---
title: "Where the Lines Stop"
description: "14 days from the Great Wall to a bamboo raft seeing the whole country"
type: "tour"
route_id: "china-classics-water-14-days"
total_days: 14
price: 4770
highlights: ["Beijing", "Xi'an", "Chengdu", "Guilin", "Yangshuo", "Shanghai"]
url: "https://www.lyriktrip.com/tours/china-classics-water-14-days"
canonical_url: "https://www.lyriktrip.com/tours/china-classics-water-14-days"
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---

# Where the Lines Stop

14 days from the Great Wall to a bamboo raft seeing the whole country

The classics, plus the water. Terracotta warriors, a city wall you ride, pandas and the Bund, with English-speaking guides city by city.

- Moderate. — The Great Wall climb is done by cable car or chairlift, the Xi'an wall is ridden rather than walked, and the two slowest days sit on a boat and a raft.

## Overview

This is a first trip to China with a second half that stops moving. Beijing and Xi'an take three nights each: an empire's wall, then a city's own wall, which you ride around the top of. Chengdu takes the schedule away for two days. Then the plan goes south and the transfer becomes the day itself, four hours of river between Guilin and Yangshuo. Shanghai sends you home from a bank of water with two centuries facing each other across it. Somewhere on that river you'll notice you have stopped asking what comes next. What you carry home is a sense of how far apart these six places actually are.

— LyrikTrip travel designers

Every LyrikTrip journey begins with a conversation. Tell us your dates, who is coming and whether the landscape half matters more to you than the imperial half. First reply within four hours; a clear price for your dates within one business day. On this route we will also tell you plainly where the hotels, the winter water days and the opening date stand, before you are asked for anything.

## Summary

- Route ID: china-classics-water-14-days
- Duration: 14 days / 13 nights
- Starting price: $4,770
- Status: active
- Highlights: Beijing, Xi'an, Chengdu, Guilin, Yangshuo, Shanghai
- Cover image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/f559f129a28d.jpg

## Hero tags

- private
- From 1 guest
- Max: no fixed limit

## Highlight notes

- The classics, plus the water. Terracotta warriors, a city wall you ride, pandas and the Bund, with English-speaking guides city by city.
- 14 days from the Great Wall to a bamboo raft. See the whole country.

## Selling points

- Ride up to the Great Wall at Mutianyu and take the toboggan back down: you arrive on the ridge with your legs still fresh, and the descent is the part you describe first at home.
- Stand close enough to the Terracotta Army to tell a general from a crossbowman: after ten minutes you are reading the ranks yourself instead of being told what to look at.
- Cycle the top of the Xi'an city wall on an included bicycle: for one hour the whole city sits below you on both sides at once, inside and outside the line.
- Sit an afternoon in People's Park with a gaiwan refilled as long as you stay: the first day in two weeks with nowhere you have to be by a certain hour.
- Spend four hours on the Li River instead of ninety minutes on the road: the transfer to Yangshuo is the day, and nothing is scheduled around it.
- Push off from the bank on a bamboo raft on the Yulong River, at water level, with the karst peaks going past your shoulder rather than your windshield.
- End on the Bund after dark with your guide beside you: one bank built by a treaty port, the other built in thirty years, and the water between them doing the arguing.

## City highlights

- Beijing (3 days): 北京
  - Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1bDq9gT4.webp
- Xi'an (3 days): 西安
  - Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/6x0s8JHB.webp
- Chengdu (2 days): 成都
  - Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/2sL1auf0.webp
- Guilin (1 days): 桂林
  - Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/5ElOR2GL.webp
- Yangshuo (2 days): 阳朔
  - Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/4iXf7Jvh.webp
- Shanghai (3 days): 上海
  - Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1Q9afrZn.webp

## Experiences

The classics, plus the water. Terracotta warriors, a city wall you ride, pandas and the Bund, with English-speaking guides city by city.

- Forbidden City (Beijing): The Forbidden City brings travelers into the ceremonial center 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
- Jingshan Park (Beijing): Jingshan Park offers one of the best classic views across the Forbidden City rooftops.
  - Subtitle: A hilltop view over imperial Beijing
  - Tags: Viewpoint
  - Host: Beijing, Beijing Lens — Imperial capital and Great Wall
  - Access: A short climb rewards travelers with a strong city overview.
  - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/408fc381c4b4.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/7f313a6dab74.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/6a3ff539ffc8.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/2c700baa4e73.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/00decb026e42.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/51ec43ea0513.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/9604ef61c628.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/7dc03e9310a1.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/964e96f11238.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 polished 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
- Mutianyu Great Wall Toboggan (Beijing): Mutianyu Great Wall Toboggan turns the Great Wall visit into a more playful family-friendly experience.
  - Subtitle: A fun descent from the Great Wall
  - Tags: Family
  - Host: Beijing, Beijing Lens — Imperial capital and Great Wall
  - Access: A memorable add-on after walking the Mutianyu section.
  - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/746bee1b74ea.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/d2989ca78446.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
- 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
- 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
- NMC: One Room for Nine Days (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
- Terracotta Army: Scale and Ambition (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, armor 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 recognized 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
- Xi'an Ancient City Wall Cycling (Xi'an): You go up and ride — gray brick under the wheels, the old grid inside the wall on one hand, the modern city outside it on the other. The full circuit is about 14 km; ride the whole loop, a stretch, or walk part of it. You set your own pace — the gates have ramps, the surface is brick, and there is no traffic on top. The hire time counted in and any charge past it are stated in writing in your quote. This is the longest unsheltered section on the route, and it converts to a walked section when weather or stamina calls for it; November and December departures have the cold-weather arrangement written into the quote. It is also the clearest lesson in Chinese city planning you will get on this trip — old lanes inside the wall, towers without.
  - Subtitle: one of the most complete surviving ancient city walls in China, wide enough on top to cycle two abreast, still ringed around the old center. Admission and bike hire are in the base price.
  - Tags: Cycling
  - Host: Xi'an, Xi'an Lens — Warriors and ancient capital
  - Access: Active heritage experience on one of China's best-preserved city walls.
  - Images: https://ak-d.tripcdn.com/images/0353012000p9q9h7p45A9_C_1080_540_Q80.jpg_.webp?_fr=wc, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/daf832e303d0.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/8f7c7a922b33.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/f864b69ac4b1.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/9c4dc5e6e575.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/b69829f31585.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1170df991f6f.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/ad143f00bca6.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/dabb4f7b21b8.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/6c4bc5467067.jpg
- Bell and Drum Towers (xian): two towers standing at the crossing point of the old street grid, and the eating streets that run off them. You walk the area at street level after dark with your guide, past the grills and the noodle counters, and the guide reads the shopfronts for you. Tower ascent tickets are not part of this plan. What you eat is on your own account: ask your guide about roujiamo, crisp-baked bread packed with slow-braised pork.
  - Subtitle: two towers standing at the crossing point of the old street grid, and the eating streets that run off them.
  - Tags: city
  - Host: Xi'an, Xi'an Lens — Warriors and ancient capital
  - Access: What you eat is on your own account: ask your guide about roujiamo, crisp-baked bread packed with slow-braised pork.
  - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/f8ec2bbac389.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/e72b5c31336d.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/be17d6a5ce49.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/2be0c598ad8d.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/51969f27fcde.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/e6265d04f805.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/751365626ccd.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/da7615d0b277.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/5a199e7a075a.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/eb75face674f.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/e7afcf1fa512.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/0b5d759a7b2a.jpg
- Bell and Drum Tower square and the Muslim Quarter by night (Xi'an): After dark, Bell and Drum Towers face off over smoky food lanes. Pulled noodles, persimmon cakes, roujiamo, and naan ovens line the Hui quarter. Your guide explains what to eat and how—walking included, tower entry extra, snacks cheap and self-paid. Centuries of Silk Road history stay edible here tonight.
  - Subtitle: At dusk, the timekeeping Bell and Drum Towers face off across the old center, while behind them the Hui quarter's lanes come alive. Your guide walks you through, decoding each stall—what's worth it, what's for tourists, how to eat. About two hours; tower entry extra, snacks self-paid and cheap.
  - Tags: City
  - Host: Xi'an, Xi'an Lens — Warriors and ancient capital
  - Access: the two towers that once kept the city's time, and behind them the lanes of the Hui neighborhood after dark, at the hour they are actually busy. Your guide walks it with you and reads the food stalls: what is worth stopping for, what is a tourist item, and how each thing is eaten. Climbing the Bell Tower or the Drum Tower is a separate on-site ticket and is not in your price; food is on your own account.
  - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/be2d09d79b66.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/02e10943b0b8.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/a89c8581e5c7.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/281d43f0922e.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/467e9f21253b.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/be17d6a5ce49.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/2be0c598ad8d.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/cc45951bdee2.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/68851d1cd2f1.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/40f5c954821f.jpg
- Giant Wild Goose Pagoda (Xi'an): Giant Wild Goose Pagoda reflects Xi'an's role as a Buddhist and Silk Road cultural center.
  - Subtitle: A Tang dynasty Buddhist landmark
  - Tags: Pagoda
  - Host: Xi'an, Xi'an Lens — Warriors and ancient capital
  - Access: A classic Tang-era landmark connected to ancient Chang'an history.
  - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/2be95bfc5748.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/eb70bbcc8abb.jpg, https://ak-d.tripcdn.com/images/0HJ2z12000qfv3id4A253_W_1440_810_Q80.webp?proc=source%2ftrip, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/f1e0cd6ae0d1.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/94916373f524.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/4269d987bac0.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/542e4f255e79.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/7d1e365a232d.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/18de0aedb419.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/2f0b6d04d98d.jpg
- Chengdu Panda Base (Chengdu): the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, visited in the morning: that is when pandas eat, climb and actually move. You watch them at close range and hear how breeding research and conservation work here.
  - Subtitle: the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, visited in the morning
  - Tags: Nature
  - Host: Chengdu, Chengdu Lens — Pandas and Sichuan culture
  - Access: You watch them at close range and hear how breeding research and conservation work here.
  - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/8e596b76ae58.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/201ef19af23f.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/c910f00284ac.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/fb8f2b170763.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/f84d52332ce8.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/3e8e1eba78b6.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/106d08f5e8be.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/df22c3d68f08.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/cdab22c7bcf5.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/bcdc08962f93.jpg
- People's Park Tea (Chengdu): the day's landing place: a chair in the park, a gaiwan, the lidded cup China brews in, and residents all around you chatting, playing cards and spending their evening the Chengdu way. Nothing else is scheduled after it; you stay as long as the tea keeps coming. Why it closes the Chengdu day: after pandas, tuk-tuks and opera, this is where the city shows you what it does with free time.
  - Subtitle: the day's landing place: a chair in the park, a gaiwan, the
  - Tags: City
  - Host: Chengdu, Chengdu Lens — Pandas and Sichuan culture
  - Access: Why it closes the Chengdu day: after pandas, tuk-tuks and opera, this is where the city shows you what it does with free time.
  - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/77584e962219.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/34f6c86b2f9f.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/a27d0f4e6224.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/3b775398e844.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/b33e34d550fa.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/3cbc8f748897.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/aa9f96490a8c.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/bb9ce7deea94.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1ea505e390f1.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/221e3aa47210.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/8f2cd09b7914.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/2e09c831a6a1.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/62048183e783.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/9d549716c30b.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/54b87e0ee67b.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/46bb3f1c4d8b.jpg
- Kuanzhai Alley and Taikoo Li (Chengdu): a historic neighborhood built around three parallel lanes, and the newer quarter beside it, walked on foot with your guide and with no ticketed venue involved. Both are commercial and busy, and we say that plainly rather than sell it as the last of the old city. Next to it, Taikoo Li shows you what the same city spends its money on today. About two and a half hours on foot with your guide; the guide's time is in your price and anything you buy is on your account.
  - Subtitle: a historic neighborhood built around three parallel lanes, and the newer quarter beside it, walked on foot with your guide and with no ticketed venue involved.
  - Tags: City
  - Host: Chengdu, Chengdu Lens — Pandas and Sichuan culture
  - Access: a historic neighborhood built around three parallel lanes, restored and now as much a shopping street as a quarter of old Chengdu; we say that plainly rather than sell it as the last of the old city. Next to it, Taikoo Li shows you what the same city spends its money on today. About two and a half hours on foot with your guide.
  - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/32a4dc46e28f.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/61859314af60.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/cc98f04d1142.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/aa2e718f79ba.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/53c7fdc344a2.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/07f3ceea8440.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/813e0ad5e32f.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/3f12a2960f0c.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/c3d25d0d0bc4.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/7d46557f3072.jpg
- Community Opera Theater (Chengdu): a neighborhood Sichuan Opera troupe rather than a big commercial stage. You meet the people behind the performance and learn how roles, costumes, makeup and stage technique pass from one generation to the next; when the troupe's schedule allows, you watch the backstage preparations up close.
  - Subtitle: a neighborhood Sichuan Opera troupe rather than a big commercial stage
  - Tags: Culture
  - Host: Chengdu, Chengdu Lens — Pandas and Sichuan culture
  - Access: You meet the people behind the performance and learn how roles, costumes, makeup and stage technique pass from one generation to the next; when the troupe's schedule allows, you watch the backstage preparations up close.
  - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/984b6ea21914.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/afed5eb50d48.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/dbb9a4360aa6.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/390a59811536.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/9504e34cb716.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/7fb9607dad55.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/c7adcea03a38.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/c084683a4ac6.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/7727dea96809.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/551fdba21a23.jpg
- Li River Cruise (Guilin): The Li River Cruise carries travelers through Guilin's signature karst scenery toward Yangshuo.
  - Subtitle: The classic Guilin to Yangshuo river journey
  - Tags: River Cruise
  - Host: Guilin, Guilin Lens — Karst rivers and terraces
  - Access: A slow scenic transfer through one of China's most recognizable landscapes.
  - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/a5f789c445a3.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/7dba15774930.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/0c55cb43391f.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/4a7712b16e0f.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/851ee4224979.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/8cc7f309eb2a.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/859a8a38d0d2.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/745a0df35af1.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/b6b549bed65b.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/7eea69cfad11.jpg
- Yulong River bamboo raft (yangshuo): about ninety minutes on a bamboo raft along a chosen stretch of the Yulong River, a smaller and quieter river than the Li, with the raft sitting low enough that your hand reaches the water from the seat. Water level and the operator's safety rules decide whether rafts run on a given day; when they do not run, the riverside tea and the rest of the day stand as planned and nothing is charged for the raft. In the base price.
  - Subtitle: about ninety minutes on a bamboo raft along a chosen stretch of the Yulong River, a smaller and quieter river than the Li, with the raft sitting low enough that your hand reaches the water from the seat.
  - Tags: slow
  - Host: Yangshuo, Yangshuo Lens — Countryside and karst calm
  - Access: In the base price.
  - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/36707e4edf21.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/d7cf27ae1b77.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/71b347933c91.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/bfc408c4bfc4.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/60d1bfc0b970.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/08531a77dfac.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/47c365ccd596.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/d129588d0b34.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/e972b823ffca.jpg
- Yulong River Cycling (Yangshuo): an afternoon ride at a relaxed pace through the countryside along the Yulong River, on the same day you arrive from Shanghai. The route passes rice fields, farming villages, riverside paths and limestone peaks: rural southern China at handlebar height, hours after you left one of its biggest cities.
  - Subtitle: an afternoon ride at a relaxed pace through the countryside along the
  - Tags: Active
  - Host: Yangshuo, Yangshuo Lens — Countryside and karst calm
  - Access: The route passes rice fields, farming villages, riverside paths and limestone peaks: rural southern China at handlebar height, hours after you left one of its biggest cities.
  - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/02042b694496.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/b09be4e9e978.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/f08a7d5e0a6e.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/ed66fae24c5f.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/60d1bfc0b970.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/d129588d0b34.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/5943b2f5538d.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/f3ad04674ebb.jpg
- Riverside Afternoon Tea (Yangshuo): a table set beside the Li River in mid-afternoon, mountains and water on every side, included in the day. It sits deliberately between the morning's raft and the evening's soft light: the pause that turns a sightseeing day into a river day.
  - Subtitle: a table set beside the Li River in mid-afternoon, mountains and water
  - Tags: Slow
  - Host: Yangshuo, Yangshuo Lens — Countryside and karst calm
  - Access: It sits deliberately between the morning's raft and the evening's soft light: the pause that turns a sightseeing day into a river day.
  - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/484bdca99f74.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/6163ecd43212.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/6c5367f53386.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/c01fb0411dbf.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/876ec4ec8b81.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/ffdbab928ef1.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/636bbab57542.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/7eea69cfad11.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/3fe4bfb22c5b.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/f00b6b8a0bcd.jpg
- Yu Garden & the Old City (Shanghai): pavilions, ponds, rockeries and covered corridors, laid out in the Ming dynasty as a private family garden: "Yu" means peace, chosen by the official who built it for his aging father. A Chinese garden works like a scroll painting: you walk it one framed scene at a time. The lanes around it keep an earlier Shanghai of small shops and food stalls.
  - Subtitle: pavilions, ponds, rockeries and covered corridors, laid out in the Ming dynasty
  - Tags: Heritage
  - Host: Shanghai, Shanghai Lens — Skyline and riverfront culture
  - Access: The lanes around it keep an earlier Shanghai of small shops and food stalls.
  - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/58b0b1f762b9.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/3640847367f4.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/aa7e4b7f18cb.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/c3f4af921585.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/7bc088a35094.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/b4ff42f10f39.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/8ab6fa3c88e9.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/23b0b99117fe.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/4c38a3352564.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/793d4d9ec24d.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
- 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
- Wukang Road: A Loose Walk (Shanghai): plane-tree streets, walled houses from the concession decades, and the independent shops that have taken over their ground floors. You walk it at street speed, and it is the loosest hour of the route — the low, relaxed counterweight to the skyline you looked at the night before: no ticket, no queue, no gate. About two hours on flat pavement. In the base price.
  - Subtitle: plane-tree streets, walled houses from the concession decades, and the independent shops in their ground floors — the loose, low-rise counterweight to the skyline. About two hours, no ticket, no queue, no gate.
  - Tags: City
  - Host: Shanghai, Shanghai Lens — Skyline and riverfront culture
  - Access: plane-tree streets, walled houses from the concession decades, and the independent shops that have taken over their ground floors. You walk it at street speed, and it is the loosest hour of the route: no ticket, no queue, no gate. About two hours.
  - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/a469e3c35b36.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/ff2e7b6f2ffc.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/769ee0838cac.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/664544b5b738.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/be6f02f8c66f.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/b1c8a477961a.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/738425c31d43.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/b5ee2850407d.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/dc30a72b34d4.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/7e7256ca585e.jpg
- The Bund & the Huangpu Ferry (Shanghai): Shanghai's riverfront row of early-twentieth-century banking halls faces Pudong's towers across the water; the public ferry crosses between them, the same boats locals commute on, and mid-river is the one spot that holds both skylines at once. Walked at dusk on day two, and on arrival evening when time allows.
  - Subtitle: Shanghai's riverfront row of early-twentieth-century banking halls faces Pudong's towers across
  - Tags: City
  - Host: Shanghai, Shanghai Lens — Skyline and riverfront culture
  - Access: Walked at dusk on day two, and on arrival evening when time allows.
  - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/e342e5515e52.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/94ac919c3f33.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/b3b5bb6e77be.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/c6c85a3776e5.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/32d19f0a4d35.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/a2a8d5aca0bf.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/2bed2bf82423.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/8b2b6a2b8939.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/b74ea5dc32d6.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/2b6fbcc1c8fa.jpg
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## Itinerary

### Where the Lines Stop - 14 days

Journey

#### Beijing (3 days)

- Subtitle: 北京
- Recommendation: Your driver meets your flight, whatever time it lands. Day one asks nothing of you.
- Transport: High-speed rail
- Transport mode: train

Airport pickup · Beijing through the window · Evening

- Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1bDq9gT4.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1X29GyUB.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/9pzYdbqO.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/14h8ZnOb.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/17bdSgjF.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1cZHxWkg.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1vwu9mIQ.webp
##### Day 1: Land, and do nothing

- (transport) — your driver and vehicle are waiting for the flight number on your confirmation, and the run into Beijing is yours to sleep through.
- (sight) — ring roads first, then poplars and lit shopfronts along an ordinary city street; the country you flew this far for shows up before you have opened a bag.
- (note) — nothing is scheduled. Your guide is reachable, and dinner near the hotel is recommended and booked for you if you want it, on your own account.
- (accommodation) Novotel Beijing Peace — Hotel stay in Beijing.

##### Day 2: One axis, then the hill behind it

- (sight) — your timed slot is booked seven days ahead, so you walk in on schedule. Inside you follow one axis and nothing else: the ceremonial halls where the court did its business, the living quarters behind them, the imperial garden at the end. Stand in the middle of the main courtyard and look back through the gates you came in by; they line up, one inside another, all the way out to the street.
- (sight) — the palace is large and guests regularly find it more tiring than they expected, so the route stops at the seats we know about and the garden at the end is unhurried.
- (sight) — you leave through the palace's north gate and the park entrance is directly across the street, so the afternoon costs no transfer. Fifteen minutes of steps puts you at the hilltop pavilion, facing back south over the golden roofs you were standing between an hour ago, with the city's central axis running out of sight in both directions.

##### Day 3: The wall, without the climb

- (transport) — the run north out of Beijing takes a good part of the morning, which is why nothing else is on today; the vehicle stays with you all day.
- (sight) — the climbing is done for you. You step off onto a restored stretch of wall with watchtowers running away along the ridge in both directions, and your guide reads it: the beacon towers, the pass down below, and why the sightlines run where they do. Look along the ridge with the towers stepping down it, one after another, until the last one is a smudge.
- (sight) — the restored towers connect, so you can keep walking as long as you feel like it and turn back at any tower. Nothing later today depends on how far you get.
- (sight) — a seated sled on a metal track through the trees, your own hand on the brake, and you are back at the foot of the hill without walking a step downhill.

#### Xi'an (3 days)

- Subtitle: 西安
- Recommendation: The square, the ritual axis and the national collection, all before the platform. Beijing hands you the vocabulary you will need in Xi'an this evening.
- Transport: High-speed rail
- Transport mode: train

Tian'anmen Square · Temple of Heaven · National Museum of China · High-speed train to Xi'an

- Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/6x0s8JHB.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/56RpQD9k.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/2SYFFac8.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/2IrwPATt.webp
##### Day 4: Three rooms, then a train

- (sight) — you cross the ceremonial center of modern China on foot. Screening comes first and takes its own half hour to an hour, so it sits in today's plan separately from your time on the square; your guide walks you to the nearest screening entrance.
- (sight) — three ritual buildings on one line, and one rule that explains all of them: round stands for heaven, square stands for earth. Once your guide says it out loud you start noticing it in the paving, the terraces and the roofs, and you will notice it again in Xi'an tomorrow.
- (sight) — on the east side of the square, so it costs no crossing. Four rooms rather than forty: bronzes, ceramics, sculpture, calligraphy. Your reservation is booked ahead by us.
- (transport) — the afternoon service south, roughly five hours across the North China Plain at high speed, arriving in Xi'an for the evening. Your driver takes you to the station and a driver meets the train at the other end. Class of travel for your order is written into your quote.
- (accommodation) Somerset Xindicheng Xi'an — Hotel stay in Xian.

##### Day 5: Eight thousand of them

- (sight) — an estimated eight thousand figures, buried east of Xi'an as the first emperor's guard, standing in the pits where farmers found them. Your guide starts you at the section where the ranks are clearest, and after ten minutes you are doing it yourself: armor and hairstyle separate a general from a crossbowman from a foot soldier.
- (sight) — in the more recently excavated areas, patches of the original paint are still on the figures. Stand at the rail and look for the ones with pigment left; that is what the whole army looked like on the day it was buried.
- (sight) — this site runs heavy in peak season, so your guide sets the order of the three pits by the flow on the day rather than walking them in numerical order.

##### Day 6: Ride the line, then cross it

- (sight) — you collect a bicycle at the gate, ride up onto one of the most complete surviving ancient city walls in China, and set off along the top. The parapet is wide enough to ride abreast, and it closes a full loop, so you can go around or turn back at any gate. Inside the line: the old street grid and the two towers. Outside it: the twenty-first century, standing at the same height as your handlebars. Halfway around you'll find you have stopped pedaling and are simply looking sideways.
- (sight) — if the weather or your energy says otherwise, you walk a stretch of the parapet instead and keep the same view.
- (sight) — the two timekeeping towers at the crossing of the old city's axes, seen lit from the street on the way into the quarter behind them.
- (note) — the lanes belonging to Xi'an's Hui community, at their busiest after dark. Bread gets stamped and slapped onto the wall of an oven, meat turns, sesame goes under a stone roller, and your guide tells you what each stall is making before you decide whether you want it.

#### Chengdu (2 days)

- Subtitle: 成都
- Recommendation: One close-in stop, then a train through the mountains. The last day of the imperial half of this trip.
- Transport: Flight
- Transport mode: airplane

Giant Wild Goose Pagoda · High-speed train to Chengdu · Arrival

- Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/2sL1auf0.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/37Mf4mO1.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/4mDgLfna.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1BPFDek8.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/2iDGv07g.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/4BqwVBVY.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/4XAZDbS7.webp
##### Day 7: A pagoda, then the ride to Sichuan

- (sight) — the pagoda that names this part of Xi'an, standing above its temple grounds with the cultural district laid out at its foot. You walk the compound with your guide, who gives the building its history where it stands, then the square around it before you head to the station.
- (transport) — the afternoon service crosses the Qinling range, roughly three to four hours from the dry north into the Sichuan basin, most of it in tunnel and out again. Sit on the right-hand side and watch the vegetation change every time the train comes back into daylight.
- (sight) — a driver meets the train and the evening is left open; dinner near the hotel is recommended and booked for you if you want it, on your own account.
- (accommodation) Atour Hotel Chengdu Taikoo Li Chunxi Road Pedestrian Street — Hotel stay in Chengdu.

##### Day 8: Pandas, then nowhere to be

- (sight) — you are there in the morning, the hours when the animals are generally moving: eating, coming down off a platform, dropping back to sleep in the fork of a tree. Flat shaded paths, and about three hours to use as you like. Get to an enclosure early and wait rather than walking the loop twice; the animal comes to the fence on its own schedule.
- (sight) — bamboo chairs under the trees, a gaiwan each, the lidded cup China brews in, and someone with a long-spouted kettle refilling it as long as you stay. Cards at the next table, an ear cleaner two tables over working with a tuning fork. The afternoon is set aside for exactly this and nothing after it. An hour in, you'll notice you have stopped checking how much of the day is left.
- (sight) — tea beyond the included sitting, and ear cleaning if you want to try it, are ordered on the spot on your own account.

#### Guilin (1 days)

- Subtitle: 桂林
- Recommendation: Chengdu's restored lanes and its glass retail district sit one walk apart. By nightfall you are in karst country.
- Transport: Li River cruise
- Transport mode: car

Kuanzhai Alley and Taikoo Li · Community Sichuan opera theater · Flight to Guilin · Evening

- Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/5ElOR2GL.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/3uGHEW2j.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/6451wQWE.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/6AbLuJhv.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/4UilJCmH.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/4VtYWWkT.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/4Yfatbqd.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/5Mke9ayW.webp
##### Day 9: Two economies, then a flight south

- (sight) — three parallel lanes restored into a busy commercial street, and next to them a modern retail district with a Tang-era temple standing in the middle of it. We keep both because they put the city's two economies within sight of each other, and we say plainly that the lanes are a restored streetscape rather than a working one.
- (sight) — a neighborhood theater, not a hotel ballroom. You go backstage while the performers are still painting their faces, then take a seat close to the front for the face changing: the painted mask becomes a different one in the time it takes him to turn his head, and from three rows back you still cannot see how.
- (transport) — the airport run leaves after the theater, and you land in Guilin in the evening. Your driver meets the flight and takes you to the hotel; the flight number, time and class of travel for your order are written into your quote.
- (note) — nothing is scheduled tonight. The night in Guilin exists so that the boat can leave in the morning with you already at the river.
- (accommodation) Shangri-La Hotel Guilin — Hotel stay in Guilin.

#### Yangshuo (2 days)

- Subtitle: 阳朔
- Recommendation: The transfer is the day. You board in Guilin and get off in Yangshuo, and nothing is scheduled at either end.
- Transport: Flight
- Transport mode: airplane

The full Li River cruise · What goes past · Nothing to do · Arrival in Yangshuo

- Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/4iXf7Jvh.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/ZwPXKhYk.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/5Pv2GT5l.webp
##### Day 10: Four hours, one direction

- (sight) — you board at Guilin in the morning and the boat turns downstream. From here to Yangshuo is about four hours on the water, and there is no road version of this day on the plan.
- (sight) — limestone peaks standing in the water rather than behind it, bamboo along the banks, water buffalo in the shallows, fishing rafts crossing the wake. One reach of this river is the picture on the back of China's 20-yuan banknote; your guide tells you when it is coming so you can be on the right side of the deck.
- (sight) — there is no stop, no site and no queue between the two towns. Four hours is long enough that you run out of photographs and start just watching, which is the reason the boat is on this plan instead of the ninety-minute road.
- (sight) — you step off at the town's landing and your driver takes you to the hotel, where you unpack once for two nights.
- (accommodation) Yangshuo Ancient Garden Boutique Hotel — Hotel stay in Yangshuo.

##### Day 11: Water level, then a table by it

- (sight) — a drift down a chosen section of the Yulong, a tributary with no motor traffic on it, on a raft poled from the stern. You sit a hand's width above the surface, so the peaks come at eye level and the sound is the pole knocking and the water over the shallows.
- (sight) — flat lanes along the river through rice fields and farmhouses, with the peaks standing behind them the whole way. Your bicycle is included; an electric bicycle or a vehicle is available for anyone who would rather not pedal, chosen on the day, and the difference is quoted at that point.
- (sight) — mid-afternoon, a table by the water with mountains on three sides. It runs about an hour and it is the seam between the raft and the end of the day, not a meal; lunch and dinner are your own on this route.

#### Shanghai (3 days)

- Subtitle: 上海
- Recommendation: A travel day and only a travel day. Door to door this one runs most of the daylight.
- Transport: Flight
- Transport mode: airplane

Road to Guilin airport · Flight to Shanghai · Nothing else today

- Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1Q9afrZn.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1Riqjj0n.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/4EbDdFHb.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1vYpI6NZ.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/3PEjxTGx.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/5YvSsDFE.webp
##### Day 12: Yangshuo to Shanghai

- (transport) — your driver takes you back out of the karst country the fast way, on the road the boat replaced two days ago.
- (transport) — the flight east, then a driver at the other end. The flight number, time and class of travel for your order are written into your quote.
- (sight) — no sightseeing is scheduled, and the evening is left open; dinner near the hotel is recommended and booked for you if you want it, on your own account.
- (accommodation) Bellagio by MGM Shanghai on the Bund — Hotel stay in Shanghai.

##### Day 13: A garden, a collection, a riverbank

- (sight) — a classical garden of pavilions, rockery, ponds and winding paths inside Shanghai's oldest quarter. Nothing in it is meant to be seen all at once: every few steps a rock or a wall takes the view away and hands back a different one. About two hours, all flat.
- (sight) — bronzes, ceramics, painting and calligraphy, applied crafts, arranged by material rather than dynasty. Coming here after Beijing and Xi'an is the point: you have already met these objects in the ground, and this is where they get sorted. Your guide translates as you walk, since the English signage is limited; the timed entry is booked by us.
- (note) — you walk the waterfront after dark with your guide beside you. On one bank, the trading and bank houses a treaty port left behind; on the other, towers that went up inside thirty years. Stand at the rail with the water between the two and you can see the whole argument at once. Looking across at the far bank, you'll feel the fourteen days close up behind you into a single stretch of time.
- (sight) — the waterfront is where visitors get invited to tea or to practice English by strangers; your guide stays with you for the whole evening, so the question never comes up.

##### Day 14: Plane trees, then the water, then home

- (transport) — plane-tree streets, historic residences and small independent shops. Two or three streets rather than a list of addresses, and the pace is set by your flight time rather than by a plan.
- (transport) — the public crossing the city uses to get to the other side, a few minutes on a working boat. It gives you the Bund from the water: the angle none of last night's photographs have.
- (transport) — your driver takes you out with margin for your flight. If the flight is late in the day and leaves you a long gap, tell us and we will plan that gap around your check-out time rather than filling it.

## Daily plan

### Day 1 — Land, and do nothing

Your driver meets your flight, whatever time it lands. Day one asks nothing of you.

- Airport pickup: your driver and vehicle are waiting for the flight number on your confirmation, and the run into Beijing is yours to sleep through.
- Beijing through the window: ring roads first, then poplars and lit shopfronts along an ordinary city street; the country you flew this far for shows up before you have opened a bag.
- Evening: nothing is scheduled. Your guide is reachable, and dinner near the hotel is recommended and booked for you if you want it, on your own account.
- Stay: Beijing
- Meals: None included today

### Day 2 — One axis, then the hill behind it

The palace from the inside, then the same palace from above. This is the morning the scale of the place stops being a number.

- The Forbidden City: your timed slot is booked seven days ahead, so you walk in on schedule. Inside you follow one axis and nothing else: the ceremonial halls where the court did its business, the living quarters behind them, the imperial garden at the end. Stand in the middle of the main courtyard and look back through the gates you came in by; they line up, one inside another, all the way out to the street.
- Pace: the palace is large and guests regularly find it more tiring than they expected, so the route stops at the seats we know about and the garden at the end is unhurried.
- Jingshan Park: you leave through the palace's north gate and the park entrance is directly across the street, so the afternoon costs no transfer. Fifteen minutes of steps puts you at the hilltop pavilion, facing back south over the golden roofs you were standing between an hour ago, with the city's central axis running out of sight in both directions.
- Stay: Beijing
- Meals: Breakfast at the hotel

### Day 3 — The wall, without the climb

A cable car takes you up and a sled brings you down. The wall gets a whole day because it is an hour and a half from anywhere.

- Drive out to Mutianyu: the run north out of Beijing takes a good part of the morning, which is why nothing else is on today; the vehicle stays with you all day.
- Cable car or chairlift up: the climbing is done for you. You step off onto a restored stretch of wall with watchtowers running away along the ridge in both directions, and your guide reads it: the beacon towers, the pass down below, and why the sightlines run where they do. Look along the ridge with the towers stepping down it, one after another, until the last one is a smudge.
- Walk a section: the restored towers connect, so you can keep walking as long as you feel like it and turn back at any tower. Nothing later today depends on how far you get.
- Toboggan down: a seated sled on a metal track through the trees, your own hand on the brake, and you are back at the foot of the hill without walking a step downhill.
- Stay: Beijing
- Meals: Breakfast at the hotel

### Day 4 — Three rooms, then a train

The square, the ritual axis and the national collection, all before the platform. Beijing hands you the vocabulary you will need in Xi'an this evening.

- Tian'anmen Square: you cross the ceremonial center of modern China on foot. Screening comes first and takes its own half hour to an hour, so it sits in today's plan separately from your time on the square; your guide walks you to the nearest screening entrance.
- Temple of Heaven: three ritual buildings on one line, and one rule that explains all of them: round stands for heaven, square stands for earth. Once your guide says it out loud you start noticing it in the paving, the terraces and the roofs, and you will notice it again in Xi'an tomorrow.
- National Museum of China: on the east side of the square, so it costs no crossing. Four rooms rather than forty: bronzes, ceramics, sculpture, calligraphy. Your reservation is booked ahead by us.
- High-speed train to Xi'an: the afternoon service south, roughly five hours across the North China Plain at high speed, arriving in Xi'an for the evening. Your driver takes you to the station and a driver meets the train at the other end. Class of travel for your order is written into your quote.
- Stay: Xi'an
- Meals: Breakfast at the hotel

### Day 5 — Eight thousand of them

A whole day for one site, because this is the one you will be asked about. By lunchtime you are telling ranks apart without help.

- The Terracotta Army: an estimated eight thousand figures, buried east of Xi'an as the first emperor's guard, standing in the pits where farmers found them. Your guide starts you at the section where the ranks are clearest, and after ten minutes you are doing it yourself: armor and hairstyle separate a general from a crossbowman from a foot soldier.
- The colors: in the more recently excavated areas, patches of the original paint are still on the figures. Stand at the rail and look for the ones with pigment left; that is what the whole army looked like on the day it was buried.
- Crowds: this site runs heavy in peak season, so your guide sets the order of the three pits by the flow on the day rather than walking them in numerical order.
- Stay: Xi'an
- Meals: Breakfast at the hotel

### Day 6 — Ride the line, then cross it

Morning on top of the wall, evening in the lanes behind the Drum Tower. Today the city shows you its edge and then its middle.

- Xi'an city wall cycling: you collect a bicycle at the gate, ride up onto one of the most complete surviving ancient city walls in China, and set off along the top. The parapet is wide enough to ride abreast, and it closes a full loop, so you can go around or turn back at any gate. Inside the line: the old street grid and the two towers. Outside it: the twenty-first century, standing at the same height as your handlebars. Halfway around you'll find you have stopped pedaling and are simply looking sideways.
- The easier version: if the weather or your energy says otherwise, you walk a stretch of the parapet instead and keep the same view.
- Bell Tower and Drum Tower: the two timekeeping towers at the crossing of the old city's axes, seen lit from the street on the way into the quarter behind them.
- The Muslim Quarter in the evening: the lanes belonging to Xi'an's Hui community, at their busiest after dark. Bread gets stamped and slapped onto the wall of an oven, meat turns, sesame goes under a stone roller, and your guide tells you what each stall is making before you decide whether you want it.
- Stay: Xi'an
- Meals: Breakfast at the hotel

### Day 7 — A pagoda, then the ride to Sichuan

One close-in stop, then a train through the mountains. The last day of the imperial half of this trip.

- Giant Wild Goose Pagoda: the pagoda that names this part of Xi'an, standing above its temple grounds with the cultural district laid out at its foot. You walk the compound with your guide, who gives the building its history where it stands, then the square around it before you head to the station.
- High-speed train to Chengdu: the afternoon service crosses the Qinling range, roughly three to four hours from the dry north into the Sichuan basin, most of it in tunnel and out again. Sit on the right-hand side and watch the vegetation change every time the train comes back into daylight.
- Arrival: a driver meets the train and the evening is left open; dinner near the hotel is recommended and booked for you if you want it, on your own account.
- Stay: Chengdu
- Meals: Breakfast at the hotel

### Day 8 — Pandas, then nowhere to be

The morning has an appointment. The afternoon deliberately has none.

- Chengdu panda base: you are there in the morning, the hours when the animals are generally moving: eating, coming down off a platform, dropping back to sleep in the fork of a tree. Flat shaded paths, and about three hours to use as you like. Get to an enclosure early and wait rather than walking the loop twice; the animal comes to the fence on its own schedule.
- Gaiwan tea sitting at People's Park: bamboo chairs under the trees, a gaiwan each, the lidded cup China brews in, and someone with a long-spouted kettle refilling it as long as you stay. Cards at the next table, an ear cleaner two tables over working with a tuning fork. The afternoon is set aside for exactly this and nothing after it. An hour in, you'll notice you have stopped checking how much of the day is left.
- Anything extra: tea beyond the included sitting, and ear cleaning if you want to try it, are ordered on the spot on your own account.
- Stay: Chengdu
- Meals: Breakfast at the hotel

### Day 9 — Two economies, then a flight south

Chengdu's restored lanes and its glass retail district sit one walk apart. By nightfall you are in karst country.

- Kuanzhai Alley and Taikoo Li: three parallel lanes restored into a busy commercial street, and next to them a modern retail district with a Tang-era temple standing in the middle of it. We keep both because they put the city's two economies within sight of each other, and we say plainly that the lanes are a restored streetscape rather than a working one.
- Community Sichuan opera theater: a neighborhood theater, not a hotel ballroom. You go backstage while the performers are still painting their faces, then take a seat close to the front for the face changing: the painted mask becomes a different one in the time it takes him to turn his head, and from three rows back you still cannot see how.
- Flight to Guilin: the airport run leaves after the theater, and you land in Guilin in the evening. Your driver meets the flight and takes you to the hotel; the flight number, time and class of travel for your order are written into your quote.
- Evening: nothing is scheduled tonight. The night in Guilin exists so that the boat can leave in the morning with you already at the river.
- Stay: Guilin
- Meals: Breakfast at the hotel

### Day 10 — Four hours, one direction

The transfer is the day. You board in Guilin and get off in Yangshuo, and nothing is scheduled at either end.

- The full Li River cruise: you board at Guilin in the morning and the boat turns downstream. From here to Yangshuo is about four hours on the water, and there is no road version of this day on the plan.
- What goes past: limestone peaks standing in the water rather than behind it, bamboo along the banks, water buffalo in the shallows, fishing rafts crossing the wake. One reach of this river is the picture on the back of China's 20-yuan banknote; your guide tells you when it is coming so you can be on the right side of the deck.
- Nothing to do: there is no stop, no site and no queue between the two towns. Four hours is long enough that you run out of photographs and start just watching, which is the reason the boat is on this plan instead of the ninety-minute road.
- Arrival in Yangshuo: you step off at the town's landing and your driver takes you to the hotel, where you unpack once for two nights.
- Stay: Yangshuo
- Meals: Breakfast at the hotel

### Day 11 — Water level, then a table by it

One raft, one flat ride and one pot of tea, in that order. The slowest day of the fourteen, and the one you will describe as a whole day rather than a list.

- Yulong River bamboo raft: a drift down a chosen section of the Yulong, a tributary with no motor traffic on it, on a raft poled from the stern. You sit a hand's width above the surface, so the peaks come at eye level and the sound is the pole knocking and the water over the shallows.
- Yulong River riding: flat lanes along the river through rice fields and farmhouses, with the peaks standing behind them the whole way. Your bicycle is included; an electric bicycle or a vehicle is available for anyone who would rather not pedal, chosen on the day, and the difference is quoted at that point.
- Riverside afternoon tea: mid-afternoon, a table by the water with mountains on three sides. It runs about an hour and it is the seam between the raft and the end of the day, not a meal; lunch and dinner are your own on this route.
- Stay: Yangshuo
- Meals: Breakfast at the hotel

### Day 12 — Yangshuo to Shanghai

A travel day and only a travel day. Door to door this one runs most of the daylight.

- Road to Guilin airport: your driver takes you back out of the karst country the fast way, on the road the boat replaced two days ago.
- Flight to Shanghai: the flight east, then a driver at the other end. The flight number, time and class of travel for your order are written into your quote.
- Nothing else today: no sightseeing is scheduled, and the evening is left open; dinner near the hotel is recommended and booked for you if you want it, on your own account.
- Stay: Shanghai
- Meals: Breakfast at the hotel

### Day 13 — A garden, a collection, a riverbank

Shanghai in three scales: a walled garden, a museum of materials, and a waterfront with two centuries facing each other. Tonight is where the fourteen days add up.

- Yu Garden and the old city: a classical garden of pavilions, rockery, ponds and winding paths inside Shanghai's oldest quarter. Nothing in it is meant to be seen all at once: every few steps a rock or a wall takes the view away and hands back a different one. About two hours, all flat.
- Shanghai Museum: bronzes, ceramics, painting and calligraphy, applied crafts, arranged by material rather than dynasty. Coming here after Beijing and Xi'an is the point: you have already met these objects in the ground, and this is where they get sorted. Your guide translates as you walk, since the English signage is limited; the timed entry is booked by us.
- The Bund and the Pudong skyline in the evening: you walk the waterfront after dark with your guide beside you. On one bank, the trading and bank houses a treaty port left behind; on the other, towers that went up inside thirty years. Stand at the rail with the water between the two and you can see the whole argument at once. Looking across at the far bank, you'll feel the fourteen days close up behind you into a single stretch of time.
- Company: the waterfront is where visitors get invited to tea or to practice English by strangers; your guide stays with you for the whole evening, so the question never comes up.
- Stay: Shanghai
- Meals: Breakfast at the hotel

### Day 14 — Plane trees, then the water, then home

One loose morning, deliberately not a finale. You leave from the same river you spent last night looking at.

- Former French Concession and Wukang Road: plane-tree streets, historic residences and small independent shops. Two or three streets rather than a list of addresses, and the pace is set by your flight time rather than by a plan.
- Huangpu River ferry: the public crossing the city uses to get to the other side, a few minutes on a working boat. It gives you the Bund from the water: the angle none of last night's photographs have.
- Airport drop-off: your driver takes you out with margin for your flight. If the flight is late in the day and leaves you a long gap, tell us and we will plan that gap around your check-out time rather than filling it.
- 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

### Yangshuo Mountain Retreat

- City: yangshuo
- Description: A peaceful riverside retreat for travellers who want Yangshuo's karst scenery to feel close, quiet and unhurried.
- Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/2R0KYRQ9.webp

### Beijing Marriott Hotel Northeast

- City: Beijing
- Description: International high-end hotel in Beijing, suitable for business and city stays.
- 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 Guilin Hotel

- City: Guilin
- Description: Sheraton Guilin Hotel is located by the Li River, offering comfortable rooms and easy access to Guilin’s attractions.
- Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/kjMQHeJN.webp

### Hilton Chengdu Chenghua

- City: Chengdu
- Description: A practical Chengdu base for travellers who want easy city access, relaxed days out, and a comfortable return after sightseeing.
- Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/3pup59R7.webp

### Sheraton Xi'an North City Hotel

- City: Xian
- 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

### Yangshuo Elite Garden

- City: Yangshuo
- Description: Located in central Yangshuo near West Street and the Li River, Yangshuo Elite Garden Hotel is a comfortable four-star hotel offering convenient access to the area’s main attractions.
- Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/31Rz8fCF.webp

### 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

### Atour S Hotel Shanghai Hongqiao Centre Aegean

- City: Shanghai
- Description: Atour S Hotel in Hongqiao: steps from Aegean Place and Metro Line 10, six km from the National Exhibition and Convention Center.
- Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/ciHY2Qvs.webp

### China Southern Airlines Pearl Hotel Guilin

- City: Guilin
- Description: China Southern Airlines Pearl Hotel Guilin is near Guilin Railway Station, offering comfortable stays and convenient facilities for business and leisure travelers.
- Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/hcF3JHeA.webp

### The Temple House

- City: Chengdu
- Description: Boutique luxury hotel inside a restored Qing-dynasty courtyard near Taikoo Li with one of Chengdu's strongest design statements.
- Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/2Dh9ApbX.webp

### Shangri-La Hotel

- City: Xian
- Description: Shangri-La Hotel Xi'an: five-star luxury near the Terracotta Warriors, 35 minutes from the airport.
- Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/ldYT8r2G.webp

## Included / Excluded

### What's Included

- Private vehicle: Air-conditioned private vehicle for all listed touring at all six stops; airport pickup on day one and drop-off on day fourteen; station and airport transfers for the four ticketed intercity segments; fuel, tolls, parking and the driver's service allowance
- Intercity transport: Four ticketed segments: Beijing to Xi'an by high-speed train on day four · Xi'an to Chengdu by high-speed train on day seven · Chengdu to Guilin by air on day nine · Yangshuo to Shanghai on day twelve, by road to Guilin airport then by air. The fifth segment, Guilin to Yangshuo on day ten, is the Li River sailing below. Class of travel for your order is stated in writing in your quote
- Baggage: Standard checked baggage allowance under the policy of the airline or rail operator carrying that segment
- Hotels: 13 nights at your chosen level, four-star, five-star or quality boutique, breakfast included: Beijing 3 · Xi'an 3 · Chengdu 2 · Guilin 1 · Yangshuo 2 · Shanghai 2
- Guide: Licensed English-speaking local guide on every listed touring day in each city, including the evening in the Muslim Quarter in Xi'an and the whole Bund evening in Shanghai
- Tickets & experiences, Beijing: Tian'anmen Square, with screening time allowed for in that day's plan · the Forbidden City, timed reservation booked by us · Jingshan Park, entered from the Forbidden City north gate · Mutianyu Great Wall, cable car or chairlift up and toboggan down, both in the base price · Temple of Heaven · National Museum of China, reservation booked by us
- Tickets & experiences, Xi'an: The Terracotta Army · Xi'an city wall cycling, bicycle rental in the base price, walking a section instead if the weather or your energy calls for it · Giant Wild Goose Pagoda · Bell Tower and Drum Tower with the Muslim Quarter in the evening
- Tickets & experiences, Chengdu: The panda base in the morning · gaiwan tea sitting at People's Park, refilled as long as you stay · Kuanzhai Alley and Taikoo Li · the community Sichuan opera theater with a backstage visit and face changing seen close up
- Guilin & Yangshuo: The full Li River cruise, Guilin down to Yangshuo, about four hours on the water, which is both the transfer and that day's main item · Yulong River bamboo raft · Yulong River riding, bicycle rental in the base price · riverside afternoon tea
- Tickets & experiences, Shanghai: Yu Garden and the old city · Shanghai Museum, reservation booked by us · the Bund and the Pudong skyline in the evening, guide accompanied · Former French Concession and Wukang Road · Huangpu River ferry
- Reservations: The Forbidden City, the National Museum of China and the Shanghai Museum all need a timed reservation and their systems are hard to use from an overseas phone number. We book all three on the lead time each venue requires
- Meals: 13 hotel breakfasts, one on each of days two through fourteen. The riverside afternoon tea on day eleven is an experience item, not a meal
- Other: Bottled water on scheduled touring days · travel accident insurance for the duration of the journey

### Not Included

- International flights: Flights into Beijing and out of Shanghai
- Visas: Visa fees and processing for guests who need a Chinese visa, including every US guest on this route
- Lunches and dinners: Every lunch and every dinner on all fourteen days. Your guide recommends and books, on your own account
- Sightseeing not listed above: Any attraction, venue, performance or workshop not named in the included list, including anything added locally
- Spending inside venues: Food, drinks, souvenirs and paid services inside any venue. This takes in tea or ear cleaning ordered beyond the included gaiwan tea sitting, and photography services at the panda base
- Extra nights: Any night before day one or after day fourteen
- Optional add-ons: Priced separately at the time of choosing; nothing optional is folded into the base plan
- Personal: Gratuities for guides and drivers · single or extra-room difference · laundry · minibar · personal shopping
- Beyond reasonable control: Extra costs arising from severe weather, transport delays, traffic control and any venue closure or schedule change

### Special Notes

Several things on this route follow a calendar, a season or a supplier's confirmation. Here they are, told straight.

- Bookings are not open yet: the remaining items have to be settled first. One, this route's internal review has to be re-run and cleared. Two, at least one contracted hotel at each of the six stops, named on this page. Three, the class of travel, the boat class on the Li River and the Yangshuo riding difference settled in writing. Four, Until those items are done we take no orders and no deposits. Tell us your dates and we will write to you on the day it opens.
- December departures are closed: the Li River sailing and the Yulong River raft both run into low water and low temperatures in December, and the replacement arrangement for those two items is not decided. Those two items are the whole reason this route differs from a version without a landscape stretch, so we will not sell a December date on the assumption that they run as written. October and November departures are unaffected.
- National holiday week: no departure whose travel days touch October 1 to 7. All six stops run at capacity that week, the Li River sailing is capped, and the Terracotta Army site is at its heaviest of the year.
- Monday and the palace: departure dates are set so that day two never falls on a Monday, when the Forbidden City closes. If your dates would put it there, days two and three swap and the Great Wall day moves forward.
- The Guilin flight and the sailing: the evening arrival into Guilin on day nine and the boat on day ten are booked as one pair, and an order is confirmed only when both the flight and that sailing are held.
- The Guilin evening: nothing is scheduled on the evening of day nine. An evening cruise on the city's lakes exists as an idea for that slot, but it has no supply and no price in place, so it is not offered and it is not part of these fourteen days.
- Three specifications still being set: the class of travel on the four ticketed segments, the boat class and sailing time on the Li River, and the price difference for the electric bicycle and vehicle options at Yangshuo. All three sit inside the base price or are chosen on the day; until they are settled here, every quote states that order's specification in writing, and no order is taken without it in writing.
- Visa window: the 30-day visa-free policy currently runs through December 31, 2026. Because this is a 14-day plan, departures on or before December 17, 2026 finish inside that window; later dates are quoted only after the official renewal is announced.
- US passports: the US is not on the 30-day visa-free list, and 14 days is longer than the 10-day visa-free transit policy allows, so every US guest on this route holds a Chinese tourist or business visa, including a 10-year multiple-entry one. Allow processing time before your departure date. We confirm visa status before any payment, and we never quote a US guest on a visa-free basis.
- Already in China on the transit policy: guests who entered China under the 10-day visa-free transit policy cannot take this trip, because 14 days is longer than that policy permits. We say so before payment and we do not offer a workaround.
- Confirmation and changes: the confirmation-time commitment and the change and refund terms are being settled with our on-the-ground partner. Until they are, each quote states in writing its own confirmation deadline and its change and refund conditions. Worth knowing while they are set: this route holds two domestic flights, two high-speed rail segments and one dated river sailing, so a date change touches four inventories at once.

## Is Fourteen Days Your Length?

Fewer than fourteen days?

### Fewer than fourteen days?

The route comes apart at the seam. Beijing, Xi'an and Chengdu stand on their own as a nine-day first trip; the Guilin and Yangshuo stretch is the part that can be shortened or left for a second visit. Tell us your dates and who is coming, and we cut stops rather than cut the pace.

## Good to Know

- Group: Private, just your party. From 1 guest. No fixed maximum party size.
- Pace: Six stops in 14 days: Beijing 3 nights, Xi'an 3, Chengdu 2, Guilin 1, Yangshuo 2, Shanghai 2. Four ticketed transfers, one river sailing that doubles as a transfer, and one full travel day with nothing scheduled
- Effort: Moderate. The Great Wall climb is by cable car or chairlift with a toboggan back down; the Xi'an wall is ridden, or walked in part instead; the Yangshuo riding has an electric bicycle and a vehicle as easier options
- Ports: Beijing in, Shanghai out. Airport pickup on day one and drop-off on day fourteen
- Visas: UK and most European passports enter visa-free for stays days, and so do Canadian, Australian and New Zealand ones, checked order by order against your dates. US passports need a Chinese tourist or business visa for this route
- Language: Licensed English-speaking local guides throughout, city by city. Museum labels are translated for you as you walk
- Meals: 13 hotel breakfasts. No lunch or dinner is included on any day; your guide recommends and books, on your own account
- Payment: When this route opens for booking: 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
- Season: Selling window October to December 2026, with two closures: no departure touching October 1 to 7, and December dates held closed until the winter arrangement for the two water days is settled

## 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 tunes pacing, hotels and local hosts around each route style.
- Avatar image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/c0TBypRh.png

### Stats

- 20+ Years
- 300+ Trips designed
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### 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 traveler 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 traveler.

## Before You Book

Everything worth knowing before you book.

### Can I book this trip today?

Not yet, and we would rather tell you than take your money. the remaining items have to be settled: this route's internal review has to be re-run and cleared, at least one hotel has to be under contract at each of the six stops, three specifications have to be settled in writing (class of travel, the Li River boat class, the Yangshuo riding difference), and Until then we take no orders and no deposits. What you can do now is send us your dates: we will write to you the day it opens, and if your dates turn out not to work we will say so instead of selling.

### Four hours on a boat. Is that too long?

It is the point of the day, not the cost of it. The road from Guilin to Yangshuo takes ninety minutes and we chose the four-hour sailing instead, so nothing else is scheduled at either end. You are on deck the whole way, with limestone peaks, bamboo, water buffalo and fishing rafts going past, and one reach of the river is the picture on the back of China's 20-yuan banknote. Most guests run out of photographs in the second hour and spend the rest of it just looking, which is the part they describe at home.

### We want to travel in December. Is that possible?

Not on this route as it stands. The Li River sailing and the Yulong raft both meet low water and low temperatures in December, and the winter replacement for those two days is not decided, so we hold December dates closed rather than sell a plan we would have to change on you. October and November are open, subject to the national holiday week, and if December is your only window we will either tell you when the winter arrangement is settled or point you at a route whose December version is already fixed.

### Six places in fourteen days. Is that a lot of moving?

It is four ticketed transfers plus one that is a boat ride. Beijing and Xi'an get three nights each and Yangshuo two, so the bags stay shut for most of the trip; the two short stops are Guilin, which is one night before the morning sailing, and Chengdu, which is two. Day twelve is given entirely to getting from Yangshuo to Shanghai with nothing else on it. If you want fewer moves, the Guilin and Yangshuo stretch is the part that lifts out cleanly and the first nine days stand on their own.

### Do we need a visa?

Most guests on this route do not. UK and most European passports enter visa-free for stays days, and so do Canadian, Australian and New Zealand ones. Before you pay we check your 14 days plus any other days in China against that window. The current policy runs through December 31, 2026, so departures on or before December 17, 2026 finish inside it. US passports are different: the US is not on that list, and 14 days is longer than the 10-day transit policy allows, so every US guest on this route holds a Chinese tourist or business visa and needs to allow processing time. We confirm visa status before any payment.