Minority Kaleidoscope

Day 1 Beijing

On arrival in Beijing, you will be met and transferred to your hotel by your private English-speaking guide. You could have a good rest to overcome the jet lag or wander around to know more about the new destination by yourself.
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Day 2 Beijing

Make an early visit to the Temple of Heaven to know about the energetic and active Chinese locals that are exercising in different ways that may interest you. Briefly stop at Tiananmen Square to discover many points of interest before entering the loyal Forbidden City. Learn the rich colors of the Beijing opera mask and their hint beyond them and further try drawing the Beijing Opera mask with the experienced master. Time permitting; you can visit the shopping street to enrich your luggage with some good buys. Enjoy an evening of Beijing Opera while deepen your opera knowledge learned by the private mask drawing lesson.
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Day 3 Beijing

Drive to the Great Wall at Mutianyu to sense its great past built by the great people. It is the less-crowed, easily-accessible and specially selected section of the Great Wall and do not miss the spectacular overlooking view on the labor-saving cable car (Round trip). Savor a tasty farmhouse meal at the nearby village and overlook the unrestored section of Great Wall to sense its virgin charm. If interested, you can climb up to it to touch this segment. Visit the 2008 Olympic stadiums--Bird's Nest (National Stadium) and Water Cube (National Aquatics Center). Then feast on the crisp Peking duck. It is a demanding trip today, so wearing your comfortable sneakers may not distract you from your touring delight.
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Day 4 Beijing - Xi'an

Listen to the lively sound of pets and their owners in Guanyuan Market (or visit Panjiayuan Market at weekend to explore the hidden gems of the old stuffs). Lying back in the Hutong rickshaw, you could visit fast-vanishing Hutongs to glimpse the ordinary life of the Beijing residents. Enhance the impression by visiting a courtyard family and making dumpling with them. The Private Museum of the Old Beijingners' Stuffs in the Hutong trip will unveil you how the Beijingners' life looked like. Fly to Xi'an and transfer to the hotel with your Xi'an private guide and driver. Time permitting; an optional visit to the Giant Music Fountain near the Big Wild Goose Pagoda is recommended.
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Day 5 Xi'an

Armies of Terracotta Warriors and a short video of uncovering them would be unveiled in the Terracotta warrior's museum. The history of Xi'an as a capital of ten dynasties will be released in Shaanxi History Museum. Tour the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and its beautiful overlooking view. Ride the CO2-free bike along the broad City Wall. Delight your taste buds and stomach with the dumpling banquet when you challenge hand in handling the escaping dumplings.
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D6 Xi'an - Guiyang - Kaili

Fly to Guiyang and transfer to Kaili via Guiyang. Go to Shiqiao village to appreciate the very traditional papermaking with a 1500 years history at a local workshop. Drive back to Kaili. Explore the old market to peek into the local's life if time permits.
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Day 7 Kaili - Xijiang

Get a general picture of the diverse ethnic minorities in Kaili Ethnic Minorities Museum. Next stop is respectively Matang village and Xijiang village (Miao minority).
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Day 8 Xijiang

The whole day is totally free for you to explore the surrounding and soak yourself in the pristine idyllic scene.
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Day 9 Xijiang – Guiyang - Kunming

Go back to Guiyang and fly to Kunming.
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Day 10 Kunming - Lijiang

Tour the Stone Forest shaped by time and nature and the second stop is the Golden Temple. Fly to Lijiang and settle down in the hotel of Lijiang Old Town.
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Day 11 Lijiang

Get a brief idea about the local conservancy state in the Visitor's Center for Nature and Culture of Northwest Yunnan. Take the Large Cable Car (Round trip) to climb up the sacred Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and experience to be surrounded by the pure snow and sliding clouds. Stop at the Baisha to appreciate the mural paintings that has integrated diverse religions as one unity. Have a close contact with one local family.
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Day 12 Lijiang

Having passed the beautiful Lashi Lake and Stone Drum Village, you can feast your eye and mind on the First Bend of Yangtze River (part route of the central Red Army Long March) and the awestruck Tiger Leaping Gorge. Indulge in the sound of authentic Naxi Ancient Music listed as intangible cultural heritage.
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Day 13 Lijiang - Kunming - Shanghai

Fly to Shanghai and settle down in your hotel with your Shanghai private tour guide and driver. Visit and soak in the incensed air of Temple of the Town Gods. Taste the rich Shanghai specialties and snacks in the temple market. Explore the private garden--Yuyuan Garden, a garden full of exquisiteness good to train your detailed eye. The rest of the day is free for you to get around. The bund, the Nanjing Road, Huaihai Road and Xintiandi, would be a good choice for you to wander around by yourself.
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Day 14 Shanghai

Get a broader cultural horizon from the rich collections in Shanghai Museum. Visit the tranquil Longhua Temple and try the vegetarian dishes that trick your taste buds to believe that they are made out of meat. Go to the new Shanghai landmark--the World Financial Center to have a broader view of the whole Shanghai city. A stunning and incredible acrobatic show will call it a night.
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Day 15 Shanghai

Be a Shanghainese in a host family by visiting the local markets and having a look at the original material of the cuisine you will cook with the host. Engage yourself in the local community activities.
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Day 16 Depart

Take the maglev train (luxury seat) to go to your homeward plane at lightning speed!
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