Beijing, Datong, Pingyao, Mount Wutai, Beijing 8 Days Tour

Detailed Itinerary:

Today your Beijing tour will start from Tiananmen Square. As the largest public square in the world, Tiananmen Square can hold over one million people. This famous monument with its historical significance is often considered as a national symbol in China.

Next we will proceed to visit the Forbidden City. The Forbidden City is the best-preserved imperial palace in China and the largest ancient palatial structure in the world. You will appreciate its magnificence of royal architectures and numerous imperial treasures when visiting it.

Then our guide will continue to have sightseeing at Summer Palace. The Summer Palace is the largest imperial park in China. It has a vast collection of lakes, gardens and palaces and you will appreciate its natural beauty and numerous historical sites.

Afterwards, we will head for the interesting tour at Beijing Zoo. For tourists not convenient to see giant pandas in Chengdu, Beijing Zoo is a great destination to see the cutest pandas. There are around 450 different species of animals to see at Beijing Zoo. The Panda House in Beijing Zoo is where to see giant pandas.

At last, our guide will bring you back to the hotel for a good rest.

Detailed Itinerary: Your Beijing tour will continue with the hiking to Mutianyu Great Wall this morning. Mutianyu Great Wall is located in Huairou District of Beijing and is 73 kilometers from Beijing downtown. It was originally built in Northern Qi Dynasty (550 - 557) and reconstructed in Ming Dynasty to strength its construction. Mutianyu Great Wall is outstandingly featured with dense distribution of watchtowers, with 22 watchtowers at 100 meter intervals. Also these watchtowers have different forms and structures. Mutianyu Great Wall fully displays the essence of the Great Wall of China. Built in soaring mountain ridges, Mutianyu has magnificent construction and compact layout. Its breathtaking views with the surrounded mountains and elegant green forests and vegetation are also attractive features to tourists.

Then we will proceed to visit the Temple of Heaven. Firstly built in the year of 1420, Temple of Heaven is a complex of religious buildings situated in the southeastern part of central Beijing. It was visited by the Emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties for annual ceremonies of prayer to Heaven for good harvest. You will experience its grand size of architectures and profound cultural connotation when visiting there.

Afterwards, we will go for the sightseeing stop at Beijing Olympic Stadium. Beijing Olympic Stadium is also known as Bird’s Nest. It attracts people by its unique design and humanistic architecture. You can take some fascinating pictures there.

At last, our guide will take you back to the hotel. Have a good rest.

Detailed Itinerary:

After breakfast at the hotel, our guide will transfer you to the airport and you will take flight to Datong. Our guide at Datong will pick you up at the airport and transfer you directly to visit Yungang Grottoes. Yungang Grottoes are one of China's Great Grottoes which were built 1,500 years ago. There are 45 caves open for visit with thousands of Buddha statues seated. These delicately carved Buddha statues are of different sizes, different expressions and postures.

These lively statues with rich and impressive expressions are truthful reflections of the life in the ancient North Wei Dynasty. When you are enjoying these art works of stone carving, you would also be impressed by the profession and wisdom of the ancient people who made these statuses.

Next we will proceed to see Nine Dragon Wall. Datong Nine Dragon Wall is built in 1392 during the reign of Hongwu of the Ming Dynasty and is the largest and the oldest Nine Dragon Wall in China. With reliefs of nine dragons of different vivid postures and colors, the Nine Dragon Wall in Datong provides unique aesthetic artifacts of the Chinese imperial culture to appreciate.

Afterwards, our guide will transfer you back to the hotel and help you check in.

Detailed Itinerary: This morning our guide will transfer you to have the great tour at Mount Wutai.

Mount Wutai is one of the four sacred Buddhist Mountains in China. It is located in Wutai County of Yinzhou City in Shanxi Province. Mount Wutai gets its name as it is consisted of five main peaks that have broad and plain terraces at the tops. As one of the most holy land of Chinese Buddhism, Mount Wutai is said to be the dwelling place of Manjusri Bodhisattva. Besides its magnificent mountains and beautiful natural scenery, Mount Wutai is home to many ancient Buddhist temples that were constructed during the Tang Dynasty. Also Mount Wutai has some of the oldest existent wooden buildings in China, including the main hall of Nanchan Temple and the East Hall of Foguang Temple. With its sacred religious background and Buddhist temples, and alluring natural beauty, Mount Wutai gains its popularity among pilgrims and tourists.

Our guide will transfer you back to Datong and drop you at the hotel for a good rest.

Detailed Itinerary: This morning our guide will bring you to visit Qiao's Family COmpound. The Qiao’s Family Compound is a large complex of private residences situated in Qi County of Shanxi Province. It was firstly built during the Qing Dynasty. With a construction area of 4,175 square meters, this magnificent compound comprises of 6 main courtyards, 20 smaller courtyards and 313 rooms. Distinguished for its characterized North China folk houses, now the Qiao’s Family Compound is converted into an architectural museum where you will appreciate the intricate layout and crafty design. The high artistic craftsmanship in the wood carvings, brick carvings, murals, tablets and furnishings fully show the essence of the compound.

Then our guide will transfer you to Pingyao and help you check in at the hotel.

Detailed Itinerary:

Today your sightseeing at Pingyao will begin with a visit to Pingyao Anicent City. Pingyao Ancient City is one of the four best-preserved ancient cities in China. It is situated in Pingyao County in the center of Shanxi Province. This ancient city has a history more than 2,700 years has remained the intact appearance Ming and Qing Dynasty and is quite an outstanding example that displays the economy, culture, society and religion of the ancient Ming and Dynasty. Inside the Pingyao Ancient City, you will visit the magnificent Ancient City Wall to get beautiful views of the whole ancient city.

Rishengchang Exchange House will be scheduled for the next attraction to see. Richangsheng Exchange House was firstly opened during the Ming and Qing Dynasty to provide banking business for Shanxi merchants. It is the first money exchange house in China and is considered as the founder of modern banks. As a production of the prosperous culture of Shanxi merchants, the architecture of Richangsheng is an outstanding representative of local Shanxi culture. It is a combination of architectural art and function that applies the traditional style of local folk houses and also the features of local business shops. You will trace the past prosperity and glorious history from the house.

Next you will have a free exploration at Mingqing Street. The Mingqing Street located in the Ancient Pingyao City was the commercial center of Pingyao during Ming and Qing dynasties. With a length of 750 meters, this well-preserved ancient street is lined with traditional folk houses and shops built during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Along the street, you will experience the prosperous atmosphere of the history, and appreciate the ancient style and features of the residences. At the same time, you will find unique and special antiques and souvenirs in shops along the street. The local delicious food provided there is also something should not be missed out.

Afterwards, our guide will transfer you to the airport for flight to Beijing.

Detailed Itinerary: After breakfast, our guide will transfer you to the airport for your departure. Wish you a pleasant trip!