12 Days China Panda Adventure Family Tour

Meals: No Meal
Hotel: In Beijing

Arrive in Beijing, the capital city of China, you will be greeted by our local guide at the airport with TCT signboard. Then our guide will transfer you to check in hotel. Free at leisure for the rest of the day for you to get over the jet lag.

Beijing Opera

Meals: Breakfast, A la carte Chinese lunch
Hotel: In Beijing

Today we start to explore this city treasure by a visit to Tian'anmen Square, the world's largest city center square, the locality of numerous major political and historical events. It is the witness of Chinese development. It is only a walking distance from Tian'anmen Square to Forbidden City, the world's existing largest and most complete ancient wooden structure buildings. You will explore the glorious palace halls and gardens for more than 2 hours in Forbidden City, learning the legendary story of the emperors and how the royal family lived there. You will be stunned by the numerous old art treasures exhibited in halls. A la carte lunch is served at a local restaurant to have a taste of the authentic Chinese food at noon time and have a break at the restaurant.

In the afternoon, we will Temple of Heaven, the existing largest structure for sacrifice to heaven and a place where the emperors prayed for a year of abundance. In the visit of Temple of Heaven, you will be astonished by the exquisite ancient Chinese architectures. Then we move to a less commercial Hutong nearby. A short walking (around 30mins) along the authentic Hutong will give you a deep impression of the local residents’ live. We stop to visit a local family to learn Facial Makeup Painting for Beijing Opera.

Tour ends by driving back to hotel. Please feel free to consult with your local guide about the evening activities in Beijing, such as the night shows of Beijing.

Good to know:
1. Besides facial makeup painting for Beijing Opera, activities also can be arranged In Hutong: Learn Chinese calligraphy and painting; Learn to make traditional handiworks like Chinese knot and Paper-cutting; See an acrobatic display by a Chinese yo-yo master, and learn to make dumplings/kites with a local family.

2. Besides exploring Hutong on foot, you may also try it by bicycle or richshaw. Whichever you prefer, please share with us. We will make it cater your real needs.

Activities in Hutong

Meals: Breakfast, A la carte Chinese lunch
Hotel: In Beijing

It will be an exciting day today. In the morning, guide will pick you up from your hotel lobby. Today we will visit the must-visit spot in Beijing--- Mutianyu Great Wall, one of the famous sections of China Great Wall. It takes about 2 hours driving from the downtown of Beijing to Mutianyu Great Wall. Mutianyu Great Wall was first built in the mid-6th century during the Northern Qi, making it older than the Badaling section. (*Cable car and slideway are available at Mutianyu Great Wall and included in our itinerary*)

A la carte lunch is arranged at a good restaurant at the foot of Mutianyu. When we drive back to Beijing, we will have a photo stop outside the Bird Nest and Water Cube, which were the famous sites constructed for 2008 Beijing Olympic.

The tour finishes by dropping off at your hotel. If you would like to try local specialty tonight, you could ask for some suggestion about Peking Roast Duck Restaurant.

Good to know:
1. With less commercial and crowds, Mutianyu Great Wall is available to take cable car up and down, or get up by cable car and down by a sled to slide down, which is an exciting option when the weather is nice.

2. Need more time on the Wall, no worries, just tell us when you book this tour, we could arrange a picnic lunch for your family on the Wall.

3. In summer, swimming in the Water Cube is a great choice to cool down and have fun with your beloved children.

Mutianyu Great Wall

Meals: Breakfast, A la carte Chinese lunch
Hotel: In Xian

In the morning, check out from hotel and start to visit the last spots in Beijing --- Summer Palace, the existing largest, best-preserved imperial garden in China. The Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake are regarded as the representative of Summer Palace. In the park, you could choose to take a boating trip on the lake, enjoying the beautiful royal garden view. Walk along the Long Corridor--- the longest corridor in the world, admiring the extremely rich and prestigious paintings on the beams of the corridor.

A la carte lunch will be arranged at a local restaurant on the way to Beijing West Railway Station to take high speed train (2nd class seat, duration: about 5-5.5 hours) from Beijing to Xi'an. TCT guide will wait at the exit of Xi'an train station with our signboard and transfer you to check in hotel. Free at leisure for the rest of the time.

Good to know:
Beijing zoo with giant pandas is always attractive to friends no matter from oversea or China. If your family would like to visit giant pandas, please tell us. We could arrange it for you too.

Summer Palace

Meals: Breakfast, A la carte Chinese lunch
Hotel: In Xian

Today we start to explore the ancient city by driving to Terracotta Warriors and explore one of the world's most important archaeological finds, with troops, horses and carriages in battle formation. Shuttle bus will be arranged for your convenience. After that you will have a chance to visit a local family and learn to make mini version of pottery figurine by your hands as gift to bring back home.

A Chinese Lunch will be arranged nearby the scenic area of Terracotta Warriors.

In the afternoon, we drive back to the city to visit the Ancient City Wall, which represents one of the oldest and best preserved Chinese city walls. Bicycle or sightseeing car will be arranged on the wall to go around. (We will visit the Bell Tower instead of the city wall if the weather does not permit.)

Good to Know:
1. Bike-riding on the ancient city wall is only allowed for children above 10 years old or taller than 1.4 meters (4.6 feet). If your child is too young to ride a bike, you may have a relaxing walk instead or take a golf cart.

2. Shaanxi History Museum is a great place to watch vast collections of ancient cultural artifacts. If you family is fond of Chinese traditional culture, you might choose to visit it. Please notice it closes on Monday.

Terracotta Warriors

Meals: Breakfast, A la carte Chinese lunch
Hotel: In Shanghai

In the morning, we drive to visit the exterior of Big Wild Goose Pagoda, and you will have chance to watch the North plaza fountain show. Then have a visit at Gao's Courtyard, which is a wonderful choice for you to appreciate ancient residences and explore local culture of paper-cutting and shadow puppetry. Continue to walk around Muslim Quarter and enjoy your shopping time there and you can also challenge the various local snacks.

After lunch, we drive to Xian railway station for the high speed train (2^nd class seat, about 4hrs) to Chengdu. Your Chengdu tour guide will wait for you at the station and help you to transfer to the hotel.

Shadow Play

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Hotel: In Chengdu

Today is your big day to be Chengdu Giant Panda Volunteer, our guide will pick up from your hotel in the early morning and drive to the Dujiangyan Giant Panda Protection and Research Center for about 1 hour (80km).

[08:30-09:00]  Giant panda volunteer register Sign a security contract with the giant panda volunteer service center. After that, all the volunteers are offered overalls and gloves. Before work, all the volunteers will be given job safety training and introduction of the job content.

[09:00-10:00]  To be a giant panda breeder. Clean the residual bamboo and their feces. Observe giant pandas’ living environment and state. Wash panda’s house.

[10:00-11:00]  Visit giant panda villa area under the guidance of the instructor.

[11:00-11:30]  Feed the giant pandas with the delicious specially prepared “steamed bun” and fruits.

[12:00-13:00]  Have lunch and a short break. All the volunteers will have a lunch with the staffs in the panda protection and research center.

[13:00-14:00]  Watch some science video about giant pandas to know how the human protect giant pandas and live in harmony with pandas.

[14:00-14:50]  Feed giant panda with the delicious specially prepared “steamed bun” and fruits.

[14:50-15:30]  To be a panda nutritionist. The instructor explains the steamed bun’s formula. Make steamed buns for giant pandas under the instructor’s leading.

[15:30-16:30]  Return the working overalls and see goodbye to the giant pandas and your instructor.

Tour ends by driving back to hotel.

Panda Volunteer

Meals: Breakfast, Hotpot Lunch
Hotel: In Chengdu

In the morning after breakfast, have a 1.5 hours driving to Mt. Leshan - has the tallest stone Buddha statue in the world. Walk on Mt. Leshan might give you different unique views of the Giant Buddha. You may also choose to take a cruise (about 30 min) to have an overview of this mountain and the Giant Buddha.

It’s time to try the real Sichuan cuisine-Hotpot. We will arrange this lunch in a local authentic hotpot restaurant for your taste.

After lunch, we drive back to Chengdu city. Our guide will show you around the Jinli Ancient Street, which is with elegant style of the architectures on both sides tells what Sichuan looks like during the Qing Dynasty. Then we move to the People’s Park, where locals relax themselves by singing, dancing, playing cards or chess, ect. You could have a cup of tea at local tea house and enjoy the leisure time in the park.

Good to know:
1. Not so much fond of hotpot, no problem. Please tell us your flavor preference in advance. We will arrange other popular local Chinese food for you accordingly.

2. Sichuan Opera is quite an attractive and mysterious entertainment to all of us, Change Faces is the unique skill of Sichuan Opera. It is a performance to express the emotional changes of the role, aiming to let the audiences to see the emotional changes from the changing faces rather than feel about it. Like it, tell us, we will arrange it for you too.

Mt. Leshan

Meals: Breakfast
Hotel: In Shanghai

Today after the leisure morning in Chengdu, our guide will escort you to airport for the flight to Shanghai.

Good to know:
Have a cooking class in the Sichuan Cuisine Museum would be a good choice for you if your family likes to have some real Chinese food when you get back home. Learn it and own it. Tell us if you like to add it into your trip in advance, we could tailor make it for you.

Shanghai Night View

Meals: Breakfast, A La Carte Lunch
Hotel: In Shanghai

Today we start our day trip to the foot of The Oriental Pearl TV Tower to visit Shanghai City History Museum (The Former Shanghai Wax Museum), where you will know more about the history and development of Shanghai. Then take the elevator up to the 2nd ball of the TV tower, from which you will have a bird-eye view of Shanghai. Go on driving through Lujiazui, the finance & trade zone in Pudong of Shanghai, where you will find many skyscrapers. We will have a view of the modern skyline of Shanghai.

Then back to the Bund, admire the illuminated buildings lining the Huangpu River. From the Bund, you could see the landmark of Shanghai--- the Oriental Pearl TV Tower as well as other high-rise buildings, just on the opposite of Huangpu River. Enjoy a local lunch in a local restaurant nearby the bund.

After lunch, we continue to visit Yuyuan Garden which is a Chinese classic garden in city downtown. Then continue to explore the Shanghai Old Street and Nanjing Road nearby which is the earliest commercial street in Shanghai. Drive back to the hotel, en route you can plan for the night Acrobatic Show, especially the ERA show, which is one of the most popular evening entertainments in Shanghai.

Good to know:
Revolving Restaurant Oriental Pearl Tower is at the top of the Tower, soaring at 267 meters above Shanghai’s bustling streets. Enjoying a buffet lunch in this top revolving restaurant is an experience unlike any other, with its breathtaking views of the city in full vision beneath and all around you. If you like to try it, please tell us in advance. We could arrange it to suit your interest.

The Bund

Meals: Breakfast
Hotel: In Shanghai

Enjoy a free day on your own arrangement.

Good to know:
1. Shanghai Disney Resort is the first Disney Resort in mainland China. The resort will cover 963 acres in Pudong, Shanghai, approximately 3 times of the size of the Hong Kong Disneyland Park. Shanghai Disney Resort includes a theme park (Disneyland Park), two themed hotels (Toy Story Hotel & Shanghai Disneyland Hotel), shopping and dinning complex (Disneytown) and Wishing Star Park. Have a day trip in Disney Resort with your family might be a good leisure choice for your reference.

2. Plan a half day trip to the water town Zhujiajiao or Xitang; or plan a day trip to the famous city Hangzhou (1hrs) or Suzhou (0.5hrs) by high speed train from Shanghai. Please feel free to share with us your interest, we will work out the itinerary catering your real wants.

Meals: Breakfast

Free day at leisure and be transferred to the airport for return flight. We can arrange the Maglev train ride to Pudong airport if you are interested in, or we will drive you directly to the airport.

Service Ends