Happy Year of the Dragon!
AAA of East Tennessee and I are offering a 17-day tour of China, the Yangtze River and Hong Kong departing September 2, 2012 and we hope you can join us! It will include all the must-see’s plus some special events not found on generic tours, like handling centuries-old treasures personally, a dramatic evening performance created by the genius who fashioned the 2008 Olympics Opening and Closing ceremonies and an evening sail in Hong Kong’s glittering harbor to a seafood village for our farewell banquet!
First, we fly to China’s capital, Beijing, and visit its highlights: the Great Wall, Forbidden City, Tian’anmen Square, Summer Palace, and the intricate back alley hutong where we’ll be riding in individual trishaw pedicabs. From there, marvel at the First Emperor’s Terracotta Army and Horses in Xi’an and be able to actually hold ceramic pieces of art–centuries old–at a museum. Before boarding our deluxe cruise ship in Chongqing we will drop in at the zoo to see its several pandas. We sail for three days down the Yangtze River and through the fabled Three Gorges plus a side trip up one of its tributaries. Our ship will pass through the 5-step locks as we tour the controversial largest-in-the-world dam up close.
Then we fly to cosmopolitan Shanghai and its upbeat, modern atmosphere. We’ll take a couple of hours to examine the best artifacts of China’s long history at the Shanghai Museum and wander slowly through the peaceful Yu Yuan, a Ming Dynasty scholar’s garden where I shot the photo above. Then it’s off to the unique karst mountain and river landscape that Chinese artists have used as models for centuries near Guilin. We’ll stay in the village of Yangshuo where we will ride a bamboo boat on the river to see farmers and water buffalo up close. A highlight here is seeing the magnificent evening performance, Inpressions: Liu San Jie. Created by famed director Zhang Yimou, who choreographed the 2008 Olympics opening and closing ceremonies, the cast of hundreds perform a folk tale with the river as the stage and mountains the backdrop.
For dessert: Hong Kong! First, a half-day city tour including a sampan ride in the Aberdeen fishing harbor, Repulse Bay, Stanley Market and a tram ride to the top of Victoria Peak that provides a dizzying vista of the city below and Kowloon across the harbor. The next day is yours to do more sightseeing or shop at your leisure until we meet for our evening harbor cruise to a village known for its fresh seafood for our farewell dinner.
Our hotels are deluxe, the ship is five-star, and we will enjoy excellent meals throughout (Western breakfasts, Chinese lunches and a mix of Western and Chinese dinners).
Iconic China has it all: history, culture, breathtaking scenic beauty, augmented by my 25 years of experience leading dozens of tours to China plus conversations with you on Chinese current affairs.
Click HERE for the detailed itinerary and pricing information. To reserve your tour, please contact an AAA Travel Professional: Knoxville (865) 862-9130; Maryville (865) 862-9132; Tri-Cities (423) 928-7671. You may also email me for more information.
