We introduce the Majestic China itinerary for tours in spring and fall of 2007. Since excellence is expected of all Imperial Tours' services, there is no difference in quality between the Majestic and the Imperial Tours. The Majestic Tour is 11 nights long, two nights shorter than the Imperial Tour, because it does not stop at the Southern Song dynasty capital of Hangzhou. As with all our tours, the Majestic is accompanied not only by a local Chinese guide, but also by an experienced western China Host. Our carefully chosen China Hosts, who are fluent in Chinese and English are there to make sure that you are treated Imperially and receive only the very best. Price And Departure Dates Day One - Monday, 10/20/2008 Depart home city.( Raffles Hotel - 5 Stars - Landmark Rooms) DayTwo - Tuesday, 10/21/2008 Arrive Beijing where you will be transferred to your hotel. ( Raffles Hotel - 5 Stars - Landmark Rooms) Day Three - Wednesday, 10/22/2008 This morning's activities contrast colossal monuments of the past and present. After strolling across the impressive Tiananmen Square, an authoritative symbol of today's China, you will by awed by the majesty of the magnificent Forbidden City (as in Bertolucci's film "The Last Emperor"). In the afternoon, we take you to one of ancient China's most sacred sites, the majestic Temple of Heaven. For dinner we enjoy a change of pace and mood, dining at the recently opened, Philippe Starck-designed contemporary Chinese restaurant "Lan". (B, L, D) Day Four - Thursday, 10/23/2008 Today you will visit the Great Wall of China. Built to protect China from the incursions of predatory nomads, the utility and meaning of this fortification has been contested for centuries. The unprecedented scale and unexpected charm of the Great Wall may inspire you. The section that we most highly recommend is the further away, about 2.5 hours drive, but is generally considered one of the most beautiful sections of the Great Wall. Once there, you will be treated to a private banquet on the Wall itself (weather permitting). After lunch you will be given some time for a stroll along this most magnificent of sites. (B, L, D)   Day Five - Friday, 10/24/2008 This morning, we take a tour of the delightful Summer Palace, a retreat built exclusively for the Empress Dowager Cixi; its ornate temples, pavilions & covered corridors, set amidst a vast and graceful, man-made landscape, epitomize both the decadence and refinement of this ruthless matriarch. We continue the day with an intimate pedicab tour through Beijing's traditional alleyways (or hutong). During it, you will be afforded an insight into the everyday life of Beijingers. (B, L, D)   Day Six - Saturday, 10/25/2008 For shoppers, Beijing's largest open-air market will come close to paradise. Here you will mingle with Beijingers, overseas and local art dealers as well as farmers who import goods from the countryside. This is your opportunity to buy a Ming dynasty set of the Confucianist classics for a song (the best buy of 2001!) or else, and more likely, to buy from an astonishingly rich variety of Chinese and Tibetan cultural objects (at usually a tenth the price found in the U.S. and at often half the price found at local shops). For non-shoppers, this market can be thought of as China's largest museum of modern cultural life, where you can see, talk to and photograph a wide range of local and regional Chinese going about their daily lives and business. In the afternoon we fly to Xi'an, where in the evening you will be treated to a private dumpling making and noodle throwing lesson by the Sheraton's expert chefs. (Sheraton Hotel - 5 Stars - Deluxe Rooms) (B, L, D)   Day Seven - Sunday, 10/26/2008 Emperor Qinshihuangdi chose Xi'an for his capital in the third century BC. This war-mongering tyrant, the first to unite the disparate kingdoms of ancient China, is well-known to us for his Terracotta Warriors. This morning you will view the 13,000 molded soldiers, officers, horses and wagons which form a small part of his famed underground army. China's capital during the Han (206BC-220AD) and Tang (618-907AD) dynasties, periods of increasing international exposure, Xi'an became home to motley communities of Nestorian Christians, Zoroastrians, Buddhists, Jews & Muslims - many of whom have left their mark. This afternoon, for example, you will tour the Big Goose Pagoda, an edifice built to house the first Buddhist texts ever transported to China from India. Following this, we will observe the enduring influence of the Muslim community in the form of Xi'an's Great Mosque and forever-bustling Muslim Quarter. (B, L - no dinner included)   Day Eight - Monday, 10/27/2008 Xi'an's well-presented History Museum traces the city's gradual rise to prominence from the matriarchal societies of the third millennium BC to its apogee under the mighty Tang dynasty. Your visit includes access to the Tang dynasty murals, normally closed to the general public (please note that entry is controlled by local authorities, who may deny access on occasion). In the afternoon we fly to Guilin, whose beautiful countryside will soothe you of your urban cares. Craggy limestone towers, their caves appearing like windows in a sheen of vegetation, overlook lush plains of rice fields and fruit orchards. (Hotel of Modern Art - Deluxe Rooms - Hotel Not Rated) (B, L, D)   Day Nine - Tuesday, 10/28/2008 This morning, you will have a chance to see traditional village life. Visit a local school, watch soy milk being made or just wander through the rice fields. The day continues with a spectacular boat ride on traditional bamboo rafts along a remote and rarely visited stretch of the Li River: clumps of bamboo trees line the shores, buffalo wallow in the water to cool off, and children fish beside their fathers who rake the river bed for reeds. En route, we will come across fishermen herding their cormorants along the river bottom in search of Li River fish. (B, L, D)   Day Ten - Wednesday, 10/29/2008 This morning has been left free. Many people prefer to spend this time quietly relaxing with a book on the hotel's lovely grounds. If you are feeling active, there are many options open to you from cycling to learning how to throw a pot. In the afternoon, we will fly to Shanghai. Last century, considered to be the most western of China's cities, Shanghai might now be considered its most futuristic. Shanghai, last century considered to be the most Western of China's cities, perhaps now should be thought of as the most futuristic. Having advised you of Shanghai's best restaurants and bars, we will help make any reservations that you might require for this penultimate evening of fun, when we leave you to enjoy Shanghai on your own. (Grand Hyatt Hotel - 5 Stars - River View Rooms) (B, L - no dinner included)   Day Eleven - Thursday, 10/30/2008 This morning we will arrange for a lecture/tour on colonial architecture in Shanghai given by a member of the Shanghai Historical Society. This tour will take you into some of the most important buildings along the Bund and French Concessions including the Peace Hotel and Hong Kong Shanghai Bank. En route to lunch, we will travel along sycamore-lined boulevards into the heart of the French Concession. This section of the "Paris of the Orient" now hosts many arts-based businesses and art galleries that we can visit if you so desire. After dinner at one of the city's best new restaurants, you will be taken to witness the marvelous stunts of the Acrobatic Show. (B, L, D)   Day Twelve - Friday, 10/31/2008 Our tour of Shanghai begins at the Shanghai Museum, one of the most modern in the country. Arranged by category rather than according to a chronology, its collection introduces and elucidates the gamut of Chinese arts from ceramics to jade and ivory carvings to paintings. This afternoon we take you to visit the Yu Gardens, one of the best examples of traditional Chinese garden design in the country. Afterwards, you will have some time to stroll through Shanghai's Old Quarter. Our farewell dinner takes place at our favorite Shanghai restaurant, boasting a magnificent view over the Bund and Pudong waterfronts. (B, L, D)   Day Thirteen - Saturday, 11/1/2008 You will be transferred to the airport in time for your return flight home. (B) Please note that B, L, D denotes Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.   The price of this tour will be USD7,480 per person based on double occupancy. There is a surcharge of USD2,160 for anyone requiring a single room. Upgrades to suites will be USD1,260 per person. Upgrades to business class on internal flights will be USD360 per person. Included in the tour price are: 11 nights accommodation in the best five star hotels. Please also pay particular attention to the room category specified in the itinerary - we rarely use entry level rooms. 11 breakfasts, 10 lunches & 8 dinners at China's finest restaurants Services of a Western bilingual China Host and local tour guides All internal flights (Beijing/Xi'an, Xi'an/Guilin, Guilin/Shanghai) All land transportation Entrance fees to all tourist sites (as listed on the itinerary) Local guide & driver gratuities Baggage handling, hotel & domestic airport taxes Tour group limited to 20 people 2008 Departure Dates: Apr 7-19, May 12-24, Sep 15-27, Oct 20 - Nov 1 Departures require a minimum of 6 persons Please inquire about the option to upgrade your hotel room category. Tours can be extended with an option to cruise along the Yangzi River. Please inquire for details. Not included in the tour price are: International airfare to/from China, visa processing fees, travel insurance. Personal expenses such as alcoholic beverages, excess luggage fees, telephone charges, room service and laundry charges. Gratuities to the China Host. Margot Kong, based in San Francisco, is ready to answer your queries about this tour. Phone her at 888 888 1970, or click here to send her an email. Return to top