China Tour from Detroit

Please go to the airport and take your flight to Beijing by yourself today. As there is no direct flight from Detroit to Beijing, please choose a connecting flight that suits you best according to flight trackers. Before booking your flight, please contact your travel consultant to confirm the pick-up time.

Upon arrival at Beijing’s airport, meet your local guide. After greeting, your driver will transfer you to the hotel for check-in. The remainder of the day is free for you to rest or get familiar with the city.

Accommodation: Hotel New Otani Chang Fu Gong

After breakfast, your China tour from Detroit USA will start. Your guide will accompany you first to Tiananmen Square, and next the Forbidden City. Speaking of the royal palace of the City, not only has it served home to twenty-four emperors of the Ming (1368 - 1644 AD) and Qing (1644 - 1911 AD) dynasties, but it also stands as the largest existing palace complex in China. For the architectural and cultural relics it holds, the City is one of the two Palace Museums in China, with the other located in Taipei. Both are managed by Chinese, yet each is unique in its own way for different collections of national treasures. Interested in what secrets the one in Taipei is keeping? Welcome to join us in the future to check it out!

Around noon, we will serve you an a la carte welcome lunch including authentic Chinese cuisine and Peking Duck.

This afternoon, enjoy a spiritual uplift at the lamasery of Yonghe Temple and Temple of Heaven, the sacrificial altar used by Ming and Qing emperors. A Peking Opera Show is in store this evening at Liyuan Theatre. Arrive there half an hour earlier - we will visit the dressing room first to watch artists painting their face.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, A la carte welcome lunch

In the morning, head to the Mutianyu Great Wall, part of the epic Great Wall to guard Beijing for hundreds of years since the Ming era. A round-trip ride via cable car up and down the Wall is included. A toast with red wine will be arranged to leave you an amazing memory.

Today's lunch is not arranged as the nearby restaurants are not up to our standard. We suggest that you eat a good breakfast and prepare some snacks. Your guide can also offer recommendations on places to eat.

Get back to downtown. Stop by the Olympic National Stadium (Bird’s Nest) on the central axis of Beijing and take some photos of its fascinating structure. You are now in front of the largest stadium of China, whose area of 20.4 hectares can hold up to 91 thousand people! As a building of Premier Sports Architecture, it has a fundamental structural design that can make it serve until 100 years old. Go on to enjoy a Hutong tour via rickshaw and round it off with a visit to a local family. Hutongs, historical alleys with traditional courtyard houses lining either side, are the No.1 place to encounter local life.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

The first stop of today's tour is Panda House in Beijing Zoo. Then, visit Summer Palace, the imperial summer retreat to appreciate classical Chinese architecture amid nature.

After lunch, your guide will transfer you to the airport for a flight to Xi'an. Upon arrival, meet your Xi'an guide and head to the hotel for a two-night stay. Have a great rest and start your Xi'an trip the next day.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Crowne Plaza Xi'an

Visit the Terracotta Army, the eighth Wonders of the World, to see the grand life-size army of terracotta soldiers of Emperor Qin Shi Huang (259 – 210 BC). With super military power to rule the entire China in an era believing in afterlife, the emperor of course would not easily give up what he had, not even after his death. He wanted those warriors to protect his mausoleum, to serve as a token of his military might and achievements; he wished to continue to rule as he’d done. Also, for a legendary figure like Emperor Qin Shi Huang, it’s natural that he’d prepare his death with whatever it might take to emphasize his supremacy.

► Special family visit and take home a mini clay solider crafted by yourself
We will also take you for a visit to a farmer’s house in a village not far from the Army. There, you get to know how the Amy was discovered from the families of its first discoverer, and if lucky enough, from the discoverer himself. Later, have fun carving a mini clay soldier with professional guidance, which you can take home as a memento.

In the afternoon, get a look at the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda. Be ready for a wonderful evening arranged for you: you will be accompanied to watch a Tang Dynasty Music and Dance Show over a popular Dumpling Dinner.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Dumpling dinner

Tips:
Guests visiting in January, February, March, and December need to arrange the dinner and evening activity on your own for this day, since the theater is usually closed at that time.

Please pack your luggage and check out before 12 p.m. Wish you a nice journey! The most convenient way to get to the airport is by taxi, which costs around CNY 150 (at your own expense). Since there is no direct flight between Xi’an and Detroit, you can transfer in Shanghai, which is linked with Detroit by a direct flight (DL388 1730/1820) on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. If you want to be enchanted by Shanghai’s modern charm, we are also glad to arrange an extended tour for you.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast