Chinesische Drachen, Krieger & Pandas

[die Tourbeschreibung ist momentan nur auf Englisch verfügbar]

Day 1:
Beijing. Our first day will be put aside for a pre-departure meeting. Please arrive by 18.00pm so that we can have the introductory meeting and then there is time for you to explore some of the sights of Beijing.

Day 2:
Beijing - Great Wall. We begin our tour visiting one of the world’s most famous landmarks - The Great Wall of China and also the Ming Tombs. We include a full day guided tour along the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall. Just like a gigantic dragon, the Great Wall winds up and down across deserts, grasslands, mountains and plateaus stretching approximately 6,700 kilometres (4,163 miles) from east to west of China. With a history of more than 2000 years, some of the sections of the great wall are now in ruins or even entirely disappeared. However, it is still one of the most appealing attractions all around the world owing to its architectural grandeur and historical significance. For anyone not wanting to climb up to the wall, there is a cable car that you can take (not included).

For centuries, the wall served succeeding dynasties as an efficient military defence. However, it was only when a dynasty had weakened from within that invaders from the north were able to advance and conquer. Both the Mongols (Yuan Dynasty, 1271-1368) and the Manchurians (Qing Dynasty, 1644-1911) were able take power because of weakness of the government and poverty of the people but never due to any possibility of weakness of the Wall.

We also visit the Ding Tomb, which is the only underground Ming Tomb open to the public.

The evening is free, but you can get an additional taste of local culture with an optional visit to the Beijing Opera with traditional Chinese theatre with singing, dancing, mime and acting. Your guide will be able to help you organize this.

Day 3:
Beijing City Tour. Today we have a full day Beijing city tour with our local guide. First stop is the infamous Tiananmen Square. Tiananmen Square is a huge open space surrounded on all sides by imposing official buildings. Apart from being a popular gathering place for tourists and kite flyers, it is still often used for any big celebration and for the government leaders to address the people. The children can watch the kite flyers to learn a few tips before they try their hand later at the Temple of Heaven.

From Tiananmen Square we go into the dramatic Forbidden City- so called because only the emperors, their families, Imperial eunuchs and other servants were allowed in there. The Forbidden city is a vast complex of halls, temples and housing, which make up the former residence of the ancient emperors. Also known as the Imperial Palace, the complex is said to contain 9,999 rooms. The complex is divided into a northern and southern part. The southern area is where the emperor would hold ceremonies and entertain guests. The northern half was kept completely private residence accessible only to the select circles of the emperor. As you walk around the Forbidden City you can really lose yourself, as the outside world of Beijing is barely visible from most parts. You can really experience a little of the feel of being a Chinese Emperor.

Our tour finishes with a trip to the Temple of Heaven, also called Tiantan Park. The Temple of Heaven, the jewel of Ming Dynasty architecture, was built in 1420 and is set in a 660 acre park. It is one of Beijing’s most famous images and its silhouette is an emblem of the city. Southeast of the Forbidden City, the whole complex contains the Temple of Heaven, the hall for the Prayer for Good Harvests, the Round Altar, the Echo Wall and the Imperial Vault of Heaven. Whilst here, the children can try their hand at kite flying.

In the evening we include a visit to a Kung Fu Show - another highlight for children and adults alike.

Day 4:
Beijing City Tour- Overnight Train Xi’an. Today’s tour begins after breakfast, with a visit to the Summer Palace, which is located in the northwest corner of Beijing right next to Beijing University. Constructed as a place of rest and recreation for the emperor of old, it is now open as a public park and is one of the most impressive places to visit in Beijing. The focus of the Summer Palace is a huge lake with a long walkway circling it. To the one end is built a series of towers, halls and temples climbing the hillside. From the buildings towards the top of the hill you can see the entire lake and its surroundings. The park is accented by many small architectural features such as the beautiful 17 arch- bridge, which leads to a small island, and the pagoda on the hill of the far shore.

Our next adventure, is a hutong tour. A hutong is an ancient city alley or lane, dating back to the Yuan (1206-1341) dynasty. The main buildings in the hutong were almost all quadrangles -a building complex formed by four houses around a quadrangular courtyard. The quadrangles varied in size and design according to the social status of the residents. The big quadrangles of high-ranking officials and wealthy merchants were specially built with roof beams and pillars all beautifully carved and painted, each with a front yard and back yard. However, the ordinary people's quadrangles were simply built with small gates and low houses. In the past, several thousand lanes, alleys and quadrangles formed residential areas for ordinary people living in the capital. Today, as the city develops into an international metropolis, its lanes and alleyways, occupying one third of the city proper, still serve as dwellings for half the total urban population.

The tour through the hutongs gives you fresh insight into Beijing's local life. We even have lunch with a local family, and may even have time to visit a local kindergarten.

In the afternoon, we drive out to Beijing Zoo to visit the Panda Garden. Beijing Zoo was built in 1908. The Zoo was originally the imperial manor in the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644). Plants were cultivated and animals were raised here during the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911).
Beijing Zoo today exhibits wild and rare animals found in China, such as the much loved Panda and the Golden Monkey. It also houses many animals from all around the world, such as White Bear from the North Pole, Kangaroo from Australia and Zebra from Africa. The zoo has a collection of more than 600 types of animal species and more than 7,000 animals.

The most popular area of the Beijing Zoo is the famous Panda House, home to giant and lesser pandas of China. Don't miss the small Red Pandas in the trees as well. Beijing Zoo was the first place to breed giant pandas successfully in captivity. The first baby, Ming Ming, was born to female Li Li and male Pi Pi on September 9, 1963. In 1978, the Beijing Zoo was also the first to have a birth result from artificial insemination

After our visit to the zoo, we are transferred to the train station for our overnight train to Xi’an.

For your comfort, the overnight train accommodation we provide is in soft sleeper cabins, so you will arrive at your destination well rested and refreshed.

Day 5:
Xi’an. We arrive early into Xi’an train station, where we will meet our transfer to the hotel for breakfast and check-in. After breakfast we begin our sightseeing of Xi’an.

Xi'an was called Chang'an during the Han Dynasty. The connotation of "Chang'an" is "a place of permanent peace". It was not until the prosperous Tang Dynasty that Chang'an became famous both at home and abroad as the largest and busiest international metropolis of that age in the world. Xi'an obtained its present name in 1369. From the 11 century B.C. onwards, Xi'an or its vicinity was established as the capital city by 11 dynasties successively, including the Western Zhou, the Qin, the Han, the Sui and the Tang. The city's capital status lasted for 1,608 years. As regards the number of dynasties and span of time, Xi'an served as an ancient capital beyond compare.

With so much history, Xi’an possesses a number of fascinating attractions. We take you for a walk through the bustling Muslim Quarter to visit the Grand Mosque. The Great Mosque of Xian (Sian) is located in the "Huajue Xiang" district, inhabited mainly by the Muslim Hui minority. The 60,000 strong Muslim community that lives and works today in Xian, traces its history to Arab and Persian merchants who, after traveling the Silk Road, became permanent residents of such cities as Guangzhou, Quanzhou, Hangzhou, Yangzhou, and Chang'an (today's Xian, the imperial capital of China for 13 dynasties).

The current buildings date from the middle of the 18th century but earlier mosques are thought to have stood on the same spot. The building is built along Chinese architectural styles and is surrounded by gardens. It is one of the largest mosques in China. The courtyard is open to the public, but praying areas are for Muslims only.

Next stop the City Wall, where we hire bicycles to ride along part of the City Wall, and from the top of the wall you get a great view down over the city.

For lunch we head to the Oriental Hotel, where we also have a lesson in Chinese noodle making.

The rest of the day is free for you to explore Xi’an. You may like to visit a couple of extra sights. The Wild Goose Pagoda is situated in the Da Ci'en Temple, four kilometres away from the centre of the city. It is one of the city's most distinctive and outstanding landmarks, and possibly the most beautiful building left in Xi’an today. In AD 652, the Big Goose Pagoda was built to store the sutras and the figurines of Buddha. It is a sturdy and simple brick tower structure with a height of 64 metres, and occupies a base 25 metres by 25 metres square. The walls and doors are carved with vivid and exquisite figures of Buddha, reflecting the depth in the paintings of the Tang Dynasty.

Then there is also the Shaanxi Provincial History Museum - a striking Tang-Dynasty style pavilion, which houses a large collection of 113,000 historic and cultural artefacts unearthed in Shaanxi province. It is an absolute must for every visitor to the city. The main complex is a mixture of ancient palaces and courtyard buildings in simple and elegant style. The exhibits on the ground and first floors are arranged in roughly three parts: Basic Exhibition Hall, the Theme Exhibition Hall and East Exhibition Hall. As well as the chronological dynastic exhibits including the Han, Wei, Jin, North and South, Sui, Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, the pre-historical and bronze period exhibits, together with terracotta figures and murals from tombs of the Tang Dynasty, are highly recommended.

Or you may like to visit the Bell Tower. The Bell Tower was originally built in the Yingxiang Temple in 1384. Then in 1582, it was moved to its present pivotal position, in the very heart of the city at the junction of four main streets extending to the east, south, west and north, for rebuilding and restorations. With magnificent carved beams and painted rafters, this classical building is truly elegant. The whole building, 36 meters high overall, is a triple-eaved, two-storey structure, built with a mixture of bricks and wood. Under the eaves, there is a beautifully decorated, coloured " dougong " (archway). It's the only characteristic of Chinese wooden architecture depicted here.

Day 6:
Xi’an. We continue our tour of Xi’an with a guided tour of the Terracotta Warriors Museum and Banpo Museum.

The Terracotta Warriors and Horses are one of the most significant archaeological excavations of the 20th century. It is a sight not to be missed by any visitor to China. In 1974, a group of peasants uncovered some pottery while digging for a well. This discovery caught the attention of archaeologists immediately. They came to Xi’an in droves to study and to extend the digs.

Life size terracotta figures of warriors and horses arranged in battle formations are the star features at the museum. They are replicas of what the imperial guard should look like in those days of pomp and vigour. Altogether over 7,000 pottery soldiers, horses, chariots, and even weapons have been unearthed from these pits. Most of them have been restored to their former grandeur. In 1987, the Terracotta Warriors museum was listed by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage Site.

Fancy making your own Terracotta Warrior? There will be the opportunity to make the optional visit to see the workers at the Terracotta Workshop. Here you will be shown the procedure for making a terracotta warrior, and you can even have a go yourself at making one. For an additional cost you can even buy your hand-made warrior, which will be kiln dried for you & mailed to your home address.

The Banpo Neolithic Village Museum is located just east of Xi'an. The village was inhabited from about 4500 BC to 3750 BC, the remains of the village discovered in 1953, and he museum built in 1958. Inside the museum, there is a hall for the ruins, a hall for cultural relics, and a clay cave ruin. The Banpo Lady Statue on the rock in the garden pond bears a physical resemblance to the early Banpo people.

Day 7:
Xi’an to Shanghai. In the morning we transfer to the airport for our flight to Shanghai. On arrival we are transferred to the hotel for check in.

Shanghai is a bustling metropolis located at the mouth of the Yangtze River. With a population of more than 13 million, Shanghai takes its place among the world's biggest, most booming urban areas.

In the afternoon we include a guided City Tour.

Shanghai is endowed with rich tourist attractions related to its long and complicated history. Many buildings, constructed in various foreign styles, are well preserved in the Bund area, and western tourists will feel a sense of familiarity when strolling around the long street, which resembles those in European cities. This blending of eastern and western styles has given the Bund area a reputation as a "World's Fair of Architecture." Many buildings from the 1920s and 1930s have also survived in the Old City section of Shanghai.

The Bund, also called the Zhongshan Road, is a famous waterfront and regarded as the symbol of Shanghai for hundreds of years, and now one of Shanghai’s Top 10 attractions. Walking along the Bund, on the west shore of the Huangpu River, you can see the Oriental Pearl TV Tower opposite, and also the Jin Mao Tower. On the other side of the Bund are many buildings of different architectural styles including Gothic, Baroque, Romanesque, Classicism and the Renaissance. The Bund was Shanghai's political, economical and cultural centre hundreds of years ago, and consulates of most countries and many banks, businesses and newspaper offices were located here

A visit to the Old City is easily combined with a stop at Yuyuan Garden, a well-restored Suzhou-style garden created during the Ming Dynasty. The Yuyuan Garden is claimed to be the most magnificent rockery of the Ming dynasty, and is a place of peace and comfort in the heart of bustling Shanghai.

We also include a 1 hour cruise on the Huangpu River, the most important shipping artery of Shanghai, which wriggles like an undulating muddy dragon from the mouth of the Yangtze River in Wusong to the East China Sea. The yellow and ice-free Huangpu River is 114 kilometres long, 400 meters wide and has an average depth of nine meters.
We cruise along the river between Yangpu Bridge and Nanpu Bridge, giving you beautiful views of Shanghai with its modern skyscrapers and characteristic buildings in differing architectural styles.

In the evening we go to see the famous Acrobatic show at the theatre. Chinese Acrobatics is one of the oldest performing arts. Its history can be traced
back to Neolithic times. It is believed that acrobatics grew out of labour and self-defence skills, which people practiced and demonstrated during their leisure time.

The acrobatic performers are trained strictly in the basic skills starting from the early age of six or seven years old. Because the required techniques are extremely difficult, the training is long, hard and intense. Examples of basic
skills are handsprings, somersaults, waist and leg flexibility, and headstands. The performers must endure a great deal of unexpected pain in order to become excellent. Costumes and music enhance the beauty of the performance and increase its visual effects.

Day 8:
Shanghai. Today after breakfast we continue our tour of Shanghai. In the morning we visit the fascinating Shanghai Museum.

In the afternoon we take in the sights from the TV Tower, and explore the Children's Palace.

If you have any free time, you may like to visit the Jade Buddha Temple, located in northwest Shanghai. This is the most popular Buddhist temple in this city, drawing both worshippers and tourists. It is famous for two jade Buddha statues, one of which is reclining and the other seated. The old-time and classical architectural style makes the temple unique, and the peaceful and transcendent atmosphere adds a kind of richness to this busy modern city.

On our last night of the tour we can indulge in the local delicacies. Shanghai is a paradise for the gourmet traveller. Here, visitors can enjoy a taste of all the different kinds of food in the world. Shanghainese cuisine, however, is a special hybrid. There are several famous old restaurants in Shanghai that are not to be missed.

Day 9:
Shanghai. Tour finishes after breakfast.