Culinary China

Private full day tour to Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City and the hutong areas with lunch (is in the price included). Tiananmen square is the biggest square in the world, its south is the Forbidden City, called Gu Gong in Chinese, was the imperial palace during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Now known as the Palace Museum, it is to the north of Tiananmen Square. Rectangular in shape, it is the world's largest palace complex and covers 74 hectares. Surrounded by a six meter deep moat and a ten meter high wall are 9,999 rooms. The word "hutong" originates from "hottog" which means "well" in Mongolian, and means a lane or alley - or in fact the passage formed by lines of siheyuan (a compound with houses around a courtyard) where old Beijing residents live. Beijing's hutongs are inequable ranging from a few feet to over 30 feet wide. The longest has more than 20 turns, though most have a slant, half turn, or are cul-de-sacs "blind hutongs". The gray-tiled houses and identical criss-crossing deep alleys give you the impression of being in a maze - fun to walk through, but be careful not to get lost.

Enjoy a Peking Duck dinner at Dadong restaurant. Voted by locals as the best Peking Duck in Beijing.

This tour begins as your vehicle and driver pick you up from your hotel and make route towards one of Beijing's many local markets. Soon after you will meet up with your "Chef" who will go into details about the local produce and ingredients needed for today's cooking class. You will then make your way to the kitchen for some basic culinary training including some basic knife skills training (Cleaver), and how to use the traditional Chinese fry-pan, the Wok. Your chef will demonstrate how to create five distinctive dishes, where you will apply your skill to create two or three of these delicious meals. Your vehicle will transfer you back to your hotel upon completion.

Take an evening walking tour with your guide of the famous Chinese night food markets, and visit exciting Wangfujing Street.

Enjoy a full day private guided tour of the Great Wall at Mutianyu, located 45 miles northeast of Beijing. This section winds along lofty, cragged mountains for 1.4 miles and holds a prominent place in Chinese military history. Construction was started in the Northern Qi Dynasty (550 - 577) and was restored in the early Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644). There are abundant natural springs which feed a great variety of verdant plants and ancient trees. Built mainly from granite with 8m walls and 5m wide at the top, it is notable for its 22 watchtowers, suggesting a significant military importance. Next, you will visit The Temple of Heaven which was built in 1420 AD during the Ming Dynasty to offer sacrifice to Heaven. The most magnificent buildings are The Circular Mound Altar (Yuanqiutan), Imperial Vault of Heaven (Huangqiongyu) and Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest (Qiniandian), which are connected by a wide bridge called the Sacred Way. The temple is surrounded by a park which is a popular meeting point for local people and is often considered a highlight of visiting the temple. Lunch is also included in this tour.

Experience a half day Chinese tradition tour and visit the Silk Factory (Tianhou) and be apart of a tea ceremony and tasting. Enjoy lunch at JingDingXuan Restaurant.

A transfer by private car with an English-speaking guide between the airport and city of Beijing or your hotel is provided.

Fly from Beijing to Xi'an today. This direct flight takes approximately two hours.

An airport transfer by private car with an English-speaking guide is provided.

The first stop is of this private guided bicycle tour is the Terra Cotta Army. Discovered accidentally in 1974, this incredible army of over 7000 soldiers, archers, horses and chariots in full battle array has guarded Emperor Qin's tomb since 210BC. Each figure is unique, and the painstaking repair and excavation continues in 3 pits which are protected inside huge hangars. The tour continues on to the imposing ancient city wall. The walls, ramparts, gates and watchtowers from one of the oldest and most complete city defences are still around. They were built in the 13th century on the foundations of the original Tang Forbidden City surrounding the city center. The last leg of the tour is the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, which is a major Buddhist site. The simple, elegant brick Pagoda stands in the grounds of the attractive Da Ci'en Temple. The Pagoda was built in the 7th century to house the Buddhist materials that Xuanzang (Tripitaka) brought back from his epic journey to India. The Temple complex has several large halls with some great Buddhist statues and murals.

While the capital of China long ago moved from Xian to Beijing the culinary capital, when it comes to dumplings, remains. Experience a feast of perhaps China's most popular dish in the city it is best known for through a superb dumpling dinner at the famous Defachang Restaurant.

From your hotel a private vehicle will pick you up and transfer you a local family residence for some culinary training.  Once you've arrived and settled in, your instructor will go through what exactly is being prepared today, some traditional dumplings and noodle pulling.  After a brief demonstration, it is your chance to use the information given by your instructor to create your own meal.  Upon completion you will be transferred back to your hotel.

An airport transfer by private car with an English-speaking guide is provided.

Relax on the direct flight from Xi'an to Guilin.

You will be picked up and transferred from Yangsuo to Guilin airport by a private vehicle and an English speaking guide.

The focus of this tour is to stop, step off the trail and get your feet wet working alongside a local farmer tending to their land. Working alongside the farmer with the translation and interpretation of your English speaking guide, you’ll work up a good appetite and enjoy lunch in the countryside. This activity is not available at all times of year and is best suited to families with children. Snacks, fruit and bottle water is provided on this tour.

Enjoy an evening of Cormorant Fishing with deluxe dinner. Cormorants are good sized birds who enjoy diving underwater in search of fish. Fishermen place a cord around the bird's neck to keep the bird from swallowing the fish, so they return to the boat and the fisherman places the catch in the basket.

If you are comfortable on two wheels biking is best choice to get out and experience the countryside up close through surprisingly flat rural trails weaving through farmer’s fields and karst mountains. Attend a boutique local cooking school based in a beautifully restored local farmhouse in a small village. With professional instruction in a hygienic open-air classroom, these well organized classes help you to create your own local delicacies for dinner. Floating on a traditional bamboo raft offers a unique view of the region and the opportunity to see local farmers at work, water buffalo and admire the scenery. Snacks, fruit and bottle water is also included in this tour.

Enjoy a deluxe local dinner followed by the Sister Liu Show. This spectacle was created by the Oscar winning Zhang Yimou and presents the local culture through a cavalcade of lights and cast of 500 using a private bay as the theatre and local mountains as the backdrop. This is sure to be one of the most memorable activities of your trip.

You will be picked up and transferred from Yangsuo to Guilin airport by a private vehicle and an English speaking guide.

Relax on the direct 2.5 hour flight from Guilin to Shanghai.

A transfer between the airport and your hotel or the city Shanghai with a private vehicle, driver, and English-speaking Guide is provided.

Enjoy a one and half hour tour walking in the Bund Area and Nanjing Road. A lovely deluxe wester dinner will be served to you at Mr. and Mrs Bund.

In the morning you will transfer from you hotel to the home of a local family. There you will learn to make authentic Chinese dumplings with the local family, while your tour guide works as an interpreter. Eat your dumplings for lunch before being driven back to your hotel.

This evening, enjoy a one and half hour walking tour in French Concession & Xintiandi. A deluxe dinner at Jessie Restaurant in XinTianDi will be prepared and served to you.

A transfer from central Shanghai with a driver and English-speaking guide to the Maglev station in Pudong from where you can complete your airport transfer in about 8 minutes at speeds of over 400 km/h, is provided (this involves a little walking).