Day 1 Arrive Beijing, China

Our car & guide meets you at the airport and assists you to your hotel.
Dinner is on your own this evening.

Day 2 Beijing city tour, featuring Tiananmen Square & Forbidden City/Welcome dinner

Beijing, the modern political and administrative center of China, is also the greatest single repository of monuments and treasures from the imperial era. Today you’ll see some of its most notable treasures. But first we enjoy a welcome briefing, including some language tips.
Like the old Chinese puzzles of “boxes within boxes,” Beijing was originally laid out in a series of concentric circles. We focus on the innermost two today: The Forbidden City and the surrounding Imperial City. We begin our exploration at grand Tiananmen Square. At 100 acres, it is the largest public square in the world, capable of holding more than a million people. Each of the cobbles is numbered so that parade units can line up in their assigned spots. But as you explore, you may remember a more somber event: the tragic student demonstrations that took place here in 1989. Lined with official buildings, Tiananmen is presided over by the giant portrait of Chairman Mao, which hangs above the Gate of Heavenly Peace and seems to stare down at the leader’s own Memorial Hall. Mao is entombed in the Hall in a crystal sarcophagus, his body draped in the red flag of the People’s Republic that he founded in 1949.
Tiananmen is always filled with people, from kite-flying children to hordes of visitors. Here you’ll see legendary landmarks, including the Great Hall of the People and the towering Monument to the People’s Heroes, a 125-foot granite obelisk honoring those who died in the Communist Revolution.
Next, we visit the Forbidden City, or Gugong, a 9,000-room maze of courtyards, palaces, and ceremonial halls, where 24 emperors (“the Sons of Heaven&#8221) and two dynasties ruled the Middle Kingdom. Protected by 30-foot-high walls and a 160-foot-wide moat, the Forbidden City was indeed a forbidden place; commoners were kept out for nearly 500 years. The greatest achievement of the visionary Emperor Yongle, this architectural triumph was completed in a mere 14 years by 200,000 workers. Behind its Gate of Supreme Harmony, which is flanked by bronze lions, you’ll find classic buildings with stunning interiors featuring marble floors and ceilings with grand murals. We view the exterior of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the tallest and largest of the six main palace buildings, and stroll through an open-air exhibition detailing the history and preservation of this famous structure. We will also view two other main halls, the Hall of Central Harmony, or Zhonghe Dian, and Hall of Preserving Harmony, known locally as Baohe Dian. The rest of your afternoon is at leisure.
We have lunch at a local restaurant and then the rest of your afternoon is at leisure. This evening, we enjoy a Chinese-style Welcome Dinner at a local restaurant.

Day 3 Visit cloisonné factory/Explore Great Wall of China/Home-hosted Lunch/Optional Chinese Acrobat Performance with dinner

This morning we’ll visit a factory specializing in cloisonné, the beautiful enamel artwork that predates the Ming Dynasty and is known for its colorful glazes and patterns.
The first stage of its creation begins by making rough casts of vases, dishes, jars, and boxes with red copper. Then, intricate flower patterns are fashioned with copper wire, and welded onto the roughcasts. The resulting designs are inlaid with enamel and glazes, then placed in a special oven to cure. The nearly finished pieces are then polished several times to bring out their characteristic brightness and luster.
Then we’ll tour the Wild Great Wall, the most authentic sections of the Great Wall, which haven’t been rebuilt for tourism. China’s Great Wall easily qualifies as the world’s greatest civil engineering feat. The massive ramparts were begun in separate strategic sections between 403-221 BC. During the reign of China’s first Qin emperor, Qin Shi Huangdi, some 300,000 men were put to work connecting the segments into one huge, snaking fortification. Archaeologists estimate that the wall once ran for 6,200 miles through an expanse that now covers 16 provinces. Today, the wall is still impressive at 3,750 miles in length, stretching from the Bohai Sea to the Gobi Desert.
Contrary to common belief, the Great Wall was more than just a barrier. Indeed, it served as an elevated highway linking the defensive forces along China’s rugged northern frontier. The roadway atop the wall provided a means of rapid communication and deployment of troops, arms, and food.
Our visit to the Great Wall is followed by lunch in the home of a local family. The afternoon is yours to explore at leisure, and dinner tonight is on your own. Or, you can choose to join an optional tour to a dazzling acrobatic performance by local acrobats, with an included dinner.

Day 4 Visit with children at Beijing Opera School/Tour carpet factory/Summer Palace & Beijing Opera Performance

At the Beijing Municipal Opera School, we’ll interact with students learning traditional Chinese operas, including singing and dancing.
This morning, we visit a Beijing carpet factory where the silk carpets are still handmade. We’ll learn about the painstaking production process, watch weavers at work, and discover how to distinguish real silk apart from artificial.
Then we continue our cultural discoveries at the Beijing Municipal Opera School, where we’ll interact with students learning traditional Chinese operas, including singing and dancing.This is an excellent opportunity for taking pictures.
After lunch at a local restaurant, we head for the Summer Palace, which has the largest and best-preserved royal garden in China. Early in the Jin dynasty, an imperial palace named Golden Hill Palace was built on the present site of the Summer Palace. Through the centuries, portions of the grounds and buildings were destroyed during warfare, then restored or redesigned. The Summer Palace of today is more or less the same as the palace rebuilt in 1903. After the last Qing emperor, Puyi, was thrown out of the Summer Palace in 1924, the garden was turned into a park. Surrounded by lovely Kumming Lake and classic Chinese gardens, the palace halls and pavilions are filled with ornate furnishings and fine artwork.
Later this evening, we'll travel to a local theater for a Chinese opera performance, followed by dinner at a local restaurant.

Day 5 Visit Temple of Heaven/Explore hutong neighborhood/Home-Hosted Lunch/Board overnight train for Xian

After breakfast this morning, visit the Temple of Heaven. This temple, built between 1406 and 1420 by the same Yongle Emperor who was responsible for building the Forbidden City, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site regarded as a masterpiece of architectural and landscape design. The temple underwent extensive restoration prior to the Summer Olympics of 2008, and the surrounding park is popular with locals who practice tai chi and other forms of exercise on the grounds.
In the late morning we check out of our hotel, and then you’ll get a glimpse of ordinary Chinese life on a tour of a Beijing hutong. These old residential neighborhoods consist of acres of low, flat-roofed buildings crisscrossed by narrow lanes. On a guided walking tour, we’ll find everyday life proceeding unconcerned with the great events of nations. Children playing ... the sounds and smells of food being prepared ... merchants setting up shop-all will help you appreciate China's humanity, which is all too often overshadowed by the grandiose monuments that dominate the experiences of most tourists. Our tour also includes lunch in the home of a local Chinese family. There is no better way to experience Chinese hospitality and courtesy toward guests, ancient cornerstones of the culture.
Late this afternoon, we arrive at a local restaurant to rest and savor dinner before departing Beijing. After our meal, we transfer to the railroad station and board a train for Xian, on which we have booked sleeping accommodations. There will be two travelers in each sleeping compartment, whic has four berths (two upper and two lower). There are no individual sleeping accommodations available, so single travelers are doubled up with a partner. All passengers may share compartments with members of the opposite sex. Smoking is not permitted on the train.

Please note: When you pack today, pack a carry-on bag for our overnight train ride. Your large luggage will be collected today in the morning and returned to you in the early afternoon tomorrow; it will not be accessible while you are riding the train to Xian. Your carry-on for this one night should include sleepwear, toiletries, any medications you use, a bottle of water, and tissue paper.

Day 6 Enjoy Tai chi demonstration/Discover Small Wild Goose Pagoda/Explore Shaanxi History Museum

Our train arrives early this morning in Xian. We transfer to our hotel upon arrival, check in, and have breakfast. We then venture to a local park for a tai chi demonstration.
Located in the fertile Wei River valley, Xian was once the largest city in the world during the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the capital of eleven dynasties, a major trading hub along the Silk Route, and a center of Chinese civilization. Though its glory days are long over, it is still a cultural and intellectual capital, boasting some eleven universities, a thriving artist’s community, and a burgeoning film industry. As we admire the city, be sure to note its symmetrical grid design, considered by scholars as a model of ancient city planning.
Today’s explorations take us to the Small Wild Goose Pagoda. Built in the seventh century to house Buddhist scriptures, the pagoda also contains statues of Buddhist figures in Chinese history and notable Tang Dynasty artworks.
After exploring the pagoda, we visit the Shaanxi History Museum. Considered one of China’s most exceptional museums, the Shaanxi’s exhibits range from ancient bronze tools to Ming and Qing Dynasty artifacts. We’ll admire the classic pale-green pottery and Buddhist statues, and enjoy a first glimpse of some of the famed terra cotta warriors.
Tonight we enjoy a special Mongolian Hot Pot dinner. This traditional group meal originated in the Mongolian city of Hothot and is prepared with a variety of savory ingredients, including beef, chicken, tofu, and vegetables.

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Day 7 Visit jade factory/View Terra Cotta Army/Noodle-making demonstration at local restaurant

After breakfast at our hotel, we visit a local factory to learn about the history and importance of jade carving, one of China’s greatest cultural legacies, and a symbol for China—in the 2008 Beijing Olympics all the medals were inlayed with jade.
Afterwards, we marvel at the great ranks of life-sized soldiers, generals, charioteers, and horses of Xian’s Terra Cotta Army. An expert curator will join our group for an illuminating tour of this excavation site.
Considered one of the foremost archaeological discoveries of the 20th century, the 2,000-year-old Terra Cotta Army was discovered by accident in 1974 by local farmers digging a well. The 6,000-plus life-size figures are arranged in vaults at the entrance to the tomb of Qin Shi Huangdi, the first Qin emperor, a major architect of the Great Wall and unifier of China. The soldiers are ranked in military order, hold actual spears and swords and, incredibly, have unique facial expressions. There is also an exhibit of a remarkable miniature model of a Qin Dynasty bronze chariot, complete with horses and coachmen.
Outside the museum, you can peek into the bustling free market, where you’ll find everything from kitchen implements and T-shirts to traditional herbal remedies. Then we’ll head to a local restaurant for a Chinese noodle-making demonstration—which will doubtless whet our appetites for lunch, which we eat immediately afterwards.
Tonight, we enjoy a cultural show and dinner at a local restaurant.

Day 8 A Day in the Life of the Donghan community/Village homestay

This morning we explore Xian’s City Wall, one of the most complete structures of its kind in all of China. Constructed during the Ming Dynasty, the City Wall is also one of the largest ancient military defensive systems in the world. Then we pay a visit to a nearby lacquerware factory where we learn how raw tree sap is used to create beautiful and durable furniture. Afterwards we’ll have an included lunch at a local restaurant.
Then we travel to Donghan, a village in the countryside where the colorful "peasant" painting style originated in the 1950s. Here we visit the community-founded Guang Ming Primary School, which is supported in part by donations from Grand Circle Foundation—part of the World Classroom initiative. We'll meet students and teachers and gain some person-to-person insight into Chinese culture. Then members of our host families will meet us and we'll proceed to their homes to enjoy their hospitality for dinner—which we'll participate in preparing.
In the evening, we’ll gather at the village square to dance and sing with some of the villagers. Then we’ll enjoy an overnight stay in the home of the family we joined for dinner. Their houses tend to be small, but clean and tidy. This is a wonderful chance to learn what daily life in China is really like and to enjoy the company of our gracious hosts.

Day 9 Xian/Fly to Chengdu/Changing Faces Opera with Backstage Visit tour

We have a simple breakfast this morning in the homes of our local hosts. Then wevisit a local studio to see some of Donghan's celebrated painters at work. Before we depart, we'll stroll through the older part of the village and see the contrast between its simple adobe houses and the newer houses that most residents have moved into as their standard of living has improved.
Then we transfer to the airport for our afternoon flight to Chengdu. While waiting for our flight, we’ll enjoy lunch at an airport restaurant. After we arrive in Chengdu, we’ll enjoy dinner tonight in a local restaurant.
After dinner, you can enjoy the evening at leisure. Or, join our optional excursion: Changing Faces Opera with Backstage Visit. Face changing, or bian lian in Chinese, is an ancient Chinese dramatic art that is part of the traditional Sichuan style of opera. Performers wear brightly colored costumes and move to quick, dramatic music. But what is most impressive is their ability to change from one vividly colored mask to another in magically quick succession. Before the performance, we'll meet the performers backstage and try another Chinese art: hand shadow play done with a sophistication you have probably never witnessed. Afterwards, we return to our hotel.

Day 10 Visit Panda Sanctuary

This morning, we visit the Panda Sanctuary, located just outside of Chengdu. Because of its location in Sichuan Province, native habitat of the giant panda, this facility has live pandas on display, the largest number you can see anywhere in the world. Here you can see these large, beautiful animals freely roaming and munching on bamboo in a natural environment. There are only 1,000 pandas still living in the wild in all of China, mostly in northern Sichuan and in Gansu and Shaanxi provinces, in elevations between 4,000 and 10,000 feet.
First appearing in the fossil record some three million years ago, the Giant Panda is under siege in this century—from habitat eradication, cyclical starvation, and poachers who get as much as $10,000 for a Giant Panda hide in Hong Kong and Japan. China’s ambitious ten-year conservation plan aims to preserve existing habitats, expand existing reserves, and create new reserves in an international effort to stave off the extinction of this elegant, almost mystical, animal.
Given the scale of the battle being fought for the Giant Panda’s survival, places like the Giant Panda Sanctuary just outside Chengdu are essential. The Giant Panda Sanctuary is not a zoo but a simulated habitat, with acres of space for its inhabitants to roam and thrive as nature intended. We’ll take a guided tour through the sanctuary and have the rare chance to see the Giant Panda in a natural environment. You may be touched both by the plight of these loveable creatures and the hope for their recovery.
We’ll have lunch at a local restaurant today and free time this afternoon before dinner at another local restaurant.

 Day 11 Fly to Tibet/Discover Tibetan culture

This morning we'll transfer to the airport for our flight to Lhasa, Tibet. We'll arrive in Lhasa this afternoon, have lunch, and check into our hotel, where we'll we have time to relax.
As the city is at an elevation of 12,000 feet, you may feel the effects of its high altitude. We strongly recommend that you plan on a minimum of two hours of bed rest upon arrival to help you acclimatize, and be sure to drink plenty of water during your time in Tibet.
Later in the afternoon, you can join a short walk in the vicinity of the hotel to get oriented. Afterward, a lecturer will enlighten our group about Tibetan history and folk customs.
For 350 years, Lhasa, the “City of the Sun,” has been at the political and economic center of Tibet. The country itself has existed since the 7th century as a remote mountain theocracy based on the mystical tenets of Lamaism, a form of Tantric Indian Buddhism coupled with Tibetan shamanism. Here, feudal Lamas whose spiritual authority was matched by their complete control of internal affairs ruled the rural population. Some reigns were benevolent, while others were ruthless.
The autonomy of the lamas waxed and waned during various Chinese dynasties, with almost complete independence enjoyed during the Republican period (1912-1949). But things changed during China’s Cultural Revolution. In 1951, through military action and pressured negotiation, China reestablished its sovereignty. After years of steadily increasing oppression, a revolt broke out in 1959, and the Dalai Lama was forced to flee to India.
Widespread persecution of the Tibetan people continued, reaching a peak during the Cultural Revolution. Thousands of monks and nuns were sent to labor camps. Hundreds of ancient monasteries were destroyed wholesale. Arbitrary agricultural reforms, such as imposed planting of unfamiliar crops and the collectivization of yak and goat herds, undermined traditional Tibetan life. The population was further destabilized when the Chinese government encouraged non-Tibetan Han Chinese people to settle in Tibet, thereby weakening the cultural foundations of the region.
In spite of these hardships, Tibetan culture has continued to thrive under the stewardship of the exiled Dalai Lama, who received the Noble Peace Prize in 1989. A charismatic figure, he has been able to force the Chinese government into seeking normalized relations, restoring temples, allowing some religious freedoms, and permitting some degree of free enterprise. Attempts by the government to bring the Dalai Lama back to China have been unsuccessful so far. Meanwhile, the Dalai Lama, along with a growing coterie of international celebrities and activists, continues in the struggle to safeguard Tibetan human rights.

This evening, we have a Western-style dinner at our hotel.

Please note: Because of the controversial and sensitive nature of Chinese control over Tibet, the Chinese government will occasionally close the border to Tibet without prior notice. Should this occur during your trip, OAT will make alternative arrangements, such as diverting your group to Kunmimg, China. 85% of former travelers who have been so diverted in the past have continued to rate the trip excellent. The Chinese government may also impose limits on what can and cannot be accessed within Tibet, so there may be need for last-minute changes to the planned activities during your trip. In these cases we ask that you bring an open mind and a sense of humor.

 Day 12 Discover Potala Palace/Visit a local orphanage

Today we see one of the grandest monuments in all of Asia: the extraordinary Potala Palace. Built in the 17th century (atop the original 7th-century site), it boasts more than 1,000 rooms, including the Red Palace (where the Dalai Lama once lived), 10,000 chapels, and a labyrinth of mysterious dungeons. It took 7,000 workers and 1,500 artists and craftsmen more than 50 years to build the adjoining White and Red Palaces. This Eastern architectural triumph was the world’s tallest building before the creation of 20th-century skyscrapers.

During our explorations, we’ll encounter pilgrims who journey to this sacred Buddhist shrine from throughout Tibet. Behold a stunning array of treasures: A grand ceremonial hall with magnificent hanging brocades and painted religious scrolls, vivid murals, statues of Buddha, and a mandala made of 20,000 pearls. Of particular note are the rich gold and jewel-encrusted tombs of eight Dalai Lamas. Perched on Red Mountain, the Palace offers sweeping views of the city and the surrounding immense peaks that are as extraordinary as its interior. We spend three hours exploring the thirteen-story structure and enjoy lunch at a local restaurant.
Then we visit the De Ji Orphanage, which is supported in part by donations from Grand Circle Foundation, for a valuable glimpse of life as seen through the eyes of Tibetan children.
Dinner tonight will take place at a local restaurant.

Day 13 Explore Jokhang Temple & Barkhor Bazaar/Optional Sera Monastery & Canggu Nunnery tour
After breakfast today, we head for the Barkhor Bazaar, a section of the oldest part of Lhasa that bustles with marketplace activity and religious devotion.
We enter the 1,300-year-old Jokhang Temple, where we are likely to see Buddhist pilgrims making clockwise circuits on their hands and knees in reverence to one of Tibet’s most sacred sites. Thousands of yak-butter candles flicker inside beneath the enlightened gaze of the golden Jowo Sakyamuni, the seventh-century Buddha statue that the temple was built to house. Afterwards, we’ll have a chance to visit a local handicraft center with traditional Tibetan arts and crafts. We then have lunch at a local restaurant.
Later, you may choose to enjoy an optional visit to the Sera Monastery, one of the largest of the Gelugpa sect. In the Tibetan language, sera means “wild rose garden.” The monastery earned the name for the opulent wild roses that grew all around the site centuries ago. At its peak, the monastery was the home for more than 7,000 monks. While the numbers of roses and monks have diminished with the passage of time, the monastery and its grounds have only increased in cultural significance and emotional power. Built in 1419—the year that the sect’s founder, Je Tsongkhapa, died—Sera Monastery features the largest Tsokchen (main assembly hall) in the town, four stories high and with nearly 11,000 square feet of floor space. The monastery was built to house precious gifts from the Emperor to one of Je Tsongkhapa’s disciples.
Je Tsongkhapa was an extraordinary student and teacher and had remarkable powers of memorization, debate, and meditation. Ordained at the remarkable age of 3, he traveled widely to study with his era’s greatest teachers and to train thousands of monks. He also undertook extraordinarily rigorous meditation retreats, one of which lasted four years.
Sera also has three monastic colleges, which served in past centuries as magnets for thousands of monks who traveled from all over Tibet to study, train, and mediate. The chanting halls, chapels, statues, and lovely, undamaged murals have been carefully cared for. The tapestries, scroll paintings, and scriptures written in gold powder still glow, as you’ll see on this optional tour. We also visit the Canggu Nunnery, viewing its public ceremonial areas and descending into a cave that enshrines a statue of Srongtsen Gampo, the seventh-century ruler credited with bringing Buddhism to Tibet.
We enjoy dinner at a local restaurant this evening.

 Day 14 Fly to Chongqing/Board Yangtze River ship

Today we fly from Lhasa to Chongqing. We have dinner at a local restaurant in Chongqing and then embark our Yangtze River cruise ship and spend our first night onboard.

 Day 15 Yangtze River Cruise/Visit with relocated families

Today we cruise to Wanxian, Fengdu, or Shi Bao Zhai, where we’ll disembark and visit some of the families relocated due to the controversial Three Gorges Dam project.
While it will provide many benefits, the dam will also submerge many towns and cities. We’ll have an opportunity to discuss this during our visit with a family affected by the dam's construction.

Day 16 Wu and Qutang Gorges/Explore Lesser Three Gorges

Continue up the Yangtze through Qutang Gorge, the farthest upstream of the Three Gorges. Although the shortest of the three, the Qutang is by far the most dramatic, with sheer cliffs and such remarkable features as the Meng Liang staircase, painstakingly carved by a loyal bodyguard attempting to recover his master’s body from the cliff face. On the south bank as we enter the Qutang, we pass Daxi Village, the site of western China’s earliest known civilization. The 74 tombs here contain archaeological finds up to 6,000 years old. Overlooking the west end of the gorge is Baidicheng, or White Emperor City. Baidicheng dates to AD 25 and has long been a refuge for would-be kings and poets—thanks to its proximity to the spectacular and inspiring Qutang Gorge.
We enter the Wu Gorge, renowned for the quiet beauty of its forested mountains. The Twelve Peaks are ranked alongside the gorge. The great Chinese poet Qu Yuan leapt into the river to his death herein 288 BC, an event marked each spring with dragon boat races.
At Wushan we board smaller rivercraft—which we’ll share with other tour groups—for an excursion up the Daning River or the Shennong Stream, both tributaries of the Yangtze. Here we’ll drift through the exquisite Lesser Three Gorges: Dragon-Gate Gorge, Misty Gorge, and Emerald Gorge, each more spectacular than theone before. We’ll pass between sheer precipices, stopping at sandy shoals and quiet lagoons. (When the water level in the river is low, we make part of this excursion by bus.)

Day 17 Explore Three Gorges Dam Site/Disembark at Yichang/Overland to Wuhan

After breakfast we will disembark for a tour of the Three Gorges Dam, the world’s largest dam, measuring 606 feet high and 6,500 feet long.
Although a dam was proposed as long ago as 1919 by Sun Yat-Sen, the present site was selected by an American team of engineers in the early 1940s. The project gained momentum in the 1980s and began in earnest in 1990. In 1997, the cofferdam was completed and the main structure begun. The dam has two five-stage locks to raise and lower ships to the different river levels. Each lock in the five stages is be 65 feet high and 910 feet long.
This massive project has pitted China’s economic interests against the concerns of historic preservationists and environmentalists worldwide. In addition to flooding some of the world’s most spectacular scenic areas and rich ecosystems to a depth of 325 feet, the waters submerged some 35 notable historic sites (some of which were relocated). The 632 square miles of terrain being inundated as the reservoir fills include 13 cities, 140 towns, 1,352 villages, 657 factories, and 66,000 acres of cultivated land. Approximately 1.3 million people are being relocated to new towns above the high water mark.
The Chinese government points to the benefits of the Three Gorges Dam, including its ability to control the area’s severe flooding, the huge and much-needed hydroelectric potential, the opening of the upper Yangtze to 10,000-ton ships, and the irrigation value of the impounded water.
We reboard the ship and cruise to Yichang, where we’ll disembark and transfer by bus (approximately 5-6 hours) to Wuhan, enjoying boxed lunches on our way.
Upon arrival in Wuhan, our tour guide will offer an orientation walk in the vicinity of our hotel. Dinner is at our hotel this evening.

Day 18 Fly to Hong Kong

This morning we transfer to the airport for our flight to Hong Kong. When we arrive in Hong Kong this afternoon, we'll transfer to our hotel for check-in, and take an orientation walk in which you'll learn about local public transportation. You'll have the rest of the day at leisure.
Dinner tonight is on your own. The dining in Hong Kong is superb, with hundreds of restaurants serving every imaginable type of international cuisine.

Day 19 Hong Kong city tour/Optional Hong Kong by Night & Asian Cuisine tour

After breakfast this morning we begin a city tour. Our guided explorations of Hong Kong by coach will feature some of this densely populated city’s most famous attractions.
We’ll explore the city’s traditional Chinatown district, including bustling Ladder Street. From there, we’ll take the Mid Levels Escalator, the world’s longest covered outdoor escalator, which takes about twenty minutes to travel from end to end. We’ll also explore Man Mo Temple and an Aberdeen fishing village. We’ll finish at a well-known jewelry shop with time to hunt for bargains.
Dinner is on your own tonight. Hong Kong is one of the world’s great culinary capitals, offering a sensational array of restaurants. You can feast on specialties from every part of the world, from curry and dim sum to pasta and shish kebab.
Or you can join us for an optional Hong Kong by Night & Asian Cuisine tour. After dinner at a local restaurant, we’ll stroll through the Temple Street night market, where you can browse the many interesting shops that feature inexpensive clothing, novelty items, and fortune-tellers and palm-readers. Then we’ll take the Star Ferry across the harbor to Central Pier, where we’ll be driven up Victoria Peak to gaze at the amazing night view. After returning to Happy Valley, we’ll enjoy a streetcar ride through Wan Chai, the famous red light district. It’s an exciting look at Hong Kong at night. The cost of this optional event includes dinner.

Day 20 Day at leisure/Optional Kowloon & New Territories tour/Farewell dinner

After a leisurely breakfast at our hotel, you might take in some of the city’s fine museums, such as the Hong Kong Museum of History or the Museum of Arts. Hollywood Road and “Cat Street” is famous for its many antique and curio shops selling silk carpets and Chinese furniture.
Or join us this morning for an optional half-day tour traveling through the western part of the New Territories, leased to Britain by China in 1898 for a period of 99 years. Known as “the land between,” the peninsula across Victoria Harbor consists of rocky coastline and lush, hilly farmland.
We take a stroll through the local flower market, followed by a visit to Bird’s Market, where pet birds are sold and traded. Then we visit the Nan Lian Garden—a walled garden built in the Tang Dynasty style, with unique structures and ancient trees. Continue on to the Ping Shan village, a heritage site with a close connection to the Tang clan, one of the area’s “five great clans.” Then enjoy a dim sum lunch at local restaurant.
We return to our hotel in the afternoon, and the rest of your day is at leisure. Tonight, we celebrate our adventure with a delicious Farewell Dinner.

Day 21 Hong Kong/Return to your country
Depending on the city of your country you are returning to, your homeward flight leaves in the morning or early afternoon.