--- title: "What a Country Keeps" description: "10 days from bronze vessels to a printed page reading the whole record" type: "tour" route_id: "china-museums-heritage-10-days" total_days: 10 price: 3630 highlights: ["Beijing", "Xi'an", "Shanghai"] url: "https://www.lyriktrip.com/en-GB/tours/china-museums-heritage-10-days" canonical_url: "https://www.lyriktrip.com/en-GB/tours/china-museums-heritage-10-days" locale: "en-GB" alternates: {"en-US":"https://www.lyriktrip.com/tours/china-museums-heritage-10-days","en-GB":"https://www.lyriktrip.com/en-GB/tours/china-museums-heritage-10-days","zh-CN":"https://www.lyriktrip.com/zh-CN/tours/china-museums-heritage-10-days","zh-TW":"https://www.lyriktrip.com/zh-TW/tours/china-museums-heritage-10-days","de-DE":"https://www.lyriktrip.com/de-DE/tours/china-museums-heritage-10-days","fr-FR":"https://www.lyriktrip.com/fr-FR/tours/china-museums-heritage-10-days","es-ES":"https://www.lyriktrip.com/es-ES/tours/china-museums-heritage-10-days","it-IT":"https://www.lyriktrip.com/it-IT/tours/china-museums-heritage-10-days","x-default":"https://www.lyriktrip.com/tours/china-museums-heritage-10-days"} --- # What a Country Keeps 10 days from bronze vessels to a printed page reading the whole record The record, in four materials. The national collection, the Great Wall at Mutianyu, the Terracotta Warriors and a woodblock press, with English-speaking guides throughout. - Moderate: museum mornings and one full day at the Great Wall, where the way up is by lift rather than steps. The longest single visit is the Forbidden City morning. ## Overview A country keeps its own record in whatever material is to hand: bronze poured for a ritual, brick laid along a ridge, clay fired into an army, ink pressed off a carved block. This plan follows that record through three cities, in the order it was made: Beijing for the empire's own account of itself, Xi'an for the century that standardized everything, Shanghai for the record still being written on the waterfront. Museum mornings alternate with long days outdoors, and two afternoons are spent moving, one by train, one by air. Ten days in, your students stop asking how old a thing is and start asking who kept it, and why. — LyrikTrip travel designers Every LyrikTrip journey begins with a conversation. Tell us your term dates, the size of the party and the flights you are holding, and we shape the ten days around all three. First reply within four hours; a clear price for your dates within one business day. Institutional bookings run on a long lead time, so your school's written requirements are answered one by one before any date is held. ## Summary - Route ID: china-museums-heritage-10-days - Duration: 10 days / 9 nights - Starting price: $3,630 - Status: active - Highlights: Beijing, Xi'an, Shanghai - Cover image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/9mTK4rw2.webp ## Hero tags - private - From 1 guest - Max: no fixed limit ## Highlight notes - The record, in four materials. The national collection, the Great Wall at Mutianyu, the Terracotta Warriors and a woodblock press, with English-speaking guides throughout. - 10 days from bronze vessels to a printed page. See the whole record. ## Selling points - Open the record in order: one building in Beijing holds the objects your students meet again in the ground at Xi'an and in a case in Shanghai. - Give the Great Wall a whole day, with the lift doing the climbing: one ridge, no second site to rush back for. - Spend a full day with the Terracotta Warriors rather than half of one: enough time for a group of forty to stop counting the figures and start telling them apart. - Put a Qin crossbow together with your own hands, and the reason that army worked stops being a sentence in a textbook. - Take an impression off a carved block in Shanghai, then walk out to the waterfront where the record is still being written. ## City highlights - Beijing (4 days): Arrival day - Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/i1wjeATe.webp - Xi'an (3 days): Street level, then west - Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/dqkotVW8.webp - Shanghai (3 days): A slow morning, then east - Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/gI41taAr.webp ## Experiences The record, in four materials. The national collection, the Great Wall at Mutianyu, the Terracotta Warriors and a woodblock press, with English-speaking guides throughout. - National Museum of China (Beijing): the national collection on the east side of the square: bronzes, ceramics, Buddhist figures, calligraphy. Two hours here puts the objects behind the last nine days into one room, which is why it sits on the day you leave Beijing. Entry is by timed reservation and the system sits poorly with overseas mobile numbers, so your quote states in writing who books it and by when. Admission is in the base price; audio guides and guides hired inside are not. - Subtitle: the national collection on the east side of the square: bronzes, ceramics, Buddhist figures, calligraphy. - Tags: Museum - Host: Beijing, Beijing Lens — Imperial capital and Great Wall - Access: the national collection on the east side of the square: bronzes, ceramics, Buddhist figures, calligraphy. Two hours here puts the objects behind the last nine days into one room, which is why it sits on the day you leave Beijing. Entry is by timed reservation and the system sits poorly with overseas mobile numbers, so your quote states in writing who books it and by when. Admission is in the base price; audio guides and guides hired inside are not. - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1cf05dc82e49.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/d076400ad86d.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/55ab6f174707.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/dcce08639678.jpg - Temple of Heaven (Beijing): Temple of Heaven combines Ming dynasty ritual architecture with Beijing's lively park culture. - Subtitle: An imperial ritual site with local life - Tags: Culture - Host: Beijing, Beijing Lens — Imperial capital and Great Wall - Access: Pairs grand ceremonial architecture with everyday local morning activity. - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/0d9ea5fe76e1.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/db9b46f1b9cf.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/c545d9594e74.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/dc39cfe33b0d.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/359ba00d37d0.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/b538bb2aa834.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/6d40f9e82d6b.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/212c0e2ea8c8.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/7bbec6cd7e80.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/cd8da061f42b.jpg - Tian'anmen Square (Beijing): Tian'anmen Square introduces the scale and symbolism of modern Chinese public space. - Subtitle: Beijing's monumental civic landmark - Tags: Landmark - Host: Beijing, Beijing Lens — Imperial capital and Great Wall - Access: A central orientation stop before or after the Forbidden City. - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/b6a275c3e50d.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/e544ca01550e.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/b85b763e11cd.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/a724165b0cc6.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/410246e2d66a.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/600867e7a2ef.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/cd9c3a758365.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/86b6ca981b8d.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/50c2c4037905.jpg - Forbidden City (Beijing): The Forbidden City takes visitors into the ceremonial heart of China's Ming and Qing dynasties. - Subtitle: China's imperial palace at the heart of Beijing - Tags: Heritage - Host: Beijing, Beijing Lens — Imperial capital and Great Wall - Access: Core imperial Beijing access with palace courtyards and historic halls. - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/03a0a4e882e0.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/8a6cdb9ca2b9.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/7f313a6dab74.jpg, https://dimg04.c-ctrip.com/images/0102h1200087d62rxDD6F.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/de8d1138706b.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/936bacaf5cc5.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/ff6c2e542310.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/05488de4902e.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/bab6e6596202.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/85f10b61d841.jpg - Mutianyu Great Wall (Beijing): A well-restored Great Wall section with open views and easier walking conditions for first-time visitors. - Subtitle: A classic Great Wall section near Beijing - Tags: Great Wall - Host: Beijing, Beijing Lens — Imperial capital and Great Wall - Access: A refined Great Wall experience with flexible cable car or walking options. - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/f6c07b2f8772.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/3a661e194c2f.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1b0f83ddd1e5.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/7207d6532c2f.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/e88879531691.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/926d916b9408.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/91465599744f.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/a720fb1678e6.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/608cdc21a04d.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/9b968ec44131.jpg - Farmhouse lunch below the Great Wall (Beijing): home-style northern Chinese dishes made with local ingredients, at a farmhouse restaurant near the foot of the wall, on the wall day. Its pricing basis is being finalized with the operator, so your quote states in writing whether this lunch sits inside your base price. - Subtitle: home-style northern Chinese dishes made with local ingredients, at a farmhouse restaurant near the foot of the wall, on the wall day. - Tags: Meal - Host: Beijing, Beijing Lens — Imperial capital and Great Wall - Access: home-style northern Chinese dishes made with local ingredients, at a farmhouse restaurant near the foot of the wall, on the wall day. Its pricing basis is being finalised with the operator, so your quote states in writing whether this lunch sits inside your base price. - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/12700e5a57c2.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/dae5d13ac00f.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/333741463d8b.jpg - Hutong & Shichahai Walk (Beijing): the neighbourhood fabric old Beijing still lives in: grey courtyard houses, narrow lanes, lakes ringed with willows, and the Drum and Bell Towers that once told the whole city the time. You walk it with your guide on your arrival day, paced to however much energy your flight has left you; land late and the lanes simply wait for another evening. Why it opens the trip: the palaces show how emperors lived; the hutongs show how everyone else did, and they came first. - Subtitle: the neighbourhood fabric old Beijing still lives in: grey courtyard houses, narrow - Tags: City - Host: Beijing, Beijing Lens — Imperial capital and Great Wall - Access: Why it opens the trip: the palaces show how emperors lived; the hutongs show how everyone else did, and they came first. - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/c24addfaebbd.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/f8eee3ac9120.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/63616b80ebb4.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/fe9f94178424.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/c3750a516f25.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/b76ac68047c9.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/813e0ad5e32f.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/8f53a337fbca.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/748ea658803d.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/61793c2d137e.jpg - Terracotta Warriors (Xi'an): the excavation halls outside Xi'an holding the underground army of Qin Shi Huang, China's first emperor, and one of the country's most significant archaeological finds. You look down into the pits at ranked columns of soldiers: individual faces, armour by rank, formations still legible after two millennia of burial. Your guide teaches you to read them: which are officers, which are archers, what the formation was for. Why it rewards a slow visit: the scale reads in one glance, the craftsmanship only up close. - Subtitle: the excavation halls outside Xi'an holding the underground army of Qin Shi - Tags: Heritage - Host: Xi'an, Xi'an Lens — Warriors and ancient capital - Access: Essential Xi'an access to one of China's most renowned archaeological sites. - Images: https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1528866310106-4459b39622ed?q=80&w=2064&auto=format&fit=crop&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&ixid=M3wxMjA3fDB8MHxwaG90by1wYWdlfHx8fGVufDB8fHx8fA%3D%3D, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/70bc50b897e9.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/788c1d294602.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/d1bf545bf0ba.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/8ff4c8890b77.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/9b2f4e2d90b4.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/ed2c5f141848.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/4cd4eb7405cc.jpg - The Qin Crossbow, Assembled (Xi'an): a small model based on the design of an ancient Qin crossbow, assembled by your own hands under professional guidance. The point is the idea behind it: standardised parts meant weapons could be made, repaired and issued at scale, and that is part of how the Qin army was supplied. Included. - Subtitle: a small model based on the design of an ancient Qin crossbow - Tags: Craft - Host: Xi'an, Xi'an Lens — Warriors and ancient capital - Access: Included. - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/bbdf7cf559de.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/2255bfd5d417.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/5d621f49e57a.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/f58fac3efc36.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/7ab79b09c6a3.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/9c04a6bc501e.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/4cd4eb7405cc.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/3eca35942473.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/fead4a066b16.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/d83ae21039da.jpg - Xi'an History Museum (Xi'an): Xi'an History Museum helps put the ancient capital's dynastic story into context. - Subtitle: A museum window into ancient China - Tags: Museum - Host: Xi'an, Xi'an Lens — Warriors and ancient capital - Access: A compact cultural stop that deepens the Terracotta Warriors and city wall experience. - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/f68bd9255a05.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/b6c7a7748882.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/d4ecebbf60b5.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/8c8701ffcffc.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/eb3c39ca7fae.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/9b2f4e2d90b4.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/2e67033aa835.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/4cd4eb7405cc.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/3eca35942473.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/fead4a066b16.jpg - Yu Garden (Shanghai): Yu Garden adds Ming-style garden design and old-city texture to Shanghai's modern skyline story. - Subtitle: A classical garden in old Shanghai - Tags: Garden - Host: Shanghai, Shanghai Lens — Skyline and riverfront culture - Access: A compact heritage stop within Shanghai's historic urban core. - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/7c5e906b378e.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/07b39b023295.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/3623b2d6ff22.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/c3f4af921585.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/7bc088a35094.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/4c38a3352564.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/5ce489d5dfab.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/b72110d9b05f.jpg - Woodblock Watermark Printing (Shanghai): A printing tradition rooted in Shanghai's long-established art and publishing heritage. You watch as outlines, colours, water and pressure pass through one carved block after another until the tones of a Chinese painting reappear on paper, then you pull a simple print yourself under the guidance of an experienced instructor: the last of the four things you make in China. Included. - Subtitle: a printing tradition tied to Shanghai's long-established art and publishing heritage - Tags: Craft - Host: Shanghai, Shanghai Lens — Skyline and riverfront culture - Access: Included. - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/17a04dad593e.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/15c02ba9fe49.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/0047c84193e3.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/979b2300e86c.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/181b8b5fead1.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/207eb222bffd.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/dc606be60826.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/9e2bfc86a8b6.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/8d84e80b604e.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1cb87eded7a4.jpg - The Bund (Shanghai): The Bund frames Shanghai's historic banks and modern Pudong skyline in one clear view. - Subtitle: Shanghai's iconic riverfront skyline - Tags: Riverfront - Host: Shanghai, Shanghai Lens — Skyline and riverfront culture - Access: A signature Shanghai orientation stop for architecture and city contrast. - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/59b1d2774a93.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/819f854bed70.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/494cee6c7aae.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/45251ad66040.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/eed1a59d8207.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/334c0bdef4be.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/a2a8d5aca0bf.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/2e92d8293a47.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/eb8770c3dfbd.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/5d861058a1f8.jpg - Shanghai Museum (Shanghai): bronzes, ceramics, painting and calligraphy, arranged so you can walk one material through three thousand years. About two hours. Entry is by timed reservation with limited English in the booking system, so your quote states in writing who books it and by when, and which branch your visit uses. Admission is in the base price. - Subtitle: bronzes, ceramics, painting and calligraphy, arranged so you can walk one material through three thousand years. - Tags: Museum - Host: Shanghai, Shanghai Lens — Skyline and riverfront culture - Access: bronzes, ceramics, painting and calligraphy, arranged so you can walk one material through three thousand years. About two hours. Entry is by timed reservation with limited English in the booking system, so your quote states in writing who books it and by when, and which branch your visit uses. Admission is in the base price. - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/553f9e5daffa.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/463009b942cf.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/09ed444fa597.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/f449d01924e3.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1c391e422dd6.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/3062838f53d8.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/5fe4f8f934ce.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1ff4b8a733b8.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1c6a0e2a66d2.jpg ### Capture banner - Label: Save this itinerary - Title: Send the full route to your inbox - Subtitle: We will include the latest hotels, hosts and pacing notes. - Placeholder: Email address - CTA: Send route - Sent label: Sent ## Itinerary ### What a Country Keeps - 10 days Journey #### Beijing (4 days) - Subtitle: Arrival day - Recommendation: Nothing scheduled but arrival. The country starts tomorrow. - Transport: High-speed rail - Transport mode: train Arrival in Beijing · The first evening - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/i1wjeATe.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/14h8ZnOb.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/17bdSgjF.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1bDq9gT4.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1cZHxWkg.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1vwu9mIQ.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1X29GyUB.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1xVI7jTc.webp ##### Day 1: Arrival day - (sight) — The group vehicle and driver will meet the flight and take the entire party into the city in one go, luggage included. Your hotel and room allocation for your booking are set out in your written confirmation. - (note) — kept clear on purpose, for the time difference and for a walk near the hotel with your teachers. - (accommodation) Novotel Beijing Peace — Hotel stay in Beijing. ##### Day 2: The record, opened in order - (sight) — your group booking is arranged in advance, so forty people come in for one session. Inside: bronzes, ceramics, sculpture and calligraphy, laid out in sequence. The guide works one thread rather than the whole floor, so the students meet the objects they will see again in the pits at Xi'an and in a case in Shanghai. - (sight) — the afternoon is one axis: the Hall of Prayer, the Imperial Vault, the Circular Mound. Stand a student at the centre of the Circular Mound and have them look up: a round of sky fitted to a round of stone, and every shape on the site explained by one rule. ##### Day 3: South to north, along the line - (sight) — the party enters through security screening arranged by your guide, and stands at the ceremonial centre of the capital: the modern half of the axis, before the imperial half. - (sight) — Your reservation is booked in advance. The walk follows the palace's own order: ceremonial halls, then the quarters people actually lived in, then the garden, then out through the north gate. It is a long morning, so the guide keeps everyone together and builds in places to sit. Somewhere past the second courtyard, forty people go quiet without being asked to. ##### Day 4: A whole day on one ridge - (sight) — the cable car or the open chairlift lifts the party to the ridge, whichever is running that day, so nobody climbs to get there. On the wall you go tower to tower while the guide reads the system aloud: beacon towers, passes, sightlines. The steps between towers are uneven, and each group of students turns back at the tower it chooses. - (dining) — a sit-down meal at a farmhouse near the foot of the wall, northern home-style dishes with local ingredients, included and timed after the walk rather than squeezed before it. - (transport) — The drive each way is long, which is exactly why nothing else is scheduled for this day. #### Xi'an (3 days) - Subtitle: Street level, then west - Recommendation: One morning at the height of a doorway. Then the train takes the party to the first emperor. - Transport: Flight - Transport mode: airplane hutong and lakeside walk · high-speed train to Xi'an - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/dqkotVW8.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/2IrwPATt.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/2SYFFac8.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/2z6MDkku.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/34qxDxFA.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/3DF4Fowd.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/3G0oTlIq.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/56RpQD9k.webp ##### Day 5: Street level, then west - (sight) — courtyard lanes and lakeside streets, grey brick and doorway stones on both sides, old Beijing running its morning errands. Your guide keeps to the lanes where daily life still sets the pace, and the walk stretches or shortens with the train time. - (transport) — the party travels west together on one booked block of seats, luggage on board, teachers and students in the same carriage area. The station transfer at both ends is by group vehicle. - (accommodation) Somerset Xindicheng Xi'an — Hotel stay in Xian. ##### Day 6: Eight thousand faces - (sight) — your timed group entry is locked before the trip, so forty people go in together. You look down into the pits at an estimated eight thousand figures ranked for the first emperor of a unified China, and learn to read rank off armour and hairstyle: generals, crossbowmen, infantry. In the newer excavation areas, traces of the original paint are still on the clay. By the third pit, your students slow down and start comparing faces instead of counting them. - (dining) — a sit-down Shaanxi noodle lunch, the wheat-flour cooking this province is known for, taken after the morning in the pits and included in the price. ##### Day 7: Make one, then put it back - (sight) — about 90 minutes at a bench, each student assembling a small model based on an ancient Qin crossbow under an instructor's guidance, and hearing how standardized weapons supported the Qin army. The parts fit any other student's model: that is the point of the session, and it is the point of the pits. - (sight) — the afternoon moves indoors to the provincial collection, where the previous day's pits sit back within the longer sequence. The guide keeps the visit to a single thread, as it follows a hands-on morning. #### Shanghai (3 days) - Subtitle: A slow morning, then east - Recommendation: The only unscheduled morning of the ten. Use it on packing, breakfast and the street outside the hotel. - Transport: Flight - Transport mode: airplane Xi'an morning · flight to Shanghai - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/gI41taAr.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/13x1KtnS.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1Q9afrZn.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1Riqjj0n.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1VrlDwIi.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1vYpI6NZ.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/3PEjxTGx.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/4EbDdFHb.webp ##### Day 8: A slow morning, then east - (sight) — kept light on purpose, because the afternoon is a travel afternoon. Bags stay down at the hotel · breakfast is unhurried · there is time on the streets around the hotel with your teachers. - (transport) — a one-way domestic flight, with the standard checked baggage allowance of the operating airline, group vehicle to the airport in Xi'an and group vehicle from the airport in Shanghai. - (accommodation) Bellagio by MGM Shanghai on the Bund — Hotel stay in Shanghai. ##### Day 9: Ink, paper, river - (sight) — a classical garden in the old town: pavilions, rockeries, ponds and winding paths, built to be taken a few metres at a time. Time in the old-town lanes moves at the party's own pace. - (sight) — about 90 minutes at the bench, in the printing tradition Shanghai's art and publishing houses have kept for generations. Each student inks a block, lays the paper, rubs the back and lifts an impression to take home. - (sight) — after dark, the historic waterfront on one bank and the Pudong towers on the other, with your guide walking the whole stretch with the party and staying with the group all evening. ##### Day 10: Same metal, two cities - (sight) — your group booking is confirmed in advance. The collection on People's Square ranges from bronzes to ceramics, painting and calligraphy. The guide leads the party to the bronzes first. In front of the cases, you hear a student say they have seen this one's cousin, two cities and nine days ago. - (transport) — the group vehicle takes the whole party to the airport, timed to the flight with room to spare. ## Daily plan ### Day 1 — Arrival day Nothing scheduled but arrival. The country starts tomorrow. - Arrival in Beijing: The group vehicle and driver will meet the flight and take the whole party into the city in one go, luggage included. Your hotel and room allocation for your order are set out in your written confirmation. - The first evening: kept clear on purpose, for the time difference and for a walk near the hotel with your teachers. - Stay: Beijing - Meals: None included today ### Day 2 — The record, opened in order One building holds what the next nine days dig up. Start where the country tells its own story. - National Museum of China: your group reservation is booked ahead, so forty people walk in on one slot. Inside: bronzes, ceramics, sculpture and calligraphy, laid out in sequence. The guide works one thread rather than the whole floor, so the students meet the objects they will see again in the pits at Xi'an and in a case in Shanghai. - Temple of Heaven: the afternoon is one axis: the Hall of Prayer, the Imperial Vault, the Circular Mound. Stand a student at the centre of the Circular Mound and have them look up: a round of sky fitted to a round of stone, and every shape on the site explained by one rule. - Stay: Beijing - Meals: Breakfast at the hotel ### Day 3 — South to north, along the line The city was drawn before it was built. Walk the axis the drawing left behind. - Tiananmen Square: the party enters through security screening arranged by your guide, and stands at the ceremonial centre of the capital: the modern half of the axis, before the imperial half. - Forbidden City: your reservation is booked ahead. The walk follows the palace's own order: ceremonial halls, then the quarters people actually lived in, then the garden, then out through the north gate. It is a long morning, so the guide holds one line and builds in places to sit. Somewhere past the second courtyard, forty people go quiet without being asked to. - Stay: Beijing - Meals: Breakfast at the hotel ### Day 4 — A whole day on one ridge The wall gets the day it deserves. Stand where the empire drew its northern line. - Mutianyu Great Wall: the cable car or the open chairlift lifts the party to the ridge, whichever is running that day, so nobody climbs to get there. On the wall you go tower to tower while the guide reads the system aloud: beacon towers, passes, sightlines. The steps between towers are uneven, and each group of students turns back at the tower it chooses. - farmhouse lunch: a sit-down meal at a farmhouse near the foot of the wall, northern home-style dishes with local ingredients, included and timed after the walk rather than squeezed before it. - The road back: the drive each way is long, which is exactly why nothing else is on this day. - Stay: Beijing - Meals: Breakfast at the hotel ### Day 5 — Street level, then west One morning at the height of a doorway. Then the train takes the party to the first emperor. - hutong and lakeside walk: courtyard lanes and lakeside streets, grey brick and doorway stones on both sides, old Beijing running its morning errands. Your guide keeps to the lanes where daily life still sets the pace, and the walk stretches or shortens with the train time. - high-speed train to Xi'an: the party travels west together on one booked block of seats, luggage on board, teachers and students in the same carriage area. The station transfer at both ends is by group vehicle. - Stay: Xi'an - Meals: Breakfast at the hotel ### Day 6 — Eight thousand faces One site, one day, no second stop. Meet the army that waited more than two thousand years. - Terracotta Warriors: Your timed group entry is locked before the trip, so forty people go in together. You look down into the pits at an estimated eight thousand figures ranked for the first emperor of a unified China, and learn to read rank off armour and hairstyle: generals, crossbowmen, infantry. In the newer excavation areas, traces of the original paint are still on the clay. By the third pit, your students slow down and start comparing faces instead of counting them. - Shaanxi noodle lunch: a sit-down Shaanxi noodle lunch, the wheat-flour cooking this province is known for, taken after the morning in the pits and included in the price. - Stay: Xi'an - Meals: Breakfast at the hotel ### Day 7 — Make one, then put it back Yesterday's question gets answered with your hands. One state, one standard, one afternoon of context. - Qin crossbow workshop: about 90 minutes at a bench, each student assembling a small model based on an ancient Qin crossbow under an instructor's guidance, and hearing how standardized weapons supported the Qin army. The parts fit any other student's model: that is the point of the session, and it is the point of the pits. - Shaanxi History Museum: the afternoon moves indoors to the provincial collection, where the pits of the previous day sit back within the longer sequence. The guide keeps the visit to a single thread, as it follows a hands-on morning. - Stay: Xi'an - Meals: Breakfast at the hotel ### Day 8 — A slow morning, then east The only unscheduled morning of the ten. Use it for packing, breakfast and the street outside the hotel. - Xi'an morning: kept light on purpose, because the afternoon is a travel afternoon. Bags stay down at the hotel · breakfast is unhurried · there is time on the streets around the hotel with your teachers. - flight to Shanghai: a one-way domestic flight, with the standard checked baggage allowance of the operating airline, group vehicle to the airport in Xi'an and group vehicle from the airport in Shanghai. - Stay: Shanghai - Meals: Breakfast at the hotel ### Day 9 — Ink, paper, river The day the record goes onto paper. Print one page, then go and see the newest page of all. - Yu Garden: a classical garden in the old town: pavilions, rockeries, ponds and winding paths, built to be taken a few metres at a time. Time in the old-town lanes follows, at the party's own pace. - woodblock printing: about 90 minutes at the bench, in the printing tradition Shanghai's art and publishing houses have kept for generations. Each student inks a block, lays the paper, rubs the back and lifts an impression to take home. - the Bund: after dark, the historic waterfront on one bank and the Pudong towers on the other, with your guide walking the whole stretch with the party and staying with the group all evening. - Stay: Shanghai - Meals: Breakfast at the hotel ### Day 10 — Same metal, two cities The loop closes on the departure morning. Then the airport. - Shanghai Museum: your group reservation is booked ahead. The collection on People's Square runs from bronzes to ceramics, painting and calligraphy. The guide walks the party to the bronzes first. In front of the cases, you hear a student say they have seen this one's cousin, two cities and nine days ago. - departure transfer: the group vehicle takes the whole party to the airport, timed to the flight with room to spare. - Stay: Trip ends - Meals: Breakfast at the hotel ## Hotels ### Shanghai Royal Garden Hotel (Shanghai International Resort) - City: Shanghai - Description: Shanghai Royal Garden Hotel: a luxury garden hotel near Pudong Airport and Disneyland, with free shuttle service to both. - Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/a07e8f886100.jpg ### Atour Hotel (Beijing West Railway Station South Square) - City: Beijing - Description: Upscale local hotel near Beijing West Railway Station South Square. - Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/dHqyz391.webp ### Atour Hotel, Liuliqiao, Beijing West Railway Station - City: Beijing - Description: Upscale local hotel near Beijing West Railway Station and Liuliqiao. - Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/gLxP4Hxa.webp ### Beijing Marriott Hotel Northeast - City: Beijing - Description: International luxury hotel in Beijing, ideal for business trips and city breaks. - Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/bWOFYezP.jpg ### Pullman Shanghai Zhongganghui Hotel - City: Shanghai - Description: Pullman Shanghai Zhongganghui Hotel, in Dapuqiao near Tianzifang, steps from Metro Line 9 and the Expo site. - Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/5xOD9FRB.webp ### Sheraton Xi'an North City Hotel - City: Xi'an - Description: Sheraton Xi'an North City: five-star luxury five minutes from the Daming Palace, with an indoor pool and wellness centre. - Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/k01OUBYw.jpg ### DoubleTree by Hilton Beijing East Third Ring Road - City: Beijing - Description: International upscale hotel in Beijing, suitable for business and leisure stays. - Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/kkFJOiOe.webp ## Included / Excluded ### What's Included - Group: Private, just your party. From 1 guest. No fixed maximum party size. - Transfers: Airport arrival in Beijing · station transfers at both ends of the train day · airport transfers in Xi'an and Shanghai · the departure transfer on day ten - Intercity travel: Beijing to Xi'an by high-speed train and Xi'an to Shanghai by one-way domestic flight, with the standard checked baggage allowance; the seat class and the cabin class for your order are stated in writing with your quote - Hotels: 9 nights: 4 in Beijing, 3 in Xi'an, 2 in Shanghai, as named in your written confirmation - Breakfasts: 9 hotel breakfasts, one on each of days two through ten - Two lunches: The farmhouse lunch below the Great Wall on day four and the Shaanxi noodle lunch on day six; the per-head meal standard for your party is stated in writing with your quote - Guide: A licensed English-speaking guide on every scheduled touring day in all three cities, including the evening on the Bund - Tickets and workshops: Beijing: National Museum of China · Temple of Heaven · Tian'anmen Square · Forbidden City · Mutianyu Great Wall with the lift up · hutong and lakeside walk. Xi'an: Terracotta Warriors · Qin crossbow workshop · Shaanxi History Museum. Shanghai: Yu Garden · woodblock printing · the Bund evening · Shanghai Museum. The four museum group reservations are booked by us - Water: Bottled water on scheduled touring days - Insurance: Travel accident insurance for the duration of the journey ### Not Included - International flights: Flights into Beijing and out of Shanghai - Visas: Visa fees and personal travel document costs for anyone who needs a Chinese visa, including all United States travellers on this route - Meals: All lunches and dinners other than the two included lunches; dinners are recommended and booked by your guide, on the group's account - Rooms: Single-room supplement and any extra-room difference for teachers or chaperones, priced per hotel in your written quote - Personal: Gratuities · shopping · laundry · beverages · any in-venue spending beyond the listed tickets - Disruption costs: Additional costs arising from severe weather, transport delays, traffic control, attraction closures or schedule changes ### Special Notes A few things on this route follow the calendar or our partners rather than our preferences. Here they are, told straight. - No departures in the first week of October: October 1 to 7 is the annual peak at the Terracotta Warriors, and day six is a full day there for a party of forty. We do not sell departures in that window; any other week in the season is open. - Monday and the Forbidden City: The Forbidden City is closed on Mondays, including Mondays created by holiday adjustments. Departure dates are set so that day three never falls on a Monday; where a requested date would, days two and three are swapped, and the swap is written into your confirmation. - Museum reservations for forty: The National Museum of China, the Forbidden City, the Terracotta Warriors and the Shanghai Museum are reserved by our ground team through the group channel. The reservation deadline is stated in your confirmation, and the group quota is checked against your actual party size before the order is confirmed; where the quota will not accommodate the whole party, that day is re-planned before confirmation, not on the day. - December departures: the winter operation of the Mutianyu lift is verified with the site before your quote is issued, because the whole design of day four rests on riding up rather than climbing. - Two additions still being confirmed: a museum of stone tablets in Xi'an and a city-planning hall in Shanghai are being confirmed with partners for the day eight morning and the day ten afternoon. Neither is in the price and neither is counted in the plan above; the ten days stand as written without them, and we will say so here if that changes. - Hotels: named in your written confirmation; "or similar" always means the same class and comparable location, never a quiet downgrade. ## Is Ten Days Your Length? Nine days instead of ten? ### Nine days instead of ten? The plan is built in city blocks, so we cut a block rather than thinning every day: tell us your term dates and the flights, and we work backwards from them. ## Good to Know - Group: Private, just your party. From 1 guest. No fixed maximum party size. - Ports: Into Beijing, out of Shanghai; the arrival transfer on day one and the departure transfer on day ten are included - Visas: The UK, most of Europe and Canada enter visa-free for days; so do Australia and New Zealand. We check the ten days plus any other days in China against that window, per order, before payment. United States passports need a valid Chinese visa for this route, confirmed before anything is charged - Language: Licensed English-speaking guides in all three cities - Payment: From 1 guest. A 10% deposit (minimum $399) locks your dates. The balance is due 14 days before departure. "Or similar" never means a quiet downgrade - Confirmation: Each quote lists in writing its confirmation deadline and its change and refund conditions for your dates; no order is taken without them in writing - Season: October to December, with no departures from 1 to 7 October; departures from 23 December onward are quoted once the visa-free policy renewal is announced - Fitness: Moderate: museum mornings, one full day at the Great Wall with the lift up, and uneven steps between the wall's towers ## Your Private Concierge - Name: Jason Hu - Title: Private China Route Concierge - Tagline: A bilingual planning desk for tailor-made China journeys. - Bio: Our China team tailors the pacing, hotels and local hosts to suit each route style. - Avatar image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/c0TBypRh.png ### Stats - 20+ Years - 300+ Trips designed - 24/7 On-trip care ### The Conversation Every LyrikTrip journey begins with a conversation. Tell us your dates and who's coming — and if this length isn't right for you, we'll say so and shape a shorter arc. First reply within four hours; a clear price for your dates within one business day. - CTA: Start the conversation ### Step 01: Tell us what excites you Not your dates and budget — your curiosity. Where have you always wanted to go? What do you want to feel? We start there. - 24h: First concept delivered ### Step 02: We design it around you Your specialist builds the itinerary from scratch — routes, hosts, hotels, and experiences you won't find anywhere else. - 100%: Bespoke, never off-the-shelf ### Step 03: Lock it in with 10% When the plan feels right, a 10% deposit holds your entire trip. Balance due 30 days before departure. - 10%: Deposit to secure everything ### Step 04: Travel. We handle the rest. Your Trip Pack arrives before you fly. On the road, your concierge is one message away — for the expected and everything you didn't plan for. - 24/7: Support throughout your journey - Free cancellation up to 30 days - English-speaking concierge - Secure payment via Stripe - CTA: Talk to Us ## Guest Reviews - Overall rating: 4.9 - Total reviews: 523 - Count label: from 523 verified reviews 4.9 / 5 ### Platforms - google: 4.9 (312 reviews) - tripadvisor: 5.0 (211 reviews) - Filter tabs: All, Google, TripAdvisor - Emily Carter (🇺🇸 Seattle, USA · 5★ · May 2026 · google): Perfect for couples - My partner and I had an amazing time in China. Everything was arranged for us — transfers, hotels, guides. No stress at all. - Claire Brooks (🇬🇧 London, UK · 5★ · Apr 2026 · tripadvisor): Great for families - Traveled with my two kids and had zero issues. The team made sure the pace wasn't too rushed and included things the kids would enjoy. Communication was easy throughout. Will definitely use them again for our next Asia trip. - Laura Bennett (🇨🇦 Toronto, Canada · 5★ · Mar 2026 · google): Alisa made the whole experience easy - Alisa was our point of contact throughout and she was brilliant — patient, knowledgeable, and always quick to reply. The trip itself was wonderful. Beijing and Guilin were highlights. - Mark Henderson (🇺🇸 Denver, USA · 4★ · Feb 2026 · tripadvisor): Good service, minor hiccup but sorted quickly - Really good service. There was a small mix-up with one of our restaurant bookings but it got sorted quickly. The rest of the trip was seamless. - Rebecca Miller (🇺🇸 Boston, USA · 5★ · Jan 2026 · google): Really listened to what we wanted - Really helpful team. They listened to what we wanted and delivered. Beijing and Xi'an were incredible. ## China Ready We've solved the hard parts. Here's everything a first-time Western traveller needs to know before arriving. ### VPN & Internet Access - Badge: Do this before you fly - What's blocked: Google, Gmail, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, and most Western news sites are inaccessible in China without a VPN. - Download before you leave: It's nearly impossible to download a VPN once inside China. Install and test at home. Recommended: Astrill (most reliable), Mullvad, ExpressVPN — subscribe to at least two in case one stops working. - Hotel Wi-Fi tip: Some hotels block VPN connections on their Wi-Fi. Use your phone's mobile data as a hotspot if the VPN drops. - Good news: WhatsApp works perfectly through a VPN, so your messaging stays unchanged. Apple iMessage and Signal also work. ### Paying in China - Badge: Your concierge sets this up on Day 1 - China is cashless: Alipay and WeChat Pay are used for almost everything — restaurants, taxis, markets, tickets. Cash is rarely accepted in cities. - International cards now work: Foreign Visa/Mastercard can now link directly to Alipay (set up in minutes, $5,000 single transaction limit). Your concierge walks you through the setup on your first morning. - Carry some cash: We recommend ¥500–800 RMB in cash for the rare vendor that won't accept digital payment, and for small towns. - Booking this trip: Your deposit and balance are charged via Stripe — the same trusted platform used by Airbnb and Booking.com. USD billing, no surprise conversion fees. ### Visa & Entry - Badge: We handle the paperwork - Do you need a visa?: Most US, UK, EU, Australian, Canadian, and New Zealand passport holders need a tourist (L) visa for stays over 10 days. We provide a visa invitation letter with every booking — it significantly speeds up approval. - 240-hour visa-free transit: Citizens of 55+ countries (including USA, UK, most of EU, AUS, NZ, Canada) can enter China visa-free for up to 10 days if transiting through eligible ports. This covers our 12-day itinerary only if you have a confirmed onward flight. - Processing time: Apply 4–6 weeks before departure. Standard processing: 4–7 business days. Express (3 days) and same-day options available at most Chinese consulates. - What we provide: Visa invitation letter, hotel confirmation for all nights, suggested itinerary document — everything the consulate needs, formatted correctly. ### Safety & Practical Tips - Badge: Our responsibility, always - Is China safe?: China consistently ranks among the safest countries for foreign tourists. Violent crime against visitors is extremely rare. Cities have extensive CCTV coverage and a visible police presence. - Emergency numbers: Police: 110. Ambulance: 120. Your concierge is your first call for any non-emergency situation — she has local contacts for every city on the itinerary. - Health & medications: Bring a full supply of any prescription medication. International pharmacies exist in major cities but may not carry your brand. Travel insurance is required — we can recommend policies that cover China specifically. - Language: English fluency outside hotels and tourist sites is limited. Your guides all speak English. We provide a printed pocket card with essential Chinese phrases and emergency contacts for every traveller. ## Before You Book Everything worth knowing before you book. ### We're forty people. Do we all get into the Terracotta Warriors on the same slot? That is exactly why the day is planned around one site. Our ground team books the timed group entry through the group channel and locks it before your order is confirmed. We also check the group quota against your actual party size first: if the quota will not take everyone, we re-plan that day before confirmation rather than splitting the party at the gate. ### Our term dates land in the first week of October. Can you take them? No, and it is better that you hear it now. October 1 to 7 is the annual peak at the Terracotta Warriors, and a party of forty spending a full day there in that week gets queues instead of pits. Any other week from October to December is open, and the plan runs identically. ### How much climbing is the Great Wall day? The climb is done by cable car or open chairlift, so nobody walks up. On the wall itself, the steps between watchtowers are uneven and some sections are steep; each group of students turns back at the tower it chooses, and the guide sets a meeting point rather than a finish line. ### Four of the ten days are museums. Will the students switch off? They are spaced on purpose, and none of them is a full day. Each museum sits next to something physical: the national collection before the sites it came from, the provincial collection after a morning of assembling a crossbow model, the Shanghai collection after a morning at a printing bench. The guide works one thread per visit instead of walking the whole floor. ### When can we hold dates? When four things are in writing for your order: the seat class of the train and the cabin class of the flight; the hotel tier and room allocation; the meal standard for the two included lunches; the group reservation deadlines for the four museums. We put them in your quote, and we do not take a deposit before they are there.