JiangSu Children Reunion Heritage Tour

With capital Nanjing known as the “ancient capital of six dynasties and metropolis of ten dynasties”, Jiangsu Province is highly held by Chinese in both history and modern times. It’s also a land of milk and honey attributed to its vast plains and rich water sources. Suzhou, a famous city in Jiangsu Province, enjoys a good name as “Venice of the East” for its beautiful water features. Also, gardens in Suzhou are so delicate and exquisite that they have been listed as a world heritage site. Master of Nets Garden (Wangshi Yuan) and the Humble Administrator’s Garden (Zhuozheng Yuan) are the best among the group. Embroidery is another treasure of Suzhou. Having a historical background of more than 2,000 years in embroidery, the research institute in Suzhou is rated one of the four major schools of Chinese embroidery.

Itinerary

Day 1: US/Beijing

accommodations: n/a

meals: n/a

Begin your JiangSu Children Reunion Heritage Tour today when you depart from the US gateway city for Beijing.

Day 2: Beijing

accommodations: Deluxe Hotel

meals: n/a

Arrive at the Beijing International Airport. Your private English-speaking guide and driver will bring you to the hotel upon your arrival. Have a good rest tonight and soak in the arrival to your child’s birth country while you adjust to your new time zone and surroundings.

Day 3: Beijing

accommodations: Deluxe Hotel

meals: B/L

Begin your day with a tour at the Forbidden City. Listed as a world heritage site in 1987, the Forbidden City contains the largest group of intact palace structures in the world. The palace is 720,000 square meters in size and contains 9,999 rooms, numerous pavilions, gardens and courtyards. Then visit the Tiananmen Square. Noted as the largest city square in the world, the square was initially designed for political rallies and important gala events. Today the square is flanked by the Forbidden City in the north, the Great Hall of the People in the west, Mao TseTung’s Mausoleum in the south and the Museum of Chinese Revolution and the Museum of Chinese History in the east. This afternoon, stop by at the major 2008 Olympic Venues including the National Stadiums – “Bird's Nest”, the National Aquatics Center – “Watercube” on the way to the imperial gardens of the Summer Palace. The palace was originally built in 1750 and was rebuilt in 1886. Located in the western outskirts of the city, the Summer Palace is the leading classical garden in China and a UNESCO world heritage site.

Day 4: Beijing

accommodations: Deluxe Hotel

meals: B/L

Visit the UNESCO world heritage site today. Begin your day with a tour at the MuTianYu section of the Great Wall. Constructed more than 2,000 years ago by China’s first emperor, the ancient wall is the world’s longest man-made structure at approximately 4,000 miles in length.

Day 5: Beijing/Xian

accommodations: Overnight Express Train

meals: B/L/D

Explore the fascinating Hutong neighborhoods. Beijing’s oldest Hutongs were constructed during the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. Your tour will take you through some of the best-preserved Hutong neighborhoods, which represented the history, culture and lifestyle of old Beijing. After a special homemade lunch at a local family residence in the Hutong Lane area, your family can learn how to make your own kites under professional instructions, and then fly your handmade kites with others at the Temple of Heaven which is China’s largest temple and altar. It is often regarded as the most recognizable symbol of China.
Early this evening, get onboard a luxury express train for your overnight journey to Xian.

Day 6: Xian

accommodations: Deluxe Hotel

meals: B/L

Arrive early this morning in China's ancient capital city of Xian. Known as ChangAn in ancient times, Xian was the capital city of China for 1,062 years (13 dynasties and under the reign of 73 different emperors); visit the Shaanxi Provincial History Museum for an in-depth look at China’s extensive history with more than 2,000 items on exhibit. In the afternoon, get on top the 950-year-old city wall and ride a bike; be sure to enjoy the panoramic view of the city. Built during the early Ming Dynasty with a core of mud covered by three layers of bricks, it is the only city wall to remain intact in China today.

Day 7: Xian

accommodations: Deluxe Hotel

meals: B/L

Embark on an amazing historical and cultural adventure today and begin with an exploration at the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum, where you will find lifelike terracotta soldiers, horses, chariots and weapons created more than 2,000 years ago to guard the first emperor’s tomb. Their vibrant painted details worn away during weathering, thus revealing their original earthy color. Learn to make JiaoZi (traditional Chinese dumplings) in a local restaurant and have JiaoZi lunch there. This evening, relax and unwind. Enjoy recording your experiences of the day in a journal or just lounging in your fine hotel room.

Day 8: Xian/Chengdu

accommodations: Deluxe Hotel

meals: B/L

Wrap up your amazing experiences in Xian and be prepared for your new wonderful adventures while you fly to Chengdu; have your cameras ready to capture all the precious moments! After lunch, visit the Chengdu Children’s Palace where you could learn the basic techniques of Chinese calligraphy and landscape painting; certainly a fun activity for both adults and children.

Day 9: Chengdu

accommodations: Deluxe Hotel

meals: B/L

Embark on an extraordinary journey to the Panda Breeding Research Base this morning. A professional panda caregiver will give you a brief insight of the panda research findings and everyone will have the rare opportunity to hold and hug a baby panda; something everyone in the family is sure to enjoy. After lunch, visit the fascinating SanXingDui Museum. Little is known about the mysterious cultural and religious beliefs of the people of SanXingDui, yet visitors can gain a sense of the culture through intriguing displays of ancient and rare artifacts used in daily life and religious ceremonies.

Day 10: Chengdu/NanJing

accommodations: n/a

meals: B

Depart Chengdu and travel to NanJing for an orphanage visit. Lotus guides will sensitively and carefully assist your family as you embark on this most meaningful portion of your return trip. On this initial day of the city visit, one can spend time strolling the area and absorbing a sense of the city and locale.

Day 11: JiangSu Province

accommodations: n/a

meals: n/a

Your orphanage visitation typically includes a lunch meeting with the orphanage director and staff. If your family wishes to be in touch with the foster family, Lotus can also arrange a time for you to reunite if contact information is available. After lunch, you may explore your child’s finding site. Record the day’s events in your journal or just relax with your family this evening.

Day 12: JiangSu Province City/Shanghai

accommodations: Deluxe Hotel

meals: n/a

This morning take some final glimpses around your child’s province to capture your special memories. At late afternoon, depart for Shanghai by express train.

Day 13: Shanghai

accommodations: Deluxe Hotel

meals: B/L

Begin your adventure with a relaxing walk along the Bund near the Huang Pu River. Then visit the Yu Yuan Garden and enjoy its intricately designed pathways, pavilions, koi stocked pools and quiet courtyards; then pass by the shops and restaurants in YuYuan Bazaar on your way to lunch. In the afternoon, visit the Jade Buddha (Yufo) Temple. As you enter the temple grounds, you might hear prayers of the monks and glimpse the smoke of incense curling toward the sky.

Day 14: Shanghai/US

accommodations: n/a

meals: B

Meet your private English-speaking tour guide and driver at the hotel lobby and travel to the Shanghai Pudong Airport for your international flight back to the United States. Cross the International Dateline and arrive home on the same day.

Inclusions

Beijing/Xian soft sleeper train tickets.
Airfare between Xian/Chengdu.
Airport/hotel/airport (or train station) transfer as listed on itinerary.
All listed sightseeing and tour programs with private English-speaking tour guide and private van or bus with driver.
Hotels and meals as stipulated on itinerary.
All prices are quoted in US Dollars and are subject to change without notice. Please check at time of booking.
All prices are quoted per person based on two people sharing a room (double occupancy). Single supplement applies for single travelers.

Exclusions

US/Beijing, Shanghai/US international airfare. Please contact us for discount international airfare starting from your hometown.
Passport and/or China Visa Fees
Some meals
Tips to guides and drivers
Expenses of a personal nature
Provincial Civil Affair Bureau orphanage visit filing fee
Side trips to the designated provinces on Day 10 – 12, the airfare between Chengdu – NanJing, and soft seat train ticket of JiangSu Province City/Shanghai which can be arranged by us for an additional cost. Please provide your adopted child's orphanage location so we can give you a more detailed itinerary with the extra cost for Day 10-12.
The cost of holding the panda and taking a picture is additional to the entry fee. The costs are USD185.00/per person for holding a baby panda. Although the Pandas are cute and adorable, they may inflict accidental injuries in their playful nature.

Important Remarks

For changes to the scheduled tour, please contact us for a price quote
All prices are quoted in US dollars, per person, based on two people sharing a room (double occupancy)
A child has to be 11 years old or under on the last day of the tour to receive a discount.
Twin beds in China hotels, about 50 inches wide, are closer in width to the 54" double size beds in the U.S., and much wider than the 39 inches wide twin beds found in U.S. homes.
A soft sleeper train compartment is equipped with two bunk beds and sleeps four. If there are less than four people in your party, Lotus Travel highly recommends purchasing the extra seats in the compartment to ensure privacy.
If your itinerary states "free time" or "free day", no activities would be planned for you and your English-speaking tour guide and driver would not be present.
Lotus Travel highly recommends clients to purchase travel insurance. The Travel Plus Plan, offered by the Travelex Insurance Company, has excellent travel benefits and children 15 and under are free of charge when traveling with an adult.
A Chinese visa issued at the Chinese Consulate in Los Angeles is good for 6 months. We recommend applying for travel visas at least two months before your departure. For detailed information, please visit the Web page at http://www.lotustours.net/promo/visas/index.shtml
Lotus Travel offers a very affordable cell phone rental package to help you stay in touch with families while in China. Please contact our cell phone rental specialist Theresa for more details.
A $500.00 per person non-refundable deposit is due at the time of registration.
Balance is due 60 days before departure.