Beijing Huangshan Hongcun Shanghai 9 Days Tour

Arrival in Beijing, met and transferred to your hotel in Beijing. Free for the rest of the day.

Starting the day with a visit to Tiananmen Square, the world largest square of this kind. Then move on to the imperial palace, also known as the "Forbidden City" that symbolizes the imperial and traditional China. Continuee to visit Temple of Heaven, the place where the emperors of Ming and Qing Dynasties worshipped heaven and prayed for peace and harvest. After lunch, head to Summer Palace, the largest and most beautiful Chinese imperial garden. It is regarded as a museum of gardens in China. Transferred back to your hotel.

After breakfast, have an excursion to Badaling Great Wall, symbol of Chinese civilization. After lunch, go on with the visit to Dingling, one of the Ming Tombs, where 13 emperors were buried in Ming Dynasty. Peking Duck dinner and Peking Opera Show in the evening.

Start your trip to Lama Temple ( Yonghe Temple ). It is a temple and monastery of the Geluk School of Tibetan Buddhism. After Chinese lunch, head to to Shichahai area behind Beihai Park for Hutong tour by taking 20-minute rickshaw. Then ascend the Drum Tower and have a bird's eye view of the old Beijing - Shichahai area.

After the tour in Beijing, you will be transferred to Beijing airport for Huangshan. Arrival at Huangshan Airport, met by our local Englih speaking tour guide and transfered to 5 star Huangshan International Hotel in Huangshan ( add: 31 Huangshan Road, Tunxi, Huangshan Tel:86-559-2565678 ). After dinner, free for rest of the day.

After breakfast at your hotel, check out and deposit your suitcases in the hotel, take your valuables, passport and a bag with a change of clothes.

Then drive along Huangshan Expressway to Huangshan Scenic Area, about 1.5-hour's drive, 80km north from your hotel in Tunxi.Get off the expressway from the exit No. 299 at Tangkou Township (汤口镇). Then change for the local green bus and continue to drive for about 15 minutes along the zigzag mountain road before you get to the bus station at Yungu.

Taking a 5-minute walk from bus station to Yungu Telpher Station (云谷索道) . Actually there are two cable stations in Yungu. We take the new telpher station. The 10-minite ride takes you to the White Goose Telpher Station(白鹅岭索道) on the top of White Goose Ridge of Huangshan Mountain.

Taking a 0.8km pleasant walk from White Goose Telpher Station (白鹅岭索道) to Stalagmite Peak（石笋矼)

We got off the cable car at White Goose Telpher Station and walk along the White Goose Ridge towards Stalagmite Peak, the first peak on your Huangshan Trip. From the cable car station to the Stalagmite Peak is 0.8 km. It is a pleasant walk teemed with amazing views of pine trees, colourful leaves and various peaks with comfortable temperature under azure sky.

Taking a 0.2km walk from Stalagmite Peak （石笋矼） to Beginning-to-Believe-Peak（始信峰）

This 20-minute walk is a little difficult than that of from the White Goose Telpher Station to Stalagmite Peak. The mountain road is a bit steep. On the way, you can still enjoy the different views of pine trees and unknown peaks.

Taking a 1km walk from Beginning-to-Believe Peak（始信峰） to A Flower Blooming on Brush Tip（妙笔生花）

After enjoying the fantastic view of Beginning-to-Believe Peak, you walk 1 km towards to another famous attraction – A Flower on the Tip of a Brush Pen. This 1km walk is also quite interesting. Especially you could see some unique pine trees. One of the pine trees is called “Umbrella Pine” named by Secretary of United Nations – Mr.Kofi Anna and his wife Nane Anna when they paid a visit to Huangshan on May 20-21,2006.

Check in at your hotel - Beihai Hotel 北海饭店

Waking just over 100 meters from the A Flower Blooming on Brush Tip, you get to your hotel on the Huangshan summit. It is a 4 star hotel with over 500 rooms. In front of Beihai Hotel, there is a row of rooms which accomodate Post, China Mobile, Bank and Police Station.

After lunch at your hotel and take a short break. At 3:00pm, start your afternoon sightseeing at Grand Canyon of Weat Sea（西海大峡谷）.

Taking a 2km walk towards Grand Canyon of Weat Sea. You ramble along the stone paved roads winding under arched trees. One pine tree named ”Tuanjiesong”. The tree is 14.5 meters high. You also passed Cloud Dispelling Pavilion before you get to the entrance to Grand Canyon of West Sea. Walk one or two circular pathes down to the canyon depending the weather condition and your energy.

Return to your hotel in Beihai Hotel around 6:30pm. After dinner, free for rest of the day. Go to bed early preparing for next morning's the first Light of the Morning (Dawn) if fine weather (don't forget to check the sunrise time from the hotel front desk - usually around 6:00am).

Around 5:30am, after simple washing and putting on the winter jacket available in your room, hurry down and hike about 500 meters up to Dawn Pavilion（曙光亭） by using flashlights, the best point to view the dawn and twilight in Huangshan. If you are lucky, you will catch the first sun light, but the sunrise is blocked the Beginning-to-believe Peak. Maybe that's why it is called "Dawn Pavilion" instead of "Sunrise Pavilion".

After breakfast and check out around 8:30am and begin 2-hour sightseeing at Dawn Pavilion（曙光亭), Refreshing Terrace (清凉台） and Stone Monkey Gazing over the Sea of Clouds（猴子观海）.

0.05km Walk from our Beihai Hotel to Dawn Pavilion (曙光亭).

The Down Pavilion is your first sight in the morning. The steps leading to the pavilion is a little steep, but it isn't hard to climb up if you keep your slow pace. As the name implies, the Dawn Peak is one of teh best place to see the first light of the sun in Huangshan Mountain. The peak is 1625 in altitude. From this peak, you can also see and admire the granite forest peaks in Huangshan Mountain.

Refreshing Terrace (清凉台）

Continue to walk from Dawn Peak, soon you will meet the Refreshing Terrace, a perfect flatform to overlook the granite peaks and the sea of clouds. The rocks consist of fine granular porphyritic granite. The rock platform overhangs the cliffs.

Stone Monkey Gazing over the sea of clouds （猴子观海）

Next to Refreshing Terrace is the peak called “Stone Monkey Gazing over the Sea of Clouds”. But the short hike from Refreshing Terrace is a little tiring with steep steps.

Finishing all the sightseeing in Huangshan, have a 2km walk back to White Goose Telpher Station(白鹅岭索道) and take the cable car down the mountain. Take the green bus back to Tangkou Township (汤口镇) where you are arranged to have your lunch around 11:40am.

After lunch, take a 40-minute bus ride from Tangkou Township (汤口镇) to Hongcun Village (宏村). Hongcun Village is located at the foot of the southwest side of Mt. Huangshan, only 11kms away from Yixian town. It is a unique, buffalo-shaped ancient village. The locals liken Leigang Hill as the "head", two huge trees on the hill as the "horns", the residences in the village as the "body" a winding stream as the "intestines", a crescent pond as the "stomach" and the four bridges as the "four feet". Because of this extraordinary vernacular dwellings of the village, Hongcun Village was added to the list of the World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO in late 2000. It is also the location for the famous prize film "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon".

After one hour visit in Hongcun Village, drive about 60km back to Tunxi Huanshan and take your suitcases deposited in the hotel. Next, you either choose to visit Huizhou Culture Museum or walking around the old town(老街) in Tunxi.

After dinner, transferred back to the airport for your flight to Shanghai. Met and transferred to your hotel in Shanghai. Free for rest of the day.

First visit Shanghai Museum, the selection of over 112,000 Chinese cultural relics from the Old Stone Age to modern times. Then proceed to visit The Bund, one of the most noted waterfront and architectural symbols of Shanghai. After that, move on to the "Pedestrians only" Nanjing Road, a walking bustling street that is always packed with people waching other people.

After lunch, go to Shanghai's new zone - Pudong ( east of Huangpu River) and visit Shanghai Oriental Pearl TV Tower - one of the world's tallest TV tower. Finally take one hour cruising on Huang Pu River.

After breakfast, visit Yuyuan Garden, a classical Qing Dynasty garden with over 30 pavilions linked by a maze of corridors and bridges over ponds. Just next to Yuyuan Garden is the Old City God's Temple Bazaar from the Song Dyansty. Then move on to Jade Buddha Temple - the most famous Buddhist temple in Shanghai.

After lunch, move on to the former French Concession, characterized by beautiful, tree-lined streets and weathered European architecture. Finally head to Xi Tian Di - something like Lan Kwai Fong in Hong Kong and Clarke Quay in Singapore. The brick buildings on these tow-square blocks have been preserved and tranformed into trendy clubs, restaurants and boutiques. After dinner, you will be arranged to enjoy the fantastic Acrobatics show.

Transfer to airport for departure or free on your own. ( B )