--- title: "Still in Use" description: "12 days from a buried army to a rush hour ferry seeing the China still working" type: "tour" route_id: "china-living-classics-12-days" total_days: 12 price: 4310 highlights: ["Beijing", "Xi'an", "Chengdu", "Shanghai"] url: "https://www.lyriktrip.com/tours/china-living-classics-12-days" canonical_url: "https://www.lyriktrip.com/tours/china-living-classics-12-days" locale: "en-US" alternates: {"en-US":"https://www.lyriktrip.com/tours/china-living-classics-12-days","en-GB":"https://www.lyriktrip.com/en-GB/tours/china-living-classics-12-days","zh-CN":"https://www.lyriktrip.com/zh-CN/tours/china-living-classics-12-days","zh-TW":"https://www.lyriktrip.com/zh-TW/tours/china-living-classics-12-days","de-DE":"https://www.lyriktrip.com/de-DE/tours/china-living-classics-12-days","fr-FR":"https://www.lyriktrip.com/fr-FR/tours/china-living-classics-12-days","es-ES":"https://www.lyriktrip.com/es-ES/tours/china-living-classics-12-days","it-IT":"https://www.lyriktrip.com/it-IT/tours/china-living-classics-12-days","x-default":"https://www.lyriktrip.com/tours/china-living-classics-12-days"} --- # Still in Use 12 days from a buried army to a rush hour ferry seeing the China still working The classics, connected. The Forbidden City, the Great Wall, pandas and a Taoist mountain, with English-speaking guides city by city. - Two long outdoor days set the level: the Great Wall day, where the ascent is by cable car or chairlift rather than on foot, and the city wall in Xi'an, which is ridden rather than walked. The heaviest single day is the Forbidden City morning followed by the climb to the Jingshan viewpoint. ## Overview A first trip to China usually gets bought as a list: the wall, the soldiers, the pandas, the skyline. This plan keeps the list and adds the thing that connects it. Three nights each in Beijing, Xi'an and Chengdu, then two in Shanghai. Three half-day moves, and one arrival day that asks nothing of you. The two half-days you might expect to lose are the point: a train south through the Qinling range, and a day trip out to a waterworks cut in the third century BC that is still watering the plain it was built for. By the second week you'll catch yourself checking whether a thing is old or whether it is old and still on duty, which is not a question you brought with you. — LyrikTrip travel designers Every LyrikTrip journey begins with a conversation. Tell us your dates, who is coming and which passports they hold. 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 ## Summary - Route ID: china-living-classics-12-days - Duration: 12 days / 11 nights - Starting price: $4,310 - Status: active - Highlights: Beijing, Xi'an, Chengdu, Shanghai - Cover image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/626lxQLu.webp ## Hero tags - private - From 1 guest - Max: no fixed limit ## Highlight notes - The classics, connected. The Forbidden City, the Great Wall, pandas and a Taoist mountain, with English-speaking guides city by city. - 12 days from a buried army to a rush-hour ferry. See the China still working. ## Selling points - Walk one straight line through the Forbidden City, out the north gate, and up the hill facing it: from the pavilion on top the whole field of golden roofs lies below you, and the axis the city was drawn along runs off in both directions. - Ride the top of the Xi'an City Wall instead of walking it: a bicycle each is in your price, the parapet is at shoulder height, and the city changes era every few hundred meters below you. - Stand at the rail above the pits of the Terracotta Warriors and start telling ranks apart: armor and hair knots separate the generals from the crossbowmen from the foot soldiers, and the crowd of figures stops being a crowd. - Give an entire day to the Great Wall at Mutianyu and nothing else: the drive out takes a good part of the morning, so the day carries one thing, and the restored watchtowers run away along the ridge in both directions. - Sit a whole afternoon in a People's Park teahouse with a gaiwan that gets refilled as long as you stay: three nights in Chengdu is what makes an afternoon like this affordable in a twelve-day plan. - Watch water cut down a third-century-BC channel and go out to the fields you rode past that morning: this is the day the other eleven stop being a list. - Cross the Huangpu River on the boat Shanghai takes to work, then stand on the bank with a hundred years of buildings on one side and the Pudong towers on the other. ## City highlights - Beijing (3 days): 北京 - Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1cZHxWkg.webp - Xi'an (3 days): 西安 - Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/d8w7FbNv.webp - Chengdu (4 days): 成都 - Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/37Mf4mO1.webp - Shanghai (3 days): 上海 - Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/6lcAy5Y2.webp ## Experiences The classics, connected. The Forbidden City, the Great Wall, pandas and a Taoist mountain, 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 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 - Dujiangyan Irrigation System (Dujiangyan): built more than 2,000 years ago and still working, the system manages the Min River without a conventional dam. You walk the main sections and see how the current is split: flood water one way, irrigation the other, feeding farmland across the Chengdu Plain. The short version of why it matters: the meals you eat all week start in this water. - Subtitle: built more than 2,000 years ago and still working, the system manages - Tags: Heritage - Host: Dujiangyan Local Host, Dujiangyan culture and logistics specialist — A local host who tunes the Dujiangyan chapter around access, timing and food. - Access: The short version of why it matters: the meals you eat all week start in this water. - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/9d9a43ba2c4d.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/b973a332521c.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/ce3d6d1ff035.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/ce25c7e954f6.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/f12326d3279b.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/d3b5715456fc.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/ca6aac1736b0.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/271e2d47194f.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/d3cfbed4c2ec.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/d204564d5198.jpg - Mount Qingcheng Taoist temple and conversation (chengdu): a quiet working temple on one of the mountains where Taoism took shape as an organized religion, chosen over the busy front-gate halls. You sit down with a resident Taoist for a conversation your guide interprets, and get an introduction to tai chi in the courtyard. About four hours including the travel on the mountain. This is a person-to-person arrangement rather than a ticket, so we name no individual, no fixed length and no fixed time slot for it. The mountain cableway and the lake boat are separate site services: whether each is running in your month, and whether it sits inside your price, is stated in writing in your quote. - Subtitle: a quiet working temple on one of the mountains where Taoism took shape as an organized religion, chosen over the busy front-gate halls. - Tags: heritage - Host: Chengdu, Chengdu Lens — Pandas and Sichuan culture - Access: The mountain cableway and the lake boat are separate site services: whether each is running in your month, and whether it sits inside your price, is stated in writing in your quote. - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/bcd4261c461c.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/052c634fb90a.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/4e9c7e28a215.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/c5469e0896d4.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/15fc02c89c86.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/4814e6191d4c.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/f9477edd7aa3.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/f11891ed345b.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1a09b60c06fc.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/480f1ef460a1.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/532f896321c0.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/fec9f8ac6882.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 - 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 ### 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 ### Still in Use - 13 days Journey #### Beijing (3 days) - Subtitle: 北京 - Recommendation: Your driver meets the flight, whatever hour it comes in. The first day asks nothing of you. - Transport: High-speed rail - Transport mode: train Airport pickup · Beijing through the window · Evening - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1cZHxWkg.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/jGhAKBma.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1vwu9mIQ.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1X29GyUB.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1xVI7jTc.webp ##### Day 1: Land, and do nothing - (transport) — your driver and vehicle wait for the flight number on your confirmation, and the run into the city is yours to sleep through. - (sight) — ring roads first, then poplars and lit shopfronts along a city street. The country you flew this far for shows up before you have unpacked anything. - (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, and the hill that explains it - (sight) — you enter on your timed slot and walk one axis: the ceremonial halls where the court did its business, the living quarters behind them, the imperial garden at the end, then out through the north gate. 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 square. - (sight) — the palace is large and guests often say it wears them out, so the route holds to that one line and stops at the seats we know about, with the garden at the end unhurried. - (sight) — the north gate opens onto the hill, so the climb starts where the palace ends. Stairs and paved slope, about an hour up and down. From the pavilion on top the roofs you just walked under lie in one gold field below you, and the central axis runs off north and south from where you are standing. ##### Day 3: The wall gets the whole day - (transport) — the run north out of the city takes a good part of the morning, which is why nothing else is on the plan today. The vehicle stays with you all day. - (sight) — the cable car or the open chairlift does the climbing. You step off onto a restored stretch with watchtowers running away along the ridge in both directions, and your guide points out the pass below and why the towers stand where they stand. Walk the connected section between towers and look back the way you came: the wall steps down the ridge behind you in a line you can follow with your finger. - (sight) — the same ascent transport brings you down, and the drive back into the city takes the late afternoon. Dinner is near your hotel rather than on the road. #### Xi'an (3 days) - Subtitle: 西安 - Recommendation: Three Beijing sets in a morning, then the rails. The city hands you over to the older capital. - Transport: High-speed rail - Transport mode: train Tian'anmen Square · The National Museum of China · Temple of Heaven · High-speed rail to Xi'an - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/d8w7FbNv.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/89TQSQ5y.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/j3UrQh5J.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/6uCuLmD6.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/7WnPEfkd.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/gHhGDJfz.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, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/7dxhTnJG.webp ##### Day 4: The square, the shapes, and a train south - (sight) — you walk the ceremonial center of modern China first thing, while the light is still low. Everyone is screened to get on, so the queue takes its own half hour to an hour and your guide walks you to the nearest screening entrance rather than the far one. - (sight) — on the east side of the square, about two hours indoors. Bronzes, ceramics, sculpture and calligraphy. Stand in front of a ritual bronze vessel and then think about where you are going next: the same ideas, at building scale. - (sight) — three sets of buildings in a park the city uses every morning. Once your guide gives you the rule, round belongs to heaven and square belongs to earth, you stop being told which is which and start spotting it yourself, on every platform, roof and wall. - (transport) — your driver takes you to the station and your Xi'an guide takes over at the other end. The train time for your dates and the seat class for your order are written into your quote. - (accommodation) Somerset Xindicheng Xi'an — Hotel stay in Xian. ##### Day 5: Eight thousand of them - (sight) — roughly an hour from the city each way, so the day carries this and nothing else. The site takes very heavy numbers in season and your guide times your entry around the worst of it. - (sight) — an estimated eight thousand figures, standing where they were found. Your guide gives you the two tells, armor plating and hair knots, and after that you read the ranks yourself: generals, crossbowmen, foot soldiers. In the newer excavation areas, look for the surviving pigment on the figures rather than at the whole rank. Stand at the rail above the main pit and take the fifteen seconds looking down the full length of it. - (sight) — the afternoon returns you to Xi'an with the evening free. Dinner is recommended and booked by your guide if you want it, on your own account. ##### Day 6: A wall you ride, a night you walk - (sight) — you go up onto the wall and ride it. A bicycle each is included for the ridden section, the parapet stands at about shoulder height, and the old city runs along one side of you while the modern one runs along the other. This is the longest open-sky stretch on the whole route with no shelter along it, so it is scheduled around the weather on your dates. - (sight) — the two towers hold the old center of the city. You walk the quarter around them as the lights come on, before the lanes behind fill up. - (sight) — your guide walks the whole evening with you and translates at the stalls, telling you what is in a thing before you buy it. What you eat is your own account, and choosing badly is part of it. Stand still in the middle of the lane for a moment with the griddles going on both sides. You'll notice you have stopped taking photographs and started just watching hands work. #### Chengdu (4 days) - Subtitle: 成都 - Recommendation: Ninety minutes in a temple compound, then a train that goes through a mountain range instead of around it. - Transport: Flight - Transport mode: airplane The Giant Wild Goose Pagoda · High-speed rail to Chengdu · Into Chengdu - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/37Mf4mO1.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/2iDGv07g.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/2sL1auf0.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/btl0lclN.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1BPFDek8.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/4BqwVBVY.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/4mDgLfna.webp ##### Day 7: A pagoda, then the mountains - (sight) — the brick tower and the grounds around it, on the south side of the city, about ninety minutes and mostly flat. Your guide tells you what the tower was built to hold before you walk in, which is what makes the walk worth taking slowly. - (transport) — the line south crosses the Qinling range, the wall of mountains that has always separated the north of China from the Sichuan basin. Take a window seat and watch the country change: dry loess, then tunnel, then tunnel, then green. - (sight) — your Chengdu guide meets the train and the evening is free. The city eats late, and your guide books you somewhere near the hotel if you want it, on your own account. - (accommodation) Atour Hotel Chengdu Taikoo Li Chunxi Road Pedestrian Street — Hotel stay in Chengdu. ##### Day 8: The easy day, and it is on purpose - (sight) — you are there in the morning, the hours when the animals are generally active: eating, coming down off things, 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 fence early and wait rather than walking the loop twice. - (sight) — bamboo chairs under the trees, a gaiwan each, the lidded cup China brews in, and someone with a long-spouted kettle who tops you up for as long as you sit. Cards at the next table, an ear cleaner working two tables over with a tuning fork. The afternoon is not a stop on the way to something else. An hour in, you'll catch yourself with no idea what time it is and no wish to find out. ##### Day 9: The day the trip stops being a list - (transport) — about a quarter of the day goes to travel, split across the two legs, and your bags stay in the Chengdu hotel. You are back in the same room tonight. - (sight) — the channel was cut in the third century BC and it has never been switched off. You walk along the works while the river arrives, divides and goes out to the plain. Everything else on this route was built to be looked at. This was built to be used, and it is still being used. - (sight) — a quiet temple away from the main visitor route, on one of the mountains Taoism grew up on. A resident Taoist sits down with you, and you are shown the beginning of tai chi on the temple ground: weight onto one foot, then the other, slower than you want to go. Ten minutes in, you'll hear yourself breathing and realize how long it has been since you last did. - (sight) — the evening train, and dinner near the hotel if you still want one. ##### Day 10: Three lanes, one face, one flight - (accommodation) #### Shanghai (3 days) - Subtitle: 上海 - Recommendation: The morning is a neighborhood, the afternoon is a theater, and the evening moves you east. - Transport: Flight - Transport mode: airplane Kuanzhai Alley and Taikoo Li · Sichuan opera, community theater · Flight to Shanghai - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/6lcAy5Y2.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/jqytrHxw.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/4EbDdFHb.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1Riqjj0n.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1vYpI6NZ.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1Q9afrZn.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/13x1KtnS.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1VrlDwIi.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/3PEjxTGx.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/525J26xE.webp ##### Day 10: Three lanes, one face, one flight - (sight) — three parallel lanes, the wide one, the narrow one and the well lane, the frame the neighborhood was built on and still runs on. It is busy and it is commercial, and it is also the clearest place in this city to see an old street plan being reused rather than cleared. The Taikoo Li district next door does the same thing in glass and timber. - (sight) — a neighborhood house, not a hotel ballroom. You go backstage before it starts and watch the paint go on, then you sit close enough to fail to catch the change: the mask becomes another mask in the time it takes the performer to swing his head. Sit in the second row and watch the audience around you instead of only the stage. - (transport) — your driver runs you to the airport in the evening and your Shanghai guide takes over at the other end. The flight number, time and cabin for your order are written into your quote. - (accommodation) Bellagio by MGM Shanghai on the Bund — Hotel stay in Shanghai. ##### Day 11: The garden, the objects, the water - (sight) — pavilions, rockery, ponds and a path that never runs straight, dropped inside the oldest quarter of the city. Flat the whole way, about two hours. Follow the path without choosing where it goes: it is a loop and it always brings you back. - (sight) — bronzes, ceramics, painting and calligraphy, about two hours indoors. You have now seen the Beijing collection and this one, nine days apart, and the objects in between have started to sort themselves. - (sight) — stone banking houses hold one bank of the river and the Pudong towers hold the other, a hundred years apart and looking straight at each other across the water. Your guide is with you the whole evening, which also ends the practice-your-English and come-for-tea approaches before they start. Stand at the rail with the old buildings behind you and the towers in front. You'll feel the twelve days close up into one picture, and you'll know which half you came for and which half you are taking home. ##### Day 12: Trees, a ferry, and home - (transport) — plane trees, historic houses and small independent shops, on foot and on the level, about two hours. After last night's two skylines this street is the other half of the argument, and it is the half people move here for. - (transport) — you cross the river on the boat people take to work, standing at the rail with commuters and their scooters, about thirty minutes door to door. No commentary, no upper deck, no ticket office with a photo package: just the crossing, at the price the city pays for it. - (transport) — your driver takes you out with room to spare against your flight. If your flight leaves early, we cut the morning rather than rushing it, and your guide tells you which half to keep. ## 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 ### 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 ### 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 ### 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 ### 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 ## Included / Excluded ### What's Included - Intercity transport: Four segments: Beijing to Xi'an by high-speed rail on day four · Xi'an to Chengdu by high-speed rail on day seven · Chengdu to Dujiangyan and back by high-speed rail on day nine · Chengdu to Shanghai by air on day ten. Your quote states in writing the seat class of each rail segment and the cabin of the flight for your order - Private vehicle: Air-conditioned private vehicle with driver for all listed touring in all four cities, including the full-day Mutianyu round trip and the Dujiangyan day; station and airport transfers for all four intercity segments; airport pickup on day one and drop-off on day twelve - Hotels: 11 nights at the level you choose, four-star, five-star or quality boutique, breakfast included: Beijing 3 · Xi'an 3 · Chengdu 3 · Shanghai 2 - Guide: Licensed English-speaking guide on every touring day in each of the four cities, including the Muslim Quarter evening in Xi'an and the whole Bund evening in Shanghai - Tickets and experiences, Beijing: The Forbidden City · Jingshan Park · Mutianyu Great Wall with the cable car or chairlift ascent · Tian'anmen Square · Temple of Heaven · the National Museum of China - Tickets and experiences, Xi'an: The Terracotta Warriors · the Xi'an City Wall with the wall-top cycling section and the bicycle hire for it · the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda · the Bell and Drum Tower quarter with the Muslim Quarter at night, on foot with your guide - Tickets and experiences, Chengdu: The panda base on a morning visit · the gaiwan teahouse sitting in People's Park, with the seat and the refills for as long as you stay · Kuanzhai Alley with Taikoo Li · a community Sichuan opera house with a backstage visit and face-changing up close - Tickets and experiences, Dujiangyan: The Dujiangyan irrigation works · a quiet Mount Qingcheng Taoist temple with a conversation with a resident Taoist and an introduction to tai chi - Tickets and experiences, Shanghai: Yu Garden with the old city · Shanghai Museum · the Bund and the Pudong skyline in the evening, guide accompanied · the former French Concession and Wukang Road on foot · the Huangpu River commuter ferry crossing - Meals: 11 hotel breakfasts, days two through twelve, one per morning - Insurance: Travel accident insurance, on our standing inclusion practice ### 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: All 22 midday and evening meals across the twelve days. Your guide recommends and books them and the bill is your own. This includes the tasting stalls on the Muslim Quarter walk and the snacks at the People's Park teahouse - Climbing the Bell Tower or the Drum Tower: The Xi'an evening is the quarter on foot. Admission to climb either tower sits outside the base price and can be added on request - In-museum spending: Audio guides and hired human guides inside the Forbidden City, the National Museum of China and Shanghai Museum; the photography and refreshment stands on the Xi'an city wall - Optional add-ons: Priced separately at the time of choosing and never added into the base plan: climbing the Bell Tower or the Drum Tower in Xi'an · extra nights in Shanghai after day twelve - Personal: Gratuities to guides and drivers · single-room or extra-room difference · laundry · shopping · all personal spending ### Special Notes A few things on this route follow the calendar, the 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,: whether this route sells to your party alone or Two, the October and December departure handling below. Until both are settled we take no orders and no deposits. Tell us your dates and we write to you the day it opens. - Departure dates: no departures between October 1 and October 7, the national holiday week: Beijing, Xi'an and Shanghai are all inside their no-go window that week and the Terracotta Warriors site runs at its heaviest load of the year. Dates are also 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 moves to day two. - Timed reservations: the Forbidden City, the National Museum of China and Shanghai Museum all require a timed reservation, and the booking systems sit poorly with overseas mobile numbers. Whether our ground partner books these on your behalf, and how many days ahead, is not yet confirmed. Your quote states in writing who books each of the three and by when. The admission itself is in your price either way. - November and December departures: two points on this route turn on the weather. The winter operating rules for the Mutianyu ascent transport are not yet on file with us, and the Xi'an wall-top cycling section is the longest unsheltered outdoor stretch here. For departures in those two months, your quote states the arrangement for both in writing before you pay. - In-park shuttles: named one by one so that none is read in by implication. Three site shuttles: the Terracotta Warriors, the panda base and Dujiangyan. Two more at Mount Qingcheng: the cableway and the lake boat. Whether each is operating in your month, and whether it sits inside your price, is stated in writing in your quote. The one ascent transport already inside your price on this route is the Mutianyu cable car or chairlift. - The two personal encounters: the backstage visit and face-changing in Chengdu, and the conversation with a resident Taoist plus the tai chi introduction at Mount Qingcheng, are both inside your price. Neither has been re-confirmed with our ground partner for this selling season. Until it is, we promise you no named person, no fixed length and no fixed time slot for either. - Rail and flight schedules: three rail segments and one flight. The 2026 fourth-quarter rail timetable and flight schedule for these four segments have not yet been checked against the operating season, so both sit on our standing assumption and are re-checked for your dates before your confirmation is issued. - Shanghai Museum branch: the plan says Shanghai Museum. Which branch your day eleven visit uses is being settled, and your quote names the branch in writing. - Bicycle hire on the city wall: the wall-top cycling section and the bicycle for it are in your price. The hire duration counted in, and the charge past it, are stated in writing in your quote. - Security screening at the square: everyone is screened to enter Tian'anmen Square. That queue takes half an hour to an hour and is budgeted separately, on top of your time on the square, so the rest of day four still lands on time. - Visa window: the 30-day visa-free policy currently runs through December 31, 2026. Because this is a 12-day plan, departures on or before December 20, 2026 finish inside that window; later departure dates are quoted only after the official renewal is announced. - US passports: the US is not on the 30-day visa-free list, and 12 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 ten-year multiple-entry one. The fee and the processing are the guest's own and processing time has to be allowed before departure. We confirm visa status before any payment. Guests who entered China on the 10-day transit policy cannot take this trip, and we say so rather than looking for a way around it. - Confirmation and changes: the confirmation-time commitment and the change and refund terms are being finalized with our ground partners. Until they are settled, each quote states in writing its own confirmation deadline and its own change and refund conditions. Worth knowing why this one takes care: a date change here touches rail inventory, flight inventory and three museum reservations at once. ## Is Twelve Days Your Length? Fewer than twelve days? ### Fewer than twelve days? The four cities come apart cleanly. Beijing and Xi'an stand on their own as a six-day pair, Chengdu can go, and Shanghai can shorten to a departure city. Tell us your dates and who is coming, and we cut cities rather than cutting the pace. ## Good to Know - Group: Private, just your party. From 1 guest. No fixed maximum party size. - Pace: Four cities in 12 days: 3 nights each in Beijing, Xi'an and Chengdu, then 2 in Shanghai. One arrival day with nothing scheduled, one easy day in Chengdu, and three half-day moves between regions - Effort: Two long outdoor days set the level: the Great Wall day, where the ascent is by cable car or chairlift rather than on foot, and the city wall in Xi'an, which is ridden rather than walked. The heaviest single day is the Forbidden City morning followed by the climb to the Jingshan viewpoint - Ports: Beijing in, Shanghai out; airport pickup on day one and drop-off on day twelve - Visas: UK · French · German · Dutch · Belgian · Italian · Spanish · Portuguese · Greek · Nordic · Central European · Irish · Canadian · Australian · New Zealand passports enter visa-free for stays days, 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 on every touring day, city by city - Meals: 11 hotel breakfasts are included. No lunch or dinner is included on this route: your guide recommends and books them and the bill is your own - 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. No departures October 1 to 7; departures on or before December 20 finish inside the current visa-free window; November and December departures have the Mutianyu ascent and the Xi'an wall cycling confirmed in writing for your dates ## 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 - 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 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. ### Is twelve days enough for four cities? For these four, yes, and that is why there are four rather than seven. Beijing, Xi'an and Chengdu get three nights each and Shanghai gets two, so you sleep in the same bed for three nights running three times over. The moves between them are half-days on high-speed rail or one flight, not full travel days, which is what buys the arrival day with nothing on it and the easy day in Chengdu. ### Why spend a whole day going out to a waterworks? Because it is the day that makes the other eleven hold together. The wall, the palace and the soldiers are all things that stopped: nobody defends that wall, nobody lives in that palace, nobody commands those figures. The channel at Dujiangyan was cut in the third century BC and it is still dividing the river and still watering the plain you rode past on the way in. It is also a rail day trip out and back, so your Chengdu room and your bags stay where they are. ### When can I book? Not yet, and we would rather say that than take your money. the remaining items have to be settled:; and how the October and December departures are handled. Until both are settled we take no orders and no deposits. Send us your dates now and we will write to you the day it opens, with a price for those dates. ### We are traveling in November or December. Is that a bad time? It is a quieter time, and two things on this route turn on the weather. The winter operating rules for the Mutianyu ascent transport are not on file with us yet, and the wall-top cycling in Xi'an is the longest unsheltered stretch here. We do not guarantee either against a cold snap, because nobody can. What we do is confirm both arrangements for your exact dates and write them into your quote before you pay, so you know what you are buying: if the ascent is not running you get the alternative in writing first, and the Xi'an day keeps the wall with the riding time set around the weather. ### Do we need a visa? Most guests on this route do not. UK · French · German · Dutch · Belgian · Italian · Spanish · Portuguese · Greek · Nordic · Central European · Irish · Canadian · Australian · New Zealand passports enter visa-free for stays days, and before you pay we check your 12 days plus any extra days in China against that window. The current policy runs through December 31, 2026, so departures on or before December 20, 2026 finish inside it. US passports are different: the US is not on that list, and 12 days is longer than the 10-day transit policy allows. US guests hold a Chinese tourist or business visa, with the fee and the appointment their own. We confirm visa status before any payment, and if your dates do not fit, we tell you instead of selling.