China minority culture exploration tour to Yunnan Guizhou

	15 Days China Yunnan & Guizhou Minority Culture Exploration Tour: Beijing, Kunming, Dali, Lijiang, Guiyang, Kaili, Rongjang, Zhaoxing, Guangzhou Tour Code: YCNT_07 Tour Type: Private Tour Package

1. Tour Itinerary


Day 01	Arrival in Beijing Upon your arrival, our guide will pick you up at the airport and transfer to your hotel.

Day 02	Beijing (Breakfast + Lunch) Driver to Tian'anmen Square and take photos, then explore the Forbidden City. After lunch, visit the Temple of Heaven. After that, drive back to your hotel. Tian'anmen Square: It is the spiritual heart of China and large enough to accommodate an assembly of one million people. It stands in front of the Forbidden City, at its north the Tiananmen Rostrum, from which imperial decrees were promulgated. The square is 880 meters from north to south, and 500 meters from east to west. On October 1st, 1949, Mao went atop the Tiananmen Rostrum, which gives the square its name, to proclaim the foundation of the People's Republic of China. Forbidden City: The name Forbidden City is a term used by Westerners to refer to the Imperial Palace which was built in the early fifteenth century (1406-1420 A.D.). Covering an area of 175 acres, the Palace is 961 meters long and 753 meters wide, enclosed by wall and surrounded by a moat. The place where the emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties carried out their administration and lived, it has 800 buildings and 9,000 rooms. Temple of Heaven: Completed in 1420 during the reign of Ming Emperor Yongle, it was originally served as the most sacred space in which the emperor (the Son of Heaven) would perform the most important sacrifices and rites. The gods of earth, water, war, and civilian affairs were all honored, but it was the god of agriculture who received special attention. On the winter solstice, the emperor, after ritual fasts and purification, would beseech Heaven for bountiful harvests. The temple's layout reflects the Confucian/Daoist worldview that anchored the imperial order, with the square bases of the circular temples articulating the relationship between Earth and Heaven - the emperor serving as intermediary, administering human affairs on behalf of the divine order. The most distinctive temple in the complex, and one of the most famous buildings in China, not to mention the world, is the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests.

Day 03	Beijing (Breakfast + Lunch) Have an excursion to the Mutianyu Great Wall. After lunch, drive back to the downtown and see the exterior of Bird Nest and Water Cube - the Beijing 2008 Olympic National Stadium. After that, drive back to your hotel. Mutianyu Great Wall: It was built in early Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), this section of Great Wall has been the important military communication area in Beijing. Mutianyu boasts beautiful scenery in four seasons, about 96 percent of the area is covered with verdant vegetation. This is unseen in other sections of the Great Wall Region.

Day 04	Beijing - Kunming (Breakfast + Lunch) Drive to Drum Tower area for taking a relaxing Hutong Tour by rickshaw - a good way to know the Beijing local lifestyle, then explore the Summer Palace. After lunch, be transferred to the airport for flight to Kunming. Your Kunming tour guide will wait for you at the airport and help you to check-in your hotel. Summer Palace: It used to be a summer residence of Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) emperors and is now one of the best parks in Beijing. The Summer Palace was an imperial garden known for its architectural grandeur and stunning natural beauty. Construction of the Summer Palace started in 1750. In the 19th century, massive renovations was made and many buildings was restored.

Day 05	Kunming - Stone Forest - Kunming (Breakfast + Lunch) After breakfast, travel 90 KM to Lunan County and explore the Stone Forest. Return to Kunming in the afternoon. Stone Forest: Located 120 kilometers southeast of Kunming, the Stone Forest is a typical karst formation covering an area of more than 350 square kilometers. In 2007, it is listed as World Natural Heritage. Walking inside the forest, you will find a wonderland consists of innumerable huge rocks of fantastic shapes.

Day 06	Kunming - Dali (Breakfast + Lunch) Take early morning flight to Dali. Have a cruise in the vast blue Erhai Lake, then visit ZhouCheng Village and know about ethnic Bai People's Tie-dyeing Cloth with Wax (a technology of printing flower patterns on cloth). Tour to Xizhou Township and visit unique dwellings with typical Bai People's features. Afterwards, go to the Chong Sheng Temple which is famous for its Three Pagodas and then wander in Dali Ancient City. Erhai Lake: Covering an area of 251 square kilometers, it is one of the seven biggest fresh water lakes in China and the second largest lake in Yunnan. The peaks of Cangshan Mountain are often mirrored in the lake, making majestic scenery. It would be a great pity if people traveling to Dali without going for a boat ride in the lake. Bai people: The Bai people have a long history and well-developed culture. 80% of the population of 1.39 million live in the Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture around the Erhai Lake with exquisite scenery. The Bai people have their own spoden language but do not have a written one. Three Pagodas: These pagodas are located between Cangshan Mountain and Erhai Lake, about 1.5 kilometers northwest from the ancient city of Dali. They were built in the Five Dynasties (907-960AD). In the time of Nanzhao and Dali Kingdoms, Chongsheng Monastery was the largest monastery in this area and the Three Pagodas were only a part of it. The pagodas were built because of two main reasons. Firstly, they were holy structures that invoked the Buddha's protection against the frequent disasters of floods and earthquakes. Secondly, the pagodas were used as a storehouse for scriptures and precious objects.

Day 07	Dali - Lijiang (Breakfast + Lunch) Drive 3.5 hours to Lijiang. Visit Sifang Street in Lijiang Ancient Town. Lijiang Ancient Town: It is also named Dayan Ancient Town, famous for its scientific architectural layout. Crisscrossed by crystal-clear rivers and meandering cobbled streets, Lijiang Ancient Town is a treasure in the field of urban construction in China. Square Market was the site of a major bazaar for local residents to stock up on necessities such as meat, vegetables, oil and herbal medicine. Now visitors will come across some interesting ethnic products and sometimes unusual antiques.

Day 08	Lijiang (Breakfast + Lunch) Visit the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, the Baisha Murals and the Ancient Shuhe Village of Naxi People. Jade Dragon Snow Mountain: The mountain is ten miles from Lijiang, its landscape includes one of the southernmost glaciers in the world. The Jade Dragon Snow Mountain has 13 peaks, the main peak is 5,596 meters above sea level, and is annually snowcapped. Scientists say that the mountain formed over 230 million years ago from ancient geosynclines when dinosaurs roamed on the Earth. In the Naxi People¡¯s language, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain means the place for loves that die for their love. Jade Dragon Snow Mountain has rich vegetation coverage, featuring distinct and complete alpine vertical ecosystem from subtropical zone to frigid zone. Baisha Murals: These murals are in Baisha Village which lies in the north of Lijiang. Baisha murals are mostly from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Among the 55 existing murals, the largest one is at the Dabaoji Hall of Baisha. Most Baisha murals depict religious stories, and one characteristic is to combine several legends into one picture. They are an artistic crystallization combining the Naxi, Tibetan, Bai and Han styles. The originality and figures of the mural paintings reflect the different religious cultures and artistic forms of Buddhism, Lamaism, Daoism and the Dongba Religion of Naxi People. Naxi People: They live in concentrated communities in the Lijiang Naxi Autonomous County in Yunnan Province, their language belongs to the Chinese-Tibetan language family. More than 1,000 years ago, the Naxi people had already created pictographic characters called the "Dongba script".

Day 09	Lijiang - Guiyang - Kaili (Breakfast + Lunch) After breakfast, transfer to the airport and take flight to Guiyang. Upon arrival, you will be met and transferred to Kaili, where your local guide will escort you to the hotel. The rest of the day is free for you to explore the town.

Day 10	Kaili (Breakfast + Lunch) After breakfast, explore Qingman Miao Village and Shiqiao Miao Village, they are well known for beautiful natural scenery and rich customs of the Miao people. Admire the traditional Miao architectural style, and see a demonstration of local villagers making paper from tree barks. After lunch, visite the Ethnic Minorities Museum, where you can learn about the ethnic peoples of Guizhou and their traditions. Ethnic clothes and handicrafts of the people around Kaiali are displayed at the museum. Drive back to your hotel.

Day 11	Kaili - Rongjiang (Breakfast + Lunch) Drive to Jidao Miao Village, a typical Long-Skirt Miao village where the hundred-year-old barn standing as a symbol of the architecture intelligence of ancient Miao people. Visit a Miao family to see what local life is like, have more understanding of traditional ethnic culture. Then go to Langde Miao Village, where all of the buildings have a history of over 100 years. The village has a tranquil landscape with flowing streams, exquisite bridges, farmhouses and the curls of cooking smoke in the warm sunshine. After lunch, explore Datang Miao Village, a Short-Skirt Miao village where the rice barns amazingly built over water in case of fire and mice. After the trip, drive to Rongjiang.

Day 12	Rongjiang - Zhaoxing (Breakfast + Lunch) After breakfast, explore Sanbao Village of the ethnic Dong People. The Dong people live in groups. They built large drum towers in the center of their villages, and the wooden octagonal tower was built without a single nail. A large drum hanging in the middle of the tower is used when there is a gathering or in case of an emergency. Visit another magnificent landmark - Samar Ancestral Temple where local people hold regular sacrificial activities every month and grand Samar Festival annually. Drive to Zhaoxing, on the way, stop in Biasha Miao Village to see the customs and dressing style of the ethnic Miao People. Basha village is famed for being China 's last tribe of gunmen. This primitive village is hidden away in a forest and filled with stilted wooden houses by the river.

Day 13	Tangan - Zhaoxing - Huanggang (Breakfast + Lunch) Visit Tangan Dong Village. This village is also named as Tangan Dong Ethnic Eco-Museum which well-known by its captivating scenery and well-preserved Dong culture. Situated on the mountainside, the village is surrounded by trees and rice fields. There are rice terraces, stilting houses, drum towers, wind and rain bridges, ancient opera stages, ancient tomb clusters, stone wells and water wheels. Take an exciting hiking from Tangan to Zhaoxing Dong Village. In 2005, this village was ranked one of China's six most beautiful villages and towns by Chinese National Geography. A small river runs through the village, which lies in a basin amidst the green mountains with terraced fields creeping upwards along the slopes. The Dong people inhabit timber-made houses built row upon row on the hillside. In Zhaoxing Dong Village, you can see Drum Towers and Wind and Rain Bridges scattering around. After lucn, visit Huanggang Dong Village, which was built in Song Dynasty (960-1279), it is known for its simple and unsophisticated ethnic life as well as unique architecture.

Day 14	Zhaoxing - Congjiang - Guangzhou (Breakfast + Lunch) After breakfast, drive to Congjiang and take high-speed train to Guangzhou which takes 4 hours. Upon arrival, meet and transfer to hotel.

Day 15	Guangzhou (Breakfast + Lunch) A transfer to the airport for flight departing Guangzhou. Bon Voyage!

2. Hotels For The Above Trip

City	Luxury	Standard	Comfortable
Beijing	Crowne PLaza Hotel	Sunworld Hotel	King Parkview Hotel
Kunming	Green Lake Hotel	Kunming Hotel	Jixie Hotel
Dali	Asia Star Hotel	Asia Star Hotel	Landscape Hotel
Lijiang	Guan Fang Hotel	Wang Fu Hotel	Sanhe Hotel
Kaili	Grand Metropark Heaven-sent Resort	Grand Metropark Heaven-sent Resort	Grand Metropark Heaven-sent Resort
Rongjiang	Dong Xiang Mi Hotel	Dong Xiang Mi Hotel	Dong Xiang Mi Hotel
Zhaoxing	Indigo Lodge Zhaoxing	Indigo Lodge Zhaoxing	Indigo Lodge Zhaoxing
Guangzhou	Baiyun Hotel	Hotel Landmark Canton	Liuhua Hotel

3. Tour Price

Please send us an email and provide the information below so that we can quote precisely for the above tour.
1. The number of adults and the number of children in your party. If there are children under 12 years, they can enjoy the preferential price.
2. Your approximate travel date.
3. The code of the tour that you are interested in. Each tour has a code, you can find it above - at the top of the page where the tour is.
4. Hotel choice for your tour (luxury or standard or comfortable hotels).
5. If you would like us to tailor make a new tour for you that is different from the above tour, please let us know your requests.

4. Quotation Inclusions:

1. Hotel Accommodation
The hotel is based on two adults sharing one twin or double standard room with private facilities. Solo travelers or those who want to occupy one twin-bed room of their own are required to pay additional charge of single supplement rate. A single room is subject to availability based on prior request at an additional cost; if the above recommended hotel is not available, it will be substituted by a similar one.
2. Meals
Daily American or Chinese breakfast at the hotel, Chinese lunch or dinner in local Chinese restaurant as specified in the itinerary.
3. Private Transport
Private transport between airport / railway station and hotel and all the sightseeing spots by air-conditioned vehicle. Separate arrivals and departures will incur extra charges.
4. Transportation Between Cities
The economic class air tickets of the domestic flight or soft berth/seat train tickets between cities as specified in the above itinerary. Airport construction fee and fuel surcharge are included.
5. Entrance Tickets
The main entrance tickets for the sightseeing spots mentioned.
6. Driver And Guiding Service
Driver and English-speaking guide service on normal sightseeing activities noted in the itinerary. Our guide will not fly with you from one city to another. Upon your arrival at each city, a new local guide and driver will pick you up, be with you for local tour and see you off after you finish the itinerary of each city.
7. Insurance
China Life Tourist Accident / Casualty Insurance. We highly recommend that you purchase full coverage travel insurance from you country of origin.

5. Quotation Exclusions:

1. Visa Fees
Charge of obtaining your visa to enter China.
2. Charge Of Arrival And Departure
The international or domestic air / train charge of arrival and departure.
3. Single Room Supplement
Should a twin room is needed by a single guest, supplement of the twin room will be charged.
What is single supplement?- The hotel is based on double occupancy. If the visitor travels alone or the number of the travelers is odd (such as 3, 5, 7...), who stays in one single room has to pay the single room supplement. As the hotel is on double occupancy.
4. Personal Expenses
Expenses of a personal nature such as laundry, drinks, fax, telephone call, optional activities or sightseeing, overweight baggage charges or any meals not specified in the itinerary, ect.
5. Optional Programs
Optional programs which are not specified in the above itinerary.
6. Tips
Tips depending on the service of your guide and driver, entirely voluntary.
7. Extra Cost
Any extra cost caused by changes of natural disasters, fires, weather, governmental and local authority orders, political change, strikes, war, riots, quarantine, custom regulations, damages or injury caused by accident beyond the control of us and that has incurred due to the tourist action violating the laws.