Community Tour through China 2010
For friends and sponsors of the Wassmuth Center for Human Rights
On behalf of the Wassmuth Center for Human Rights – Home of the Idaho Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial – Boise, ID www.wassmuthcenter.org
This trip, developed together with the director of the Wassmuth Center in 2010, aimed to make Chinese history and current Chinese life tangible, to link education and leisure with each other and to deepen the relationship between the participants and the Center.
Therefore, both historical sites such as the Imperial Palace in Beijing or the Terracotta Army in Xian, as well as places of modern Chinese life, such as the Beijing Olympic Stadium, the Yangtze Dam and modern Shanghai, were visited.
3 Nights Beijing
1 Overnight sleeper train Beijing – Xian
2 Nights Xian
1 Night Chongqing incl. an excursion to Dazu
3 Nights river cruise on the Yangtze River
3 Nights Shanghai
Itinerary
Day 1
During the day
Today, your community trip through China begins with your departure from the USA to Beijing.
Day 2
Evening
Arrival in Beijing and warm welcome by your tour guide. Afterwards you will take your own bus to your hotel, check-in and a short break.
Afterwards
Welcome dinner in the hotel restaurant
Day 3
Morning
Today you will visit the heart of Beijing, Tiananmen Square and the magnificent Forbidden City with the Imperial Palace in the center. From here 24 emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties ruled and ruled China, the Middle Kingdom, from the 15th to the 20th century.
Noon
Stroll through and have an individual lunch in an old town quarter of Beijing
Afternoon
Visit to the Temple of Heaven, the most important temple of the former imperial state cult. The Hall of Harvest Prayer is the symbol of the city of Beijing.
Evening
Group dinner
Day 4
Morning
By coach you drive to the famous Ming Tombs outside of Beijing, walk along the “Spirit Way” and visit the grave of Emperor Wanli, 13th emperor of the Ming dynasty.
Afterwards
Continue to the Great Wall of China
Noon
Group lunch
Afternoon
Climb and walk along the legendary Great Wall of China and enjoy unique views over the hilly landscape and the longest building in the world, which repeatedly emerges and descends.
Afterwards
Return to Beijing by coach
Evening
Group dinner
Day 5
Morning
Today you have different possibilities to arrange your day. Either visit the Summer Palace with its huge park, the Long Corridor and Kunming Lake on the outskirts of Beijing, where the subway takes you comfortably, or join us on a visit to the “Bird’s Nest”, the Olympic Stadium and the Lama Temple. This is the largest temple of Tibetan Buddhism outside Tibet and has a history of around 250 years.
Noon
Individual lunch break
Afternoon
Free time
Evening
Group dinner
Afterwards
You spend the night in a comfortable sleeper car in the overnight train from Beijing to Xian.
Day 6
Morning
Arrival in Xian and transfer by coach to your hotel, where a rich breakfast awaits you.
Afterwards
Check-in and a short break
Noon
You leave the city by coach and drive towards the famous terracotta army of the first Chinese emperor. On the way stop for a group lunch.
Afternoon
During a guided tour, you will learn all the details of the Terracotta Army and see not only the famous clay figures, but also imperial burial objects, including one of the famous bronze carriages.
Afterwards
Return to Xian by coach
Evening
Individual dinner
Day 7
Morning
A visit to the well restored Xian City Wall gives you an impressive view of the historic city center with the Bell Tower in the center. In the old Confucius Temple you will learn interesting facts about the origins of Confucianism and the development of Chinese characters.
Noon
Individual lunch break
Afternoon
Visit the Great Wild Goose Pagoda, Xian’s city symbol, and an adjacent art gallery specializing in traditional Chinese ink painting.
Evening
Group dinner
Day 8
Morning
Transfer to the airport by coach
Afterwards
Flight from Xian to Chongqing
Afterwards
Arrival in Chongqing and drive with your own bus to the city center of this mountainous metropolis at the confluence of the Yangtze and Jialing rivers with their many industrial and commercial zones.
Noon
Individual lunch break
Afternoon
A visit to the Three Gorges Museum will give you an initial overview of the Yangtze, the three famous gorges, their history and culture as well as the gigantic Three Gorges Dam.
Afterwards
Transfer to your hotel and check-in.
Evening
Group dinner
Day 9
Morning
Transfer to Dazu by coach
Afterwards
This day trip takes you to the unique Buddhist caves of Dazu with their more than 50,000 sculptures carved from the rocky cliffs of the Northern Mountain and the Treasure Mountain between the 9th and 12th centuries.
Noon
Group lunch break
Afternoon
Return to Chongqing by coach
Evening
Group dinner
Afterwards
Transfer by coach to your cruise ship and check-in.
Day 10
Morning
On your way down the Yangtze River your ship will glide with you through the lovely mountainous and hilly landscape of Central China.
Noon
Group lunch on board
Afternoon
Your first shore excursion brings you to the Ghost City of Fengdu, according to ancient Chinese tradition the entrance to hell and seat of the king of hell.
Evening
Group dinner on board
Afterwards
Possibility to watch the show program
Day 11
Morning
Today we have to get up early, because they will drive through the first of the Three Gorges at dawn. After breakfast the other two will follow.
Noon
Group lunch on board
Afternoon
Excursion into the gorges of one of the tributaries of the Yangtze River, where you will see untouched landscapes and learn about ancient burial methods of the indigenous people of this area.
Evening
Group dinner on board
Afterwards
Passing through the locks of the Three Gorges Dam
Afterwards
Possibility to watch the show program
Day 12
Morning
Now it’s time to say goodbye to your cruise ship and to embark for your further travels. But first you visit the gigantic Three Gorges Dam.
Noon
Individual lunch break
Afterwards
Transfer by coach to the airport
Afterwards
Flight from Yichang to Shanghai
Afternoon
Arrival in Shanghai, transfer to your hotel by coach and check-in.
Evening
Group dinner
Afterwards
At the end of the day you walk along the famous river promenade of Shanghai, the Bund, and have the brightly lit old British colonial buildings on one side and the gigantic, glittering skyscrapers of the new Shanghai on the other.
Day 13
Morning
During a visit to the Shanghai partner school of the Boise, ID school district, you will get to know some teachers and students and can also observe in class.
Noon
Group lunch break
Afternoon
Immerse yourself in classical Chinese horticulture during a visit to the Yu Garden and let yourself be enchanted by the many small details and secrets.
Afterwards
Free time for strolling around the old town with its many small shops as well as for individual visits to the Shanghai Museum, the TV tower, another skyscraper or Nanjing Street, Shanghai’s main shopping street.
Evening
Individual dinner
Day 14
Morning
Drive by coach to Zhujiajiao, a small Venice of China.
Afterwards
Enjoy a boat trip along the canals through the old town and a stroll through the narrow streets and centuries-old stone arch bridges. Visit a silk spinning mill and take the opportunity to buy local handicrafts and other souvenirs.
Noon
Individual lunch in one of the many small restaurants
Afternoon
Return journey with your own bus to Shanghai
Evening
Farewell dinner
Day 15
Morning
Now it’s time to say goodbye and transfer by coach to the airport.
Afterwards
Return flight to the USA