Taiji Quan Tour

14 Days to Beijing, Zhengzhou, Kaifeng, Shaolin Temple, LuoYang, Xian, & Shanghai

This is a special interest trip designed for Taiji Quan practitioners and fans. TaiJi Quan is an internal Chinese martial art; it is practiced for both its defense training and its health benefits. TaiJi Quan was born from its creator Chen Jia Gou in Wen Xian County, and before taking you there this expedition will allow you to visit many culturally and historically rich places in China, giving you the opportunity to gain an understanding of the atmosphere and background from which Taiji Quan was born.


In Wen Xian County you will have an opportunity to spend a day watching performances from the villagers, receiving training from the grandmaster, and visiting the original place where the founder of Chen’s Taiji Quan started about 600 years ago. This itinerary is ideal for Taiji Quan students and groups of professionals, and all people who are interested in the Chinese culture, history and religion.

Day 1: International flight from U.S. to Beijing. Meals will be served in flight.

Day 2: Arrive in Beijing; your tour guide will pick you up at the gate. Once our car takes you to the hotel and check in, the rest of your evening is free.

Day 3: In the morning 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. After lunch a city tours of Beijing to the center of the city -Tianan-Men Square – the largest open plaza in the world accommodating half a million people at one time. Explore the Forbidden City (Palace Museum), the former Imperial Palace for the 24 Emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. In the evening, attend a welcome banquet of Peking duck. (BLD)

Day 4: Today you will be a “true hero”, as chairman Mao has once said “you will not be a true hero until you climbed the Great Wall of China. Morning explore the Great Wall of China – one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. On the way back visit the jade factory to see how jade is carved. After lunch drive through the city to get a view of the Olympic village, then come back to the hotel to rest. At night, see the amazing Chinese Acrobatic Show. (BLD)

Day 5: Visit the 800 year-old Summer Palace with the largest garden in China. Here, the royal family of the Qing dynasty came to spend relaxing summers and handle government affairs. Visit Beijing Olympic Village, the Bird nest. Take photos and have fun. (Night Sleeper Train to Zhengzhou) (BLD)

Day 6 – 8: From the railway station in Zhengzhou participant will be picked up to drive to Chenjiagou Village in Wenxian, for the next three-day you will train Taiji Quan “the Chen-style”. (BLD)

Day 9: In the morning you will travel to the 1,500 year-old Shaolin Monastery, the birthplace of Kung Fu – the original form of all martial arts. This temple is situated at the western edge of the Song Shan Mountains. In the Thousand Buddha Hall, you can still see the footprints of the monks stamped into the floor – a reminder of the intensity of their practice. Here, you will be amazed by a live Kung Fu demonstration performed by the Grandmasters and monks. (Bus to Luoyang). (BLD)

Day 10: Luoyang is the ancient capital of the thirteen dynasties. We will see the most spectacular site in Luoyang called the Longmen Grotto. Carved from a solid rock mountain over 1,500 years ago, this site has over 2,345 caves and more than 100,000 statues of Buddha. Chinese noblemen sponsored the creation of most of these statues, ranging in height from miniature (1 inch high) to giant-size (57 feet).

At night, relax and enjoy the delicious delicacies of the Water Feast, a banquet handed down by the Tang Dynasty empress. (BLD)

Day 11: In the morning join morning exercise with the local people, where they dance, singing, and do qi gong together. In the morning take a look at the White Horse Temple, legend has it that a white horse carried the first Buddhist script from India to here, hence the name White Horse Temple. In the afternoon a visit to Guanlin Temple, built to commemorate the great general Guanyu of the State of Shu during the Three Kingdoms Period (Bullet Train to Xian). (BLD)

Day 12: Xi’an, which was also known as Changan, was a major ancient capital and has more than 3,000 years of history.

In Xi’an, you will visit the famous Museum of the Terra-Cotta Legion, built as a memorial to Qin Shihuang, the first emperor to unite China. The 8,000 men clay army of warriors and horsemen, complete with weapons, was ordered by the emperor as a young man, and took decades to complete. (BLD)

Day 13: In the morning walk on the well-preserved Xian city wall and get a bird’s eye view of the city.

Visit the Shanxi History Museum, where you will see a showcase of ancient civilizations of the Shan Xi province. Being one of the cities inside Shan Xi province, Xian City was the capital city in thirteen dynasties that in total lasted over 1100 years. Since this museum was opened to the public in 1991, its architectural buildings, internal apparatus, and exhibits have made it famous as a first-class museum in China. (Afternoon flight to Shanghai) (BLD)

Day 14: Shanghai is China’s center for industry and commerce. It is called the “Paris of the East,” because for many years the city was home to large numbers of Europeans, giving it an international flavor. Check in the hotel and visit the Yu Yuan Garden, this “Garden of Peace and Comfort” offers an escape from the fast pace of the surrounding city, of the many temples and halls, the Grand Rockery is the most popular.

In the afternoon visit the Bund; this famous waterfront has been Shanghai’s center since the mid-1800. It offers a taste of the past with the colonial structures along the promenade and a view of the future across the river in Pudong. The city’s historical landmarks as well as new 21st century structures can all be seen along the 1 mile walk. (BLD)

Day 15: sadly we have to say goodbye to friends in China, but will always remember the wonderful memories. Board the International flight back home. (B)