Day 1 :
Start Tour
- Fly to Beijing:
Relax and enjoy your scheduled flight from North America.
Day 2 :
Ni Hao Beijing
- Welcome to Beijing:
Meet your Tour Director and check into hotel.
Day 3 :
Beijing
- Great Wall of China Visit:
Stretching from Korea to the Gobi Desert, the Great Wall of China reaches 1,500 miles along old imperial borders. The wall was built mainly by millions of slaves, repairing and lengthening existing defensive walls throughout the centuries (the oldest dating back to the 5th century BC), until the massive structure was complete. Sentries posted at the stone watchtowers along its length could use smoke to signal an imminent attack.
- Ming Tombs Visit:
An emperor with a home as elaborate as the Imperial Palace needs an equally elaborate final resting place, and the Ming Tombs fit the bill quite nicely. Overseen by the same emperor, Yongle, who constructed the Forbidden City, the Ming Tombs are an enormous complex of pavilions, gardens, hallways, and tombs designed to provide everything an emperor, empress, or favored concubine would need in the afterlife. Check out the Avenue of Stone Animals, where a dozen pairs of carved animals, some dating back to the 1400s, and half a dozen pairs of carved officials and soldiers wait to escort their leaders to heaven.
- LEAP Cook Chinese Cuisine:
Create an authentic Chinese dish.
LEAP Activity | Cook Chinese Cuisine
Create an authentic Chinese dish as professional chefs guide you through a traditional recipe. Savor your delicious creation.
Day 4 :
Beijing
- Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City:
A local guide leads you through the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square.
- Hutong Visit:
A hutong is a unique form of traditional Beijing living quarters with a small street or a lane between two courtyards. There are thousands of hutongs in Beijing, most of which were built in the Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties.
- LEAP Tai Chi:
Discover the history of the Chinese martial art, Tai Chi.
- Optional Peking Opera Performance:
Tonight, enjoy the Peking Opera!
LEAP Activity | Tai Chi
Discover the history of the Chinese martial art, Tai Ji. Learn the moves from an experienced instructor, then practice what you’ve been taught.
Day 5 :
Beijing School Visit
- Travel to Sun Village:
- Local School Visit:
Engage with students in an array of activities including teaching them English, playing various sports with them, and helping them improve their home and school area.
- Return to Beijing:
Day 6 :
Continue Beijing School Visit
- Travel to Sun Village:
- Local School Visit:
Engage with students in an array of activities including teaching them English, playing various sports with them, and helping them improve their home and school area.
- Return to Beijing:
Day 7 :
Continue Beijing School Visit
- Travel to Sun Village:
- Local School Visit:
Engage with students in an array of activities including teaching them English, playing various sports with them, and helping them improve their home and school area.
- Return to Beijing:
Day 8 :
Beijing-Xi’an
- Temple of Confucius Visit:
The second-largest Confucian temple in China contains 198 stone tablets listing the names of generations of advanced scholars. Take a look at the old cyprus tree outside—it is said that the tree can distinguish between good and evil.
- Lunch with Locals:
Learn about the daily lives of Beijing citizens and have lunch with a local family.
- Yonghe Lamasery Visit:
Built during the Qing dynasty, this Tibetan Buddhist temple—which originally housed court eunuchs—is split up into five main halls. Don’t miss the Hall of Harmony and Peace, which houses three bronze statues of the Buddha, one each for the past, present, and future.
- Peking Duck Dinner:
You will be treated to the sumptuous dish that northern China is famous for: Peking duck! During this special feast, learn about the ritual preparation and savory side dishes that accompany this regional specialty.
- Overnight Train to Xi’an:
Day 9 :
Xi’an
- Terra Cotta Warriors Museum Visit:
See the 8th wonder of the world—the life-size Terra-cotta Warriors.
- Bell Tower Visit:
Visit the Xi'an Bell Tower, located in the heart of the city.
- LEAP Chinese School Visit:
Learn the similarities and differences found in Chinese classroom and the classrooms you are accustomed to at home.
- Giant Wild Goose Pagoda Visit:
Step inside the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, a Buddhist pagoda built in 652. It now stands 210 feet tall and, from the top, offers views over the city of Xi'an. A statue of translator and traveler Xuanzang greets travelers in front of the temple area.
LEAP Activity | Chinese School Visit
A visit to a local school introduces you to Chinese students. Learn the similarities and differences found in their classroom and the classrooms you are accustomed to at home.
Day 10 :
Explore More of Xi'an
- Muslim Quarter:
Wrap up your stay in Xi'an with a stroll through the Muslim Quarter.
Day 11 :
Xi’an-Shanghai
- Fly to Shanghai:
Board your plane to Shanghai, China's largest city.
- Shanghai City Walk:
This afternoon, enjoy a local guide-led sightseeing tour of Shanghai, including the Colonial Bund, the French Concession, and People's Square, a spectacular space in the heart of the city.
Day 12 :
Explore Shanghai
- Shanghai Museum Visit:
Spend your morning visiting the Shanghai Museum.
- Acrobatic Show:
Forget Cirque du Soleil—Shanghai's Acrobatic Troupe has been performing for more than 50 years, and their combination of superb acrobatics, juggling, magic, and more has made them the world's best acrobatic ensemble.
- LEAP Chinese Calligraphy:
Do you have what it takes to master the art?
LEAP Activity | Chinese Calligraphy
A lesson in traditional Chinese calligraphy, Hanzi, teaches you the history behind this widely respected art form. Afterward, try your best to recreate the strokes using an ink brush. Do you have what it takes to master the art?
Day 13 :
End Tour
- Fly Home:
Board your flight back to the U.S. and reflect on the incredible memories you’ve created.
VIEW FULL ITINERARY
HIDE FULL ITINERARY
