served as chancellor of the Shu Han Empire. The Shrine features a gilded clay figure of Zhuge Liang along with his son and grandson. Our next visit will be the Du Fu Thatched Cottage complex, which covers 24 acres and is dedicated to Du Fu, one of China’s best-known poets. The complex features several gardens, pavilions, bridges, and pathways that form the area’s peaceful aesthetic. We will visit Chengdu’s historic alleys: Kuan, Zhai, and Jing Xiangzi. The two oldest alleys, Kuan Xiangzi and Zhai Xiangzi, trace their history all the way back to the Quing Dynasty of the 17th century, when the area was used to house troops. Lining the alleys are several traditional stores, workshops, and restaurants. The three historic alleys have been restored to their former glory to showcase and preserve the city’s historic and cultural roots. We will enjoy a traditional Chengdu dinner and spend the night.

After breakfast we will enjoy the scenic views of the Chinese countryside as we travel to Dujiangyan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Our first visit will be the Dujiangyan Irrigation System, which is a feat of engineering dating back to 256 B.C. The irrigation system was constructed to prevent catastrophic flooding. We will visit the nearby Cave of the Heavenly Master, where Zhang Daoling, who is the founder of the Taoist religion, taught in the cave in Mount Qingcheng. The Qingcheng Mountains offer beautiful scenery along with its well-preserved temples. We will gather for a traditional dinner and spend the night.

We will enjoy breakfast and then take a flight to Shanghai. We will visit the Shanghai World Financial Center, a super skyscraper located in the Pudong district of Shanghai. We will then visit the Bund, which is a waterfront area and protected historical district in central Shanghai. The Bund features Shanghai's classic skyline views of colonial architecture and skyscrapers along the 500-meter-wide Huangpu River. The rest of the day you will be free to explore Shanghai. We will gather for a Shanghainese dinner and overnight.

After breakfast we will begin with a guided tour of Shanghai, visiting the Jade Buddha Temple and the Yu Garden. The Jade Buddha Temple is a Buddhist temple in Shanghai that was founded in 1882 and exhibits beautiful Chinese Architecture. We will visit the Yu Garden, the “Garden of Peace and Comfort,” which is a large Chinese garden. Our next visit will be Nanjinglu Street, which is one of the world's busiest shopping streets. The rest of the day you will be free to explore Shanghai on your own. We will gather to enjoy a Shanghainese dinner and overnight.

We will depart Shanghai Pudong International Airport for the US.