Best China Escorted Tour

12 Days Beijing-Chengdu-Lhasa-Shanghai

The best way to appreciate the beauty of China is to join this 12 days best escorted tours to China. In this journey, you will experience escorted tours from Beijing to Shanghai. You can visit the most famous and distinctive attractions in China, including Tian’anmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Bund, and Shanghai Tower. Besides, our Chinese escorted tours including Lhasa and Chengdu will provide you an opportunity to learn more about the Buddhist culture and see the traditional Buddhist buildings. In these 12 days best escorted tours to China, our guide will accompany you to experience the local life, enjoy the beautiful rivers and mountains. If you want to experience different Chinese escorted tours including Lhasa, Shanghai, and Chengdu, just contact us. We will provide you with a safe, well-arranged and cost-effective tour.

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Day by Day Itinerary
Day 1 Beijing Arrival
You will arrive in Beijing and your guide will take you to the hotel for a good rest

Upon your arrival in Beijing, your guide will pick you up at the airport and escort you to the hotel. Your anticipated Chinese escorted tour will begin today.

Option: In the evening, you can stroll around Qianmen Street, a very famous commercial street in Beijing. Built in 1550, Qianmen Street is located on the central axis of Beijing. It is 1,660 meters long. There are many century-old restaurants on both sides of the street, including Quanjude Roast Duck Restaurant. Founded in 1864, it now has nearly 100 branches at home and abroad. The ducks roasted here are famous for their excellence in color, texture and taste. I am sure you will be satisfied with this traditional Chinese food.

Day 2 Beijing
Tian’anmen Square, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace

After breakfast, we will first visit Tian’anmen Square, which is a must-visit place for Chinese and foreign visitors. It is located in the center of Beijing, covering an area of 440,000 square meters. There are many buildings in this square and the most prominent one is the Tian’anmen Gatetower, which was the main gate of the imperial city in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and Qing Dynasty (1636-1912). This gate was built in 1417. The designer is Kuai Xiang, the imperial architect of the Ming Dynasty. Tian’anmen is composed of a platform and a gate tower. A portrait of Mao Zedong(Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party and founder of the People’s Republic of China) is hung above the middle gate of the platform. In 1925, Tian’anmen Square began to open to the public. On October 1, 1949, the founding ceremony of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) was held in the square. And the image of Tian’anmen was designed as a part of China’s national emblem. 

Then, we will head to the Forbidden City (closed on Monday). Located in the central axis of Beijing, it is the royal palace where 24 emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties had lived. With a total area of more than 720,000 square meters, it is the best-preserved and largest ancient wood-structured palace complex around the world. The Forbidden City is known as the first of the five palaces in the world (the Forbidden City, the Versailles Palace, the Buckingham Palace, the White House and the Kremlin). Its construction began in 1406 and ended in 1420. It is a rectangular building, 961 meters long and 753 meters wide. It is surrounded by a 10-meter-high wall and a 52-meter-wide moat outside the city. There is a legend about the Forbidden City. One emperor of the Ming Dynasty wanted to build four beautiful turrets on the four corners of the Forbidden City within three months. Each turret should be constructed with 9 beams, 18 columns and 72 ridges. However, a month later, the craftsmen failed to design the expected model. One day, on his way back home, he heard the sound of crickets. Attracted by the crickets’ sound, he moved forward to seek for the sound. Later, he found it. To his surprise, he found that the grass-weaved cages for the crickets were as exquisite as the pavilions. He bought one cricket with the cage and came home. After getting home, he observed this the cage carefully, he found that its structure was just the model that the emperor wanted. Inspired by structure of the cage, the craftsmen finally built the turrets that still exist today.

After enjoying delicious lunch in a local restaurant, we will go to the Temple of Heaven at the south of the Forbidden City. Covering an area of about 2.73 million square meters, it is the largest altar complex in China. It was built in 1420 and was where emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties worshiped heaven and prayed for a good harvest. It is divided into the inner altar and the outer altar. In the inner altar, you will see the Circular Mound Altar and the Imperial Vault of Heaven in the south, as well as the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests and the Hall of Imperial Zenith in the north. In the outer altar, you can see cypresses surrounding the inner altar. There is also Echo Wall, Three-tone Stones and Danbi Bridge. All these buildings fully show the excellent architectural skills of ancient China.

The last attraction for today is the Summer Palace, the largest existing royal garden in China. Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake are the main parts of the Summer Palace. There are more than 3,000 garden buildings here. Among them, the various halls are the ones you cannot miss. For example, in front of the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity, there are two pairs of dragon and phoenix statues, which are exquisitely carved. Inside the hall, there are books and furniture of the Qing Dynasty. In addition to the buildings, you can also take a dragon boat on the Kunming Lake to admire the charming landscape.

Forbidden-City
Forbidden City
Summer-Palace
Summer Palace
Breakfast
Lunch
Day 3 Beijing
Chang Tomb, Mutianyu Great Wall

Today, we will visit Chang Tomb of Ming Tombs first. Chang Tomb is located in the north of Beijing and it will take about one hour by car to get there. Covering an area of about 0.12 kilometers, it is the joint burial tomb of the third emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Zhudi and his wife, Empress Xu. It is the largest and best-preserved tomb of the Ming Tombs. The tomb starts from the stone archway in the south and leans against the main peak of Mount Tianshou in the north, surrounded by mountains and green trees on four sides. It attracts millions of Chinese and foreign visitors every year.

After lunch, we will drive northeast for an hour to Mutianyu Great Wall. With a total length of 5,400 meters, Mutianyu Great Wall is the longest section of the Great Wall. It connects Gubeikou in the east and Juyong Pass in the west. It enjoys an important strategic position and has been regarded as a military hub since ancient times. There are Mutianyu Pass, Dajiaolou(Great Corner Tower) and other famous buildings. We will arrange to take the cable car or chairlift to the top of Great Wall where you can have a fabulous view of the whole Mutianyu Great Wall. 

Chang-Tomb
Chang Tomb
Mutianyu-Great-Wall
Mutianyu Great Wall
Breakfast
Lunch
Day 4 BeijingChengdu
Beijing to Chengdu by flight

After breakfast, you will take the estimated flight MU9698 11:40/14:40 to Chengdu. Your new guide and driver will pick you up at the airport and take you to the hotel. As the capital of Sichuan province, Chengdu covers an area of 14,335 square kilometers and has about 20.94 million permanent residents. Besides, it has a flat terrain and a pleasant climate. It is home to abundant resources and a good place to develop agriculture. 

Breakfast
Day 5 Chengdu
Leshan Giant Buddha, take a boat, Huanglongxi Ancient Town

After breakfast, we will drive southwards for nearly two hours to the Leshan Giant Buddha, which is a statue of seated Maitreya Buddha. Built in 713, it is the largest stone Buddha in the world with a height of 71 meters. It is carved out of a mountain and sits solemnly near a river with his hands on his knees. Both its insteps are 9 meters wide and each of them can hold more than 100 people. We will take a boat to admire this giant Buddha statue. There are two stone carvings of Heavenly Kings with a height of more than 16 meters on the left and right sides of the Giant Buddha respectively. There is a legend about the Giant Buddha. During the Tang Dynasty (618-907), ships passing by this place were often overturned by waves, for which many fishermen had died. To change the situation, Master Haitong(a respected Buddhist monk) proposed carving Buddha statues on the mountain here. As in Buddhism, the statue of Buddha can bless people and things. To build this huge Buddhist statue, Master Haitong had applied for a large amount of fiscal appropriation. However, the local officials wanted to get the money, so they tried every means to stop the construction, and threatened Master Haitong that they would dig out his eyes if he insisted on building the Buddha statue. Master Haitong was not afraid of the threat as he had got tthe support of lots of local people. Under the joint efforts of Master Haitong and local people, the Leshan Giant Buddha was finally completed in 803, which had lasted for 90 years. Since the Leshan Giant Buddha was built, the waves on the river here have been calm and no accidents have happened again.

When you finish lunch, we will set off to Huanglongxi Ancient Town, which is located in the north of Leshan Giant Buddha. It is about 150 kilometers away and takes about two hours to drive there. With a history of more than 1,700 years, it not only has beautiful scenery, but also is a well-known shooting place for films and TV dramas. It is known as “Hollywood in China”. Walking along the street paved with red stones, you will see well-preserved buildings of the Ming and Qing dynasties on both sides. The pavilions and houses with wooden columns and dark gray tiles, as well as the exquisitely carved railings and lattice windows, give people a sense of simplicity and tranquility. There are also six big banyan trees with over a thousand years in the town. They all have luxuriant branches and leaves. The douhua, a Chinese snack made with very soft tofu, is very famous with unique flavor. Almost every family here can make it. 

Option: If you are not too tired and want to enjoy the charm of Chengdu, you can go to the Shufeng Yayun Sichuan Opera House to enjoy the Bian Lian (Face-changing), an ancient Chinese dramatic art that is part of the Sichuan opera. Bian Lian is used to show the changes in the characters’ emotion, thoughts and feelings. It is performed from 20:00 to 21:20 every day. Here you will watch performers using magic techniques to change their face masks in an instant. Besides, it is also performed by combining with the unique fire-breathing skill. If you share pictures of the performance on your Facebook, you will surely win many likes.

Leshan-Giant-Buddha
Leshan Giant Buddha
Huanglongxi-Ancient-Town
Huanglongxi Ancient Town
Breakfast
Lunch
Day 6 ChengduLhasa
Chengdu to Lhasa by flight

After breakfast, you will be transferred to the airport to take the estimated flight 3U8621 12:25/14:45 to Lhasa. The guide will pick you up and take you to the hotel. Have a good rest in the hotel for the next day’s escorted tours in Lhasa. Lhasa is 3,650 meters above sea level and has many sunny days throughout the year. The sunshine time is more than 3,000 hours per year. Therefore, Lhasa is known as the “City of Sunlight”. Lhasa is also famous for its beautiful scenery and long history. Escorted tours in Lhasa will become an unforgettable experience for you.

Breakfast
Day 7 Lhasa
Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple

This morning, we will visit Potala Palace first, which is located on the Maburi Mountain in the west of Lhasa. Originally, Srongtsen Gampo, the Tubo King in the 7th century, to marry Princess Wencheng in Tang Dynasty, built three nine-story buildings with 1,000 rooms, namely Potala Palace. Later, it was seriously damaged by lightning and wars. After being rebuilt in the 17th century, it became the residence of the Dalai Lamas. In 1994, it was listed as a World Cultural Heritage. The main buildings of the Potala Palace are the White Palace and the Red Palace. The White Palace is named for its white exterior wall, and the Red Palace is named for its red exterior wall. The Potala Palace, as a must-visit attraction in Tibet, is the symbol of Tibet.

After lunch, we will go to Jokhang Temple, a Tibetan Buddhist temple. It is located in the center of the old urban area of Lhasa and has a history of more than 1,300 years. Every day, there will be worshipers kowtowing at the gate of the Jokhang Temple, because Tibetan Buddhist followers believe that kowtow is one of the most sincere ways to worship Buddha. Besides, many people chant Buddhist scriptures to show their respect to Buddha. It is worth mentioning that the statue of Sakyamuni brought by Princess Wencheng from Chang’an (now Xi’an) is enshrined in Jokhang Temple. When Princess Wencheng married to Srongtsen Gampo, she brought two precious statues of Sakyamuni as the most valuable dowry. The two statues are regarded as the earliest statues of Buddha in Tibet. To enshrine the two sacred statues, Srongtsen Gampo began to build the Jokhang Temple and Ramoche Temple, which are the earliest Buddhist buildings in the history of Tibetan Buddhism.

Potala-Palace
Potala Palace
Jokhang-Temple
Jokhang Temple
Breakfast
Lunch
Day 8 LhasaGyantseShigatse
Take a bus to Gyantse, Yamdrok Lake, Palkhor Monastery, and take a bus to Shigatse

Today, we will continue our classic Lhasa escorted tours. After breakfast, we will drive southwest for nearly 5.5 hours to Gyantse County, 270 kilometers away from Lhasa. On the way to Gyantse County, we will stop at Yamdrok Lake for a visit. Located in Langjia County, the southern part of Tibet, it is known as one of the three holy lakes in Tibet. Yamdrok Lake is the largest inland lake in the northern foot of the Himalayas. It covers an area of 675 square kilometers and is 4,441 meters above sea level. It is also the largest waterfowl habitat and a paradise for wild birds in Tibet, such as yellow ducks, swans, egrets and gulls. About this lake, there is a story. Long ago, a beautiful girl lived in a house by the lake. A serf owner in the village wanted to take her as his wife. But the girl had her beloved one and was unwilling to marry the serf owner. One night, the serf owner came to the girl’s home and compel her to go with him. But she did not want to go. In order not to marry him, she drowned herself in the lake. The next day, people came to the lake to look for the girl. Suddenly, a white waterfowl flew out of the lake. This waterfowl is the embodiment of the girl. Since then, it’s easy to see water birds playing by the lake or flying over the lake. 

Upon arrival at Gyantse County, we will head to Palkhor Monastery. With an altitude of 3,900 meters, it is surrounded by mountains on three sides. Palkhor Monastery was built in 1427 and it took 10 years to complete. It is a typical Tibetan Buddhist monastery with a combination of pagoda and monastery. The monastery is a three-story Tibetan building, while Kumbum Stupa, in the monastery, is built with nine floors. The Kumbum Stupa is more than 32 meters high. It has 77 Buddhist halls, 108 doors, lots of shrines and sutra recitation halls. There are more than 100,000 statues of Buddha in the pagoda. It is a good place to appreciate the Buddhist culture. Then we will drive northwest for about 2 hours to Shigatse. And our guide will help you check in at the hotel.

Yamdrok-Lake
Yamdrok Lake
Palkhor-Monastery
Palkhor Monastery
Breakfast
Lunch
Day 9 ShigatseLhasa
Tashilunpo Monastery, and take a bus to Lhasa

After breakfast, you will be transferred to Tashilunpo Monastery, which means auspicious Monastery, located at the foot of Niseri Mountain in Shigatse. Built in 1447, it is the largest monastery in the region and covers an area of 150,000 square meters. The monastery is surrounded by a palace wall, which is more than 3,000 meters long.  There are 57 sutra halls and 3,600 houses in this monastery. The whole monastery is built along the mountain slope. The Cuoqin Hall, the most ancient hall in the monastery, can accommodate over 3,000 people to chant scriptures. 

After having lunch in a local restaurant, we will drive east for nearly 5 hours(270KM) to Lhasa to continue our escorted tours. It’s really a long journey, so you can rest in the car or enjoy the scenery along the way.

Tashilunpo-Monastery
Tashilunpo Monastery
Tashilunpo-Monastery
Tashilunpo Monastery
Breakfast
Lunch
Day 10 LhasaShanghai
Lhasa to Shanghai by flight

After breakfast, you will be escorted to the airport to take the estimated flight TV9881 09:25/15:30 to Shanghai. Because there is no direct flight from Lhasa to Shanghai, you have to change planes in Chengdu and wait for about 1 hour and 15 minutes. You can rest in the waiting hall. As an international metropolis, Shanghai attracts numerous visitors every year. You can explore its beauty and modernity. Upon arrival, the guide and driver will pick you up at the airport and take you to the hotel.

Breakfast
Day 11 Shanghai
Jing’an Temple, Yu Garden, Shanghai Museum, Shanghai Tower, the Bund

After having breakfast, we will first visit Jing’an Temple, the oldest Buddhist temple in Shanghai. Its history can be traced back to 247. With a total construction area of 22,000 square meters, the whole temple is composed of the Main Shrine Hall, the Hall of Heavenly Kings, and the Three Saints Hall. Buildings in the temple are located on the central axis. From south to north, there is the gate, bell tower, drum tower, Main Shrine Hall and Dharma Hall. The gate of Jing’an Temple faces south with bell tower and drum tower stand on each side. 

The next attraction we will visit is Yu Garden (closed each Monday). It is a classical garden built in the Ming Dynasty with an area of more than 300,000 square meters. When it comes to Yu Garden, we have to mention the Dianchun Hall, a command post of a famous civil uprising from 1853 to1855. It has five main halls, with dramatic characters carved on the door, besides, its beams and columns are decorated with grotesque patterns and gold leaf. On the wall of this hall is hung a huge traditional Chinese painting of the late Qing Dynasty. On both sides of the painting are couplets written by a famous Chinese calligrapher, Shen Yinmo. In the hall, there are also cultural relics on display, such as weapons used by the insurrectionary army, coins made by insurrectionary organization, and issued proclamations. 

In the afternoon, we will go to Shanghai Tower. It covers an area of 433,954 square meters and has a total height of 632 meters. It is the second-tallest building in the world with 127 floors above the ground. The 118th level of the Shanghai Tower is a sightseeing hall, with a height of 546 meters. And the hall is wrapped by a super large transparent glass wall, which can offer you a panoramic view of Shanghai. You can take the super high-speed elevator that rises 18 meters per second, to reach an altitude of 546 meters in 55 seconds.

Nanjing Road in Shanghai is the first commercial street. It has a total length of 5.5 kilometers. Walking along this century-old street, you will feel the integration of tradition and modernity. Modern shopping malls and other characteristic shops are located here. Founded in 1924, Baodaxiang has a history of more than 80 years. It is mainly engaged in cotton business. Now it has become a major player in Shanghai’s cotton retail industry and enjoys a good reputation at home and abroad. Laojiefu, a wool, silk and satin store, was opened in 1860. At first, it was famous for its silk and satin. Many film stars come to this shop to choose materials for making costumes. There are a wide range of goods in Nanjing Road. You can choose gifts here and take them back to your relatives and friends.

Then we will head to the Bund, east of Nanjing Road. It is located on the west bank of Huangpu River, with a total length of 1.5 kilometers. Dozens of classical buildings with different styles stand on the Bund. The well-known Bank of China, Peace Hotel, Customs Building, etc. are all located at the west of the Bund. Surprisingly, these buildings are not designed by the same person or built in the same period, but they show people a unique harmonious beauty. These are important historical sites and representative buildings in modern China, and they are also the beautiful scenery along the Huangpu River.

The Bund
Nanjing-Road
Nanjing Road
Breakfast
Lunch
Day 12 Departure
Your guide will transfer you to the airport, and you will fly back to your sweet home

Today, our China escorted tour will come to an end. After breakfast, you will be transferred to the airport and then board your flight back home.

 

Author: Xuelei Zhang

Proofreader: Yan Liu

Breakfast
This tour ends here
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City Five Star hotel list Four Star hotel list
Beijing Sunworld Dynasty Hotel Beijing Wangfujing Sunworld Hotel Wangfujing
Chengdu Sofitel Chengdu Taihe Holiday Inn Express Chengdu Jinniu
Lhasa Shangri-La Hotel, Lhasa Thangka hotel
Shigatse Qomo Langzong Hotel Shandong Building
Shanghai Ocean Hotel Shanghai Courtyard by Marriott Shanghai Central
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