---
title: "China, Newest First"
description: "14 days from a young skyline to a 2200-year-old waterworks seeing how China got here"
type: "tour"
route_id: "china-reverse-timeline-14-days"
total_days: 14
price: 5030
highlights: ["Shenzhen", "Chengdu", "Xi'an", "Beijing", "Shanghai"]
url: "https://www.lyriktrip.com/tours/china-reverse-timeline-14-days"
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locale: "en-US"
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# China, Newest First

14 days from a young skyline to a 2200-year-old waterworks seeing how China got here

Five cities, one thread. Electronics floors, pandas, the Terracotta Warriors, the Forbidden City and the Bund, with English-speaking guides city by city.

- Full touring days with a private vehicle at every stop, one domestic flight and three high-speed rail legs. Three nights each in Chengdu, Xi'an and Beijing, so the middle of the trip unpacks once per city. The Great Wall day carries nothing else.

## Overview

Most China plans open at the Great Wall and work forward. This one runs the other way. You land in Shenzhen, a city that did not look like this forty years ago, and then walk backwards: Chengdu's slow afternoons, a waterworks from the third century BC that still moves water, Tang-dynasty Xi'an, the Ming and Qing palace in Beijing. Shanghai puts you back into today at the end. Three nights each in the three middle cities, so you unpack once per city. The order is the argument: by the time you reach the oldest thing on the route, you already know what it was for. You'll notice somewhere around Xi'an that you have stopped calling any of it old.

— LyrikTrip travel designers

Every LyrikTrip journey begins with a conversation. Tell us your dates, who is coming and which city you would fly from. 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 four intercity legs, the fourth-quarter outdoor arrangements and the hotel list stand, before you are asked for anything.

## Summary

- Route ID: china-reverse-timeline-14-days
- Duration: 14 days / 13 nights
- Starting price: $5,030
- Status: active
- Highlights: Shenzhen, Chengdu, Xi'an, Beijing, Shanghai
- Cover image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/62f649c35cc2.png

## Hero tags

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

## Highlight notes

- Five cities, one thread. Electronics floors, pandas, the Terracotta Warriors, the Forbidden City and the Bund, with English-speaking guides city by city.
- 14 days from a forty-year-old skyline to a waterworks from the third century BC. See how China got here.

## Selling points

- Walk out of the Huaqiangbei market floors able to say where the machine in your pocket actually comes from: your second day in China answers a question you have carried for years.
- Sit a Chengdu afternoon in a People's Park teahouse with a gaiwan that gets refilled as long as you stay: this is the day nobody, including you, has anywhere to be next.
- Stand on a levee from the third century BC while the water still goes where it was told to go, and then talk with a Taoist priest who lives on the mountain above it: the two halves of the same afternoon explain each other.
- Look down the ranks of the Terracotta Warriors and pick out who is who by armor and topknot: the generals, the crossbowmen and the foot soldiers separate in front of you once someone shows you how.
- Climb Jingshan the same afternoon you come out of the Forbidden City's north gate, and see the whole palace laid out below as one straight line through the city.
- Finish on the Bund after dark with your guide beside you: the old waterfront on one bank, the Pudong towers on the other, and by now you know which of the two came first.
- Unpack once in each of the three middle cities: three nights in Chengdu, three in Xi'an, three in Beijing, with the moving done by one flight and three high-speed trains.

## City highlights

- Shenzhen (2 days): Land in a forty-year-old city
  - Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/0d25a4a7e92f.jpg
- Chengdu (3 days): The city explains itself, then you leave
  - Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/ZYPdYLd0.webp
- Xi'an (3 days): Two sides of one street, then the train
  - Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/2z6MDkku.webp
- Beijing (3 days): A brick box for the books, then east
  - Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1cZHxWkg.webp
- Shanghai (3 days): Round for heaven, square for earth, then south
  - Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/kG92AfwG.webp

## Experiences

Five cities, one thread. Electronics floors, pandas, the Terracotta Warriors, the Forbidden City and the Bund, with English-speaking guides city by city.

- Huaqiangbei Electronics Market (Shenzhen): Huaqiangbei Electronics Market shows the speed scale and density of China's hardware ecosystem.
  - Subtitle: Shenzhen's legendary electronics district
  - Tags: Electronics
  - Host: Shenzhen, Shenzhen Lens — Drones and future mobility
  - Access: A street-level look at Shenzhen's maker and electronics culture.
  - Images: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/67/Huaqiangbei_walking_street.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/8a25e1e49329.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/48a3076950e9.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/d6e8cf38ea06.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/87375a9720fa.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/7b098456d4ee.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/7015fe72256b.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/6ae7699e7cef.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/e85c085378d9.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/499337ce1b97.jpg
- Urban Planning Exhibition (Shenzhen): scale models, architectural displays and development plans that lay out how a small border town grew into a major metropolis within living memory. Twenty minutes here reframes everything else you see in the city.
  - Subtitle: scale models, architectural displays and development plans that lay out how a
  - Tags: City
  - Host: Shenzhen, Shenzhen Lens — Drones and future mobility
  - Access: Twenty minutes here reframes everything else you see in the city.
  - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/0cb198f8a49d.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/4ba54eb84471.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/009bf8a44425.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/8c27862fb181.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/699fd01ecc67.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/e2a1a6331692.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/d05c249a3e39.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/2ebecbe69dba.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/e0e571633d3d.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
- 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 City Wall (Xi'an): the Ming-era rampart that still rings the old city, broad enough on top to walk or cycle. You go up in the late afternoon and take it at your pace: a stretch on foot, or a longer run by bike, with the gate towers ahead of you and the moat below. Why it earns its hour: from up here the city explains itself, old streets inside the wall, tower blocks beyond it.
  - Subtitle: the Ming-era rampart that still rings the old city, broad enough on
  - Tags: Active
  - Host: Xi'an, Xi'an Lens — Warriors and ancient capital
  - Access: Why it earns its hour: from up here the city explains itself, old streets inside the wall, tower blocks beyond it.
  - Images: 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/ad143f00bca6.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/dabb4f7b21b8.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/e3a18a929d13.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/6c4bc5467067.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/2a992375c8dd.jpg
- Bell and Drum Tower quarter by night (xian): two towers standing at the crossing point of the old street grid, and the eating lanes that run off them, at their busiest after dark. You walk the area at street level with your guide, past the grills, the bread ovens and the noodle counters, and the guide tells you what each stall is making before you decide whether to try it. The walk is in the base price. What you eat along it 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 lanes that run off them, at their busiest after dark.
  - Tags: city
  - Host: Xi'an, Xi'an Lens — Warriors and ancient capital
  - Access: What you eat along it is on your own account: ask your guide about roujiamo, crisp-baked bread packed with slow-braised pork.
  - Images: 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/eb6479ce2db9.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/459051d48e01.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/db3514adee28.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/e57e1793b04c.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/bafd604e0dff.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/ed200117aca3.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/7f12dbe38bcc.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
- 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
- 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
- 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
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## Itinerary

### China, Newest First - 14 days

Journey

#### Shenzhen (2 days)

- Subtitle: Land in a forty-year-old city
- Recommendation: Your driver meets your flight, whatever time it lands. Nothing is asked of you today.
- Transport: Flight
- Transport mode: airplane

Airport pickup · Shenzhen through the window · Evening

- Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/0d25a4a7e92f.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/8AH70UD0.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/h4WopDz7.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/j3OhqX9B.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/0540e86e5dd0.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/09971fb8ed55.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/0cb198f8a49d.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1dabf6d8d82e.jpg
##### Day 1: Land in a forty-year-old city

- (transport) — your driver and vehicle are waiting for the flight number on your confirmation, and the run into the city is yours to sleep through.
- (sight) — towers, then more towers, then a road built wider than the traffic on it. This is the city that opens the trip, and almost none of what you are looking at is older than your driver.
- (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) Kempinski Hotel Shenzhen — Hotel stay in Shenzhen.

##### Day 2: Six floors of how things get made

- (sight) — you walk up through the floors with your guide, and the order of them is the lesson: loose components in trays at the bottom, prototype boards above, finished machines near the top. Stand at a stall counter while a buyer and a seller settle a bulk order in front of you, neither of them in any hurry, and look at the trays: the parts inside the thing you are holding right now are almost certainly on this floor.
- (sight) — anything you pick up on the floors is on your own account. Your guide tells you what a fair price looks like and we take no commission on any of it.
- (sight) — the market is the day's one substantial thing. The afternoon stays loose on purpose, because you flew a long way yesterday.

#### Chengdu (3 days)

- Subtitle: The city explains itself, then you leave
- Recommendation: One exhibition in the morning, one flight after lunch. The last modern day for a while.
- Transport: High-speed rail
- Transport mode: train

Shenzhen urban planning exhibition · Fly to Chengdu · Arrive in Chengdu

- Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/ZYPdYLd0.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/18sksaPz.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1BPFDek8.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/2iDGv07g.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/2sL1auf0.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/37Mf4mO1.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/4BqwVBVY.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/4mDgLfna.webp
##### Day 3: The city explains itself, then you leave

- (sight) — the exhibition the city keeps about its own planning and growth, and the cheapest possible way to hold forty years in your head before you go looking for six hundred. Your guide walks it with you and connects it back to yesterday's market floors.
- (transport) — the afternoon flight is arranged and in your base price, with your own vehicle running hotel to airport at this end and airport to hotel at the other. The cabin class for your order is written into your quote.
- (sight) — nothing is scheduled after the flight. Three nights in one hotel start tonight, so the suitcase opens once.
- (accommodation) Atour Hotel Chengdu Taikoo Li Chunxi Road Pedestrian Street — Hotel stay in Chengdu.

##### Day 4: Pandas early, then an afternoon with no next

- (sight) — the morning slot is the whole point: the pandas are generally more active early, and by late morning most of them are asleep in the same position. Flat shaded paths, about three hours, and your guide keeps to the enclosures where something is actually happening.
- (sight) — a bamboo chair under the trees and one gaiwan (the lidded cup China brews in), refilled as long as you sit there. The next table is playing cards, the ear cleaner works down the row with his tuning fork, and nobody is going anywhere. Your seat and the refills are arranged; the ear cleaning and the massage stalls are yours to take or leave. Some time in the second hour you'll realize you have stopped checking how long this is supposed to take.
- (sight) — this is the light day of the Chengdu block, and it is light on purpose. The afternoon has no second half planned for it.

##### Day 5: A machine from the third century BC, still running

- (sight) — you stand on the dividing levee with the river coming at you and splitting around it: one channel to the plain, one to carry the flood away, no dam anywhere in the design. Built in the third century BC, and the fields behind you have been watered by it ever since. Your guide walks you through the three parts in order so the mechanism is legible on the ground rather than on a diagram.
- (sight) — the mountain above the waterworks, one of the principal Taoist mountains in China and still a working religious site. You walk up through the temple buildings under the trees, and the sound level drops the higher you go.
- (sight) — you sit down with a Taoist priest who lives on the mountain, with your guide translating, and you can ask him what he actually does between morning and night. A tai chi session is part of the visit; whether it runs outdoors or indoors on your date is written into your quote.
- (sight) — the return transport is included and you sleep in the same Chengdu hotel tonight, so nothing gets packed.

#### Xi'an (3 days)

- Subtitle: Two sides of one street, then the train
- Recommendation: A morning on the most restored street in Chengdu, an afternoon crossing to the Tang dynasty by rail.
- Transport: High-speed rail
- Transport mode: train

Kuanzhai Alley and Taikoo Li · High-speed rail to Xi'an · Arrive in Xi'an

- Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/2z6MDkku.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/2IrwPATt.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/56RpQD9k.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/59fYoC02.webp
##### Day 6: Two sides of one street, then the train

- (sight) — three parallel lanes of restored courtyard frontage on one side, a new retail district built into the same grid on the other. It is busy and it is polished, and that is the point your guide makes with it: this is a Chinese city deciding, street by street, what to keep and what to rebuild. Stand where the old lane meets the new block and look both ways down the same line of paving.
- (transport) — the afternoon train runs north through the mountains out of the Sichuan basin, tunnel after tunnel, and it is a good three hours to sit still after two weeks of nothing but sitting still is not yet a habit. Your seat class is written into your quote; your vehicle runs hotel to station and station to hotel at both ends.
- (sight) — three nights in one hotel again. Nothing is scheduled tonight.
- (accommodation) Somerset Xindicheng Xi'an — Hotel stay in Xian.

##### Day 7: Eight thousand faces, none of them repeated

- (sight) — you come in above Pit One and the formation runs away from you down the length of the hall, an estimated eight thousand figures in all three pits. Your guide gives you the reading key first: armor plates, topknot position, the stance of the hands. After that the ranks separate on their own, and the generals stop being a caption and start being findable.
- (sight) — in the more recently excavated areas some of the original pigment survives on the figures, which is the closest you get to seeing them the way they were buried.
- (sight) — this is one of the busiest sites in the country and we plan the day around the hours the pits are least crowded rather than around the coach schedule.

##### Day 8: Up on the wall, then down into the noise

- (sight) — you go up the ramp and the top of the wall opens out flat and wide, running away from you around the entire old town. Look inward from the parapet: the street grid below still follows the Tang-dynasty plan, and the modern city has simply filled it in. Your wall-top access is included and your guide picks the gate with the view you want.
- (sight) — bicycles are the usual way people cover the circuit, and bicycle hire is not part of your price. Whether bicycles are on hire on your date is written into your quote, and walking a section with your guide is the standing alternative either way.
- (sight) — the two towers once kept the city's time and opened and closed its gates; the streets under them now belong to the food stalls. You walk the quarter with your guide at the hour it fills up, and the stalls are yours to try, with your guide naming each thing before you commit to it.

#### Beijing (3 days)

- Subtitle: A brick box for the books, then east
- Recommendation: One pagoda in the morning, five hundred miles of plain in the afternoon.
- Transport: High-speed rail
- Transport mode: train

Giant Wild Goose Pagoda · High-speed rail to Beijing · Arrive in Beijing

- 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/1vwu9mIQ.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1X29GyUB.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1xVI7jTc.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/24XUDb3f.webp
##### Day 9: A brick box for the books, then east

- (sight) — the pagoda went up to hold the sutras a Tang-dynasty monk carried back from India, and it is still the plainest thing in a quarter that has grown ornate around it. Stand at the base and look straight up the brick tiers: no decoration, no color, just seven stories of storage for the books that changed what this country believed. Entry to the grounds and the cultural area is included; climbing the pagoda is a separate ticket and is not.
- (transport) — the afternoon train crosses the North China plain at speed, flat land and winter wheat and power lines all the way. Your seat class is written into your quote, and your vehicle runs hotel to station and station to hotel at both ends.
- (sight) — three nights in one hotel. Nothing is scheduled tonight, which matters, because tomorrow is the long one.
- (accommodation) Novotel Beijing Peace — Hotel stay in Beijing.

##### Day 10: One axis, six hundred years

- (sight) — your timed slot is booked ahead on a mainland number, so you go in on schedule. Inside you walk one axis: the ceremonial halls where the court did its business, the living quarters behind them, the imperial garden at the end, out through the north gate. Stand in the middle of the main courtyard and look back through the gates you came in by, one inside another, all the way out to the square.
- (sight) — the palace is large and guests regularly say so, which is why the route is cut to that single line with places to sit, and why this day is never set on a Monday, when it closes.
- (sight) — straight out of the north gate and up the hill made from the earth dug out of the moats. Twenty minutes of steps, and from the pavilion at the top the whole palace lies below you as one line of golden roofs running north to south through the middle of Beijing. This is where the morning turns from a lot of courtyards into a plan.

##### Day 11: The wall, and nothing else

- (transport) — the run north out of Beijing takes a good part of the morning, and the private vehicle stays with you the whole day. This is the reason nothing else is scheduled: putting a second heavy thing on this day is how the wall gets rushed.
- (sight) — the arrangement for getting up and down inside the scenic area is written into your quote, because the cable car, the open chairlift and the toboggan run to their own fourth-quarter timetables and none of them is in your price. What is in your price is the ticket, the full-day vehicle and your guide.
- (sight) — you come out onto a restored stretch with watchtowers stepping away along the ridge in both directions. Your guide reads the wall to you: beacon towers, the pass below, why the sightlines run where they run. Stand in a tower doorway and look along the ridge with the towers going smaller: that is the photograph, and it is the same one from the fourth tower as from the first. Up here you'll find yourself talking more quietly than you were an hour ago.

#### Shanghai (3 days)

- Subtitle: Round for heaven, square for earth, then south
- Recommendation: Two Beijing mornings' worth of things in one morning, on purpose, because the train leaves after lunch.
- Transport: Flight
- Transport mode: airplane

Temple of Heaven · National Museum of China · High-speed rail to Shanghai

- Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/kG92AfwG.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/13x1KtnS.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1Q9afrZn.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1Riqjj0n.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1VrlDwIi.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1vYpI6NZ.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/3PEjxTGx.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/4EbDdFHb.webp
##### Day 12: Round for heaven, square for earth, then south

- (sight) — three structures on one line, and the shapes carry the argument: round belongs to heaven, square belongs to earth. The emperor came here once a year to account for the harvest, and the park around it now opens early and fills with people exercising, which is the version of it you will actually walk into.
- (sight) — your reservation is held for a morning slot, booked by us on a mainland number, so the afternoon train is never at risk. Bronzes, ceramics, Buddhist sculpture, calligraphy. Coming here on day twelve rather than day one is the point of the whole running order: you have already stood in front of most of what the cases are about.
- (transport) — the afternoon train south, your seat class written into your quote, your vehicle running hotel to station and station to hotel at both ends.
- (accommodation) Bellagio by MGM Shanghai on the Bund — Hotel stay in Shanghai.

##### Day 13: Back into today

- (sight) — pavilions, rockery, ponds and paths that turn back on themselves, inside the oldest quarter of Shanghai. This is the piece of the city that was here before the treaty port arrived, and after two weeks of imperial scale it is a relief to be somewhere built for one family.
- (sight) — arranged by material rather than by dynasty, which is why an hour here ties the route together: the bronze gallery holds the same century you walked through in Xi'an, and the ceramics run right up to the buildings outside the window. Your reservation is booked by us on a mainland number.
- (sight) — you walk the riverside after dark with your guide beside you the whole evening: the old bank buildings behind you, the Pudong towers lit across the water. Fourteen days ago you started in a city forty years old and did not know what to make of it. Now you are looking at the same argument across half a mile of river, and you know which bank came first. Standing here you'll feel the whole route close, in the order it was built to close.
- (note) — your guide stays with you on the waterfront all evening. Strangers who approach visitors on the Bund with an invitation to practice English or to see a tea ceremony are running a known scam, and your guide will steer you past it without a scene.

##### Day 14: Plane trees, then the airport

- (transport) — plane trees over low historic housing, small independent shops, laundry on a balcony above a coffee counter. You walk it slowly with your guide and stop wherever you want, which after thirteen days of timed reservations is the whole point of the last morning.
- (transport) — your driver runs you to the airport with margin built in for your flight time. If your flight is late in the day and the afternoon opens up, tell us and we arrange that gap around your check-out time rather than to a schedule.

## Daily plan

### Day 1 — Land in a forty-year-old city

Your driver meets your flight, whatever time it lands. Nothing is asked of you today.

- Airport pickup: your driver and vehicle are waiting for the flight number on your confirmation, and the run into the city is yours to sleep through.
- Shenzhen through the window: towers, then more towers, then a road built wider than the traffic on it. This is the city that opens the trip, and almost none of what you are looking at is older than your driver.
- 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: Shenzhen
- Meals: None included today

### Day 2 — Six floors of how things get made

The market first, because everything after this is older. Understand the newest thing in China on the day you have the least context for it.

- Huaqiangbei electronics market: you walk up through the floors with your guide, and the order of them is the lesson: loose components in trays at the bottom, prototype boards above, finished machines near the top. Stand at a stall counter while a buyer and a seller settle a bulk order in front of you, neither of them in any hurry, and look at the trays: the parts inside the thing you are holding right now are almost certainly on this floor.
- What you buy: anything you pick up on the floors is on your own account. Your guide tells you what a fair price looks like and we take no commission on any of it.
- Pace: the market is the day's one substantial thing. The afternoon stays loose on purpose, because you flew a long way yesterday.
- Stay: Shenzhen
- Meals: Breakfast at the hotel

### Day 3 — The city explains itself, then you leave

One exhibition in the morning, one flight after lunch. The last modern day for a while.

- Shenzhen urban planning exhibition: the exhibition the city keeps about its own planning and growth, and the cheapest possible way to hold forty years in your head before you go looking for six hundred. Your guide walks it with you and connects it back to yesterday's market floors.
- Fly to Chengdu: the afternoon flight is arranged and in your base price, with your own vehicle running hotel to airport at this end and airport to hotel at the other. The cabin class for your order is written into your quote.
- Arrive in Chengdu: nothing is scheduled after the flight. Three nights in one hotel start tonight, so the suitcase opens once.
- Stay: Chengdu
- Meals: Breakfast at the hotel

### Day 4 — Pandas early, then an afternoon with no next

Be at the panda base at the hour the pandas are awake. Then stop moving for the rest of the day.

- Chengdu panda base: the morning slot is the whole point: the pandas are generally more active early, and by late morning most of them are asleep in the same position. Flat shaded paths, about three hours, and your guide keeps to the enclosures where something is actually happening.
- Teahouse sitting in People's Park: a bamboo chair under the trees and one gaiwan (the lidded cup China brews in), refilled as long as you sit there. The next table is playing cards, the ear cleaner works down the row with his tuning fork, and nobody is going anywhere. Your seat and the refills are arranged; the ear cleaning and the massage stalls are yours to take or leave. Some time in the second hour you'll realize you have stopped checking how long this is supposed to take.
- Pace: this is the light day of the Chengdu block, and it is light on purpose. The afternoon has no second half planned for it.
- Stay: Chengdu
- Meals: Breakfast at the hotel

### Day 5 — A machine from the third century BC, still running

Out of Chengdu for the day and back the same evening. This is the day the route's argument arrives.

- Dujiangyan irrigation system: you stand on the dividing levee with the river coming at you and splitting around it: one channel to the plain, one to carry the flood away, no dam anywhere in the design. Built in the third century BC, and the fields behind you have been watered by it ever since. Your guide walks you through the three parts in order so the mechanism is legible on the ground rather than on a diagram.
- Mount Qingcheng: the mountain above the waterworks, one of the principal Taoist mountains in China and still a working religious site. You walk up through the temple buildings under the trees, and the sound level drops the higher you go.
- A conversation with a resident priest: you sit down with a Taoist priest who lives on the mountain, with your guide translating, and you can ask him what he actually does between morning and night. A tai chi session is part of the visit; whether it runs outdoors or indoors on your date is written into your quote.
- Back to Chengdu: the return transport is included and you sleep in the same Chengdu hotel tonight, so nothing gets packed.
- Stay: Chengdu
- Meals: Breakfast at the hotel

### Day 6 — Two sides of one street, then the train

A morning on the most restored street in Chengdu, an afternoon crossing to the Tang dynasty by rail.

- Kuanzhai Alley and Taikoo Li: three parallel lanes of restored courtyard frontage on one side, a new retail district built into the same grid on the other. It is busy and it is polished, and that is the point your guide makes with it: this is a Chinese city deciding, street by street, what to keep and what to rebuild. Stand where the old lane meets the new block and look both ways down the same line of paving.
- High-speed rail to Xi'an: the afternoon train runs north through the mountains out of the Sichuan basin, tunnel after tunnel, and it is a good three hours to sit still after two weeks of nothing but sitting still is not yet a habit. Your seat class is written into your quote; your vehicle runs hotel to station and station to hotel at both ends.
- Arrive in Xi'an: three nights in one hotel again. Nothing is scheduled tonight.
- Stay: Xi'an
- Meals: Breakfast at the hotel

### Day 7 — Eight thousand faces, none of them repeated

One site, one day, no second stop. Learn to read rank off a stranger who has been standing there for twenty-two centuries.

- The Terracotta Warriors: you come in above Pit One and the formation runs away from you down the length of the hall, an estimated eight thousand figures in all three pits. Your guide gives you the reading key first: armor plates, topknot position, the stance of the hands. After that the ranks separate on their own, and the generals stop being a caption and start being findable.
- The newer pits: in the more recently excavated areas some of the original pigment survives on the figures, which is the closest you get to seeing them the way they were buried.
- Crowds: this is one of the busiest sites in the country and we plan the day around the hours the pits are least crowded rather than around the coach schedule.
- Stay: Xi'an
- Meals: Breakfast at the hotel

### Day 8 — Up on the wall, then down into the noise

The whole old town from above in the afternoon, the same town from inside it after dark.

- Xi'an City Wall: you go up the ramp and the top of the wall opens out flat and wide, running away from you around the entire old town. Look inward from the parapet: the street grid below still follows the Tang-dynasty plan, and the modern city has simply filled it in. Your wall-top access is included and your guide picks the gate with the view you want.
- On the wall: bicycles are the usual way people cover the circuit, and bicycle hire is not part of your price. Whether bicycles are on hire on your date is written into your quote, and walking a section with your guide is the standing alternative either way.
- Bell and Drum Towers quarter after dark: the two towers once kept the city's time and opened and closed its gates; the streets under them now belong to the food stalls. You walk the quarter with your guide at the hour it fills up, and the stalls are yours to try, with your guide naming each thing before you commit to it.
- Stay: Xi'an
- Meals: Breakfast at the hotel

### Day 9 — A brick box for the books, then east

One pagoda in the morning, five hundred miles of plain in the afternoon.

- Giant Wild Goose Pagoda: the pagoda went up to hold the sutras a Tang-dynasty monk carried back from India, and it is still the plainest thing in a quarter that has grown ornate around it. Stand at the base and look straight up the brick tiers: no decoration, no color, just seven stories of storage for the books that changed what this country believed. Entry to the grounds and the cultural area is included; climbing the pagoda is a separate ticket and is not.
- High-speed rail to Beijing: the afternoon train crosses the North China plain at speed, flat land and winter wheat and power lines all the way. Your seat class is written into your quote, and your vehicle runs hotel to station and station to hotel at both ends.
- Arrive in Beijing: three nights in one hotel. Nothing is scheduled tonight, which matters, because tomorrow is the long one.
- Stay: Beijing
- Meals: Breakfast at the hotel

### Day 10 — One axis, six hundred years

Walk the palace in a single line, then climb the hill that shows you the line.

- The Forbidden City: your timed slot is booked ahead on a mainland number, so you go in on schedule. Inside you walk one axis: the ceremonial halls where the court did its business, the living quarters behind them, the imperial garden at the end, out through the north gate. Stand in the middle of the main courtyard and look back through the gates you came in by, one inside another, all the way out to the square.
- Pace: the palace is large and guests regularly say so, which is why the route is cut to that single line with places to sit, and why this day is never set on a Monday, when it closes.
- Jingshan Park: straight out of the north gate and up the hill made from the earth dug out of the moats. Twenty minutes of steps, and from the pavilion at the top the whole palace lies below you as one line of golden roofs running north to south through the middle of Beijing. This is where the morning turns from a lot of courtyards into a plan.
- Stay: Beijing
- Meals: Breakfast at the hotel

### Day 11 — The wall, and nothing else

A long drive out, a long stretch of wall, a long drive back. Today only has one thing in it on purpose.

- Drive out to Mutianyu: the run north out of Beijing takes a good part of the morning, and the private vehicle stays with you the whole day. This is the reason nothing else is scheduled: putting a second heavy thing on this day is how the wall gets rushed.
- Up to the wall: the arrangement for getting up and down inside the scenic area is written into your quote, because the cable car, the open chairlift and the toboggan run to their own fourth-quarter timetables and none of them is in your price. What is in your price is the ticket, the full-day vehicle and your guide.
- Along the ridge: you come out onto a restored stretch with watchtowers stepping away along the ridge in both directions. Your guide reads the wall to you: beacon towers, the pass below, why the sightlines run where they run. Stand in a tower doorway and look along the ridge with the towers going smaller: that is the photograph, and it is the same one from the fourth tower as from the first. Up here you'll find yourself talking more quietly than you were an hour ago.
- Stay: Beijing
- Meals: Breakfast at the hotel

### Day 12 — Round for heaven, square for earth, then south

Two Beijing mornings' worth of things in one morning, on purpose, because the train leaves after lunch.

- Temple of Heaven: three structures on one line, and the shapes carry the argument: round belongs to heaven, square belongs to earth. The emperor came here once a year to account for the harvest, and the park around it now opens early and fills with people exercising, which is the version of it you will actually walk into.
- National Museum of China: your reservation is held for a morning slot, booked by us on a mainland number, so the afternoon train is never at risk. Bronzes, ceramics, Buddhist sculpture, calligraphy. Coming here on day twelve rather than day one is the point of the whole running order: you have already stood in front of most of what the cases are about.
- High-speed rail to Shanghai: the afternoon train south, your seat class written into your quote, your vehicle running hotel to station and station to hotel at both ends.
- Stay: Shanghai
- Meals: Breakfast at the hotel

### Day 13 — Back into today

A garden older than the city around it, a museum that closes the loops, and a river with both answers on it.

- Yu Garden and the old city: pavilions, rockery, ponds and paths that turn back on themselves, inside the oldest quarter of Shanghai. This is the piece of the city that was here before the treaty port arrived, and after two weeks of imperial scale it is a relief to be somewhere built for one family.
- Shanghai Museum: arranged by material rather than by dynasty, which is why an hour here ties the route together: the bronze gallery holds the same century you walked through in Xi'an, and the ceramics run right up to the buildings outside the window. Your reservation is booked by us on a mainland number.
- The Bund and the Pudong skyline: you walk the riverside after dark with your guide beside you the whole evening: the old bank buildings behind you, the Pudong towers lit across the water. Fourteen days ago you started in a city forty years old and did not know what to make of it. Now you are looking at the same argument across half a mile of river, and you know which bank came first. Standing here you'll feel the whole route close, in the order it was built to close.
- Evening safety: your guide stays with you on the waterfront all evening. Strangers who approach visitors on the Bund with an invitation to practice English or to see a tea ceremony are running a known scam, and your guide will steer you past it without a scene.
- Stay: Shanghai
- Meals: Breakfast at the hotel

### Day 14 — Plane trees, then the airport

The last morning has nothing you have to see in it. That is the design.

- Former French Concession and Wukang Road: plane trees over low historic housing, small independent shops, laundry on a balcony above a coffee counter. You walk it slowly with your guide and stop wherever you want, which after thirteen days of timed reservations is the whole point of the last morning.
- Airport drop-off: your driver runs you to the airport with margin built in for your flight time. If your flight is late in the day and the afternoon opens up, tell us and we arrange that gap around your check-out time rather than to a schedule.
- 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

### 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

### 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

### Futian Shangri-La, Shenzhen

- City: Shenzhen
- Description: Located in Futian CBD, close to major landmarks and metro lines. Featuring 500+ elegant rooms and suites with exclusive Horizon Club services.
- Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/lNzYq6FP.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

### 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

### The Langham, Shenzhen

- City: Shenzhen
- Description: The Langham, Shenzhen is a luxury hotel in Futian CBD, featuring elegant rooms, fine dining, and premium facilities.
- Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/4S1F07e6.webp

## Included / Excluded

### What's Included

- Hotels: 13 nights at your chosen level, four-star, five-star or quality boutique, breakfast included: Shenzhen 2 · Chengdu 3 · Xi'an 3 · Beijing 3 · Shanghai 2
- Breakfasts: 13 hotel breakfasts, one on each of days two through fourteen
- Airport pickup and drop-off: Shenzhen airport pickup on day one, met on arrival, and Shanghai airport drop-off on day fourteen, both by private vehicle
- Domestic flight: One flight, Shenzhen to Chengdu on day three, in the base price. The cabin class for your order is stated in writing in your quote
- High-speed rail: Three legs in the base price: Chengdu to Xi'an on day six, Xi'an to Beijing on day nine, Beijing to Shanghai on day twelve. The seat class for your order is stated in writing in your quote
- Station and hotel transfers: Private vehicle between hotel and airport or rail station for all four intercity legs
- Private vehicle: Air-conditioned private vehicle with driver on every touring day listed on this page, in all five cities, including the full-day Great Wall round trip and the Dujiangyan day return from Chengdu
- Guide: Licensed English-speaking guide on every touring day in each city, including the Bell and Drum Towers quarter after dark on day eight and the whole Bund evening on day thirteen
- Tickets and experiences, Shenzhen: The guided Huaqiangbei market walk with the supply-chain commentary · entrance to the Shenzhen urban planning exhibition
- Tickets and experiences, Chengdu: Panda base morning entrance · one gaiwan tea seat per guest with refills in People's Park · the guided Kuanzhai Alley and Taikoo Li street walk
- Tickets and experiences, Dujiangyan: Dujiangyan irrigation system entrance · Mount Qingcheng mountain entrance and the arranged conversation with a resident Taoist priest
- Tickets and experiences, Xi'an: Terracotta Warriors entrance with on-site commentary by your guide · Xi'an City Wall top access · the guided Bell and Drum Towers quarter evening walk · Giant Wild Goose Pagoda grounds and cultural area
- Tickets and experiences, Beijing: The Forbidden City entrance with the timed reservation booked by us · Jingshan Park entrance · Mutianyu Great Wall scenic-area entrance · Temple of Heaven park and the three halls · National Museum of China entrance with the morning reservation booked by us
- Tickets and experiences, Shanghai: Yu Garden and the old city entrance · Shanghai Museum entrance with the timed reservation booked by us · the guided Bund and Pudong evening riverside walk · the former French Concession and Wukang Road morning walk
- Insurance: Travel accident insurance for every guest

### Not Included

- International flights: Flights into Shenzhen and out of Shanghai, including any third-city connection used to reach Shenzhen. Guests from the UK, the Nordic countries, Central Europe, Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand reach Shenzhen on a connecting itinerary, arranged and paid for by the guest. We check the arrival time against day one before confirming
- Visas: Visa fees and processing for any guest who needs a Chinese visa
- Lunches and dinners: All lunches and dinners are on your own account. Your guide recommends and books on request
- Separately ticketed items inside sites: Cable cars, open chairlifts, toboggan rides, shuttle buggies inside a park, climbing a pagoda or tower, special exhibitions and audio-guide hire. None of these is included on this route unless it is named in the table above
- Bicycle hire on the city wall: The wall-top access ticket is included; the bicycle itself is not
- Shopping in Huaqiangbei: The guided walk is included; anything you buy is on your own account, and we take no commission on it
- Stall services in People's Park: The tea seat and refills are included; ear cleaning, massage and the other stall services in the park are on your own account
- Optional add-ons: No priced optional add-on is offered on this route in this release. Nothing outside the included table is folded into the base plan
- Personal: Gratuities, single or extra-room difference, laundry, communications and 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: the four intercity legs booked against the actual fourth-quarter timetable with cabin and seat class named; a written answer from our ground partners on the three fourth-quarter outdoor items below; the national holiday week decision; and written confirmation from our Shenzhen partner on the day-one pickup and the day-three exhibition entry. Until those items are done we take no orders and no deposits. Tell us your dates and we write to you on the day it opens.
- Three outdoor items in the fourth quarter: at Mutianyu, the ticket and the full-day vehicle are in your price, while the cable car, the open chairlift and the toboggan are not in your price and are not promised. On the Xi'an City Wall, wall-top access is in your price, while bicycle hire is not, and walking a section is the standing alternative. On Mount Qingcheng, the mountain ticket and the conversation with the resident priest are in your price, while whether the tai chi session runs outdoors or indoors is not fixed in advance. In all three cases the arrangement for your departure date is stated in writing in your quote before you pay.
- A self-driving taxi ride on day two: a ride on a live commercial route is booked for day two and its cost sits inside your base price. We do not present it as a highlight of this trip, because its availability is not ours to promise: the operator can suspend service on the day and we would learn of it when you do. We book it against your dated itinerary in advance and re-check within 24 hours of your arrival in China. If it is not running, day two gets additional time in Huaqiangbei, or the Shenzhen urban planning exhibition moves up from day three. Both are already in your inclusions, so nothing that was named to you is lost, and no refund or surcharge arises.
- Departure dates: no departures between October 1 and October 7, the national holiday week, until the holiday-week plan and advance ticketing are settled. Saturday departures are not accepted either, because day ten would then fall on a Monday, when the Forbidden City closes; if you are set on a Saturday departure, day ten and day eleven swap places.
- Museum closing days: the Forbidden City closes on Mondays and the itinerary is built around that. For the National Museum of China, the Shanghai Museum and Temple of Heaven we check the closing days against each institution's own published calendar when your departure date is set, rather than assuming them here.
- Timed reservations: the Forbidden City, the National Museum of China and the Shanghai Museum all require a timed reservation, and the booking systems are difficult on a non-mainland phone number. We book all three on a mainland number using the details from your confirmation.
- Getting to Shenzhen: France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Greece have direct service into Shenzhen. The UK, the Nordic countries, Central Europe, Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand do not, or have only thin service, so guests from those markets reach Shenzhen on a connecting itinerary through a third city, arranged and paid for by the guest. We check that arrival time against day one before we confirm anything.
- 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 18, 2026 finish inside that window; later departure dates are quoted only after the official renewal is announced.
- Not sold to United States guests: two reasons, each sufficient on its own. Shenzhen has no direct service from the United States, so a US guest cannot reach this route's entry port without a connection we do not sell; and the US is not on the 30-day visa-free list, while 14 days is longer than the 10-day visa-free transit policy allows. A US enquiry is answered with an alternative route, not with a workaround on this one. Guests who entered China under the 10-day transit policy cannot take this trip either, for the same length reason, and we say so before payment.
- Group: Private, just your party. From 1 guest. No fixed maximum party size.
- 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 change and refund conditions. Worth knowing on this route: one domestic flight and three rail legs across five cities means a date change touches transport inventory as well as hotels and reservations.

## Is Fourteen Days Your Length?

Fewer than fourteen days?

### Fewer than fourteen days?

The five cities come apart cleanly. Beijing, Xi'an and Chengdu each stand on their own, the Shenzhen opening can go, and the Dujiangyan day return is the first thing we would cut rather than compress. Tell us your dates and who is coming, and we cut days rather than cut the pace.

## Good to Know

- Group: Private, just your party. From 1 guest. No fixed maximum party size.
- Pace: Five cities in 14 days: Shenzhen 2 nights, Chengdu 3, Xi'an 3, Beijing 3, Shanghai 2. Four travel afternoons carry the moving, one full day is given to the Great Wall alone, and day four is the light day
- Effort: Full touring days on foot with a private vehicle at every stop. The heaviest days are the Terracotta Warriors, the Forbidden City with Jingshan, and the Great Wall. Jingshan is about twenty minutes of steps; at Mutianyu the uphill and downhill arrangement is stated in your quote
- Ports: Shenzhen in, Shanghai out; airport pickup on day one and drop-off on day fourteen. Direct service into Shenzhen from France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Greece; other sellable markets connect through a third city, arranged by the guest
- Visas: France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, the UK, the Nordic countries, Central Europe, Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand enter visa-free for stays days, checked order by order against your dates. This route is not sold to United States guests
- Language: Licensed English-speaking guides throughout, city by city. The three timed reservations are booked by us on a mainland number
- Season: Selling window October to December 2026. No departures October 1 to 7; the three fourth-quarter outdoor arrangements are stated in writing in your quote before you pay
- 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

## 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.

### Why does a China trip start in Shenzhen? I have never heard of it.

Because the order is the point. Shenzhen is where China's electronics industry actually sits, and it looks nothing like it did forty years ago. Two days there gives you the country's newest version first, so that the Ming and Qing palace on day ten and the third-century-BC waterworks on day five land as answers rather than as scenery. If you would rather open on the Great Wall, say so and we will point you at a route that does; we would rather move you than talk you into an order you do not want.

### Fourteen days, five cities, one flight and three trains. Is that too much moving?

The moving is concentrated so the staying is not interrupted. Chengdu, Xi'an and Beijing are three nights each in one hotel, which is nine of your thirteen nights with the suitcase shut. Each transfer sits in an afternoon with a sight in the morning before it and nothing after it, and your own vehicle runs hotel to station or airport at both ends of every leg. The one domestic flight is on day three, early enough that jet lag is doing the work anyway.

### How do we get up the Great Wall in November?

At Mutianyu the ways up are a cable car, an open chairlift and a toboggan down, and all three run to their own fourth-quarter timetables set by the scenic-area operator, not by us. So none of them is inside your price and none of them is promised here. What is inside your price is the scenic-area ticket, the full-day private vehicle from central Beijing and back, and your guide for the whole day; and before you pay, your quote states in writing which uphill and downhill arrangement applies to your departure date. Whatever the answer, you get a restored stretch of wall with the watchtowers you can walk between, and a whole day with nothing else on it.

### Can I book this today?

Not yet, and we will not pretend otherwise. the remaining items have to be settled first: the four intercity legs booked against the real fourth-quarter timetable with cabin and seat class named, a written answer from our ground partners on the three fourth-quarter outdoor items, the national holiday week decision, Until those items are done we take no orders and no deposits. What you can do now is send us your dates and where you would fly from: we will tell you what is settled, what is not, and write to you on the day the route opens.

### Do we need a visa, and can we fly from the US?

Most guests on this route do not need a visa: French, German, Dutch, Belgian, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Greek, UK, Nordic, Central European, Irish, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand passports enter visa-free for stays days, and we check your 14 days plus any extra days in China against that window before you pay. The current policy runs through December 31, 2026, so departures on or before December 18, 2026 finish inside it. The US is different, and the answer there is no: this route is not sold to United States guests, because Shenzhen has no direct service from the United States and 14 days is longer than the 10-day transit policy allows. Write to us anyway and we will send you a route that does work from a US departure.