Avg. High (°F) May Sep Oct NovBeijing 81 77 66 55Shanghai 74 79 72 63Chongqing 79 80 71 61

CHINAXian

Shanghai

Nanjing

Chongqing Yangtze RiverYichang

Shanghai

Beijing

YellowSea

East China Sea

DestinationAirRiver CruiseEntry/Departure

Map Legend

Watch a video on the Terra-Cotta Soldiers at SmithsonianJourneys.org/China-Yangtze

Guaranteed small group of no more than 24 Smithsonian travelers per departure

Days 1-2: Depart the U.S. for Beijing, China After time to relax meet for a walking tour of the area surrounding your hotel. Dinner is on your own this evening.

Days 3-5: Beijing and the Great Wall Begin your exploration of this 2,000-year old city at Tiananmen Square, the symbolic heart of China. Enter the gates of the fascinating Forbidden City, seat of imperial power during the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911). Tonight, savor a traditional Peking duck dinner. Begin the next morning with a rickshaw ride through Beijing’s hutongs or old neighborhoods. You’ll visit the home of a local family for a rare glimpse of the traditional communal lifestyle that is fast disappear-ing. In the afternoon set out for the enigmatic Great Wall north of the city. At the Mutianyu section of the Wall take a cable car up to the partially reconstructed ramparts and walk along the seemingly endless for-tification that snakes across the landscape for more than 5,000 miles. The next morning tour the splendid Temple of Heaven, where emperors once worshipped. Then visit the newly reopened and expanded National Museum of China, repository of the nation’s most prized cultural artifacts. (3B,2L,2D)

Days 6-7: Xi’an Fly to Xi’an, the capital city of some of the most significant dynasties in Chinese

history and the eastern terminus of the Silk Road. Xi’an regained world prominence in 1974, when the renowned Terra-cotta Warriors were accidentally discovered by local farmers. After lunch at a local restaurant, tour the impressive nine-mile city wall and visit the Great Mosque of Xi’an. Tonight, enjoy a special dinner of traditional Chinese dumplings. The next morning visit the Small Wild Goose Pagoda (c. A.D. 652), a graceful brick Buddhist temple notable for its statues and stelae. Devote the afternoon to the extraordinary Terra-cotta Warriors, more than 7,000 life-sized soldiers created to guard China’s first emperor in the afterlife. Get a panoramic view of these captivating individualized figures arrayed in military formation. The entire complex is now protected as a World Heritage site. (2B,2L,2D)

Day 8: Chongqing Fly to Chongqing, a bustling port city on the Yangtze River. Upon arrival, visit the zoo housing the beloved pandas. Following dinner at a local restaurant, board your Victoria Cruises ship and begin your cruise this evening. (B,L,D)

Days 9-10: The Yangtze Prized for its haunting natural beauty, the 3,600-mile-long Yangtze is one of the world’s longest and busiest rivers. Visit one of its most popular towns, the “ghost city” of Fengdu. Tonight enjoy the Captain’s Welcome Dinner. The

14 days from $5,169 total price from Los Angeles, San Francisco ($4,595 air, land & cruise inclusive plus $574 airline taxes and departure fees)

Experience all the must-see sights of vast, complex, and eternally fascinating China

on our classic tour of the Middle Kingdom. From monumental Beijing and the awe-inspiring ranks of Xi’an’s Terra-cotta Warriors, excavated from the tomb of the first unifying emperor of China, to the modern powerhouse of Shanghai, you’ll savor China’s treasures, both ancient and modern.

ImperIal ChIna and the Yangtze

Your Small Group Tour Highlights

Visit with a local family in one of Beijing’s quickly disappearing communal neighborhoods ... Tour the impressive National Museum of China … Gaze upon the imposing ranks of the Terra-cotta Warriors of Xi’an … Travel through the heart of China on a three-day Yangtze River cruise and transit partway through the locks of Three Gorges Dam … Stop at traditional Yu Yuan Garden in Shanghai with pavilions and courtyards

Day Itinerary Hotel Rating 1 Depart U.S. for Beijing

2-5 Beijing Sofitel Wanda Beijing Deluxe

6-7 Xi’an Sheraton Xi’an North City Hotel Sup. First Class

8-10 Yangtze Cruise Victoria Cruises Sup. First Class

11-13 Shanghai Hilton Shanghai Deluxe

14 Depart Shanghai for U.S.

Ratings are based on the Hotel & Travel Index, the travel industry standard reference.

A World Heritage site, China’s Great Wall winds across deserts and grasslands, mountains and plateaus for more than 5,000 miles.

ASIA

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next day, after traversing Qutang Gorge, disembark in Wushan. Scenes from ancient Chinese scroll paintings come to life as you take a small ferry along the Daning River to the stunning Lesser Gorges. Back on board ship late afternoon, enter tran-quil Wu Gorge, considered the most beautiful of the Three Gorges. Then reach the scenic western section of 42-mile Xiling Gorge, famed for its swift rapids and churning whirlpools. Later tonight, enter the locks of the Three Gorges Dam for a fascinating three-hour transit. (2B,2L,2D)

Day 11: Three Gorges Dam and Shanghai Tour the immense Three Gorges Dam Project, one of the largest feats of modern engineering in the world. Continue cruising through Xiling Gorge and Gezhouba Dam to Yichang, where you’ll disembark and fly to Shanghai. (B,L)

Days 12-13: Shanghai Take a walking tour of the Xin Tian Di district of reconstructed traditional homes, then stroll through peaceful Yu Yuan, a traditional Chinese garden. After lunch tour the priceless

collections at the acclaimed Shanghai Museum. Tonight, attend a lively Chinese acrobatics show. The following morning walk along The Bund, Shanghai’s broad and bustling riverfront boulevard. The remainder of the day is at leisure to experience bustling Nanjing Road, cruise the Huangpu River, or get a bird’s-eye view of the city from the Oriental Pearl TV Tower. Tonight, toast your adventure at a farewell dinner. (2B,1L,1D)

Day 14: Depart for the U.S. Depart Shanghai for your return flights to the U.S. (B)

Your Tour Price Includes• Round-trip air transportation from listed cities; all flights

within itinerary• 12 nights accommodations: 3 nights aboard Superior

First Class ship of Victoria Cruises; 9 nights in Deluxe and Superior First Class hotels

• 29 meals: 12 breakfasts, 9 lunches, 8 dinners • Extensive sightseeing as described, including all

entrance fees• Services of a professional Tour Director• Lectures by Smithsonian Expert• Private motorcoach transportation throughout your trip,

including shore excursions• Luggage handling for one bag per person• Gratuities for Tour Director, local guides, dining room

servers, airport and hotel porters, and all drivers

Launched/Rebuilt: 2004-2011Registry: ChineseCrew: 121-189

Air Conditioning: YesDecks: 5 or 6Passenger Capacity: 218-378

Victoria Cruises Premier Ships

All Cabins: Private balcony; satellite TV with HBO

2014 Tour Dates and Pricesincluding international airfare and all taxes, surcharges, and fees

May 6 Oct 21 Sep 16

Los Angeles, San Francisco $5,169 $5,269

Portland (OR), Seattle $5,369 $5,469

Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Minneapolis, $5,569 $5,669 New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix

Atlanta, Baltimore, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Miami, Orlando, $5,669 $5,769 Tampa, Washington, DC

Land Only $4,295 $4,395

Please call if your city is not listed. Prices are per person based on double occu pancy in an outside cabin and include airline taxes, fuel surcharges, and departure fees of $574, which are subject to change until final payment is made. Single travelers please add $1,195. All 2014 tour prices above (excluding airline taxes, surcharges and departure fees) are guaranteed.

Business Class upgrade on round-trip transpacific flight: $3,495 per person (upgrade is on request and pricing is subject to change).

Due to Chinese visa restrictions, no new registrations can be accepted within 45 days of the tour.

Please note: This trip involves full days of sightseeing and significant amounts of walking on stairs and uneven surfaces. You should be in good physical con dition to enjoy the tour to the fullest.

View Xian’s amazing Terra Cotta Warriors.

Your Tour Price Includes• 2 nights accommodations at Hilton Shanghai (Deluxe)• 2 meals: 2 breakfasts• Transfer to airport

ShanghaI – On YOur Own3 days/2 nights for $245 total price

Single Supplement: $195

Spend additional time exploring dynamic Shanghai, China’s most prosperous,

vibrant, and cosmopolitan city.

Post-Tour Extension

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“This was an absolutely wonderful trip – educational, personally enriching, thought-

provoking. I wish all trips were this outstanding in so many ways.”

- Virginia R.

Victoria Cass is a professor and author with special expertise in traditional Chinese culture. Most recently she was a visiting professor at Johns Hopkins University and has also taught Mandarin and Classical Chinese

language, as well as Chinese literature, at other universities. Her specialties are religion and myth, storytelling and popular culture, and women’s history. Victoria will lead the May departure.

Dennis Johnson is professor of political management at The George Washington University and also holds an appointment with the Sigur Center for Asian Studies. As a Fulbright lecturer, he taught China-U.S. relations

and public policy at Jinan University and lectured widely throughout China. Dennis received his Ph.D. from Duke University and specializes in environmental and energy-related challenges facing China. He will lead the October departure. The September departure will be led by a comparable expert.

Smithsonian Experts

Call 1-877-338-8687 or visit SmithsonianJourneys.orgTo Register