China

race:

PEKIN — GREAT MUR — XI’AN — CHENGDU — MOTOR EMEI — LHASA (Tibet) — SHANGHAJ — SUZHOU — LUZHI

1 DAY – 2 July
From Warsaw to China.

C H I N Y

2 DAY – 3 July: PEKIN-Bejing
Arrival to Beijing. City tour. A drive to the Summer Palace, where members of the imperial Qing dynasty rested. Walk along Lake Kunming, through a richly decorated corridor. Transfer to the hotel and accommodation. Dinner.

3 DAY – 4 July: GREAT MUR
A trip to the Great Wall. This longest fortification in the world, more than 6300 km long, was created in the 3rd century BC. Then passing to the necropolis area of the Ming dynasty emperors. A visit to the area of one of the tombs – an opportunity to see an exhibition presenting objects that were to be useful to the emperors in their afterlife. Walk the famous Holy Road. On the way back to Beijing – a visit to the jewelry and cosmetics factory with pearls; the possibility of making purchases. Short stop to take a snort near Olympic objects. For dinner, one of the original Chinese dishes – a duck in Beijing and a tasting of local booze. Tonight, a Chinese opera show.

4 DAY – 5 July PEKIN-Bejing
Walk through the Square of the Heavenly Peace (Tiananmen). Then a tour of the Forbidden City (winter imperial palace) – residence of 24 emperors from the Ming and Qing dynasty. Visit the traditional tea shop – tasting and possibility to make purchases. A journey to the Temple of Heaven, where the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasty raised prayers for a successful harvest. The main pavilion of this temple became a symbol of Beijing. Visit to the Center for Traditional Medicine – massage, homeopathic medicines. A rickshaw ride through the area of the so-called Hutongs, or narrow streets of Beijing's oldest districts. A visit to the Chinese family home. A short walk along the Yadaixei area, where there are numerous cafes, restaurants and souvenir shops on the lake. Dinner. Transfer to the train station. Take the night train to Xi’an.

5 DAY-6 JULY – XI’AN
Arrival to Xi’an – the ancient capital of China. Transfer to the hotel for breakfast (accommodation after the program is implemented). Visit to Shaanxi Provincial Museum – an excellent collection depicting the history of the region considered the cradle of Chinese civilization. Walk down the narrow streets of the Muslim district with stalls offering craftsmanship of artistic folk crafts, souvenirs. A visit to the Grand Mosque – this is an example of the integration of Islamic architecture into traditional classical architecture of China. Then walk through the historic city walls. Dinner at the local restaurant is a dumpling banquet.

6 DAY – 7 July – XI’AN
Further tour of Xi’an. From the 7th century, Pagoda Wild Goose – the present symbol of Xi’an. A trip out of town to the Army of Teraca, over 2,000 years old, a faithful copy of the former defense forces. Standing in a full combat gutter, the terracotta army originally counted approximately 8,000 natural figures of soldiers and horses. Dinner. A transfer to the train station tonight. Take the night train to Chengdu.

7 DAY-8 JULY – CHENGDU – MOUNTAIN OF EMEI
Arrival to Chengdu – the capital of Sichuan Province, in the south hours. Transfer to the restaurant for dinner. A walk in the park, where the Great Panda Breeding Institute is located. An opportunity to suspect these animals in their natural habitat. Drive towards Mount Emei – one of four sacred Buddhist mountains in China. Take a cable car to Wanian Temple on the slope of the mountain. Accommodation in the monastery Pilgrim House. Dinner on the grounds of the temple – a unique opportunity to know the cuisine of Buddhist monks. An evening walk in the enclosed area of the monastery.

8 DAY-9 JULY – MOUNTAIN EMEI – CHENGDU
At dawn – participation in the morning ritual ceremony of monastic monks. Buddhist breakfast – simple vegetarian dishes. The cable car exit. A bus ride to Leshan, where the main attraction is forged in rock, the world's largest statue of Buddha from the 7th century. A boat ride along a river statue. Transfer to Chengdu. For dinner, regional dishes.

9 DAY-10 JULY – CHENGDU – LHASA
A transfer to the airport in the morning and a flight to Lhasa. The capital of Tibet lies approximately 3700 metres above sea level. Moving to the city – along the way wonderful landscapes. Accommodation in the hotel. Free time for altitude acclimatization. Then a short walk on Barkhor Street, located in the center of Lhasa. Dinner.

T Y B E T

10 DAY- 11 July – LHASA capital of Tibet
Transition to Jokhang Temple, the most sacred shrine of the lamaism. Visiting this temple is a meeting with the wealth of sacral art and with an extraordinary, mystical atmosphere of religious worship. Transfer to the monastery of Sera, funded by one of the disciples of Master Tsogkhapa – the founder of Lamasian religion. Visiting a local, typically Tibetan tea shop – tasting tea prepared in a Tibetan way. Visit to Norbulingka – a palace serving as a summer residence of the Dalejlams. Dinner.

11 DAY-12 JULY – LHASA
Visiting the Potala Palace – an impressive residence of the far-off, spiritual superiors of Tibetan Buddhism. This monumental building above the city is one of the architectural wonders of the world and at the same time a symbol of the national identity of Tibetans. Transfer to Drepung – the 15th century largest monastery in the world, which in the past inhabited about 10,000 monks, a souvenir of the ancient power of the Tibetan state. Dinner.

12 DAY- 13 July – LHASA
A day trip over the magnificent landscape, Lake Yamdrok. It lies approximately 4400 m above sea level. Along the way – a stop in the local village and a visit to the cottage of the Tibetan family. After returning to Lhasa, dinner in traditional Tibetan style; folklore performances.

13 DAY-14 JULY – LHASA – CHENGDU – SHANGHAJ
Early morning transfer to the airport. Flight from Tibet to Chengdu. Then continue to travel and fly to Shanghai. Transfer to the hotel and accommodation. Dinner.

C H I N Y

14 DAY-15 JULY – SHANGHAJ – SUZHOU – LUZHI
A whole day bus tour to Suzhou – beautiful gardens. Visiting one of the most interesting – the Network Master Garden (Wangshi Yuan). Then the journey to the picturesque Garden of Art – a walk among numerous pavilions. A calligraphy lesson with brush, ink and rice paper. Excursions in silk production – the opportunity to know the production process and make attractive purchases – silk clothes, sheets and ultralight quilts. A visit to the Institute of Hafciary famous for its original bilateral embroidery. On the way back to Shanghai, a journey to Luzhi, a village picturesquely located above the canal network. Boat cruise between historic houses, which houses numerous souvenir shops. Coming to Shanghai. Dinner. In the evening a cruise on the Huang Pu River, flowing through the city – a view of the magnificently lit skyscrapers and boulevards

15 DAY- 16 July – SHANGHAJ
Visiting the most European city of China, where there are thousands of skyscrapers, modern shopping malls, museums, moody tea houses and shops offering the most fashionable clothes and footwear. A drive to Pudong district, lying on the other side of the river and entering the 88th floor of Jin Mao Tower (421 m), from where the breathtaking view of Shanghai extends. Then you drive to the picturesque Yu Yuan Garden – a walk among flowers, exotic trees, stone ornaments and historic pavilions. Free time in Old Town – historic streets and attractive shopping. Visiting Buddha's Jade Temple, where valuable Buddha statues are stored, brought back from Burma. Then a walk on the main shopping street – Nanjing, where there are numerous shops and salons of famous brands. The crossing to the riverfront Bund promenade, which became a symbol of Shanghai. Dinner.

16 DAY- 17 July – SHANGHAJ
Transfer to the airport by the fastest train in the world, a levitating vehicle called Maglev (expanding speed from 300 to even 430 km per hour). A trip to Europe. Arrival to Warsaw.