Ageless China

A Luxury Tour of China ! at your own pace

A 5-star tour of China

Beijing Xian Chengdu Guilin - Shanghai

October 9th 26th, 2014 & May 11th 28th, 2015

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Asia Travel Curators 617-600-0340 ! www.curatedtrip.com!

Ageless China
A Luxury Tour of China ! at your own pace
! Day 1 Beijing Arrive in Beijing; meet your guide at the gate, and be brought through the diplomatic channel at immigration. Transfer to and check-in at the Prime Hotel (5 star).

If your flight arrives early enough enjoy a buffet dinner at the hotel on your own (not a group dinner, but the price is included in the tour)

Asia Travel Curators 617-600-0340 ! www.curatedtrip.com!

Ageless China
A Luxury Tour of China ! at your own pace
Day 2 Beijing

Breakfast buffet at the hotel. Drive to the Forbidden City and tour the city within a city in the heart of Beijing. First enjoy the standard tour of the buildings and courtyards, before taking a true VIP tour, including the Shufangzhai and the Palace of Double Glory. These are locations where current heads of state are given access and seldom seen by tourists.

(For those who wish to skip the walking involved in the standard tour there will be a guide available to take a small group for a morning tea and to rejoin the main group for the VIP portion)

Enjoy a group lunch nearby, tasting your first real Chinese food of the trip. With plenty of dishes to choose from everyone will surely find something they like. Most people feel quite tired in the afternoon of the first day due to jet-lag, so feel free to return to the hotel for a rest. For those who are interested take a guided walk down Wangfujing Ave, famous for the shops, snacks, and sights. Enjoy a group dinner nearby the hotel.
Asia Travel Curators 617-600-0340 ! www.curatedtrip.com!

Ageless China
A Luxury Tour of China ! at your own pace
Day 3 Beijing Buffet breakfast at the hotel.

Drive to and tour the Great Wall at Badaling (take an elevator to the top if needed). This is the classic portion of the great wall, close to Beijing and easily accessible.

Eat a group lunch and a trip to the Ming Tombs.

Finish the day with a trip to the newly opened China National Museum. This is a tremendous collection of antiquities from throughout China and spanning all of the dynasties.

Enjoy a group dinner close to the hotel.

Asia Travel Curators 617-600-0340 ! www.curatedtrip.com!

Ageless China
A Luxury Tour of China ! at your own pace
Day 4 Beijing Buffet breakfast at the hotel. Take a tour of the summer palace (newly restored for the 2008 Olympics, including a boat ride along the canal to the Palace).
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Eat a group lunch and then do some shopping at Beijings famous pearl market (many floors of small shops, much more than just pearls).

After another delicious dinner, enjoy a traditional performance of Beijing Opera in the evening.

Asia Travel Curators 617-600-0340 ! www.curatedtrip.com!

Ageless China
A Luxury Tour of China ! at your own pace
Day 5 Beijing-Chuandixia-Beijing

Drive to and tour the Ming Dynasty village of Chuandixia in the morning. Famous for its courtyard houses, this site is much less visited by tourists and a true hidden gem. A trip to the village is often referred to as though you are stepping back in time.

After lunch, drive back to Beijing in the afternoon. Enjoy a group dinner near the hotel in the evening.

Asia Travel Curators 617-600-0340 ! www.curatedtrip.com!

Ageless China
A Luxury Tour of China ! at your own pace
Day 6 Beijing-Xian Enjoy a buffet breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to the train station and take the bullet train to Xian (~5 hours). Arrive in Xian and transfer to and check-in at the Sofitel on Renmin Square Hotel. Have a very nice lunch at the hotel before heading out for an afternoon tour of the city.

Take a peek inside the Bell Tower in the center of Xian, listening as the thousands of ancient bells clang out the time. This is one of the all time favorites for visitors to Xian.

Take an up-close look at the city walls, still used by residents as an elevated pathway. Considered the most well preserved city walls remaining in China, once every major city boasted these fortress-like defenses. Walk down the Calligraphy Street area and do some shopping. Enjoy a Tang Dynasty dinner followed by a live performance.

Asia Travel Curators 617-600-0340 ! www.curatedtrip.com!

Ageless China
A Luxury Tour of China ! at your own pace
Day 7 Xian

Buffet breakfast at the hotel. Drive to the amazing Terra Cotta Warriors. Nothing can prepare you for the experience of seeing the amazing effort and skill that went into creating this vast army of full size warriors, horses, and chariots. Each face is different, based on reallife soldiers at the time. Each pose is different. Each held real weapons. Go where few tourists are allowed and step onto the close-up VIP viewing platform. Also included in this VIP package is viewing the Kaijia Warriors & Xiyong Warriors.

Stop at a very good lunch close to the Terra Cotta Warrior site.

Drive back to Xian and view the Little Goose Pagoda. The serene setting is a wonderful change of pace from the tourist filled areas elsewhere. See the grounds and temple, and if desired climb up the stairs running up the center (not necessary if you are unable). The unique design and construction are fascinating from an engineering point of view, and the view you get from the top is breathtaking.

Enjoy a group dinner close to the hotel.

Asia Travel Curators 617-600-0340 ! www.curatedtrip.com!

Ageless China
A Luxury Tour of China ! at your own pace
Day 8 Xian-Chengdu Buffet breakfast at the hotel. Drive to the Provincial Museum for a detailed and informative tour. This is one of the top museums in China, with amazing exhibits showcasing the vast richness of Chinas long history. Included in the tour is a very special white-glove visit to the museum vault (closed to the general public). You will see items no one else gets to see; surely to be one of the lasting memories of the trip. Before departing the city take in a nice lunch as a group.

Visit the Hanyang Tomb on the way to the airport, a relatively newly discovered site that continues to be unearthed and examined.

Transfer to the airport and fly to Chengdu. Transfer to and check-in at the Kempinski Hotel. Enjoy a late group dinner.

Asia Travel Curators 617-600-0340 ! www.curatedtrip.com!

Ageless China
A Luxury Tour of China ! at your own pace
Day 9 Chengdu/Leshan

Buffet breakfast at the hotel. Drive to and tour the Leshan giant Buddha. This is the worlds largest Buddha, and there are many vantage points from which you can stand to truly appreciate the magnitude of the effort that is took to create such a statue.

Have a group lunch in Leshan.

Ride a boat down the river at a leisurely pace in Leshan to view the Buddha from the boat comfortably. Take an optional (at no extra cost) trip onto the shore to view the Buddha up close (some stairs and walking).

Drive back to Chengdu in time for dinner.

Asia Travel Curators 617-600-0340 ! www.curatedtrip.com!

Ageless China
A Luxury Tour of China ! at your own pace
Day 10 Chengdu-Guilin

Buffet breakfast at the hotel. Drive to the Panda Breeding Center in the morning. Rather than a heartless zoo exhibit, this is the worlds leading Panda breeding and research center. Stroll slowly among the many areas housing the pandas (giant and red pandas), or stay in the main building if preferred and watch the baby pandas in the busy nursery. You can also actually enter the facilities and cradle a young panda in your arms, posing for photos and videos if desired (a donation is required if you want to do this).

Group lunch in Chengdu. Drive to the airport and fly to Guilin.

Transfer to and check-in at the Sheraton Hotel (5 star). Enjoy a delicious group dinner in Guilin.

Asia Travel Curators 617-600-0340 ! www.curatedtrip.com!

Ageless China
A Luxury Tour of China ! at your own pace
Day 11 Guilin

Buffet breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to the docks and cruise down the Li River to Yangshuo by boat. This river is considered by many to be the most beautiful in China, with limestone rounded hills, water buffalo grazing, rice terraces on the hillsides, and cormorant fishing by the locals. The river and hills are the subjects of countless paintings and works of poetry for good reason, and their full beauty is well captured on the slow ride along the water.

Enjoy a lunch in the small town of Yangshuo, famous for its small streets and open cafes and restaurants. Take a motorized tour of Yangshuo and the area, viewing the Moon Hill, the ThousandYear Tree, and the rice terraces just outside the town. Enjoy some shopping in Yangshuo, with local hand crafted goods not found anywhere else in China. Enjoy a group dinner before departing.

Take a private bus back to the hotel in Guilin in the evening.

Asia Travel Curators 617-600-0340 ! www.curatedtrip.com!

Ageless China
A Luxury Tour of China ! at your own pace
Day 12 Guilin

Buffet breakfast at the hotel. Head out with the group to take a tour of the nearby Elephant Hill, as well as a short exploration of the Reed Flute Cave. Alternatively, you may opt to take a private bus back to the town of Yangshuo for a day an afternoon on your own shopping and exploring, and then taking the bus back to rejoin the group in Guilin. Lunches in Guilin or Yangshuo depending on your choice for the day. Enjoy a group dinner back in Guilin nearby the hotel.

Head out in the evening with the group, if desired, to the local night market.

Asia Travel Curators 617-600-0340 ! www.curatedtrip.com!

Ageless China
A Luxury Tour of China ! at your own pace
Day 13 Guilin-Shanghai

Buffet breakfast at the hotel. Tour the Water Pearl Museum and buy some pearls here as well, if desired. After a lunch, fly to Shanghai in the afternoon. Check-in at the Radisson New World Hotel. Enjoy a dinner with the group before heading out for the evening show.

Enjoy a performance of the famous Shanghai acrobats after dinner.

Asia Travel Curators 617-600-0340 ! www.curatedtrip.com!

Ageless China
A Luxury Tour of China ! at your own pace
Day 14 Shanghai Buffet breakfast at the hotel.

Take a walk along the Bund and view the famous architecture, the water may be dirty but this is one of the greatest places to see Shanghai. Standing on the banks of Puxi, you can see the new business district in Pudong across the river.

View it all from the top of the tallest building in China, the World Financial Center.

Drive to the Yu Garden, for a lunch and a short tour. This visit has two purposes, it is not just a terrific series of classical buildings and ponds but it also it the best souvenir shopping center in Shanghai.

To finish the afternoon visit the famous antique market in Shanghai, Dong Tai Lu, where 2 blocks of a small street are transformed into a busy marketplace lined with sellers hawking everything from mid-century home goods to antique furniture and dishes.

Asia Travel Curators 617-600-0340 ! www.curatedtrip.com!

Ageless China
A Luxury Tour of China ! at your own pace
Day 15 Shanghai Buffet breakfast at the hotel.

Tour the Peoples Square area and visit the Shanghai museum. This is perhaps the most modern museum displaying ancient artifacts. Well-displayed and labeled exhibits, this is not just another museum. The group will be treated to a VIP tour by a senior guide at the museum and will get an especially in depth visit.

Enjoy a lunch nearby to Peoples Square. After lunch, visit the City Planning Center, where you can see the incredible model of the city showcasing all of the accomplishments as well as the planned expansion. This city of 25 million is truly one of the fastest growing in the world as well as one of the best planned in terms of housing, business, and infrastructure.

Take a walk on the Nanjing road, the most famous pedestrian street in China.

Enjoy a group dinner together in central Shanghai.

Take a nighttime walk around Xintiandi (if desired). This shopping area is a wonderfully renovated series of classical Shanghai-architecture brick buildings. Shops, restaurants, and bars can all be enjoyed, or simply view and appreciate this unique part of the city at your leisure.

Asia Travel Curators 617-600-0340 ! www.curatedtrip.com!

Ageless China
A Luxury Tour of China ! at your own pace
Day 16 Shanghai/Suzhou

Buffet breakfast at the hotel. Drive to the nearby city of Suzhou in the morning, an approximately 90 minute drive. Take a tour of the Humble Administrators Garden. This is a terrific way to begin the day in Suzhou since it is the most complete garden in the city. The physical size is impressive, and it is quite possible to spend an entire day wandering from section to section. The Banzai area is particularly impressive and is worth the time to spend on that feature.

Enjoy a group lunch near the gardens.

Take a private boat cruise on the canals and see the active life along the waterways.

Visit the embroidered silk museum, quite famous from this city. In particular, there is a style known as double-sided embroidery which is what you should really look for if interested. The embroidery is usually displayed in a glass frame and mounted in a wooden holder, allowing the piece to be rotated so that both sides may be viewed. Of course you will have plenty of opportunity to purchase your own if desired. Drive back to Shanghai after a scrumptious group dinner, an approximately 90 minute drive.

Asia Travel Curators 617-600-0340 ! www.curatedtrip.com!

Ageless China
A Luxury Tour of China ! at your own pace
Day 17 Shanghai!

Buffet breakfast at the hotel. Enjoy a free day exploring Shanghai on your own, or if preferred you may join others in optional activities (included in the tour cost), including the Longhua Temple and the Qibao old town. If attending the optional tour on this day there will be a lunch as well. Everyone will join in a farewell dinner nearby to the hotel this night, a special goodbye to China.

Asia Travel Curators 617-600-0340 ! www.curatedtrip.com!

Ageless China
A Luxury Tour of China ! at your own pace
Day 18 Shanghai-USA Transfer to the airport and fly back to the USA (arriving the same day).

Asia Travel Curators 617-600-0340 ! www.curatedtrip.com!