Sample Itinerary

Beijing, Nanjing, Wu Xi, Suzhou, Shanghai - 14 Days

It is difficult to do justice to any country in the course of a one or two week educational tour. This is particularly true in China when you consider the diversity of landscapes, major tourist attractions, known and unknown historical sites.  Here, we have everything from the Great Wall to the Pagoda Forest, from The Terra Cotta Warriors to famous grottoes and temples, a history that stretches from the prehistoric, to the first written language, to the Anti-Japanese War to developing, modern China.

CACBC Educational Tours can be very different from many people?s concept of a 'normal tour itinerary' copied and posted from one travel agent to the next.  Usually, other agencies can entail you using airplane after airplane from one city to another; a large amount of time spent checking in and out; paying significant airport taxes, and watching the sights go by out your window.

To the contrary, CACBC provides a well-planned balance of educational, cultural and recreational activities. We provide different experiences according to your objectives.  Even your transportation can be a learning experience: For example, sleeper trains may be used to let you experience the most popular form of transportation in China, what 95 percent of Chinese people use to travel from city to city.  We endeavor to provide you with the 'definitive experience.'

The following itinerary gives you a sample of our customized educational tours:   

Day 1:  International flight from U. S. to Beijing. 

Day 2:  Arrive in Beijing. Check-in at hotel, Welcome Banquet (Beijing Duck Dinner) hosted by CACBC China Office, Cultural Exchange Bureau and the China Travel Service.

Day 3:  A full-day excursion: First, climb the Great Wall at the Juyong Pass, where construction began in 475 B.C. The Great Wall is one of the seven ancient wonders of the world and is even visible from the moon.  Climbing the Great Wall you?ll pass visitors from all over the world, and hear conversations in almost every language. In the afternoon, visit the Beijing Zoo, to see the Pandas.  In the evening, attend an exciting Chinese Acrobatic Show or Peking Opera.  

Day 4:  In the morning, take a bus to Tian?anmen Square, the largest open plaza in the world, accommodating half a million people at one time. Visit the magnificent Temple of Heaven, the largest temple and altar complex in China where the Emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasty worshipped Heaven and prayed for good harvests. 

Day 5:  Explore the Forbidden City (Palace Museum), the formal Imperial Palace for the 24 Emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The palace has 9,999 rooms, because the symbol for 9 in Chinese stands for eternity, the 9,999 rooms represent the eternal rule of the emperors. The palace presents one of the most fascinating displays of Chinese cultural history and classical architecture. Visit the 800-year-old Summer Palace boasting the largest garden in China. Here the royal family of the Qing dynasty came to spend relaxing summers and handle government affairs. Walk through the beautiful corridor along the lake as you take in centuries-old Chinese artwork above your head. Take a sleeper train to Nanjing and experience the most common form of public transportation in China.

Day 6:  See the offices of Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, the well-known leader of the democratic movement in China, who worked, together with his colleagues to overthrow China?s imperial system. The Presidential Residence (West Garden, Xu Yuan). The garden has a quite long and interesting history, serving as the private garden in the Ming Dynasty, as the government office in the Qing Dynasty, as part of the palace in Taiping, and as the presidential residence in the Republic of China). The whole garden focuses on an artificial vase-shaped pond.

Visit Dr. Sun Yatsen?s Mausoleum (Zhongshan Ling), the most famous and representative historical Sight in Nanjing.  In the shape of a bell, the architect strove to tell us that the spirit of Dr. Sun should be like the sound of the bell, ringing out through the land. 

Day 7: Join in morning exercises with local people in Nanjing, practice Taiji, or Chinese dance exercises.  After breakfast, learn about Modern Chinese history in Nanjing. Visit the Nanjing Massacre Museum/Memorial, learn part of the sad history of Nanjing, an Ancient Capital of China. Thousands of Nanjing citizens were killed during the Anti-Japanese War by Japanese invaders in a six-week reign of terror.    

Day 8:  CancelCloseEdit FileWhen finished, click Save or Cancel below. Change PermissionsReadWrite Explore Ancient culture in Nanjing. Visit Ming?s Tomb (Ming Xiao Ling), the tomb of the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, along with his wife and some one hundred courtiers and concubines, many of whom were buried alive. The tomb is for two years to move the earth to erect the pavilions that decorated the site and also the biggest of all the royal tombs in the Ming Dynasty. The road is lined with twelve pairs of stone animals: they symbolize courage, wisdom, peace, happiness, good luck and faithfulness. Visit Ling Gu Temple, built 2500 years ago. The Taiping rebels made it a fortress and the Nationalists turned it into a memorial hall to those who died while fighting Communists and other threats to Nationalist power during the 1920s. See the Wall of Nanjing. The old city wall had thirteen gates, some of which are still standing.  

The Zhonghua Gate is the best preserved. In the evening, you?ll visit the Confucius Temple. The temple's most outstanding feature is a beautiful collection of 36 jade panels detailing the Sage's life (551-479 BC) hanging on the walls of the main hall. This old temple area is now the ideal place for sightseeing, shopping, dim sum sampling, and entertainment.  Taste the famous 24 courses of Dim Sum while enjoying the entertainment as the Ming emperors of old did. Along the city?s mother river, Qinghuai River are lots of Chinese shops and restaurants as well as classical architecture. Bus to Wu xi.

Day 9:  Wuxi is a middle-sized ancient and developing city famous for its Three-kingdom City (Sanguo Cheng).  It is part of the CCTV Movie Base and was built for the shooting of the famous TV series ?Three Kingdoms.?  The whole film city occupies an area of 35 hectares and is larger than the other three in the Base.  It is made up of dozens of sights as well as more than 20 warships.  Watch a show of ancient Chinese war fighting put on by warriors in costumes, riding real horses and using the ancient weapons. Visit the Wu Xi Clay Sculpting Factory to watch the local artists at work.

Day 10: Suzhou 

Start your journey in Suzhou at Tiger Hill (Hu Qiu).  Regarded as ?The First Scenic Spot in Wuzhong," it is the most famous sight in Suzhou.  There are old trees and cultural relics everywhere such as the Sword Testing Stone, the Broken Beam Hall, the Thousand Men Rock, the Sword Pond, the Yunyan Pagoda (the Leaning Tower), etc. 

Next OtherFile VersionsWarning: Restoring an older version will overwrite the current file without backing it up. New ArchiveArchive Name Back to Control Pan you will visit the Humble Administrator?s Garden (Zhouzheng Yuan) Humble Administrator?s Garden (Zhouzheng Yuan) It is the largest garden in Suzhou and one of the four most famous classical gardens in China.  The entire grounds are focused around a central pond. This garden is the most representative of Chinese classical private gardens in the Ming Dynasty. Learn about the still-popular practice of gardening in the Chinese culture before moving on to view some aspects of  industry in Suzhou at the Suzhou Silk Mill.

There you will learn how silk is extracted from silk worms, and gain some hands-on experience turning it into the fine material used to create Chinese costumes. After exploring the factory, enjoy a fashion show of modern silk clothing, and the chance to buy your own Chinese clothing.

Day 11: Visit the Suzhou Folk Culture Museum (Suzhou Mingsu Bowuguan). This small museum provides an excellent  insight into the local lifestyle and Wu customs unique to the people in this region.

There are several sections highlighting different themes. Find out about Ancient Chinese marriage customs ; you will see a red sedan, a lavishly decorated altar, and models dressed up in wedding garb. You may also view models of local dishes and copy the ancient recipes for preparing food.

Visit the Suzhou Jade Carving Factory producing both large and small jade articles, such as Buddha figures, beautiful ladies, flowers, birds, animals, bracelets, and necklaces. Suzhou has been one of the cradles for jade carving in China since time immemorial.

Day 12:  Take a bus to Shanghai after breakfast.

The Longhua Martyrs' Memorial Cemetery is dedicated to the Chinese patriots killed resisting the Japanese and other colonial powers leading up to the Communist victory in 1949. This tranquil park is built around a modernist exhibition hall housing murals and memorabilia. Retrace the last steps of Chinese prisoners down the long corridor to what was once a place of execution.

Nanjing Road has long been China?s golden mile. Nowadays, you can find department stores, grand restaurants, as well as all kinds of shops along the road, which is the most famous and busiest street in Shanghai.

To the Europeans, The Bund was the equivalent of Wall Street in Shanghai. It is still the city's most eloquent reminder that Shanghai has  been a very foreign creation. The Bund presents an interesting mix of 1930's American architecture with classic Chinese influences. All day and night the streets are flooded with Chinese and international tourists, going somewhere fast.The Huangpu River Trip offers some remarkable views of the Bund and the riverfront activity. Enjoy the contrast of a cool float along the river after having been in the thick of Shanghai's pulsating streets.

Day 13: Visit Frenchtown, the Shanghai Art Museum and the Huzhou Pagoda.

The core of Frenchtown, the former French Concession, is the area around Huaihai Lu and the Jinjiang Hotel and is fast becoming the place to explore. Huge department stores block out the sun along a road beautifully lined with flowerboxes. The area around the hotel is full of cafes, boutiques and antique shops. Head down the side streets off Yan'an Lu to see the fin de si?e architecture.

The nearby Yuyuan Gardens & Bazaar offers some delicious lunchtime snacks and welcome greenery. The Pan family, rich Ming Dynasty officials, founded the gardens, which took 18 years (from 1559 to 1577) to be nurtured into existence.  More than 100 specialty shops and restaurants jostle shoulders over narrow laneways and small squares.

Shanghai Modern Art Museum

Shanghai Modern Art Museum is the foremost contemporary art museum in People's Republic of china. Established over 40 years ago, the museum through continuing expansion gradually becomes an important space for the social and culture exchange in Shanghai. Learn about the artist's relation to the Chinese Cultural Revolution, while browsing through the galleries of 20th century artistic expression in China.

Huzhou Pagoda

Huzhou Pagoda, built in 1079 AD, is the leaning tower of China, with an inclination now exceeding the tower at Pisa by 1.5 degrees - at last count. The 62 ft. tower started tilting about 200 years ago. 

Day 14: International Flight to U.S.