14-Day Essential China from Hong Kong

Upon your arrival in Hong Kong, the most westernized city of China, your private tour guide will meet you and escort you to your hotel. The rest of the day is at your leisure.

Experience Hong Kong's unique blend of Chinese heritage and colonial air by the tours to the floating community of Aberdeen with sampan ride, Repulse Bay of Hong Kong Island, Stanley Market and the Victoria Peak (including one-way Peak Tram). The 1.5 hours' circle walking around Victoria Peak will offer you a stunning bird's eye view of the city.

Full free day for your own discovery.

You may like to take a taxi or the city metro to explore Kowloon Area, such as Wong Tai Sin Temple, Lui Seng Chun and Bird Garden; or just wander through some local markets to experience people's life, such as Flower Market, Goldfish Market and Ladies Market.

Free time until be transferred to the railway station for 3.5 hours' high-speed train to Guilin. On arrival, your private tour guide will pick you up and transfer you to your hotel. After check-in, you may like to do a little adventure around the hotel.

Today, you will take a Li River cruise down to Yangshuo and immerse yourself in the natural wonders of the unique Karsts landscape. Along the river, you will also pass by some small villages and some of them are popular to visitors because of their long history and unique folk customs.

Disembark the cruise in Yangshuo at around 1:30 pm to 2 pm (depends on the water condition), walk through the exotic West Street and then you will be transferred to your hotel in Yangshuo.

Take a join-in cooking class in the morning and learn to cook some popular local dishes. The class usually takes about 3 hours, in which you will be provided with the necessary ingredients and an English-speaking cooking master to conduct you for the cooking. When it finished, you will enjoy your works at lunch.

In the afternoon, take enjoyment in the beautiful countryside scenery formed by verdant hills, tranquil rice paddies, small villages and green waters.

Return to Guilin after breakfast where you will visit the Reed Flute Cave - a typical representative of Karsts topography decorated by colorful lights, and then stop at a nearby pearl store before heading to the airport for your flight to Xi'an.

Upon arrival, your personal guide and driver in Xi'an will be waiting for you.

Spend the morning to visit the legendary Terracotta Warriors and listen to the stories of this 2,000-year-old army and its master. Later on, have a short stop at Xi'an Art Ceramics Factory and then back to the city to visit the bustling Muslim Quarter and the active Great Mosque.

Morning tour the well-preserved Ancient City Wall and do some walking on the thickest wall in the world. In the afternoon, head to Beijing by 5 to 6 hours' high-speed train.

Start the city journey from Tiananmen Square - the most important landmark of the capital city Beijing, followed by the Forbidden City, which had been the seat of power from 1406 to 1912 for more than five hundred years. Finally, finish the day with the visit to the Temple of Heaven place that emperors prayed for a good harvest in the coming year.

Take 2 hours' driving to visit the less crowded Mutianyu Great Wall, where you can take a cable car up and do some moderate hiking on it to enjoy the majestic scenery. Afterward, visit Changling Tomb - one of the 13 emperors' tombs of the Ming Dynasty and then to a jade store before going back to the city.

Visit one of the most famous royal gardens in China - Summer Palace and then take 2 hours' flight to Shanghai. After arrival, your guide will pick you up and accompany you to your hotel.

The first-day exploration in Shanghai will start from the Bund, the famous landmark of Shanghai where is lined with historic colonial architecture; followed by Shanghai Museum and Yu Garden where you can trace back to the old and traditional Shanghai. After that, stop at a silk workshop and see how small cocoons become elegant smooth silk. End the day tour with a slow walking tour from Fuxing Park to Bugaoli Stone Gate and a local market. Sample some local snacks to satisfy your foodie's heart.

The farewell time now. Your tour guide and driver will pick you up at an appointed time and take you all the way the airport for your flight back home.