Date

Schedule – Main Contact Number:  Chen Yong at 138 0516 5465.

July 29

Arrive Shanghai and stay in Grand Mercure Baolong Hotel 5

This was a great hotel…very classy…good food.  The guide here, Alex, was a lovely young man, helpful and eager to please. He took us to restaurants, however, in which we were not given food choices...as a result, we did not eat much of what was served.  We could have eliminated the Dai show and dinner…the food there was poor and the show uninteresting and desultory. Chen Young upgraded us to an executive room; very classy. The Continental flight was amazingly easy, and we both made a very easy adjustment to the time change on the first day.

July 30

This morning after breakfast you will visit the Bund, Nanjing Road, the Yu Yuan Garden and antiquities market at Dongtai Road. Add Shanghai Art Museum.

Accommodation: Grand Mercure Baolong Hotel 5*

July 31

Shanghai / Suzhou

Depart early morning bullet train to Suzhou Upon arrival you will visit TigerHill,

Administrator’s Garden, Cruise on Grand Canal in Suzhou.

Accommodation: Gloria Plaza Hotel 4*

The guide (Molly) was excellent…liked Tiger Hill and the Humble Administrators Garden…and you were right about the silk factory.  We finally spoke to the guides and Chen Young and arranged for future meals to be able to order food from the menu we’d eat, and paid any difference.  For the rest of the trip, we had excellent food. Suzhou is an unappealing city; only the gardens make the time worthwhile. The Nanjing train was very crowded.  

Aug 01

Suzhou / Shanghai / Mt Huangshan

After breakfast go to Silk Institute for buying linens and other items; find another place to shop for antiquities.

After lunch you will take the bullet train to Shanghai and transfer to Pudong Airport to cat up the flight (FM 5265  20:50-21:50) to Mt Hungshan. Upon arrival you will be met and transferred to Huangshan International Hotel in Tunxi.

Accommodation: Huangshan International Hotel 4, 31 Huangshan Rd., Tunxi, telephone 86-0559-2565678. 

Guide, John, was excellent…he arranged for excellent food.  The hotel was fine. Tunxi is a fun town to roam. The inkstands for sale were fun and interesting and there was one phenomenal larger-than-life antiques dealer with terrific Han dynasty and older ceramics...bought an unusual Han blackware pot...the interspersion of Hong Cun and Xidi cities provided a nice break from the mountain. For my money, Huangshan is the most beautiful scenic wonder in China. The clouds drifting through the layers of mountains is unparalleled anywhere; too entranced to eat lunch…must have taken a hundred photos.     

Aug 02

Huangshan

After breakfast you will take a private car to reach the foothill of Huangshan where you can take the cable car up the mountain from the Eastern steps, followed by a “Long March” for about three and half hours. On the way you will find yourself surrounded by numerous breath-taking views including the Jade Screen Peak, Welcoming-guest Pine Tree, Lotus Peak, Turtle Peak, Heavenly Sea Pavilion, Bright top Peak, Flying over Rock, the Cloud-dispelling Pavilion and Grand Canyon of West Sea. Over night in Beihai Hotel 4*

Aug 03

Huangshan

Watch sunrise in the morning. Sightsee the Lion Peak and Beginning to-leave Peak  before taking cable car (or trekking) down to the mountain from eastern steps and drive back to Tunxi. Visit the Old Street, the best preserved commercial street in China built in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, City Museum and Unique Ink-stick Factory. Over night in Huangshan International Hotel 4*

Aug 04

Huangshan / Hongcu / Huangshan

After breakfast take a private car to Hongcun, an ancient village in YiXian County, Anhui Province.  The village is arranged in the shape of an ox: A nearby hill (Leigang Hill) is interpreted as the head, and two trees standing on it mark the horns. Four bridges across the Jiyin stream can be seen as the legs and the houses of the village form the body. Inside the “body”, the Jiyin stream can be seen as the intestines and the lakes — such as the “South Lake” (Nanhu) — as the stomachs. The architecture and carvings of the approximately 150 residences dating back to the Ming and Qing dynasties are said to be among the best of their kind in China. One of the biggest of the residences open to visitors, Chenzhi Hall, also contains a small residence museum. Return to Huangshan Airport to catch up with the only flight to Shanghai (FM 9266 22:40-23:40). Over night: Shanghai Airline Hotel 4* (at the airport).

Aug 05

After breakfast fly to Chengdu by Flight MU 5407 (09:20-12:15). Upon arrival take a half day tour to Panda Reserve and other cultural sights.  Dinner and overnight at our hotel

Accommodation : Mingshan Lhasa International Hotel 4*, telephone 028 851 9899.  .  The guide here was Henry…although he basically did his job, he was the only guide we were not happy with…he was a young man with many personal problems…at the last evening, he put us in a taxi at 10:00 at night and abruptly told us without discussion he would not be going with us to the hotel since he lived in another direction…he told the taxi driver the name of the hotel and disappeared quickly…the driver did not know where to go and we had some frightening moments before we were able to communicate the name of the hotel…In addition, although we eliminated a few of the sites (like the temple), he did not apply those entrance fees to the places we substituted. The hotel here was clean and comfortable but again, did not represent a 4 star hotel for the following reasons: no double bed, broken door could not be closed so we had to change rooms, only hotel that did not change money at the desk, no availability of CNN or BBC on TV; didn’t clean our room until 5:00PM; no safe in the room as expected, and when they finally brought it, it was locked so we couldn’t use it...full scale model of the Potala palace in Lhasa – 50 feet long! – was entertaining at breakfast…Sanxingdui museum has the most amazing collection of bronzes anywhere in China; they were stunningly beautiful to both of us…Jinsha museum outside of Chengdu was disappointing.

Aug 06

Chengdu

After breakfast full day visit to Sanxingdui about 30 miles northeast of Chengdu with a visit to its museum.

Over night : Mingshan Lasha International Hotel 4*

Aug 07

Chengdu

visit Wuhou Temple and Dufu's Thatched Cottage. Do shopping in the Antique Store. Over night: Mingshan Lasha International Hotel 4*

Aug 08

Chengdu / Zhangjiajie via Changsha

Today after breakfast you will fly to Zhangjiajie via Changsha (no direct flight from Chengdu to Zhangjiajie) to connect the only flight CZ3984 (18:40-19:20).

Upon your arrival your local guide will take you to the hotel directly. You will stay in Zhangjiajie International Hotel 4*, 42 San Jiao Ping, Yongdig District, Zhangjiajie.

Aug 09

Zhangjiajie 

40 minute of trip by special car will take you to Zhangjiajie national forest park, go up to Huangshi stockaded village by telpher, then walk down to visit Nantianyizhu, Dinghaishenzhen and Zhaixingtai.

Guide here was Will, again a wonderful young man…food was very good…The hotel was attractive and comfortable, but there was no English at all at the hotel, and because they had not had a ‘foreigner’ visit in 4 months, they eliminated any food a foreigner might eat at breakfast….Will went out and bought us some bread on his own…After Huangshan, it was hard to visit Zhang jia jie- beautiful, but not up to Huangshan’s level.

Accommodation : Zhangjiajie International Hotel 4*

Aug 10

Zhangjiajie / Shanghai

Visit grand canyon of Jinbian rivulet in the morning, then get to the foot of Tianzi mountain by special car, take telpher straight to the top, there Helong park, Dianjiangtai, Shentangwan awaits. Walk down the Tianzi Mountain to view South gate of heavenly palace and West Sea. At the end of this day, fly to Shanghai on CZ3027 at 21:00-22:35 or similar. Accommodation:  Grand Mercure Baolong Hotel 5*

Aug 11

Shanghai

Full day tour around Shanghai for shopping for antiquities at stores of your choice.

Overnight at hotel in Shanghai. Accommodation:  Grand Mercure Baolong Hotel 5*

Great hotel again, terrific buffet dinner…this guide was “Susie” and she was very nice and helpful. Dongtai Road is a shadow of its former self, but found a stunning Tang dynasty vase and a passable Majiayao ceramic nonetheless.

Aug 12

Shanghai / USA                                                   

After breakfast take a tour to Pudong New development District and transfer to the airport for the homeward flight to USA.