SX4D3N-SXPY-322
4Days\3 Nights
Datong and Pingyao preserve the essence of Shanxi's history and culture and can be enjoyed in just 4 days. From Datong to the ancient city of Pingyao, you will retrace your steps to discover ancient architectural wonders, learn about history, and enjoy the splendid Buddhist culture and art at the Yungang Grottoes and Hanging Temple. This is a fusion exploration of world heritage sites from different dynasties in this legendary land in the hinterland of northern China. You will also experience the bullet train from Datong to Pingyao
Attractions: Yungang Grottoes, Nine Dragon Screen Wall, Huayan Temple
Meal: Not Included
Hotel: Overnight in Datong
Welcome to Datong! You will be greeted by local tour guide at Datong Yungang Airport or Datong South Railway Station or your hotel directly.
Today, you will drive about 50 minutes (23 kilometers) to Yungang Grottoes,which are renowned for their grand scale and artistic excellence, and are one of the treasures of ancient Chinese cave art. It boasts dozens of caves with a large number of Buddha statues, murals and reliefs carved inside, demonstrating the development and prosperity of Chinese Buddhist art. The Yungang Grottoes are listed as a World Heritage Site and are regarded as one of the masterpieces of northern China's grottoes.
In the afternoon, drive back to Datong city to visit Nine Dragon Screen Wall, made of colorful glazed tiles and depicting nine dragons. It was served as a temple's spirit wall placed in the entrance to inhibit the evil spirit's coming. Now it is the biggest and oldest glazed dragon wall in China. Next, you will visit Huayan Temple - is also one of the famous Buddhist Zen temples, attracting many believers and tourists to worship and practice. Inside the temple, you can enjoy the magnificent view of the ancient architecture and feel the solemn atmosphere of Buddhist culture.
Stay overnight in Datong.
Attractions: Hanging Temple, Yingxian Wooden Pagoda
Meal: Not Included
Hotel: Overnight in Pingyao
After breakfast, you will move to Hanging Temple, after 1.5 hours' driving (80 km). This temple is famous for its special architecture, which is situated on a steep canyon wall and appears to be hanging in the air, giving it a feeling like a flying pavilion in the sky. The Hanging Temple was built in 491 A.D. and has a history of more than 1,500 years. The temple preserves a wealth of cultural relics and ancient Buddhist artifacts, including Buddha statues, murals, and sutra scrolls. Visitors can climb up the canyon to view the temple's breathtaking scenery and experience the unique religious atmosphere.
After the exciting experience in Hanging Temple, drive 1 hour to Yingxian Wooden Pagoda. It is one of the oldest surviving and fully functional wooden pagodas in China, built in 952 AD, almost a thousand years ago. The pagoda is 32.84 meters high, has nine floors, and consists of mortise and tenon construction without the use of a single nail. The pagoda enshrines Buddha statues and scriptures and is decorated with beautiful wood carvings and colorful paintings.
After the tour, drive to the train station to catch your high speed train to Pingyao (about 3hrs). You will be picked up by local tour guide and escorted to check in to your hotel. The rest of today is free for you to explore the ancient city of Pingyao.
Attractions: Pingyao Ancient City, Ancient City Wall of Pingyao, Rishengchang Former Bank, Ming and Qing Street,Temple of City God, Shuanglin Temple
Meal: Not Included
Hotel: Overnight in Pingyao
After breakfast, your guide will pick you up to start Pingyao Ancient City exploration.Your tour starts from the Ancient City Wall of Pingyao, The Ancient City Wall of Pingyao is one of the earliest surviving city walls in China and an important historical and cultural site and tourist attraction. Then you will move on to the Rishengchang Former Bank. It was the meeting place of the ancient Chamber of Commerce for business exchanges and deliberation of important matters. The Rishengchang is a magnificent and imposing building, showcasing the architectural style and city culture of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Later, visit the Temple of City God to appreciate the wonderful wood carvings, paintings and sculptures in the old temple.
After Pingyao Ancient City exploration, drive about 15 minutes to visit Shuanglin Temple. It gets its name from the two sky-high ancient pines in the temple, which look like a pair of unique forest trees. The Shuanglin Temple preserves numerous ancient architectural and artistic treasures, including the mountain gate, the Daxiongbao Hall, the Tibetan scripture building and the Lohan Hall.
Return to your hotel after Shuanglin Temple visit.Optional activity:Enjoy the excellent drama show of Another Glance at Pingyao (19:00~20:30) which presents local life, prosperity and recession of Pingyao during Qing dynasty vividly.
Attractions: Zhangbi Ancient Castle, Wang's Family Compound
Meal: Not Included
Hotel: Not Included
After breakfast, drive about 1 hour to Zhangbi Ancient Castle, which is a series of tunnels dug to hide out in times of war in over 1380 years ago. You will be amazed by the fabulous feat of architecture and engineering in ancient time.
Later, move to Wang's Family Compound which covers an area of 22,000 square meters and is divided into three courtyards, the front, middle and back, with a total of more than 400 houses, including the main hall, compartments and courtyards. The architectural style of the compound is influenced by the cultures of many ethnic groups, including Han, Hui and Tibetan, and blends the Han-Tibetan style and northwest architectural features. The compound is beautifully decorated with paintings, carvings and colorful drawings, demonstrating the architectural art and lifestyle of the Ming and Qing dynasties.
After visiting, your local guide will escort you to Airport / Railway Station to catch your flight / train to next destination.
+Day 1 Beijing Arrival Attractions: No Meal: Not Included Hotel: Overnight in Beijing Upon arrival at the Beijing airport or train station, your guide will pick you up and transfer you to your hotel in Beijing. The rest of the time is free. +Day 2 Beijing Travel Guide Attractions: Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Shichahai, Hutong Meal: Not Included Hotel: Overnight in Beijing Early in the morning, start your tour with the visit to Tiananmen Square (40 minutes sightseeing). It is the largest city square in the world, covering an area of 440,000 square metres and can accommodate 1 million people. Tiananmen Square is surrounded by many famous historical and cultural attractions, such as the Tiananmen Square Citadel, Chairman Mao's Memorial Hall Monument to the People's Heroes, the Great Hall of the People, and the National Museum. The grand flag-raising and flag-lowering ceremonies held in Tiananmen Square attract countless Chinese and foreign tourists every day. Then move on to the Forbidden City (2 hours visit), the last imperial palace in China, is the centralised presentation of imperial culture in traditional Chinese culture in architectural form, the three-dimensional, symbolic and pictorial representation of Chinese imperial culture, and the high degree of unity between Chinese imperial culture and ancient Chinese architecture culture. This afternoon we will spend at Shichahai, a national 4A-level tourist attraction, is located in Xicheng District, the centre of Beijing, adjacent to the central axis of the city. With a water area of 336,000 square metres, Shichahai is the largest and most well-preserved piece of historical district in Beijing, and occupies a unique position in the history of the city's planning and construction. Today’s trip will end at Beijing Hutong. Walking in it, there are places of interest everywhere, and a closer look is like an encyclopaedia of Beijing, and many of the bricks and tiles in the hutongs have a history of hundreds of years. End of today’s sightseeing, transferred back to your hotel. +Day 3 Beijing Travel Guide Attractions: Mutianyu Great Wall or Badaling Great Wall and Ming 13 Tomb,Bird Nest, Water Cube Meal: Not Included Hotel: Overnight in Beijing This morning head to Mutianyu Great Wall or Badaling Great Wall and Ming 13 Tomb.The Mutianyu Great Wall is connected to the Juyongguan Great Wall in the west and the Gubeikou Great Wall in the east, which has been the military stronghold guarding Beijing since ancient times, and is known as the "Dangerous Ridge Pass". For the other option, Morning excursion to the Great Wall and Ming 13 Tomb - Badaling Great Wall is the most famous section of the Great Wall. You can choose to take a cable car or hike to the top. Taking the cable car will save you more time and energy, and you will be able to get a great view of the Great Wall from the top. However, the hiking option will allow you to enjoy more of the scenery on the way up, depending on your choice. Be sure to let your guide know your choice when you arrive. Affter tourring in Badaling Great Wall, head to Ming Tomb. The mausoleum area is surrounded by mountains, with a plain in the centre and a small river twisting and winding in front of the mausoleum. Currently open attractions include the Divine Path, Changling Mausoleum, Dingling Mausoleum and Zhaoling Mausoleum. Characterised by a grand scale, a complete system and a relatively complete preservation. The area has a beautiful natural landscape and an abundance of cultural relics and monuments. After lunch, head to the Olympic Green ( 1 hour outside visit ) to have an outside look at the Bird's Nest and Water Cube. The Bird's Nest, also known as the National Stadium, was the main venue for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. There is a saying in France that man can make anything but a bird's nest. You can imagine the uniqueness and difficulty of the design and construction of the Bird's Nest. The water cube(National Aquatics Centre) is one of the landmark buildings of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, and is also the only landmark Olympic venue designated by the Beijing Municipal Government to be constructed by donations from Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and overseas compatriots. After the sightseeing, escort you back to your hotel in Beijing. +Day 4 Beijing Travel Guide Attractions:The Summer Palace, Lamer Palace Meal: Not Included Hotel: Overnight in Beijing A full day sightseeing begin with the Summer Palace. A royal garden in China during the Qing Dynasty, formerly known as the Garden of Clear Ripples, is situated in the western suburbs of Beijing, 15 kilometres from the city, with the entire garden covering an area of 3.009 square kilometres (of which the Summer Palace World Cultural Heritage Area covers an area of 2.97 square kilometres), with the water surface accounting for about three-quarters of the area. After the tour at the Summer Palace, our guide will give you some advice about lunch, you can choose one as you like. You can take a short rest after that. We will drive to Lamer Palace this afternoon. It is located in the northeast corner of Beijing city, the Kangxi emperor in the construction of this residence at the Qing dynasty Kangxi thirty-three years (1694), given to the fourth son of Yin Zhen, that is, later the Prince of Yong Palace. Yongzheng three years (1725), change the Royal Palace for the Palace, said Yonghe Palace. The main hall of the Yonghe Palace original green glazed tiles to yellow glazed tiles. After the day tour, back to your hotel in Beijing. +Day 5 Beijing Attractions: Prince kung's Mansion, The Temple of Heaven Meal: Not Included Hotel: Overnight in Beijing After breakfast, we will head to Prince kung's Mansion first, it is located in Liuyin Street, Xicheng District, Beijing, and was built around 1776.It was listed as a national key cultural relics protection unit in 1982, and was promoted to a national 5A-level tourist attraction in 2012, and was named a national-level museum in 2017, making it one of the largest royal residences in the Qing Dynasty. This afternoon we will pay a visit to The temple of Heaven, formerly known as the Temple of Heaven and Earth, is located on the east side of Yongdingmen Street in Dongcheng District, Beijing. It was the place for the emperors of Ming and Qing Dynasties to worship heaven, pray for grain and rain. It is the largest remaining ancient sacrificial complex in China. +Day 6 Beijing Leave Attractions: Beijing Dazhalan Historical and Cultural Street Area Meal: Not Included Hotel: Not Included Today we will visit the last stop at Beijing Dazhalan Historical and Cultural Street Area, it has a number of historical relics such as the former site of the facade of Qianxiangyi, the former site of Ruifuxiang, the former site of the facade of the silk cloth shop Xiangyi, the former site of the Salt Bank, the former site of the Bank of Communications and so on, which is the gathering place of the old Chinese brands, the birthplace of Beijing's early business, the birthplace of China's film and television industry, and the focus of the traditional culture of the Beijing flavour. After the sightseeing today, we will escort you to the airport to catch the flight back home, wish you a pleasant trip back home. As a realiable China travel agency, imemorytrip offers best Beijing travel guide for customers.
Learn More+Day 1 Beijing Travel Guide Attractions: Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City(The Palace Museum) Meals: Not Included Hotel: Not Included Commencing from your hotel, our first stop is Tiananmen Square, the heart of Chinese history and culture. Encircled by landmarks such as the National Museum of China and the Great Hall of the People, Tiananmen Square is an absolute must for any traveler. After admiring the grandeur of the Square, we move on to the Forbidden City, also known as the Palace Museum. Step inside this ancient imperial palace and be taken back to a bygone era. Marvel at the exquisite halls, including the Hall of Supreme Harmony and the Palace of Heavenly Purity. Don't miss the Jadeite Carving of a Big Cabbage and the exquisite porcelain collections in the Ceramic Gallery. As the sun bids farewell, we escort you back to your hotel, leaving you with memories of a day in Beijing that is unforgettable, rich in history and culture. As a realiable China travel agency, imemorytrip offers best One Day Beijing travel guide for customers.
Learn More+Day 1 Beijing Travel Guide Attractions: Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City(The Palace Museum) Meals: Not Included Hotel: Not Included Commencing from your hotel, our first stop is Tiananmen Square, the heart of Chinese history and culture. Encircled by landmarks such as the National Museum of China and the Great Hall of the People, Tiananmen Square is an absolute must for any traveler. After admiring the grandeur of the Square, we move on to the Forbidden City, also known as the Palace Museum. Step inside this ancient imperial palace and be taken back to a bygone era. Marvel at the exquisite halls, including the Hall of Supreme Harmony and the Palace of Heavenly Purity. Don't miss the Jadeite Carving of a Big Cabbage and the exquisite porcelain collections in the Ceramic Gallery. As the sun bids farewell, we escort you back to your hotel, leaving you with memories of a day in Beijing that is unforgettable, rich in history and culture. As a realiable China travel agency, imemorytrip offers best Beijing Private Day Tour travel guide for customers.
Learn More