BEIJING 4 DAYS EXPERIENCE

BEIJING - The capital of China since the 13th century, this booming metropolis has a history of more than 3,000 years. It is a pivotal point on the map of China, the operational headquarters of the Chinese state, where you will hear Tibetan monks blowing their horns, where you can ride on a camel from the Gobi desert and eat Cantonese food from the South China Sea.

Beijing is the cultural center of the nation with major performing and exhibition venues and outstanding university faculties. Major international events are staged in the capital. It is a city of broad avenues, heavy traffic, government ministries, high rise towers, and neon lit entertainment yet there are still scenic spots amidst this and, in a city of antiquity and grandeur, many buildings of importance. From the dynasties of Imperial China there are, prominently, the Forbidden City, The Temple of Heaven and the Great Wall. Important to Modern China are the Great Hall of the People, the Tomb of Mao Zedong and the iconic Tiananmen Square.

Day 1. Arrival

Guests arrive at Beijing International Airport and are met and greeted by PC Tours Representatives and by hostesses in traditional Qing dynasty costume. Transfer to the hotel is by luxury air conditioned coach.

Guests will receive a welcome pack - a silk bag, containing of Beijing Guide Book, hotel key, hotel address cards and Beijing postcards with stamps.

There will be a welcome Lion Dance upon arrival at the hotel.

After check-in and freshening up, Welcome dinner at famous Quanjude Restaurant, a Beijing tradition. Peking Duck has the reputation of being Beijing's most delicious food. Eating Peking Duck is one thing you are absolutely supposed to do while in Beijing. The best Peking Duck is at the Quanjude Restaurant, established 130 years ago. Ducks, immersed in a unique condiment and roasted over flames stoked by fruit tree wood, turn out date-red, shining with oil, but with a crisp skin and tender meat. Thin slices are placed on very thin pancakes with onions and a sauce coating, then rolled up. The easiest thing to do is just use your fingers.

Breakfast will be taken at the hotel followed by a visit to Beijing's two most dramatic settings.

Tiananmen Square is the symbolic heart of Beijing. Buildings surrounding the square, the Great Hall of the People, the Museum of History and the Mao Zedong Mausoleum, are important to modern China. The Great Hall of the People is the official centre of Government where the National People's Congress meets. Chairman Mao proclaimed the founding of the People's Republic of China here in 1949. Mao's preserved body lies in state in the Mausoleum in the centre of the square. Tiananmen is more than the sum of its buildings. It has been the stage for many of the great public events of modern China. It has a place in the popular consciousness and, standing in its vastness, it is not difficult to imagine hundreds of thousands coming together within it.

The Forbidden City. You walk through the Gate of Heavenly Peace, under the portrait of Mao Zedong and into the Forbidden City. This is China's largest and best preserved set of ancient buildings. Home to the Ming and the Qing dynasties, its basic layout was established between 1406 and 1420 by Emperor Yongle and remained an imperial palace until 1924. Its deepest interior where the Emperors, their concubines and eunuchs lived was so removed from the ordinary world that it was known as 'the Great Within'. Most of what is now seen is post-18th century as a fire set by the attacking Manchu's in 1644 burnt down the original wooden structures. Over 720,000 sq m, there are 8,000 buildings and 9,999 rooms. A visit into where no ordinary mortal could ever trespass is not to be missed!

Lunch at Tiandi Restaurant (next to Forbidden City) Tiandi is one of the best amongst the newer chic restaurants near Tiananmen square. Its interior flaunts the concoction of conventional Chinese architecture with contemporary minimalist flair. The main dining area, located on the ground floor, contains a tiny but beautifully decorated water stream, whilst the compartments off the side passages feature terraces with fresh breezes.

In the afternoon, we move onto The Temple of Heaven, south of Tiananmen. Its circular Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests has become a celebrated city landmark. This near-perfect example of Ming architecture is set in a 27-hectare park and marked by gates at the points of the compass. Emperors would come to the park to offer sacrifices and pray for good harvests. The Hall is the apex of the park set on a three-tiered marble terrace. The four central pillars denote the seasons while the '12' symbolizes the months of the year. Look up for the dragon, the Emperor's symbol, carved into the ceiling.

A rest back at the hotel is followed by an early evening performance of Beijing Opera. This art form grew out of the amalgamation of performing companies around 1790. It is a synthesis of acting and singing with acrobatic fighting and dancing, representing historical events and characters. The costumes and the facial make up are rich and varied.

Alternatively, the group will attend a Chinese acrobatics show. China is world famous for these extraordinary performances which are beautiful, powerful and often barely credible even with the evidence of the eyes. Because this is Beijing, this show will probably be of the best you can see in the country.

Dinner at the 'China Club Beijing' in the XiDian District. This is a private memebrs' club occupay a beautifully decorated, 400 years-old Qing Dynasty palace, with courtyards framed by interconnecting pravilions set out with expensive antiques. It is a modest royal palace built in the 16th century for a prince descended from Emperor Kang Xi of the Qing Dynasty. Due to careful preservation over the centuries, the architectural features and character of the traditional palace remain intact. Big red traditional Chinese lantern are lighted and hung out during the night time.

After dinner an optional stop can easily be arranged for guests who want a drink in the popular bar areas before going back to the hotel.

Day 3. The Geat Wall

Breakfast will be taken at the hotel. This morning visit the Great Wall - Eight Wonders of The World. A specially catered buffet lunch can be arranged on top of the Great Wall.

The Great Wall of China is over 2,000 years old and the Eighth Wonder of The World. An old Chinese saying has it that 'You are not a hero till you climb the Wall'. so, be heroes! Running for 6,700 kilometres through grasslands, desert, mountain and plateau, it will live as a treasured memory of a trip to China. Its stark beauty and spectacular scale remain staggering. Like so much of China, the Great Wall, winding dragon-like over the mountains, offers a stunning insight, almost a physical passage into past millennia. You will be welcomed on top of the Wall with a champagne reception.

On return to the city, guests will be taken for foot massage. The full course of foot massage starts from a 20-minutes footbath using hot boiled traditional Chinese herbs. All reflex areas of the entire foot will be worked on thoroughly. This is done by pressing, punching, rubbing and pinching specific points of the 61 reflex areas of the foot.

Tonight, we will take you to an extraordinary 'Grand Dinner Show' in Beijing's first banquet theatre. After a dinner of delicacies, the show will feature ritual Chinese performances including royal ceremonies with actors playing emperors, officials and imperial concubines and dramatising Chinese folk customs.

Day 4. Giant Pandas, Summer Palace and Hutongs

Breakfast will be taken at the hotel. The centrepiece of the morning's schedule is the Summer Palace but guests will pass by the Beijing Zoo to see the famed Giant Pandas, China's national animal and one of the world's most endangered species.

The Summer Palace is for the visitor what it was for the Emperors - a glorious escape. It is an elbaorate, detailed survival from an era of imperial recreation, now open to the people for walking and boating. The original palace on the site was burned down by incursive British troops in 1860 and was rebuilt over the following twenty years. In the lyrically named Hall of Benevolence and Longevity, Emperors would handle affairs of state from the hardwood throne. Particularly impressive are the bronze animals in the courtyards and a huge, eye-catching boat, made of marble under the command of the Empress Dowager Cixi. Money for the palace was diverted from the navy's budget. People said the empress preferred marble boats to floating ones. The best over view is from Longevity Hill, site of the Precious Clouds Pavilion and the Temple of the Sea of Wisdom.

Lunch will be taken at the Bai's Family Mansion and Courtyard.

This was originally the property of the Manchu Prince Daishan, the second son of Nurhchai, the founder of the united Manchu kingdom which established the Qing Dynasty. The gardens take up more than 50 mu, featuring are all manner of Chinese classic scenes. All the serving staff wear Qing costume. The menu contains dishes once served only in the Imperial palaces. A maid holding a silk handkerchief in her hand leads you into the poetic and picturesque garden.

Back in the city, guests will have the intimate experience of a short tricycle ride and stroll through the 'hutong'. A hutong is a city alley typical of old Beijing living quarters. The hutongs run along buildings set out in quadrangles which varied according to the social status of the residents. The hutongs are the passageways formed between them. Many have been demolished for development but a million Beijingers still live in them including the new rich who are 'gentrifying' properties among crowded family courtyards.

The Final Banquet Dinner will be served at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, which now receives VIP visitors from all over the world. Subject to permissions, guests will be taken from the hotel to the Guesthouse by police car escort through the traffic. Located by the lake on the old fishing terrace of the emperors, Diaoyutai State Guesthouse serves a traditional banquet dinner with entertainment by the Beijing Acrobatic Troop, musicians from the Beijing Philharmonic Orchestra or the Childrens' Accordion Orchestra.

An alternative location for the final dinner and entertainment will be The Great Hall of the People. The grandest dinner venue in Beijing, this capital building on the west side of Taiananmen Square was named Great Hall of the People by Chairman Mao Zedong on a construction inspection and a particular interest in its development was taken by this premier Zhou Enlai who decided that the 34 meeting halls in the building should reflect the characteristics of each region of China, painted by local peoples. The Great Hall is the home of National People's Congress, China's parliament. At the center of the building is the Grand Auditorium which seats 10,000. The main Banquet seats 5,000 and there are totally 45 smaller meeting halls named after each province, autonomous region and municipality.

Day 5. Departure

There will be time for shopping and personal sightseeing before transfer to the airport for the return flight.