Highlights of China

History, Culture & Food from City to Countryside

DAY 1 Overnight Flight to China

Your Highlights of China tour begins with a direct flight from the UK to Beijing which takes ten hours. You'll be flying overnight but pack a Mandarin phrase book to help you learn a few key phrases if you have trouble sleeping.

DAY 2 Xi'an and the Terracotta Army

This morning you will visit one of the absolute highlights of China, the Terracotta Army. Built to protect the first emperor on his journey into the afterlife, the army of 8,000 soldiers all have individual faces and most are in remarkable condition given they are 2,200 years old. The detail on some of the best-preserved warriors is incredible and has to be seen in the flesh to be believed. It's also amazing to look closely and see some areas where the original paintwork has still retained some of its colour, or to go into the attached exhibition where you can see some of the smaller pieces that have been excavated and restored to their original glory.

After a couple of hours spent admiring the army, you will return to the city centre to explore Xi'an's Great Mosque and Muslim Quarter. Islam migrated along the Silk Road to Xi'an over one thousand years ago, and the bustling streets retain the essential energy of a trading hub; while is this corner of the city you simply must pick up a few persimmon cakes which are deliciously indulgent, sweet and tart. Your guide will show you around, and make a recommendation for the best place to try the local dumplings in a city that claims to have invented this most Chinese of dishes.

DAY 3 Chengdu and Dujiangyan Panda Base

It's a relatively early start this morning for the hour-and-a-half transfer to Dujiangyan Panda Base, one of the best places in China to see this lovable-but-endangered species. The base consists of bamboo grove-covered hillsides where the pandas can roam relatively free. Keep an eye out for the keepers, who sometimes dress up in panda costumes to get close to China's national animals. Part of the fun of the day is shadowing the keepers (except the panda costume bit), and you will help clean out the pandas' cages and feed these adorable bears.

After lunch, head to nearby Qingcheng Mountain where you can take a gondola ride up into the foothills before walking lush trails, visiting temples along the way with your guide.

Return to Chengdu for one last night in this, the capital of Sichuan Province, and we can recommend the best restaurants in which to sample this region's famously fiery cuisine.

DAY 4 To Yangshuo

Leave Sichuan behind this morning as you are transferred to Chengdu Airport for a two-hour flight to the city of Guilin in Guangxi. From here it's a two-hour drive to yet another of the highlights of a trip to China - the town of Yangshuo on the River Li, surrounded by stunning karst limestone pinnacles. At dusk this evening, head down to the river with your guide and witness one of the most remarkable of all partnerships between man and animal. You and your guide will embark on a traditional fishing boat and watch as the fisherman and his 'pet' cormorant go to work.

The cormorant dives into the river to catch a fish, but because of a metal ring around its neck it cannot swallow the fish whole. When the bird resurfaces, the fisherman grabs the fish from the bird's mouth before chopping a smaller piece off, which he then feeds to the cormorant. It's a very special thing to witness, and this evening if you order the fish, think how it might have been caught!

DAY 5 Daxu and on to Shanghai

This morning you will be transferred an hour back towards Guilin and to the charming town of Daxu, once a thriving port on the Li River which is still home to narrow alleyways and markets. Your guide will then introduce you to an expert who will show you the ancient technique of making soymilk, using a stone and your bare hands. Sample the fruits of your labours before a short transfer back to Guilin Airport and a two-hour flight to Shanghai.

The contrast between the bucolic backwaters of Guangxi and the buzz of the big city might take a while to digest, but Shanghai's energy is infectious, and our Concierge can recommend the best places to enjoy the nightlife this evening.