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Shanghai
 Teeming
with life, Shanghai is the most cosmopolitan and largest city in
China. With a population of 13 million, Shanghai generates over
one eighth of the Gross National Product. Its name means "on the
sea", and it is located on the coast of the East China Sea and famous
Yangtze River. Its origins can be traced back to a small isolated
fishing village that grew up around the 8th century during the Song
Dynasty. After the Opium War in 1840, the city was forced to grant
Western merchants permission to trade and lease land on the west
bank of the Huangpu River. From then on, Shanghai rapidly made a
name for itself as a leading trading center in the East.
A walk through Shanghai’s
neighborhoods reveals a surprising mix of European architecture
and old and new Chinese facades. There are streets of shops selling
articles of Chinese art, antiques and curios. Amongst them Nanjing
road is the busiest one. Other tourist attractions include the Mandarin’s
Garden, the Jade Buddha Temple, Shanghai Museum, and the Oriental
Pearl TV Tower.
Suzhou
 Suzhou
is known as the "Venice of the East". It is a 45-minute train ride
from Shanghai and located south of the Yangtze River delta. The
city sits on a network of waterways, connecting into the Grand Canal,
the longest man-made Grand Canal in the world - 800 miles which
was originally constructed to bear tribute rice from the Yangtze
Plain to the imperial government in Beijing.
Suzhou is famous for
its gardens -- "The best gardens are in the south; the best southern
gardens are in Suzhou." They are rare examples of classical Chinese
gardening -- elegant, unique, refined and unadorned. Suzhou, together
with Hangzhou, is known as the "Paradise on Earth". Suzhou is also
well-known for its beautiful silk embroidery.
Guilin
 No
trip focusing on the highlights of classical China is complete without
a ride down the Li River. Guilin, the city with scenery acclaimed
as the best under heaven. A cruise down the Li River is truly like
drifting through the middle of a traditional scroll painting, passing
by magnificent limestone peaks, gumdrop mountains and fisherman
with their fishing birds along the riverbank. When visit the breathtaking
Reed Flute Cave, you will see the spectacular collection of unusual
stalactite and stalagmite formations whose shapes resemble people,
animals and trees.
Xian
 Xian,
the capital of Shanxi province, was the capital of eleven dynasties
from the 11th century B.C. to the 10th century A.D. Once the largest
city in the world, and a paradigm of imperial splendor, Xian and
its history most vividly exemplify the extraordinary continuity
of Chinese civilization. It was an active link in the major trade
routes between China and the other countries of Central Asia and
Europe during the 7th and 8th centuries.
The city’s great claim
to fame in modern times, however, is the thousand of life-size terra
cotta warriors and houses that has stood guard over Emperor Qin
Shi Huang’s tomb for two thousand years. Nearby are the remains
of an 8,000-year-old Bonpo village. And the Small Wild Goose pagoda
and the Big Wild Goose Pagoda are important landmarks. Another pleasant
excursion is to the Huaqing Hot Spring, a favorite resort of emperors.
The exciting discovery of this ancient city will be an unforgettable
experience.
Beijing
 Beijing,
China’s capital for the past 700 years offers a tremendous concentration
of ancient and historic artifacts and edifices from her 2000 years
of history. The spectacular 500-year-old Forbidden City, the home
of the emperors of Qing Dynasty, with over nine thousand rooms,
is a collection of treasures; the massive Tian-an-men Square locates
in the very center of the city; the delicately crafted Temple of
Heaven provides an exquisite example of Feng shui; the Summer Palace
is a lovely remnant from the days of the deliciously infamous Empress
Dowager, Cixi. And, of course, there is the Great Wall. Built between
15 century B.C. and 16 century A.D., this 6300 kilometer long extends
from China’s east coast, thousands of miles to the country’s center,
trickling into the desert sands of Gansu Province.
As the embodiment of
traditional China, dazzling with ancient culture, the fabled City
of Beijing is a "must go" place for travelers from the whole world.
Yangtze
River Cruise (Three Gorges)
 On
board the deluxe cruise and sailing down the Yangtze River, passing
through the breath-taking Three Gorges with deep zigzagging valley,
forested mountains, churning water cloistered by towering moss-clad
precipices. Transfer to motorboats to cruise up the awe-inspiring
Three Little Gorges with boat trackers. Then arrive Gezhouba Dam
and pass through one of the largest locks in the world. You will
have the opportunity to see the site of The Yangtze River Dam Project,
the largest dam in the world for hydro-electric power which is currently
under construction.
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