|
The
Ancient Silk Road
A
Great Itinerary!
| Day
One/Two |
New
York/Beijing |
| Depart
New York for Beijing. Cross the International Date Line and lose one day.
In-flight meals. |
| SPACER |
| Day
Three |
Beijing |
| Hotel
check-in on arrival. After a short rest, depart for a visit to the Summer
Palace, the largest park in Beijing, with a huge lake dug by hand in 1888.
It was a favorite haunt of the Dowager Empress Cixi. A
boat
made entirely of marble is evidence of how she squandered China’s
treasury at the end of the 19th Century. |
| SPACER |
| Day
Four/Five |
Beijing
|
| Visit
the Temple of Heaven. Built in the 15th century, according to the most
advanced
principles
of mechanics and geometry, it features stunning Ming Dynasty architecture.
Stop by Liulichang, a street renowned for its traditional fine arts.
Beijing Duck Banquet in the evening. Visit the Forbidden City, the abiding
symbol of traditional China. Its construction is truly one of the great
feats of human history, employing hundreds of thousands of workers between
1406 and 1420. View its imperial gardens, expansive architecture, and many
museums of antiques and treasures unrivaled in the world. We will also
visit the Great Wall, which is the longest man-made object on earth, and
the nearby Ming Tombs. |
| SPACER |
| Day
Six |
Urumqi
|
| Fly
to Urumqi in the morning. Enjoy an excursion to Tianchi Lake, nestled in
the Tianshan Mountain
range
followed by a city tour, which gives you a glimpse of the major sights of
this northwestern city.
Populated
by Han people and thirteen ethnic minorities, Urumqi is quite different
from the usual
Chinese
street scene. Here you can see nomadic Khazakhs, a Middle Eastern bazaar,
a jade-carving
center
and more. Attend a welcome banquet of local specialties roast lamb in the
evening. |
| SPACER |
| Day
Seven |
Turpan
|
| By
coach cross the Tianshan Valley and travel to the oasis town of Turpan,
where we will visit
the
ruins of Gaochan City, ancient tombs of Astanan and Flaming Mountain. A
minority music
and
dance performance is featured for the evening. |
| SPACER |
| Day
Eight/Nine |
Turpan/Dunhuang |
| Sightseeing
today includes a grape-growing valleys of Turpan, where you will be
treated to the latest
crop,
as well as a look at the Karez-ancient underground irrigation systems.
Take an overnight train to
Dunhuang
in the Evening. |
| SPACER |
| Day
Ten |
Dunhuang
|
| Arrive
in Dunhuang in the morning and transfer to your hotel. Today’s all day
excursion is a
visit
to the Mogao Grottoes, also known as the Cave of the One Thousand Buddha.
Begun in 366 A.D. and added to over the next eight centuries the 492
grottoes boast mural paintings
totaling
over 45,000 square meters and contain over 2,000 painted figurines. |
| SPACER |
| Day
Eleven/Twelve |
Xi’an |
| Xi’an
(The “City of Everlasting Peace), was one of the world’s largest and
grandest cities. Capital of
China
for 11 dynasties, its zenith was during the Tang Reign (618-917). A
highlight of your visit here
will
be to some of Asia’s most significant archeological discoveries. Begin
the tour with a
once-in-a-lifetime
viewing of the extraordinary 2,300 year-old terracotta warriors of
China’s first
emperor,
Qinshihuang. The warriors still stand on the actual site where peasants
discovered them in
1974.
Visit the 5,000 year-old Banpo Neolithic Museum, a well-preserved center
of Yangshao
Culture.
Visit Muslim Street and the Grand Mosque. You will then enjoy a festival
dinner and a Tang
Dynasty
theater performance. |
| SPACER |
| Day
Thirteen |
Shanghai
|
| Enjoy
your time like an average citizen in Shanghai. Visit Yuyuan Garden, built
in 1577 and featuring a
magnificent
zigzag bridge, see the Jade Buddha Temple, which has two rare Buddha
statues, each
carved
out of a single piece of Burmese jade. Visit the newly opened Shanghai
Museum, now
considered
China’s best museum of art and archaeological artifacts. |
| SPACER |
| Day
Fourteen |
Journey
Home from Shanghai |
| Return
home with memories to last a lifetime. |
| SPACER |
|
