Day 1. Beijing (IM)
Welcome to Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK), the 2nd busiest airport in the world by passenger traffic. You will be greeted by our beijing tour guide and transferred to check in at your luxurious hotel where you are at your leisure to relax and enjoy the evening.

Day 2. Beijing (American Breakfast, Lunch, Special Dinner)
Beijing, the capital city, is also the second largest city in China with population of 17.4 million. Your full day tour begins at the Tiananmen Square (Gate of Heavenly Peace). It is one of the largest public squares in the world, and contains the Monument to the People's Heroes, the Great Hall of the People, the Museum of History and Revolution, and the Chairman Mao Zedong Memorial Hall (with Mao's embalmed body). Next, you will tour the Forbidden City (Gu Gong or The Imperial Palaces), which is the imperial palace for Ming and Qing emperors for 500 years. The Third Ming Emperor YongLe moved the capital of China to Beijing in early 1400. UNESCO cited "The Imperial Palaces provide outstanding examples of the greatest palatial architectural ensembles in China".Summer Palace is described by UNESCO as "a masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design". Later you can enjoy a walk along Lake Kunming. After a day-long sightseeing, it's time to fill your stomach with a fabulous Peking Duck Banquet (Kao Ya). You'll be served with carved crispy duck skins. Roll it up in small tortilla slice with cucumber, onion, and special sauce to give you a mouthwatering experience that you won't forget.

Day 3. Beijing (AB, L, D)
The Great Wall of China(Chang Cheng), another world heritage site, is also considered to be one of the new seven wonders of the world. It is the dream destination for millions of Chinese and people around the world to fulfill the famous Chinese saying "One cannot be a successful person without a visit to the Great Wall of China". A stone monument can be found on site with the late Chairman Mao's inscription of the same phrase in Chinese. You can hike along the Badaling Pass of the Great Wall, where President Richard Nixon and his wife visited on February 24, 1972, during his historic journey to China. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant followed by a visit to the historic Hutong and Alley (Hu Tong) of Beijing old town. Here you can sense the many different sights and sounds of historic Beijing. You can take a walk along the World Trade Street and later watch the 'Legend of Kungfu'show.

Day 4. Beijing (AB)
Today, you can explore the Capital city of China on your own. An optional tour is available to visit Tianjin. 'Tianjin-one-day-tour' - Tianjin is the sixth largest city of China, only 30 minutes away from Beijing by Maglev-Train. Tianjin has several famous snack items. Goubuli is a traditional brand of steamed buns with tasty flavor filling that is famous throughout China. Guifaxiang is a traditional brand of mahua (twisted dough sticks). Visit Ancient Culture Street, this 580-meter-long street is full of Qing Dynasty style Architectures. Head back to Beijing after the stop atYangliuqing (Green Willows) Museum, which is famous for its popular Chinese New Year-themed, traditional-style, colorful Wash Paintings. (Only $89 per person, includes lunch and dinner)

Day 5. Beijing-Urumqi (AB, L, D)
Leave Beijing for Urumqi in the morning, Urumqi is the capital of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Upon arrival you are going to the biggest local market - BAZA. A roast lamb dinner banquet will be served in the evening.

Day 6. Urumqi (AB, L, D)
Visit the Lake of Heaven (include the pleasure boat) after breakfast, which is at an elevation of 6435 feet above sea level. It is a beautiful highland lake, flanked by rugged pines and cypresses, and with clear waters that reflect the surrounding mountains. In winter, it provides an ideal alpine skating rink. Afterwards visit the Hill of Heaven Grassland. Back to the City afternoon, and visit the grand opening Xinjiang Regional Museum.

Day 7. Urumqi-Turpan (AB, L, D)
After breakfast, take motor coach to Turpan, a Uighur town set in a large oasis surrounded by desert and dry mountains. Upon arrival visit the mysterious Gaochang Ruins, which reveals traces of a prosperous ancient trading center and military stronghold. There are thousands Karez Underground Irrigation Channels all around Turpan, the total distance is about 5000 km. In the late afternoon, please enjoy the Uyghur Minority Folk show. Afterwards there is a Uyghur Family Visit.

Day 8. Turpan-Dunhuang (AB, L, D)
Turpan is famous throughout China for its big and sweet grapes, visit the Grape Valley. Before taking the Soft Sleeper Overnight Train to Dunhuang, you will visit Jiaohu Ruins on the way. (Night Train)

Day 9. Dunhuang (AB, L, D)
You will arrival Dunhuang in the early morning. During the Han and Tang dynasties, Dunhuang was a major point of interchange between China and the outside world, a stopping-off post for both incoming and outgoing trading caravans. Visit the Singing Sand Mountains, Crescent Moon Lake.

Day 10. Dunhuang(AB, L, SD)
Visit the Mogao Caves- the World Art Treasure House. It is the world's most important sites of ancient Buddhist culture. The grottoes, also know as Caves of the Thousand Buddha, preserve nearly a thousand years of Buddhist cave-temple architecture, clay sculpture, mural paintings, and manuscripts, dating from the 5th to the 14th centuries. The Mogao Grottoes are carved into desert cliffs overlooking a river valley about 25 km southwest of Dunhuang. The caves vary enormously in size, from tiny single-room cells that served as living quarters for individual monks to huge, cavernous worship halls housing monumental sculptures and mural cycles. Enjoy the local cuisine dinner and the singing and dancing show.

Day 11. Dunhuang- Jiayuguan- Lanzhou (AB, L, D)
Take about 4 hours driving to Jiayuguan. Jiayuguan Fort is the first pass at the west end of the Great Wall of China. The pass is also known by the name the "First and Greatest Pass under Heaven". Afterwards you will visit Overhanging Great Wall, the Overhanging Great Wall is an important part of the defensive work of Jiayuguan Pass. It was built in the year 1539 during the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644) in order to strengthen the defensive capability of the Jiayuguan area. After dinner, you will take soft sleeper overnight train to the capital of Gansu Province-Lanzhou. (Night Train)

Day 12. Lanzhou-Xi'an (AB, L, SD)
Arrival in Lanzhou in the morning, upon arrival you will visit Liujiaxia Dam. And then take boat to Yongjing County to visit the Bingling Grottoes. Bingliing is a Tibetan term meaning ten thousand Buddha. Now about 183 caves with 694 stone sculptures, 82 clay figures and 900 square meters of murals have been preserved. The statues are all with different postures and facial expressions. Taking a tour to the Zhongshan Iron Bridge, this is the first bridge on the Yellow River. Enjoy the well-know local Flavor Dinner. You will fly to Xi'an in the end of the day.

Day 13. Xian (AB, L, SD)
Xian, the former capital of many Chinese dynasties, has a rich history dating back thousands of years. Even in the prehistoric era, it is believed that the Lantian man lived here 500,000 years ago. The first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, unified China in 201 BC and made significant influence in Chinese history. When he died, an entire Terra Cotta Army was buried with the emperor in the mausoleum. It was well documented by Chinese historian about this mausoleum, but it wasn't until 1974 that this site was uncovered serendipitously by a team of farmers. This became one of the greatest archeological discoveries in history. You will visit the Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses Museum (Bing Ma Yong). It's known as the 8th miracle in the world. The whole mausoleum is like a cultural treasure vault with large collections of relics. After a stop at the Bell Tower, you can enjoy an Imperial Dumpling Banquet (Jiao Zi) and shortly after watch the world famous Tang Dynasty Stage Show.

Day 14. Xi'an/Shanghai (AB, SL, D)
Your visit to Xian is not complete without a visit to the Ancient City Wall (Cheng Qiang). Xi'an's 14th-century wall is one of the most complete city walls in China and certainly one of the best examples from the Ming dynasty. You may practice Tai Chi or ride a bike to enjoy the scenery. After the morning exercise you'll depart Xian for Shanghai by air. To fulfill your craving for western food, you will be offered some western style hamburgers for lunch today. visit the famous Bund (Wai Tan) upon arrival. Shanghai is divided by the Huang Pu River into eastern and western sections. Modern mega high rises are seen on the eastern side while traditional European style architecture may be seen on the western side. The Bund is a five-block riverfront promenade with many of Shanghai's banks and trading houses. You will enjoy the world famous Acrobatic Show tonight.

Day 15. Shanghai (AB, L, SD)
Shanghai is a shopping haven, it is well known for varieties and low price for many novelty items. Today, the city tour starts with a visit to Shanghai Old Street (Cheng Huang Miao shopping mall). You can also experience the bustling shopping district of Nanjing Road and People's Square and use your bargaining skills to acquire memento for this visit. After shopping, spend some free time at Shanghai Museum. With special exhibits and a collection of 120,000 precious works of art, this has become a favorite destination for tourists and local people. You can easily spend a few hours to examine its rich and high-quality collection of ancient Chinese bronze, ceramics, painting and calligraphy. Tonight you will have local Shanghai Cuisine as farewell dinner party.

Day 16. Shanghai/Hometown (AB)
Transfer to the airport for your flight home, or begin optional Post-Trip Extension.