Scenic China: Pingyao, Longsheng, Huangshan & More

Upon arrival at Beijing, transfer to your hotel for check-in.

Remainder of the day is free at leisure.

Transfer to morning flight flying to Taiyuan, the capital of Shanxi Province. It is reputed as a colorful and glorious Taiyuan City since the ancient time.

Upon arrival Taiyuan, visit the Jinci Temple, an ancient ancestral temple, was founded about 1400 years ago, resulting in a variety of architectural styles. The Hall of the Holy Mother, the most famous building at Jinci, completed in 1032 and with carved wooden dragons coiled around the eight pillars that support its upward-curving double-eave roof.

After lunch at local restaurant, drive to Pingyao (approx. 1.5 hours driving) and transfer to hotel for check-in. Dinner is at hotel.

Enjoy a full exploration to Pingyao Ancient Town which had been emerged gradually along with the city wall during the Zhou Dynasty in 11th century - 256 BC. It is the only ancient town in China completely reserved as it was hundreds of years ago without any modern architecture, but only the narrow street flanking with Chinese shops in old style and the road plated with the original stone. Pingyao still retains its city layout from the Ming and Qing dynasties, conforming to a typical Ba Gua pattern.

Have a local lunch and dinner in the ancient town.

Drive back to Taiyuan, en route visit the Chang Family Compound. Built over several generations by a wealthy merchant family to house the many branches of this successful clan, the Chang Family Compound it is a splendid group of constructions of northern folk houses in Qing Dynasty. Strolling in the compound, you can easily figure out the living area of this big family consisting of the grey streets, stone roads, decorated archways, quadrangles and stages. Although the owners are gone and only the empty buildings remain, you can still be blessed in this place with a feel for the history and the culture.

Transfer to airport for flight flying to Guilin. Upon arrival at Guilin, transfer to your hotel for check-in. Remainder of the day is free at leisure with dinner on own.

Start the morning cruise down the lovely Li River and appreciate the unfurling of this ethereal landscape painting with new vistas at each turn. The peaceful limpid water and otherworldly limestone Karst formations that were at the bottom of the sea hundreds of millions of years ago come together to form unforgettable panoramas. Lunch is served onboard.

Disembark in Yangshuo, where the most stunning scenes of the river vie for attention. Visit the local villages and rice paddies, walking through the famous West Street.

Drive back to Guilin and evening is free at leisure with dinner on own.

Start the morning to visit Reed Flute Caves, also known as "the Palace of Natural Arts", is a natural limestone cave with multicolored lighting and has been one of Guilin's most interesting attractions for over 1200 years. Then drive to Longsheng (approx. 1.5 hours driving). Upon arrival at Longsheng, transfer to hotel for check in. Afternoon guided walking on top of the Mountain to view the rice terraces, where you will find the villages are surrounded by the stunning paddy terraces built in the hillsides. It is really an unique scenery.

Have a lunch at local restaurant and dinner at hotel.

Morning continue the exploration on top of the Mountain. The Rice Terraces in Longji village show a picture of great momentum and imposing beauty, being reputed as having no match in the world. With a history of more than 700 years, the area is still being used for growing premium quality rice by Yao and Zhuang villagers. The rice terraces are built into the hillsides and look like great steps cut into the slopes as they wind around the mountainsides. This ingenious construction makes best use of the scarce arable land and water resources in the mountainous area.

After lunch at local restaurant, drive back to Guilin Airport (approx. 1 hour driving) for flight to Hangzhou

Arrive Hangzhou, transfer to your hotel for check-in. Reminder of the day is free with leisure with dinner on own.

Morning visit the Gushan Hill, got this name because it is surrounded by water, standing solitarily in West Lake, it is the lowest summit, compared to other hills around West Lake, but it is also the biggest island in the lake, and the only natural island as well. Head to visit Guozhuang Park, the whole village covers an area of ten thousand square meters, manor by the Lake's scenery, with the West Lake landscape integration, known as "West Lake, the highest classical gardens."

Explore the West Lake with private sampan ride on the lake. It is a like a shining pearl inlaid on the vast land of China, reputed for beautiful scenery, a multitude of historical sites, brilliant cultural relics, and a profusion of native products. Drive to Dragon Well Tea Plantation, with its idyllic beauty, the tea farmer will take you to the mountain area and you will be impressed by the tea terraces of high and low hill-slops. Visiting the tea farmer's house, enjoying the local tea ceremony and have a lunch there.

Then continue visit Lingyin Monastery, one of the top ten most famous ancient Buddhist monasteries in China, also one of the largest and wealthiest Buddhist temples in China, and contains numerous pagodas and Buddhist grottoes. Evening is free at leisure with dinner on own.

Morning drive to Huangshan, check in at your hotel. Afternoon visit the Museum of Huizhou Folk Architecture and Ink Factory. Late afternoon exploration the Laojie Street. This street was built more than 1000 years ago and today has developed into a historic and commercial street which is 823-meter-long and 5-8 meter-wide. It is one of the best-kept old streets in China and was elected as one of "Ten Historic and Cultural Street of China" in 2009.

Full day excursion to visit Yi County. Spend the whole day visiting the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Xidi Village. Situated in the rich green and sparkling waters of surrounding rice paddies, the village appears just as it did centuries ago. You can feel the authenticity of the rural life as you wander the stone lanes on pathways between towering vertical walls that at times narrow to shoulder width. Xidi Village dates to 900AD. Picturesquely ringed by hills, it is known as "a village in a Chinese painting."

And tour the quiet Pingshan Village with centuries old Huizhou architecture. This is one of oldest villages with the most historic buildings preserved. A Song dynasty temple (950AD) still stand close to exquisite family temples of Ming and Qing dynasties. A movie producer restored an ancient courtyard into a boutique inn with a trendy theme bar and cafe.

Continue to visit Hongcun Village, is an ancient village with a history of 400 to 500 years, the original residential style and features of the Ming and Qing Dynasties were preserved perfectly there. It was inscribed into the list of the World Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2000. The village has a cattle-like plan, a stream passes by every door in the village like a cattle's gut, a semi-lunar pond looks like the cattle's stomach, and the four bridges over the stream from the cattle's feet. With marbled ground, black tiles, fresh red lanterns, elaborate woodcarvings and amazingly comprehensive water system, it is known as 'the folk imperial palaces'. It is an architectural miracle constructed by the ancient people in accordance with the bionics. Evening is free at leisure with dinner on own.

Today, transfer to Anhui's crown jewels, the incomparable Yellow Mountain, cable car up to the summit and check in at hotel. Because these mountain tops are often above cloud level they offer intriguing natural light effects as well as views of the clouds from above, including the famed Sea of Clouds phenomena. The staggering beauty of granite precipices emerging from fog banks has inspired Chinese artists for centuries. Walk forty minutes to your hotel and check into modest, yet adequate rooms. Vistas of amazing beauty lie a few minutes from the hotel. Every direction offers a unique view as can be gathered from the scenic names of the Nine Dragons, Daoist Priest, Ox Nose, and Hunchback. Choose between short strolls on nearby paths or longer hikes along the summit ridge.

Have the lunch and dinner at hotel.

Continue walking tour of Yellow Mountain. After lunch cable car down and visit the Chengkan Village in She County. The village is famous for its well-preserved and amazingly designed residential architecture of Ming Dynasty. Streams flowing through, eight mountains circle around, the ancient village integrated the featured Hui style houses (white wall and gray tiles) with green hills and clear streams, making a perfectly natural and man-made patterns of Eight Trigramkan.

Dinner at a local restaurant before flying back to Shanghai in the evening. Arrive Shanghai, transfer to your hotel for check-in.

Departure transfer for your onward flight.