chinese museum wonders

Chinese Museum Wonders

Marco Polo and Company, Inc. Toll-free: 877-China77 www.China77.com

A CURATOR GUIDED TOUR OF CHINA'S FOREMOST EXHIBITIONS BEIJING - XIAN - HANGZHOU - GUILIN - SUZHOU - SHANGHAI - HONG KONG

September 7th – September 24th, 2014



9/7 Beijing • Arrive in Beijing, (and optionally: your guide will meet you at your gate and bring you through the

diplomatic channel at the immigration checkpoint).

• Take a private transfer to and check-in at the St. Regis Hotel (or similar).



9/8 Beijing • For anyone rising early, head to the Temple of Heaven Park early in the morning to view the

residents practicing Tai Chi and enjoy a private Tai Chi lesson as well. For all others, stay in the hotel until after breakfast.

• Visit the Forbidden City, and spend the morning walking through this picture-perfect city within a city, perfectly preserved and restored (including Shufangzhai & the Palace of Double Glory).

• Visit the China National Museum, one of China’s newest and grandest museums showcasing the full spectrum of art throughout all the dynasties.



9/9 Beijing • Drive to and tour the Badaling portion of the Great Wall (elevator to the top is available if

necessary).

• Drive back to Beijing and take a tour of the summer

palace in the morning, including a private boat ride on Kunming Lake.



9/10 Beijing • Start the day at the 798 Art Zone, considered the

epicenter of the modern art movement in China.

• Visit the Chinese Academy of Oil Painting Gallery.

• Visit the Gutao Museum, one of the best private

museums in China; displaying antique pottery pieces.



9/11 Beijing-Xian • Visit the tasteful Guanfu Museum (the first

private museum in China), including a tour given by the senior guide of the museum.

• Transfer to the airport and fly to Xian in the afternoon (1st class). • Transfer to and check-in at the Hilton Xian Hotel (or similar).



9/12 Xian • Drive to the amazing Terra Cotta Warriors. Nothing can prepare you for the experience of seeing

the amazing effort and skill that went into creating this vast army of full size warriors, horses, and chariots. Each face is different, based on real-life soldiers at the time. Each pose is different and each held real weapons. (VIP viewing platforms including the Kaijia Warriors & the Xiyong Warriors).

• Visit the Beilin Museum to view the ancient rock

carvings on display.



9/13 Xian-Hangzhou • After breakfast visit the Provincial Museum, one of the best in China, including a “white glove vault

visit” to see the items the public normally never have a chance to view. • Drive to and tour the Hangyangling Tomb, one of the newest discoveries in Xian, visit here after

your hotel check-out since it is located close to the airport.

• Transfer to the airport and fly to Hangzhou (1st class).

• Transfer to and check-in at the Four Seasons West Lake Hotel (or similar).



9/14 Hangzhou

• Start the tour here by visiting the Lingyin Temple; originally founded in 328 AD during the Eastern Jin Dynasty by the Indian monk Huili. Located in a very peaceful mountain setting.

• Southern Song Dynasty Guan Kiln Museum, one of

the best museums for viewing ancient pottery.

• Take a boat tour of the West Lake and walk along

the banks. This lake is revered throughout China as the most romantic location, full of history since this area was the seat of power for many rulers.



9/15 Hangzhou-Suzhou-Shanghai • Drive to Suzhou (~1.5 hours). • Take a tour of the Humble Administrator’s Garden.

This is a terrific way to begin the day in Suzhou since it is the most complete garden in the city. The physical size is impressive, and it is quite possible to spend an entire day wandering from section to section. The Banzai area is particularly impressive and is worth the time to spend on that feature.

• Drive to and tour the Suzhou Museum, famously designed by architect I.M. Pei.

• Drive to Shanghai and check-in at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel (or similar).



9/16 Shanghai • View it all from the top of the tallest building in China, the World

Financial Center. • Drive to the Yu Garden, for a

lunch and a short tour. This visit has two purposes, it is not just a terrific series of classical buildings and ponds but it also it the best souvenir shopping center in Shanghai.

• Take a walk down the DongTai Lu, many blocks of street-side stalls selling real (and fake) antiquities and oddities, the most interesting market in Shanghai.



9/17 Shanghai

• Walk around People’s Square and visit the Shanghai

museum. This is perhaps the most “modern” museum displaying ancient artifacts. Well-displayed and labeled exhibits, this is not “just another museum” (VIP tour).

• Zhouchangxing Microscopic Cavings Museum, one of the best (and only) places in the world to view this art.

• Tour the nearby Qibao old town, getting a

glimpse of the way life used to be in China.



9/18 Shanghai • Visit the Liuli China Museum, some of the best

pieces of glass art in China can be seen here.

• Tour Tian zi Fang nearby, with a plethora of small shops and interesting items.

• Tour Shanghai Zhendan Art Museum, another wonderful

private museum not normally seen by visiting tourists.



9/19 Shanghai-Guilin

• Visit the Museum of Contemporary Art, newly

constructed and also at People’s Square (Senior guide in Contemporary Art Museum).

• Transfer to the airport and fly to Guilin (1st class).

• Transfer to and check-in at the Shangri-la Hotel (or similar).



9/20 Guilin • Li river tour by private boat from

Guilin to Yangshuo, including a gourmet lunch on the boat prepared by chefs from the Sheraton Hotel. Enjoy in style the views of limestone hills, water buffalo grazing, rice terraces, and daily life along one of the most scenic rivers in the world.

• Enjoy a special cormorant fishing show, and watch in amazement as these birds do the fisherman’s bidding a retrieve fish after fish.

• Dinner and VIP seats at the beautiful outdoor light

show. • Drive back to the hotel in the evening.



9/21 Guilin-Hong Kong • Visit the Guilin Art Museum the only art museum in Guangxi

province and holding special treasures. • Transfer to the airport (~1 hour) • Fly to Hong Kong (1st class). • Arrive in HK, and transfer to and check-in at the Peninsula hotel (or similar).



9/22 Hong Kong

• Breakfast at the hotel. • Hong Kong Museum of Art.

• Visit the top antique market in Hong Kong and shop for authentic items to bring back home. • Transfer to Central and take the rail car up to

Victoria peak,; have lunch at the summit while looking out at the business and harbor area of Hong Kong.

• Walk and shop your way through the “Women’s” market stalls in the evening.



9/23 Macau • Breakfast at the hotel.

• Transfer to the Macau Ferry and take the Ferry to

Macau in the morning (helicopter to Macau optional). • Tour the Sam Ba Sing Tzik is the remaining front wall

of the Sacred Ruins of St Paul's Church.

• Lunch

• Senado square in Macau was built in 1918 to link Praia

Grande with the inner harbor. Senado square in Macau with an area of 3200 sqkm is the largest conjunction of streets. Well decorated and paved with a wave-patterned montage of colored stones, the public place is an exquisite specimen of Portuguese city planning.

• A-Ma Temple is the oldest temple in Macau. It was constructed in the year of 1488 of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) to commemorate Mazu, the sacred sea goddess who blesses the fishermen of Macau. • Take the Ferry back to Hong Kong (helicopter optional).



9/24 Hong Kong-USA • Breakfast at the hotel. • Transfer to the airport and fly to the U.S..

chinese museum wonders

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