TERRA COTTA WARRIORS AND HOLYLAND TIBET

Features Included

• Air and Land transportation within China

• Tibet travel permit

• Escorted by English-speaking professional tour leader

• 4 star or local best hotels, hotel and dining taxes

• Welcome Peking Duck dinner

• Meals according to itinerary

• Admissions and cultural events

• Visit to a local family

• Tang Dynasty Theater show

• Acrobatic or Kungfu Show

• Baggage handling for one piece of luggage per person

For additional information, please call

Chinese Culture Exchange

22E Andover Drive, West Hartford, CT 06110 860-953-3322 www.MingsChina.com

Rate: Land Only: $3,695 per person, double occupancy

Single Supplement: $920 per person

Optional add-on tour to Shanghai: $590

Beijing, Xian, Lhasa, and Shanghai

Journey to mystical Holy Land Tibet. Begin the tour in Beijing, where you will tour Forbidden City, the Great Wall, and the Temple of Heaven. Fly

to Xian, one of the world’s largest and grandest cities and capital of China for 11 dynasties. Marvel at the Terra Cotta Warriors, visit the 5,000 year

-old Banpo Neolithic Museum, and explore Muslim Street and the Grand Mosque. Fly to Lhasa, capital of Holy Land Tibet. Explore the mountain

monasteries, spin the prayer wheels, shop in the colorful markets and sample the unique food and culture of this fascinating region. You will not

only visit the World Heritage Sites of the Potala and Jokhang Temples, the Drepung and Sera monasteries in Lhasa, you will also see amazing

natural landscapes, the Holy lake of Yamdrok and Mt. Nyenchen Kangsar glacier. You will visit the historical Gyangtse Kumbum Stupa and the

traditional Tibetan old towns of Gyangtse, the impressive seat of the Panchen Lama – Tashilhunpo Monastery at Shigats to experience of Tibetan

religion and the Tsang area life style.

Day 1 US/Beijing Depart New York for Beijing. Cross the International Date Line to the wonders of China. In-flight meals. Day 2 Beijing Arrive in Beijing, China’s bustling capital. Board your air-conditioned motor coach, sit back and enjoy the night scenery of Beijing as your bus takes you to your hotel. Wel-come dinner tonight featuring delectable Peking Duck. (Dinner) Day 3 Beijing Get up early today to begin our official tour of Beijing. First is the Forbidden City. Situated on 250 acres, the For-bidden City was home to two dynasties of emperors, the Ming and the Qing. It is the largest and most complete ancient imperial palace in the world, with more than 800 buildings and 9,999 rooms. In front of the Forbidden City is Tiananmen Square, the largest public place in the world and site of many history-making events. A visit to the 15th century Temple of Heaven provides a glimpse of where the emperors made offerings for the harvest. Today it is a popular place for local people to play chess, practice tai chi or listen to the Peking Opera. Special world famous Acrobatic show. (Breakfast, Lunch) Day 4 Beijing, evening flight to Xi’an Morning drive to Birds Nest and Water Cube Olympic venues for pictures. Stop over at a jade factory for a brief educational tour. Lunch at a local farmer’s restaurant. Proceed to the Great Wall in the Mutianyu area, a less crowded and well preserved section of the wall. You will take a cable car up to the top of the wall and take a wheeled toboggan ride down from the wall on a winding metal track. Evening flight to Xi’an. Xi’an, the “City of Everlasting Peace,” was the capital of China for 11 dynasties and is one of the world’s largest and grandest cities. (Breakfast, Lunch)

Day 5 Xian This morning we will visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and the Neolithic village of Banpo, which contains relics from the earliest known inhabitants of China – The 7-storied, pyramid-shaped Big Wild Goose Pagoda is a symbol of Xi’an. After lunch, tour the old City Wall with the South Gate Tower (showing the ancient mili-tary defense system and the only one of its kind in China). Enjoy an elegant and graceful Tang Dynasty

Theater Performance in the evening. Dinner tonight will be a special local Shanxi cuisine. (Breakfast, Lunch) Day 6 Xian A highlight of your visit this morning will be the extraordinary 2,300 year-old Terra Cotta Warriors of China’s first emperor, Qinshihuang. The warriors still stand on the actual site where peasants discovered them in 1974. Later visit Shanxi Art and Clay factory to see how the Terra Cotta Warriors were made. After-noon we will arrive at a typical Chinese village. Through meeting the local village leader, visiting a local school learn about village life. Evening is as leisure for you to stroll around park near the ho-tel. (Breakfast, Lunch)

Day 7 Lhasa After breakfast, transfer to Xian Airport for flight to Lhasa. Meet your Tibetan tour guide and transfer to your hotel. Take time out to relax and acclimate to the high altitude after arri-val. We recommend that you avoid strenuous activity for the first few days. It is advisable that you not take showers for the first day. For first time visitors, it is common to have different degrees of high altitude sickness symptom. Drink more water, have fresh fruit and plenty of rest will help to prevent the sickness. Have a good rest tonight, and get ready for tomorrow’s journey. (Breakfast, Dinner) Day 8 Lhasa Lhasa, capital of Tibet Autonomous Region. The city, with an altitude of 12,090 feet above sea level, has long been the “Holy Land” of Tibet. Due to the high elevation, altitude sick-ness can happen to anyone regardless of your age and health con-dition. Most visitors to Tibet will experience some symptoms that will generally disappear through acclimatization. Please consult with your physician prior to traveling to Lhasa. After adjusting to the altitude, visit Jokhang monastery, the center of the Tibetan Buddhism and the sacred land of Buddhist followers where innu-merable pilgrims come for worship everyday. The temple, built in 647, is the earliest wood-and-masonry structure still existing in Tibet. Surrounding Jokhang is the Barkhor, the Pilgrim’s Circuit, Lhasa’s old market. This area is full of activity with monks chant-ing, vendors selling their wares, yak butter wafting in the air and

ITINERARY

hundreds of people moving in a clockwise direction. Much has been changed in Tibet in the past few hundred years, but the Barkhor still has the air of a medieval bazaar. In today’s Barkhor you can bargain good-naturedly for souvenirs, thangkas, and other local specialties. In the afternoon visit Norbulingka, which means “the garden of treasures” in Tibetan language. Located in the west suburbs of Lhasa, this palace complex was built in the 18th century and served as the summer residence of the Dalai Lamas. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Day 9 Lhasa Like the previous days, you experience invaluable insights during your visits to Potala Palace and Drepung Monastery. This 17th century Potala Palace offers an awesome view of the en-tire city and also has private quarters of the Dalai Lama, numerous grand state rooms and chapels. Tibetans’ respect and belief are im-mensely knotted with this monastery. In the afternoon, tour the Tibetan Museum to learn more about the history of this region referred to as the “roof of the world”. Today’s cultural exchange program will offer you an insightful visit to a local Tibetan home

where you have a people-to-people experience with the locals and enjoy the famous yak-butter tea. Notes: As you climb up to the Potala Palace, you might experience slight shortness of breath due to the exertion. Take your time and rest when needed. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Day 10 Lhasa to Shigatse This morning take 2 ½ hour scenic drive to the Yamdrok Yumtso (tso means lake) to enjoy the natural beauty of this mystical land. You will follow Lhasa River to Tsangpo River, the highest major river in the world. Then continue for 1.5 hours to the foot of Naiqinkangsang Snow Mountain, one of the holy mountains of Tibet. If you look up to the Snow Mountain you’ll see the beautiful “flag cloud” floating and shining in the air. Karo-la Glacier will be in your eyes. It has a good fame of “Ice Queen” on the roof of the world. It is about 5,600 meters north of the main peak of Karo-la Mountain. You’ll have a long-distance of this masterpiece of nature. Late afternoon, visit Palkor Chode (Palcho) monastery. Built as a Tibetan monastery, its structural style is very unique, reputed as the lord of Tibetan stupas. In addi-tion, it is famous for the architecture, sculpture, and mural painting art. Arrive in Shigatse in the evening. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Day 11 Shigatse to Lhasa Visit Tashilump Monastery in the morning. Tashilunpo Monastery was Built in1447 by the first Dalai Lama. Painted in red and white, the buildings in the kloster stand

closely together in terraced rows, offering a grand and majestic view. Tashilunpo Kloster represents the Tibetan super architecture art in the Last Tibetan spirit. The Kloster attracts thousands of Bud-dhists and tourists from domestic and abroad to travel and worship every year. After lunch, drive back to Lhasa. Enjoy the desert scen-ery and the scenery along the Brahmaputra and see devout Tibetans prostrating and measuring their pilgrimage route with their flesh and blood on Tibetan Plateau. Overnight in Lhasa. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Day 12 Lhasa to Shanghai Moring at leisure. Afternoon trans-fer to Lhasa airport for your flight to Shanghai, China’s most popu-lous city and center of trade and industry. (Breakfast)

Day 13 Return home Transfer to Pudong International Airport for connecting flights to USA. Crossing back over the International Date Line, you will arrive home on the same day! (Breakfast)

Day 13 Shanghai Today you will start the day with a walking tour of Bund, where the great foreign commercial houses and banks built their imposing office buildings in the early 20th cen-tury. Then you will stroll along the Nanjing Road, which was considered one of the World's Seven Great Roads in the 1930s and always mentioned in travel guides as a must see. Lunch will be on your own as you stroll along Shanghai Xin Tian Di, which has become an urban tourist attraction that holds the historical and cultural legacies of the city. Dinner tonight will be Shanghai cuisine. (Breakfast, Lunch) Day 14 Shanghai Morning visit to Shanghai National Museum and Shanghai Arts & Crafts Institute. Become acquainted with the endearing children at the Children’s Palace and meet the local people in People’s Square. In the afternoon explore Old Town, Yu Garden and the Jade Buddha Temple. (Breakfast, Lunch) Day 15 Shanghai Transfer to Pudong Airport for your flight to US. Arrive home the same day. (Breakfast)

Optional Add-on Tour Shanghai

RESERVATION FORM

Please complete, detach and return with deposit check payable to: Chinese Cultural Exchange, 22E Andover Drive, West Hartford, CT 06110. Phone (860) 953-3322, Fax (860) 953-3388, E-mail info@MingsChina.com. www.MingsChina.com

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Terms & Conditions

Tour cost is based on double sharing, land only: $3695 per person. Single supplement: $920. Payment Schedule: $500 per person deposit payable to CCE. Final payment due 90 days before departure. Not Included: international airfare, passport fee, visa fees ($200), tips to drivers, guides, and tour manager. Meals not listed, alcoholic beverages with meals. Departure taxes, travel insurance, or other personal items. Cancellation Policy: Chinese Cultural Exchange (CCE) must strictly adhere to its cancellation policy to offset costs incurred prior to the commencement of the tour, which may include, but are not limited to: advance payments to land operators, communication expenses; development/promotional expenses; and the loss of time that might have permitted resale of reserved space. Cancellation for all or any part of the trip will not be effective until they are received in writing in the office of CCE. Cancellation received after confirmation of booking and up to 90 days before departure, is subject to a $300 per person cancellation fee. No refunds will be given for cancellation within 90 days of departure. We strongly recommend for your protection that you purchase Trip Cancellation Insurance. Cancellation insurance forms can be requested from us. Photography: Chinese Cultural Exchange and our partner organizations reserve the right to take photographs or videos during the operation of any tour or part thereof and to use the resulting photography for promotional purposes. By making a reservation with Chinese Cultural Exchange, participants agree to allow their images to be used in such photography. Liabilities Clause: Chinese Cultural Exchange assumes no responsibility or liability for any injury, damage, loss and delay, due to an act, negligence or default of the tour guide, or any company or person engaged in transporting the passengers, or rendering any service, or carrying out the arrangements for any tour, or their agents and employees. The airline tickets when issued shall constitute the sole contract between the air company concerned and the purchaser of these tours and/or passenger. The carriers are not responsible for any act, omission, or event during the time tour participants are not aboard their conveyance. Upon payment of a deposit, tour participants indicate acceptance of the above terms and conditions. Please note: This trip involves full days of sightseeing and significant amounts of walking. You should be in good physical condition to enjoy the tour. Lhasa’s altitude (12,090 feet) could pose problems for travelers with certain health conditions. You should consult with your physician if you have concerns.

Hotels

Beijing: River View Hotel: 011-86-84478855 Xi’an: Garden Hotel: 011-86-28-86618888 Lhasa: Thangka Hotel 011-86 891 630 8866 Shigatse Tashi Chotar Grand Hotel Shanghai: Holiday Inn: 011-86-21-63538008

Average Temperature in October (°F)

Beijing 66 Xian 68 Lhasa 61 Shanghai 72