Savile Row Travel

China – A Journey of Discovery

18 night tour of China including Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and Giant Pandas

While China has been a trade partner for many centuries there is still something incredibly alien about this country which, even in the grip of huge economic growth and a swing towards a more capitalist society, maintains traditions and culture that go back thousands of years.

China’s main cities continue to grow and re-build at pace, but hidden within the new bastions of modernisation and commerce are small oases of the ancient such as Yu Gardens in the centre of Shanghai. There are many examples of traditional Chinese buildings, monuments and temples all over the country, showing their pagoda-esque style on a grandiose scale. There are no finer examples of this than the Forbidden City and Summer Palace in Beijing.

Outside of the two main metropolises there are many other interesting smaller cities and towns with much to offer, as well as the most obvious attraction, the Great Wall of China. The sheer scale of this wall, which stretches (in generally good condition) for around 6,000km, is mind boggling when you consider that construction started in 7,000 BC. Aside to the number one attraction, there are other amazing must see sights such as the Terracotta Warriors and the Li River.

Further afield in China’s central and south western provinces, the landscapes start to change, as do the people and the culture. In our opinion, rural China is where the country becomes really interesting and you will see no better example of that than in the south west in Yunnan province, home of the minorities. Close to the border with north Vietnam, there is a true melting pot of cultures here and an array of ethnic minorities, including the famous Naxi minority and their Dongba culture. From Dali’s pagodas and beautiful Erhai Lake to Lijiang’s charming old town in the shadow of Jade Snow Dragon Mountain, the area shows a really different side to China, with subsistence farming prevalent in the outlying countryside and some amazing scenery.

Further north, you enter Zhongdian County, thought by many to be the home of ‘Shangri-La’ (paradise) which inspired James Hilton’s 1933 novel, Lost Horizon. Whether this was the valley he stumbled upon or not, there is no doubting its beauty. Further north again, Chengdu, famous for its panda conservation, offers an insight into a different kind of city, as well as a visit to the rural outpost of Leshan and its famously enormous Giant Buddha.

A great way to enter China is to enter via the Trans-Siberian/Mongolian rail route which you can take from Moscow to Beijing. There is also a new rail route from Beijing to Tibet (Lhasa) where more fascinating sights can be seen.

Whilst the Li River provides an interesting day trip, the Yangtze River surely has to be one of the most revered river trips in the world. With some great quality cruise ships now plying the way (typically) between Yichang and Chongqing, a 3-7 night cruise on this stunning waterway is a great way to cap off an amazing trip to China.

Hong Kong is a vibrant, densely populated city and former British colony. As a major financial and trading hub, it continues to grow and is renowned for its food, shopping (Temple Street Night Market) and modern architecture (I.M.Pei’s Bank of China). October to early December is a brilliant time to visit whilst June to August can be hot and wet.

Kunming is known as the ‘Spring City’ for its lovely climate and is perfect to spend a few days exploring. The city itself is home to the Bamboo Temple where master Sichuanese sculptor Li Guangxiu and his apprentices fashioned 500 sculptures in a mishmash of styles over an eight-year period. The trick is to count the sculptures one by one until you reach your age, and apparently that is the one that best details your inner self!

Dali is sandwiched between mountains and Erhai Lake. It used to be a well established pit stop on the backpacker route but now it’s gone mainstream and has changed accordingly. Lijiang is a maze of cobbled streets, very old wooden buildings and canals. It can get very busy at times but when it does, hop on a bike and cycle out to one of the surrounding villages for some space.

Shangri-La offers a glimpse into the Tibetan world. At 3,200m, it’s surrounded by mountains, lakes and grassland and home to one of the region’s most rewarding monasteries. Much of the old town was destroyed by a fire in 2014 but has now been rebuilt. Winters here are bitterly cold although the mountain views are incredible.

Beijing is not only China’s capital but also one of the largest cities on earth. If you can’t find what you are looking for in Beijing, then it probably doesn’t exist. Whilst it is not China’s largest city (whose honour goes to Shanghai), Beijing still houses well over 20 million people. Founded more than 3,000 years ago, the city has long since been a site of strategic importance and as such is packed full of wonderful cultural and historical sites.

It can be tricky to choose what to do in Beijing but there are without doubt two stand-out attractions. The first is the Forbidden City, one of the best preserved examples of Chinese culture and architecture. The other is Tiananmen Square, infamous as the site of the student massacre in 1989, and renowned as one of the world’s largest and most impressive squares with the mausoleum of Mao Zedong at its centre.

Chengdu is the capital of Sichuan province and home to more than 14 million people. It often carries the nickname the ‘Land of Milk and Honey’, or ‘Land of Abundance’ because of its reputation as a highly productive agricultural area. Chengdu is also home to the Panda Breeding Research Base, perhaps the world’s premier research centre when it comes to the behaviour and breeding of pandas. The base plays a vital role in securing the giant panda’s survival in the wild. The aim of the breeding program is to simulate the panda’s natural bamboo forest environment whilst removing human contact so that pandas can be eventually released into the wild.

TOUR DETAILS

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

ITINERARY IN BRIEF

Itinerary

Flight information

Direct outward flight from the UK to Hong Kong in under 12 hours. Direct return flight from Beijing to the UK in around 11 hours. Private transfers to and from the airports are included.

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