Chinese Immersion (13 Days)

Day 1: Beijing Arrival

Begin your family immersion in the Far East with a smile from your personal guide at Beijing International Capital Airport (PEK). Your guide will accompany you to your centrally-located hotel in a comfortable private vehicle and help you with check-in. If you are worried about jet lag, take a late start on Day 2 or simply leave it as a free day.

Hotel Options: Novotel Peace Beijing 

Day 2: Beijing/Roots of Chinese Culture

08:30: Start your Chinese immersion tour with the Temple of Confucius to begin to understand how Confucius's principles shaped Chinese tradition and beliefs. head to the Imperial Academy to and learn about China's traditional education system. Enjoy some Dacheng Rites Music and see how Chinese people transform educational ideas into singing and dancing.

12:00: Enjoy a traditional Chinese lunch in a local restaurant, where an a-la-carte meal will be arranged. Children can talk to the waitress in Mandarin and order food from the Chinese menu.

14:00: In the afternoon, practice art vocabulary in Lama Temple, built using a combination of Han Chinese and Tibetan styles.

17:00: Return to your hotel and have dinner in the restaurant

Hotel Options: Novotel Peace Beijing 

Day 3: Beijing/The Great Wall

08:30: In the morning, drive to China's amazing icon, the Great Wall. Visit the Mutianyu section for its majestic views and comparatively smaller crowds. There are five gigantic Chinese characters on one hillside by the wall. Find out what they mean and why they are there from your guide. A chairlift going up and toboggan sliding down are included to help make the experience more fun for children.

12:00: Have lunch in a hidden retreat-restaurant at the foot of the Great Wall. The restaurant, located in a former glazed-tile factory, now offers organic dishes and an opportunity to explore rural China.

16:00: Return to your hotel in the city center.

Hotel Options: Novotel Peace Beijing 

Day 4: Beijing/Eco Tour of City Highlights

08:30: See Beijing city highlights using public transportation. Children will learn how to ask for directions and will read some Chinese signs along the way.

Based on your preferences, the distances and the weather, your guide may choose to go by bike, subway, bus or on foot. You will not only be helping the environment, but you also will gain deeper insights into local people's lives. Visit Tian'anmen Square and then the Forbidden City.

12:00: Enjoy the famous Peking roast duck for lunch,

14:00: Learn the art of Chinese calligraphy from a Hutong family. If you would prefer not to use public transport, a private vehicle will be arranged instead.

16:00: Return to your hotel in the city center.

Hotel Options: Novotel Peace Beijing 

Day 5: Beijing to Xi’an/Tai Chi Experience

08:30: After a buffet breakfast in the hotel, head to the Temple of Heaven, the place where emperors worshipped heaven.

Now it is a bustling place where locals participate in all kinds of activities, such as kite-flying, dancing and water-calligraphy. Join them and practice daily conversation.

Then it will be time for a tai chi class with a renowned local tai chi master. Learn some basic movements and how they relate to Chinese culture and traditional health science.

12:00: Travel to Xi'an and enjoy lunch on a high-speed train, a good way to experience China's technological development.

17:00: Arrive in Xi’an and transfer to your hotel.

Hotel Options: Somerset Xindicheng Xi’an 

Day 6: Xi’an/Terracotta Warriors

08:30: Start your journey with a visit to the Teracotta Warriors, one of the greatest man-made wonders. Get introduced to a unique Terracotta Museum, one that can't be Googled.

Over the course of 11 years, Emperor Qinshihuang's craftsmen made more than 8,000 life-sized warriors. How could craftsmen of 2,200 years ago do that so quickly? How could they keep the clay warriors from cracking? You will discover the answers from your guide.

Pay a visit to a local cave dwelling where a craftsman makes warriors in the traditional way. Make a little warrior of your own with your local host's help.

12:00: Have lunch at a local restaurant.

14:00: After lunch, head back along the Silk Road to the city center for a food challenge at the Muslim Quarter.

17:00: Return to your hotel.

Hotel Options: Somerset Xindicheng Xi’an 

Day 7: Xi’an/National Costume Experience

08:30: Visit the Shaanxi History Museum, the top museum in China. Your guide will introduce to you to the impact China has had on the cultures of other countries.

12:00: Visit a local family to make dumplings and enjoy a meal.

14:00: Learn from an ancient academy about China’s traditional national costume. Your guide will teach you the basics of Hanfu, the traditional dress of the Han Chinese people, and you will have time to dress up in costumes and imagine life in ancient times.

17:00: Return to your hotel.

Hotel Options: Somerset Xindicheng Xi’an 

Day 8: Xi’an to Kunming/Street Food

Catch the morning flight to Kunming, a city renowned mainly for its stones and its food. Spend the rest of the day tasting famous street food along Nanqiang Street in the afternoon.

Hotel Options: Kunming New Era Hotel

Day 9: Kunming/Stone Forest & Yuantong Temple

08:30: After a one-and-a-half-hour drive, visit a fantastic natural phenomenon located 90 kilometers southeast of Kunming—the Stone Forest. The various shapes of limestone were formed by millions of years' of erosion. The Stone Forest area is home of the Naxi people and their folk customs, including colorful embroidery and ddances, which will surely leave you with a lasting impression.

12:00: Enjoy a local lunch in a quaint courtyard with the Stone Forest Park in the background.

14:00: Transfer back to Kunming and visit the Yuantong Temple, the largest and most ancient Buddhist temple in the city, to learn about the differences between the three denominations of Buddhism.

17:00: After the tour, your guide and driver will escort you back to your hotel.

Hotel Options: Kunming New Era Hotel

Day 10: Kunming to Shanghai/The Dragon Gate on Western Hill

08:30: Start your journey with happy morning.Follow the saying and walk pass the Dragon Gate on Xishan (Western Hills) to get prosperity in the future. You will have a bird’s-eye view of the Dianchi Lake and appreciate the groups of Taoist sculptures in the grottoes on the cliff in this scenic area.

12:00: Lunch at a local restaurant.

Sit back and relax as your guide will already have called to confirm your next journey. You will be transferred to your airport in advance.

Hotel Options: SSAW Boutique Hotel, the Bund Shanghai

Day 11: Shanghai/New China

08:30: Your local guide will lead you to discover the secret of modern Shanghai's rise to prominence. The tour starts at the Bund, where foreigners first landed in the city hundreds of years ago. Each building tells its own golden-age story.

12:00: Wander through alleyways to catch a glimpse of the lives of locals. Sit down for a break in a Michelin-starred restaurant and enjoy some delicious Shanghai snacks.

Try to squeeze onto the public ferry to cross the Huangpu River along with the crowds, and travel slowly from old Shanghai to the new Pudong area. Head to the top of  the tallest building in Shanghai—Shanghai Tower. Understand how Shanghai impacts China and how China impacts the world.

14:00: Enjoy a three-hour customized “icing-on-the-cake” experience.

17:00: Return to your hotel.

Hotel Options: SSAW Boutique Hotel, the Bund Shanghai

Day 12: Shanghai/Disneyland

After a busy journey for the whole family, why not keep a nice surprise for the end as a reward for the kids? Create some memorable family moments at Shanghai Disneyland. A private vehicle will take you directly to the theme park entrance. Enjoy the attractions during the day and the fireworks in the evening.

Hotel Options: Toy Story Hotel 

Day 13: Shanghai Departure

End your Chinese immersion with unforgettable memories. Your private car, driver and guide will be ready and waiting at your hotel lobby to get you to the airport on time. Have a nice journey home!