7-Day Unique China by Bullet Train: Beijing and Xian Tour

7-Day Unique China by Bullet Train: Beijing and Xian Tour Highlights

Price Per Person

Notes:

Day 1 Arrive in Beijing

Meals: N/A

Accommodation: Holiday Inn Express Beijing Temple of Heaven  or similar

When you arrive in the capital city of China, you will be greeted by your friendly guide who will escort you to your hotel. You will settle into your hotel for the night. Enjoy free time on your own.

Day 2 Beijing

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, & Peking Roast Duck Dinner

Accommodation: Holiday Inn Express Beijing Temple of Heaven  or similar

The history of Beijing can be traced back to 3000 years ago. It was then known as Ji, a city-state from the 11th century to 7th century BC. Ji was conquered by the State of Yan and was renamed as "Yanjin". Beijing’s glory starts from the early Ming Dynasty when Emperor Yongle decided to establish it as the capital city of the empire. Thereafter, Beijing has served as China’s capital for around 600 years. The rapidly developing economy has seen portions of its historical sections give way to modernity. Howevr, there are still many places where travelers can get a glimpse of the city’s ancient past.

In the morning, you will be transferred to the suburb of Beijing to visit a less-traveled section of the Great Wall, the Mutianyu Great Wall. You will spend some time walking on the wall, taking pictures, and admiring the might and grandeur of the Great Wall. It is difficult to actually imagine that this feat of engineering was created by human hands. The construction of the Great Wall started as early as the Spring and Autumn Period. During that time and the following Warring States period, different states such as the Qin, Wei, and Zhao built several walls to defend their own borders. At the end of the Warring States period, Ying Zheng, King of the Qin State, conquered his opponents and united China again as a great empire. He joined the walls together. Since then, the Great Wall has been rebuilt and greatly enlarged. The current wall was mainly built during the Ming Dynasty.

In the afternoon, you will continue to explore the Ming Tombs to learn more about that period of history. In total, 13 emperors from the Ming Dynasty were buried here, together with their empresses and concubines. You will visit Changling, the tomb of Emperor Yongle, who built the Forbidden City. The tomb is not excavated so you will visit the on-site museum which houses many artifacts unearthed from another tomb, Dingling. Afterward, you will be driven back to Beijing.

Before returning to your hotel, you will enjoy a hearty Peking Roast Duck dinner at one of the famous Quanjude Restaurants, a time-honored brand for the iconic dish.

Day 3 Beijing

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: Holiday Inn Express Beijing Temple of Heaven  or similar

Your adventure begins in Tiananmen Square in the center of Beijing. It is an important meeting place for political events. The square is lined with many buildings such as the Monument to the People's Heroes, the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong, the Great Hall of the People, and the National Museum of China. Each morning, the five-star red flag, China’s national flag, is raised here with the rising sun.

Next on the tour, is the nearby Forbidden City, the imperial palace of both the Ming and Qing Dynasties, which was off-limits to commoners in the past. Construction of the Forbidden City started in 1406 and ended in 1420, under the reign of Emperor Yongle. In total, 24 emperors together with their households have resided here. Most of them were born and raised here, came to the throne and worked diligently to rule the country, and finally died here. You will visit the main palaces, the imperial garden, the treasure gallery, and the clock and watch exhibition hall.

Next on the itinerary, is another landmark of Beijing, the Temple of Heaven. It was built at the same time as the Forbidden City by Emperor Yongle. In ancient China, the emperors claimed themselves as the son of Heaven, thus ruling the country on behalf of gods in heaven. The temple was built to hold sacrificing ceremonies to show respect to the gods and pray for good harvests.

At night, you will enjoy sampling tea and watching a series of performances including an acrobatic show, Peking Opera, Face Changing, etc., all in short snippets at Laoshe Tea House.

Day 4 Beijing/Xian by Bullet Train

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: Grand Noble Hotel Xian  or similar

This morning you will take a leisurely tour of the Summer Palace, which was built in 1764 by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty for his mother’s 60th birthday. Severely damaged during the Second Opium War in 1860, the palace was restored in 1888 by Empress Dowager Cixi with funds originally planned for upgrading the navy. Cixi (1835-1908) was a concubine of Emperor Xianfeng. After the emperor’s death in 1861, her son succeeded to the throne at the age of 6, as Emperor Tongzhi. Cixi thereafter became the empress dowager and the actual regent in late Qing Dynasty who controlled the government for around 47 years until her death. Occasionally she came to the Summer Palace for respite from the heat.

You will then be transferred to the railway station for the high-speed train to Xian. The high-speed train is very modern, fast and comfortable. Before it was in use, it took more than 11 hours to travel from Beijing to Xian by normal train. Now the fastest high-speed train takes about 4 hours 25 minutes. When you arrive in Xian, you will be transferred to the hotel.

Day 5 Xian

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: Grand Noble Hotel Xian  or similar

There is an interesting saying which goes that people come to Beijing to see bricks (palaces, the Great Wall, etc.) and they come to Xian to see tombs. As the capital of 13 Chinese dynasties, many emperors, empresses, princes,  and princesses were buried in Xian.

You will kick off the day with a tour of one of the most important tombs, the Terracotta Warriors. These life-sized terracotta warriors, chariots and horses were discovered in 1976 by local farmers who were digging a well, after being hidden underground for around 2000 years. They were built by Ying Zheng (259BC-210BC), King of Qin State, later known as Emperor Qin Shihuang (秦始皇) of Qin Dynasty (221BC-207BC), as a part of his mausoleum after he came to the throne in 246BC. He believed the terracotta army could protect him in his afterlife. These clay warriors have different uniforms, hairstyles, and even facial expressions. This incredible archaeological finding is surely one of the manmade wonders of the world.

Return to Xian afterward, and take a leisurely walk along the Ancient City Wall which was built during the Tang Dynasty (618AD-907AD). It is the most complete city wall in China. It encircles the inner city of Xian and its perimeter is 13km. Then you will move on to the largest Muslim Quarter in Xian. You will go through the narrow alleys lined with bustling markets, food stalls, and restaurants. It is the most famous food street in Xian and you can taste various local snacks and delicacies.

Day 6 Xian/Beijing by Bullet Train

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: Holiday Inn Express Beijing Temple of Heaven  or similar

This morning, you will travel to the Shaanxi History Museum which has a large collection of ancient relics and is one of the best museums in China.

Then you will pay a visit to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, which was built in 652 A.D. during the Tang Dynasty to restore the Buddhist scriptures brought by the famous Monk Xuanzang. The story had been rewritten into a famous classic novel, The Journey to West.

After that, you will be dropped off at the railway station and take the high-speed train back to Beijing. When you arrive in Beijing, you will be transferred to the hotel.

Day 7 Depart from Beijing

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: N/A

Enjoy some free time to explore until being transferred to the airport for your departing flight. Thus, ending this incredible tour of China by bullet train.