In Transit: International flight.

Afternoon: Arrive at Beijing International Airport where your group leader/national guide will be waiting for you. After check-in and a short rest, get together for a Welcome Meeting at your hotel. Note: Our 'group leaders' are designated 'national guides' and all are university graduates, fluent in English, well-educated in safety and protocol and are supported by offices nation-wide.

Dinner: Hotel dining room.

Evening: at leisure.

Lodging: Qianmen Jianguo Hotel

Meals Included: Dinner

Temple of Heaven /Tian'anmen Square/'China: Land and Peoples'/Peking Duck

Breakfast: Hotel buffet.

Morning: The 15th century architectural masterpiece, the Temple of Heaven, symbolizes the relationship between heaven and earth. Walk the extensive grounds to the Temple itself or stay in its environs and enjoy the activities of local people practicing calligraphy, tai ji, musical instruments, dancing, or flying kites. Later, stop at the 'heart of Beijing' -- Tian'anmen Square.

Lunch: Nearby restaurant.

Afternoon: A Talk at your hotel introduces China's Land and Peoples. The rest of the afternoon is at your leisure.

Dinner: This evening at a Welcome Dinner, celebrate with a Beijing specialty: Peking Duck Dinner. Peking Duck was first created in Beijing for emperors six hundred years ago during the Ming Dynasty. Thinly sliced, with crisp skin, the duck is wrapped in light pancakes with julienned cucumbers and a variety of sauces. It is often said that if you go to Beijing there are two things you must do: walk the Great Wall and enjoy Peking Duck.

Lodging: Qianmen Jianguo Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Hotel buffet.

Morning: Experience the grandeur of the Great Wall in the mountains outside of Beijing. Walk along the wall for glorious vistas of it rising and descending along the mountain ridges.

Lunch: Lunch is at a restaurant near the Wall.

Afternoon: On the way back to Beijing walk the Sacred Way, the entrance alley to the Ming Tombs and also known as the Alley of Animals because of the majestic animal sculptures that line the lane. (Note that we won?t enter the Tombs themselves as all artifacts have been removed.)

Dinner: Dinner is at a nearby hotel.

Evening: At a nearby theater, enjoy a taste of Beijing opera, a unique art form that uses brilliant costumes, mannerized make-up, acrobatics and martial arts, various types of falsetto singing, and exuberant percussionists. The performance is presented with English and modern Chinese supertitles above the stage. Chinese Opera is an ‘acquired taste’ for Western ears. For an introduction to Beijing Opera and its traditions, try to see the film ‘Farewell My Concubine.’

Lodging: Qianmen Jianguo Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: after morning tai ji, enjoy your hotel's buffet breakfast.

Morning: Explore the hutongs (small residential alleys and courtyards) near Beihai Park. Visit a local school, families in their homes, and the former residence of Song Qing Ling, political activist and wife of Dr. Sun Yat Sen.

Lunch: enjoy a local lunch hosted by hutong families

Afternoon: Explore the Forbidden City, a vast complex once the seat of Qing Emperors and forbidden to all else.

Dinner: At a your hotel or a nearby restaurant.

Evening: Join your group leader for a briefing about your first train journey tomorrow morning and to learn some useful Chinese phrases.

Lodging: Qianmen Jianguo Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Hotel buffet

Morning: In early morning, leave for Beijing West Railway Station and depart for city of Zhengzhou, capital of Henan Province.

Lunch: We'll bring a box lunch for the train.

Afternoon: Your train crosses the Yellow River about 10 minutes before arriving in Zhengzhou. Coach to the city of Luoyang.

Dinner: Hotel dining room.

Evening: Explore the evening activities in the lively People's Square just opposite.

Lodging: Friendship Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: hotel buffet.

Morning: Before breakfast, practice gentle tai ji exercises on the People's Square, filled with local people practicing martial arts, ballroom dancing or airing pet birds. After breakfast, depart for the 1,500 year old Longmen Grottoes. Learn about these stone carvings that overlook the Yi River and which celebrate the introduction of Buddhism into China.

Lunch: local restaurant

Afternoon: This afternoon, visit Huai Shu Wan agricultural village and its Primary School. Huai Shu Wan is a typical north Chinese country village and its primary school has about 200 pupils from various villages in the area. Observe classes, talk with the English teachers and then visit families in the village. On the way back to your hotel, if time permits, stop at Luoyang's small Old Section.

Dinner: at hotel

Evening: Enjoy an introduction to traditional Chinese musical instruments with demonstration (at hotel).

Lodging: Friendship Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: After morning tai ji, enjoy a buffet breakfast in the hotel.

Morning: Take a morning train to the City of Xi'an. Enjoy views of rural life from the train as you ascend China's Yellow Soil Plateau. The land is covered with a thick layer of wind-blown loess soil, which masks the original landforms. Deeply eroded, the landscape has steep ravines and almost vertical cliff faces pocked with holes and caves known as 'yaodong,' which are used for dwelling and resting.

Lunch: Box lunch on train.

Afternoon: Arrive at Xi'an Station in mid-afternoon and check in to your hotel. The rest of the afternoon is at your leisure.

Dinner: Dinner at local restaurant.

Lodging: Grand Noble Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: After morning tai ji, enjoy a buffet breakfast in the hotel.

Morning: At Xi'an's renowned International Studies University, a presentation discusses Daoism, Buddhism and Confucianism as a way of illuminating the Chinese 'character' and world views.

Lunch: University dining room. After lunch, walk the campus and speak with university students to learn about China's new generation.

Afternoon: Understand China's dynastic history, as well as its rich and enduring culture in a tour of its state-of-the-art Museum of History.

Dinner: Enjoy a banquet of various dumplings for which Xi'an is famous.

Lodging: Grand Noble Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: After morning tai ji, enjoy a buffet breakfast in the hotel.

Morning: Experience the truly awe-inspiring site of the Qin Emperor's Tomb. Learn about and explore this remarkable 2,000-year-old tomb site that contains thousands of life-size terra cotta warriors, cavalrymen and graceful archers -- each believed to represent an actual member of the Emperor's retinue.

Lunch: Lunch is at a restaurant nearby.

Afternoon: Return to town about mid-afternoon. The rest of the afternoon is at your leisure.

Dinner: Dinner will either be at your hotel or at restaurant.

Evening: Get together with your group leader to practice spoken Chinese.

Lodging: Grand Noble Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: After morning tai ji, enjoy a buffet breakfast in the hotel.

Morning: Walk about Xi'an's lively Hui (Muslim) district. Explore commercial and residential areas, and street markets. Enjoy its beautiful Great Mosque, built in the style of Chinese temples. Meet at Xi'an's Drum Tower, which you can climb for a view of the surrounding area.

Lunch: At a nearby Muslim restaurant, enjoy a delicious lunch with local flavors.

Afternoon: The rest of the afternoon is at your leisure. If you'd like to do some exploring on your own, your guide can make some suggestions -- for example a walk or bike ride on Xi'an's city wall or a visit to its large herb market.

Dinner: at restaurant

Evening: After dinner, visit the campus of Xi'an International Studies University to join their 'Thursday English Corner' -- a weekly gathering of students and some local citizens who practice spoken English and where you can have informal chats.

Lodging: Grand Noble Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: After tai ji practice, enjoy a buffet breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: A brief introduction to Chinese calligraphy at your hotel. If time permits, try your hand at producing some characters. Then depart for your flight to Chongqing, the port city situated on the Yangtze.

Lunch: Lunch en route

Afternoon: Visit Chongqing's Zoological Gardens to view their pandas which are indigenous to only this province (Szechuan).

Dinner: Dinner near the Yangtze Piers

Evening: Board your Yangtze vessel and, as you set sail, view the hill city of Chongqing at night.

Lodging: Victoria Cruise Lines

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Ship's buffet.

Morning: Discuss traditional Chinese medicine and consider the Yangtze's influence on China. Whenever possible, your national guide will also continue instruction in tai ji and Chinese conversation.

Lunch: Ship's buffet.

Afternoon: Visit a new village for relocated families. Explore their agricultural market and visit with a local family. This evening, the Captain invites you to a welcome reception.

Dinner: On board.

Evening: Evening entertainment includes performances of Chinese music and dance.

Lodging: Victoria Cruise Lines

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Ship's buffet.

Morning: Today, pass through the renowned Yangze Gorges. Later, disembark at Wushan Danning River for an excursion to the Three Little Gorges, a quiet tributary of the Yangtze where we take sampans upstream beneath a fantastic natural backdrop. Look up in the cliffs for 'hanging coffins,' suspended there thousands of years ago by the Ba people. And further down the cliffs, watch for golden-haired monkeys and goats.

Lunch: Ship's buffet.

Afternoon: Return to your ship and continue sailing down the Yangtze River.

Dinner: On board

Evening: Enjoy an on-board performance of Chinese music and dance.

Lodging: Victoria Cruise Lines

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Ship's buffet.

Morning: This morning, take a short coach ride to the Three Gorges Dam site. From an observation deck, you will have a bird's-eye view of the dam, five-step ship lock, diversion canal, and power station. A nearby exhibition displays a dam model; a briefing will explain this project, one of the largest construction ventures ever.

Lunch: Return to ship for an early lunch.

Afternoon: Disembark at Yichang and then depart by coach for Wuhan (about 4 1/2 hours).

Dinner: At hotel.

Evening: Meet with your national guide and practice some Chinese phrases and learn Chinese finger counting.

Lodging: Bin Hu Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: After morning tai ji practice, enjoy breakfast at hotel buffet.

Morning: Enjoy Wuhan Museum's beautiful collection of lacquer ware and other artifacts - including a large set of bells discovered in a tomb dating from 500 B.C.

Lunch: Hotel dining room.

Afternoon: Board the train for the city of Changsha, capital of Hunan Province and often referred to as one of the 'rice bowls' of China.

Dinner: En route

Lodging: Xin Du Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Wake up to tai ji practice, followed by breakfast at hotel buffet.

Morning: Explore the Hunan Provincial Museum and its fascinating collection (including mummified remains, silks, lacquerware) discovered in a 2,100 year old remarkably preserved tomb.

Lunch: Hotel dining room.

Afternoon: Lectures and field excursions introduce you to rice cultivation, harvesting and processing.

Dinner: Hotel dining room.

Evening: Practice Chinese with your national guide and learn some basic calligraphic characters.

Lodging: Xin Du Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Following morning tai ji, enjoy breakfast at hotel buffet.

Morning: Before departing, a Talk will introduce Mao Ze Dong whose impact on 20th century China is controversial and incontrovertible. Then depart by coach for the city of Xiangtan to catch your 'starter' train the next morning.

Lunch: Local restaurant.

Afternoon: On the way, stop at Mao's birthplace with a visit to his boyhood village. After exploring 'Mao country,' continue on to Xiangtan, to spend the night before the train journey to Kaili.

Dinner: Hotel dining room.

Evening: Get together with your group leader to practice Chinese conversation.

Lodging: Huadu International Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Following morning tai ji, enjoy breakfast at hotel buffet.

Morning: Depart by train for Kaili. Travel through Hunan Province to the Province of Guizhou, one of China's most beautiful and sparsely populated regions.

Lunch: On board train.

Afternoon: Cross the border to Guizhou Province, where you begin to notice the difference in architecture, especially the elegant wooden, balconied houses of Miao families.

Dinner: at your hotel

Evening: At leisure

Lodging: Grand Dragon Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Hotel buffet.

Morning: This morning a Talk at your hotel discusses the minority peoples of Guizhou Province. Then drive into the beautiful Kaili countryside passing terraced mountains and small Miao villages set on the hillsides. The Miao are renowned for their silverwork, indigo batik, colorful embroidery, and for their talent as dancers and musicians. This morning explore a small mountain village in which, for centuries, households have made fine calligraphy paper from the bark of the mulberry tree.

Lunch: Box lunch provided.

Afternoon: On the way back to Kaili, stop at Qingman Village for a music and dance performance.

Dinner: Hotel dining room.

Evening: Practice useful Chinese phrases with your national guide.

Lodging: Grand Dragon Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Traditional Medicine Hospital/Sunday Market/Music, Dance and Choral Performances

Breakfast: Following morning tai ji, enjoy breakfast at hotel buffet.

Morning: Visit a Traditional Medicine Hospital and then explore Kaili's Sunday Market where Miao people come to exchange, sell and buy goods from baskets and cookingware to necklaces and hand embroidery. Pass itinerant dentists and barbers plying their skills.

Lunch: Hotel dining room.

Afternoon: After lunch, travel westward by coach to Guiyang, the provincial capital.

Dinner: Dinner is at your hotel.

Evening: A private performance presents the vibrant music and dance of the province's people. Listen for the distinctive sound of Dong people's a capella chorus.

Lodging: Ramada Plaza Hotel Guiyang

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Hotel buffet.

Morning: This morning, visit Ji Chang village whose residents are descendants of Han military units sent to Guizhou in the 15th century. Among the customs they brought with them was 'dixi' ('earth opera'), a folk form that dates from the early Ming Dynasty and is still performed in 'old Han' locales. Villagers will perform a sampling of dixi, using traditional hand-made wooden masks.

Lunch: Enjoy dim sum lunch -- a Cantonese 'tea meal' favorite. These dishes include a selection of fried and steamed dumplings, as well as various other savory items. The term for this Chinese style of eating translates as 'Heart's Delight.' Originally dim sum referred to the Cantonese practice of serving small dishes in teahouses.

Afternoon: Enjoy interacting with local youngsters at Guiyang 'Children's Palace' a government supported recreation center, examples of \ which exist throughout China and where extra activities include music, dance, painting, calligraphy, sports and martial arts.

Dinner: Farewell banquet at Guiyang Hotel.

Lodging: Ramada Plaza Hotel Guiyang

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Hotel buffet.

Morning: Fly to Shanghai on early morning flight.

Lunch: Local restaurant in Shanghai en route to hotel

Afternoon: After checking in to your hotel, depart for the Bund, Shanghai's Huangpu River promenade, to view the busy river activity and the iconic art deco and neo-classic buildings dating from the time of 'foreign concessions' in Shanghai. Travel to the other side of the river to the newly developed area of Pudong --until recently undeveloped farmland and now a glittering forest of skyscrapers.

Dinner: Local restaurant.

Lodging: Four Points by Sheraton Daning Hotel Shanghai

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Hotel buffet.

Morning: Visit the Shanghai Fine Arts Museum. This 'state-of-the-art' museum is home to China's finest collection of paintings, ceramics, bronzes and sculptures and is an impressive testimony to China's long and rich culture. (If you like travel to the Museum on Shanghai's new metro with your local guide.)

Lunch: Coach to Shanghai’s Xin Tian Di district – a restoration project that has set a benchmark for Asia. Walk about this new and fashionable area; take lunch on your own in one of its many cafes or international cuisine restaurants.

Afternoon: The rest of the afternoon is at your leisure. If you want to explore some other areas, your local guide can give you some suggestions (e.g. visit the Urban Planning Center with a huge model of Shanghai as planned for 2020, explore the old French quarter, visit Shanghai TV tower for a ‘bird’s-eye view of Shanghai or stroll in the People’s Park where there are several museums besides the Shanghai Museum which you visit)

Dinner: dinner in a restaurant on the way to a performance by the famous Shanghai Acrobatics Troupe.

Evening: Performance by Shanghai Acrobatics Troupe. For more than 2,000 years, acrobatics has been an important aspect of Chinese performing arts and many of the feats performed originated with skills perfected by artisans and craftspeople. Acrobatics figures in other performance genres such as Chinese opera.

Lodging: Four Points by Sheraton Daning Hotel Shanghai

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Breakfast: Hotel buffet.

Morning: This morning, explore Shanghai's historic old section and the nearby Yu Garden, whose classical pavilions, fountains, and arching bridges exemplify traditional Chinese garden landscaping.

Lunch: At Longhua Temple, enjoy imaginative vegetarian cuisine prepared by Temple monks.

Afternoon: The rest of the afternoon is at your leisure.

Dinner: Farewell dinner at a nearby restaurant.

Lodging: Four Points by Sheraton Daning Hotel Shanghai

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Hotel buffet.

Morning: Depart for Shanghai Airport for international departures or post-program travel.

Meals Included: Breakfast