ShanDong Children Reunion Heritage Tour

Shandong is the home of Confucius (Kongzi), a great thinker and social philosopher whose teachings and philosophy have deeply influenced Chiese, Korean, Japanese, and Vietnamese thought and life. His thoughts have been developed into a system of philosophy known as Confucianism and introduced to Europe by the Jesuit priest, Matteo Ricci, who was the first to Latinise the name as”Confucius.” For his great contribution, the Temple and Cemetery of Confucius, and the Kong Family Mansion in Qufou have been listed as world heritage sites. Chinese people believe that Confucius is the teacher of all and students will perform well in school by paying respect to Confucius. Come to Shandong and see this ancient teacher’s home province!

Itinerary

Day 1: US / Guangzhou

accommodations: n/a

meals: n/a

Depart US for China to begin your ShanDong Children Reunion Heritage Tour. Get your journal ready to record your weeks of ‘once- in-a-lifetime’ memories!

Day 2: Guangzhou

accommodations: Guangzhou White Swan Hotel

meals: n/a

Arrive at Guangzhou New BaiYun International Airport. Your private English-speaking guide and driver will bring you to the hotel upon your arrival. Have a good rest tonight to adjust to your new time zone and surroundings.

Day 3: Guangzhou/Guilin

accommodations: Guilin Ming Garden Apartment Suites

meals: B/L/D

After breakfast, tour around Shamian Island: stop at the medical clinic where adoption medical exams are conducted and visit the photo shop where your child’s visa photo was taken. In the afternoon, take another trip down memory lane when you visit the American Consulate. Your guide will escort you to a local park where you can linger and relax while enjoying a story-time of traditional Chinese folktales to deepen your understanding of the rich cultural heritage of your child. Take the late afternoon flight to Guilin. Tonight you will stay at the Ming Garden Apartment Suites, which is located among local Chinese residents’ apartment complexes. Each unit is decorated in the Ming Dynasty Style with beautiful Ming furniture, an air-conditioning/heating unit, a private western-style bath, a kitchen equipped with microwave, refrigerator and cooking utensils; free Internet access, television and telephone. The apartment units are rated above five-stars and guests can also enjoy free late checkouts until 6:00 p.m. (all hotels request checkouts before 12:00 noon). In this authentic cultural experience you will have the rare chance to live among local residents within the same wonderful apartment complex. We can even arrange an assistant to make traditional Chinese meals for your whole family or to assist you with your children.

Day 4: Guilin/Yangshuo/Guilin

accommodations: Guilin Ming Garden Apartment Suites

meals: B/L/D

After breakfast, embark on a scenic cruise along the Li River and enjoy a delicious lunch onboard. The landscape of Guilin is noted as the most gorgeous in China, with sparkling clear waters and magnificent green hills; you will see fishermen fishing with their trained cormorant birds occasionally as well. Your children will be excited to watch water buffalos either grazing along the riverbanks or taking lazy afternoon swims. Visit the ShiWaiTaoYuan water garden on the way back to Guilin from Yangshuo.

Day 5: Guilin

accommodations: Guilin Ming Garden Apartment Suites

meals: B/L/D

Begin your tour with a visit to the Reed Flute Caves (Ludi Yan). Enjoy the spectacular views of beautiful backdrops created by the cool atmosphere and colorful lighting displays inside the caves as you pass by many fanciful shapes (don’t forget to look for the Monkey King). After lunch, Visit the Duxi Peak for the Art Gallery in the GuangXi Normal University where your family can learn the basic techniques of Chinese calligraphy and landscape painting; certainly a fun activity for both adults and children.

Day 6: Guilin/ChengDu

accommodations: Deluxe Hotel

meals: B/L

After breakfast, your local guide and driver will bring you to the airport and arrange for your flight to Chengdu. After your arrival in Chengdu and a tasty lunch, explore the Silk Embroidery Institute and the People’s Park with Tea House and Garden.

Day 7: 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 work and everyone will have the rare opportunity to hold and hug a baby panda; something the whole 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 will gain a sense of the culture through intriguing displays of ancient and rare artifacts used in daily life and religious ceremonies.

Day 8: Chengdu/Xian

accommodations: Deluxe Hotel

meals: B/L

Today you will fly from Chengdu to Xian, which is a cultural treasure trove of Chinese history. You may visit the Shaanxi Provincial History Museum, where antiques from the Prehistoric era through the Qing Dynasty are on display. In the afternoon, visit Xian’s ancient city wall and enjoy the panoramic views of the city. This is the only intact city wall in China. Enjoy walking, exercising and riding a bike as a family.

Day 9: Xian

accommodations: Deluxe Hotel

meals: B/L

Explore the breathtaking Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum today. Discovered by several local farmers in 1974, the 2,000-year-old lifelike warriors are known as the 8th world wonder. Learn to make Chinese traditional JiaoZi (dumplings) in the local restaurant and have a JiaoZi lunch there.

Day 10: Xian/JiNan or QingDao

accommodations:n/a

meals: B

Depart Xian and travel to JiNan or QingDao 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 around the area and absorbing a sense of the city and locale.

Day 11: ShanDong 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: JiNan or QingDao/Beijing

accommodations: Deluxe Hotel

meals: n/a

Today take some final glimpses around your child’s province to capture your special memories. At late afternoon, depart for Beijing by air.

Day 13: 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 14: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 15: Beijing

accommodations: Deluxe Hotel

meals: B/L

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.

Day 16: Beijing/US

accommodations: n/a

meals: B

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

Inclusions

Airfare between Guangzhou/Guilin/Chengdu/Xian
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/Guangzhou, Beijing/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 Xian – JiNan or QingDao – Beijing which can be arranged by us for an additional cost.
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 different 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.