Pre-Workshop Tour Option 2

 Beijing-Xian-Shanghai

Day 1: Sunday, October 19, 2008

Leave the USA for Beijing (If you are departing from other countries, just be sure to arrive in Beijing on October 20). 

Day 2:  Monday, October 20, Beijing

Arrive in Beijing in the evening. Transfer to hotel.  

Day 3: Tuesday, October 21, Beijing

In the morning, visit Tiananmen Square, the largest square in the world, where you will find Tiananmen (the Gate of Heavenly Peace), the Museum of Chinese History, the Museum of Chinese Revolution, the Great Hall of People (the "Capitol Hill in China"). In the center of the square sits Mao Tsetong Memorial Hall.  After Tiananmen Square, we will walk to the Forbidden City (Imperial Palace of Ming and Qing Dynasties for over 500 years). Visit the Temple of Heaven, where emperors prayed.  

Day 4: Wednesday, October 22, Beijing

A whole day excursion to the Great Wall of China, Underground Tombs of Ming Dynasty Emperors and their Empresses (13 emperors were buried there), and the Sacred Way lined with large stone statues.  "Peking" duck banquet dinner in the evening.   

Day 5: Thursday, October 23, Beijing

Summer Palace in the morning (including a short cruise on the Kunming Lake inside the Summer Place) and free time for shopping and other things you want to explore on your own in the afternoon.

Day 6: Friday, October 24, Beijing to Xian 

Fly to Xian in the morning. We will be welcomed by people dressed in ancient costumes at the City Gate, a quite entertaining ceremony. Xian has the best preserved city gates and walls in China. You can ride a bike or drive a golf cart on the top of the city walls. We will then visit the Wild Goose Pagoda, a significant historic site for Buddhism, where Buddhist scriptures were first interpreted and translated into Chinese by a highest ranked monk in Tang Dynasty (about 700 AC). We will also visit the Tang Dynasty Art Museum next to the Wild Goose Pagoda. We will have a Chinese Dumpling Banquet Dinner and a variety of dumplings will be served to our delight. 

Day 7: Saturday, October 25, Xian

A one-day trip to the Terracotta Warriors (220 B.C.) Museum, where we see hundreds of Terracotta Warriors at the original archeological site. On our way to the museum, we will stop at a workshop to see how those warriors were made.  We will enjoy the “Tang-Dynasty Palace Music and Dances” in the evening, the best “Broadway Show” in China.

Day 8: Sunday, October 26, Xian to Shanghai

Fly from Xian to Shanghai. Transportation will be provided for tour members to get to the workshop site from the airport when you arrive in Shanghai.    

To sign up for this tour, please email as soon as possible the following information to  cw@fibersphere.net:

• Full name (as it appears in your passport))
• Date of birth
• Contact information (mailing address, email and phone number) 
• Passport number
• Citizenship
• Occupation

You can also submit the above information on our Registration Form.