DAY 01 HometownQBeijing

Starting your tour by taking deluxe flight to Beijing, cross the international date line.

DAY 02 Arriving Beijing

Arrive in Beijing-the capital of China. Nexus Holidays tour guide greets you at the airport and transfer you to your hotel.

DAY 03 Beijing

Beijing served as the capital of 5 dynasties over a period of 800 years with each emperor identified as a dragon sent from the heaven. Start your city tour with a visit to the Forbidden City. This complex, the largest and most intact conglomeration of ancient structures of the imperial palace ever built in the world, features more than 800 buildings with 9999 rooms, resplendent golden-glazed roofs, red lacquered pillars and vermilion walls. Next stop is the Tiananmen Square, the largest public square in the world, its monuments and buildings situated around the square’s perimeter. Then tour to the Temple of Heaven, which was used to offer sacrifices to heaven and pray for good harvest in ancient times. Enjoy the famous Peking Duck dinner in the evening.

DAY 04 Beijing

The highlight today is a trip to the astonishing Great Wall at Juyongguan Pass. The Great Wall is the most famous image of China throughout the world. It is the only man-made object visible from the moon, and as one of the Eight Wonders of the world. It is a symbol of Chinese traditional culture and the pride of the Chinese nation. Later visit the Sacred Path of Ming Tombs, 13 of the 16 Ming emperors have their tombs here. This is an attractive destination as much for the natural scenery of the area as for the tombs themselves. Visit the Cloisonne Factory and the biggest Jade Exhibition Center in Asia. Followed by a tricycle tour to the historic Hutong and Alley of Beijing old town, take in the sights and sounds of Beijing of olden times.

DAY 05 Beijing

Tour to the Summer Palace in the morning, the largest ancient preserved garden in China and a former summer resort for Emperors and the chosen few. Then visit Silk Carpet Factory. After lunch you will be transferred back to the hotel for your free time, dinner is on your own.

DAY 06 BeijingQUrumqi

Leave Beijing for Urumqi in the morning, upon arrival sightseeing the City Museum to view the incredible mummies from over 2000 years ago. Then visit the Red Hill Park. In the evening you will be treated with the Minority Singing and Dancing Show.

DAY 07 UrumqiQKashgar

Sightseeing the Lake of Heaven, which is at an elevation of 6435 feet above sea level. It is a beautiful highland lake, flanked by rugged pines and cypresses, and with clear waters that reflect the surrounding mountains. In winter, it provides an ideal alpine skating rink. Visit the Hill of Heaven Grassland and yurt. Fly to Kashgar in the evening. The most striking thing about Kashgar is the Turkestan influence visible on the streets and in the homes here. This place feels, looks and even smells dramatically different from the rest of China, more so than any other city in Xinjiang.

DAY 08 KashgarQUrumqi

The Kashgar Grand Bazaar is the busiest part of the city. The market is a kind of agricultural market that has expanded to include anything you can think of. The Tomb of Xiangfei is the most magnificent tomb in Kashgar, filled with history and symbolism. The tomb is commonly known among Chinese as the Tomb of Xiangfei, a Qing Dynasty Uigur woman who was seized by the Qing and forced to marry the Qianlong Emperor. The buildings of the tomb are large and mosque-like with most of the buildings coloured with blue and white and topped with a green dome and small minarets. The Id Kah Emin also known as the Id Kah Mosque is the largest mosque in China and the religious center of Kashgar. The call to Prayer booming from the mosque can be heard throughout the city center. The ornate structure of today is based on the original mosque which was built in 1442 for Shakesirmirzha, the ruler of Kashgar. Fly back to Urumqi in the evening.

DAY 09 UrumqivTurpan

After breakfast, take motor coach to Turpan, a Uighur town set in a large oasis surrounded by desert and dry mountains. Upon arrival visit the mysterious Gaochang Ruins, which reveals traces of a prosperous ancient trading center and military stronghold. You will have an opportunity to sightsee the Flaming Mountains and Baizeklik Thousand Buddha Caves.

DAY 10 TurpantDunhuang

Turpan is famous throughout China for its big and sweet grapes, visit the Grape Valley and Karez Underground Irrigation Channels. Take soft-sleeper overnight train to Dunhuang.

DAY 11 Dunhuang

Arrive Dunhuang in the morning. During the Han and Tang dynasties, Dunhuang was a major point of interchange between China and the outside world, a stopping-off post for both incoming and outgoing trading caravans. Upon arrival sightseeing the Singing Sand Mountains, Crescent Moon Lake. Enjoy the local singing and dancing show in the evening.

DAY 12 DunhuangtJiayuguan

Visit the Mogao Caves-the World Art Treasure House. It is the world’s most important sites of ancient Buddhist culture. The grottoes, also known as Caves of the Thousand Buddha, preserve nearly a thousand years of Buddhist cave-temple architecture, clay sculpture, mural paintings, and manuscripts, dating from the 5th to the 14th centuries. The Mogao Grottoes are carved into desert cliffs overlooking a river valley about 25km southwest of Dunhuang. The caves vary enormously in size, from tiny single-room cells that served as living quarters for individual monks to huge, cavernous worship halls housing monumental sculptures and mural cycles. Take train to Jiayuguan in the afternoon.

DAY 13 JiayuguanQXian

Jiayuguan was considered both the western tip of the Great Wall and the western boundary of the empire. Sightseeing the Jiayuguan Fort and the Overhanging Great Wall. Take flight to Xian in the afternoon. Enjoy the Dumpling Banquet dinner and Tang Dynasty Singing and Dancing Show in the evening.

DAY 14 Xian

Xian was the first Chinese city to open up its doors to the ancient world during the Tang Dynasty as the first stop on the Silk Road. Over a period of more than 2000 years, Xian was the capital for eleven dynasties. Along with Rome and Constantinople, this city was a world leader in culture and trade and played a vital role in bridging the gap between east and west. In the morning you will visit the Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses, the attached defending army to the first emperor of China, it is regarded as “the eighth wonder of the world” and among the top archaeological excavations of the 20th century. Sightseeing the Shaanxi Provincial History Museum and the Porcelain Terra Cotta Warriors Factory in the afternoon.

DAY 15 XianQShanghai

In the morning fly to Shanghai-the largest commercial and financial center of China. Stroll the Nanjing Road and the Bund (Wai Tan) waterfront area, a sweeping area along the Huangpu River, where used to be foreign concessions and now is the symbol of modern Shanghai. Here is the best place to capture the western influence of the old days. Visit the Yuyuan Garden and the Old City Temple. After dinner you may take optional tour, the night cruise on the Huangpu River at your own expense (￥150 RMB）.

DAY 16 Shanghai

Visit the Shanghai Museum and the Freshwater Pearls Exhibition Center. Enjoy the afternoon at leisure, and dinner will be on your own.

DAY 17 ShanghaiQHometown

Tour guide will transfer you to the airport and home your sweet home.