Day 1: Shanghai

A Uniworld representative will greet you at the airport and transfer you to the sophisticated Pudong Shangri-La.

Day 2: Shanghai

Featured Excursions: Shanghai city tour, dim sum lunch, and Shanghai Acrobats performance

Long a bustling commercial center, Shanghai has become one of the world’s most exciting cities, brimming with spectacular skyscrapers designed by world-famous architects. In the morning, you’ll stroll along the Bund, Shanghai’s famed waterfront promenade, and get a sense of its 19th-century roots. Then enjoy a traditional dim sum lunch at your hotel, after which you’ll have time to browse through the district’s intriguing shops. In the evening, a performance by the world-renowned Shanghai Acrobats will dazzle you.

Day 3: Shanghai, fly to Yichang

Featured Excursion: Shanghai Museum

Begin the day with a visit to the Shanghai Museum, a stunning contemporary structure that houses treasures of Chinese art, including ancient bronzes from the Shang and Zhou periods, exquisite jades, calligraphic works from many dynasties, and Ming and Qing furniture. Then you’ll fly to Yichang, where you’ll board your comfortable ship.

Day 4: Yichang, cruising the Yangtze River

Featured Excursion: Three Gorges Dam

The Three Gorges Dam is the world’s largest hydroelectric project, and it is changing the landscape and the economy of the nation. It is designed to both generate power to fuel China’s economic growth and control flooding on the Yangtze. You’ll visit this astonishing feat of modern engineering before setting sail along the most scenic section of the Yangtze, the Three Gorges. In the evening, enjoy a Captain’s Welcome Reception with complimentary wine.

Day 5: Cruising the Yangtze River, Shennv Stream

Featured Excursion: Explore Shennong Stream

You’ll get a close-up view of the breathtaking landscape as you board a small boat and cruise along the Shennong Stream, a tributary to the Yangtze. Karst caves pock the high cliffs surrounding you, and monkeys play on the shore beside the sparkling waters.

Note: Due to water conditions we may substitute a Lesser Gorges boat tour for the Shennong Stream boat tour.

Day 6: Cruising the Yangtze River, Shibaozhai

Featured Excursion: Shibao Pagoda

Shibao Pagoda, whose red walls and yellow gate are a Yangtze River landmark, was built into the side of a hill in the 18th century. Although the temple is twelve stories tall, only its top three stories tower above the tor. Make a wish and climb the stairs; legend has it that the higher you climb, the more likely it is that your wish will come true. In the evening, a Farewell Dinner with complimentary wine will be served.

Day 7: Chongqing, fly to Xi’an

Featured Excursions: Chongqing city tour with zoo visit, and traditional dumpling banquet

Disembark in Chongqing, the booming capital of western China. As part of your city tour, you’ll visit the giant pandas at the Chongqing Zoo. In the afternoon, you’ll catch a flight to the ancient city of Xi’an, where you’ll settle into the serene Shangri-La Xi’an hotel and savor an extraordinary dumpling banquet in the city widely considered the birthplace of this famous Chinese food.

Day 8: Xi'an

Featured Excursions: Museum of the Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses, City Wall, and Tang Dynasty dinner show

Twenty-two centuries ago, China’s first emperor was entombed with a vast army of soldiers and horses made of clay. The tomb complex lay undisturbed until the 20th century. Only about eight thousand of the UNESCO-designated Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses have been excavated thus far, which you’ll visit at the museum. Then you’ll see the massive defensive wall built around Xi’an in the 15th century. During the evening, indulge in a traditional dinner served with rice wine and a performance that re-creates the music, folk dances, and costumes of the Tang Dynasty.

Day 9: Xi’an, fly to Beijing

Featured Excursion: Temple of Heaven

Today, you’ll catch a flight to Beijing and visit the UNESCO-designated Temple of Heaven, before checking in to the exquisite Ritz Carlton.

Day 10: Beijing

Featured Excursions: The Great Wall and kung fu show at Beijing’s Red Theatre

Start the morning off with a visit to one of the nation’s most iconic sights, the UNESCO World Heritage-designated Great Wall of China. Walk along the top of the wall to appreciate just how formidable a barrier it would have been to the nomadic mounted warriors who confronted it over the centuries. Back in Beijing, spend the evening at the Red Theatre, taking in a spectacular show that combines kung fu prowess with acrobatics and dance.

Day 11: Beijing

Featured Excursions: Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, hutongs tour with home-hosted lunch, and Peking Duck Farewell Dinner with complimentary wine

The last full day of your China adventure begins in broad Tiananmen Square, which is both the heart of modern Beijing and a gateway to the wonders of imperial China. Chairman Mao’s mausoleum borders the square, as does the Forbidden City, a UNESCO World Heritage Site you’ll visit today.

Your next stop will take you to the backbone of Old Beijing—the ancient residential lanes known as the hutongs. Hop aboard a rickshaw for a behind-the-scenes tour of these historic neighborhoods, where you can still see the region’s traditional courtyard homes. You’ll be invited to join a family in their home for a delicious traditional lunch. In the evening, enjoy a Farewell Dinner of succulent Peking duck with wine, a signature dish of the city since imperial times.

Day 12: Depart Beijing

Transfer to the airport for your flight home or continue your adventure with our memorable optional extension in Hong Kong.