Tour 2014

Itinerary*

(A pdf copy of the NEW itinerary may be downloaded at the bottom of this page)

Day 1: Monday, Nov 3 Hong Kong - Beijing

The group meet at Hong Kong International Airport at 11.00am by the Air China check-in counter. Take CA112 at 14.10 hr (2.10pm) from Hong Kong to arrive at Beijing 17.30 hr. Group will be met by tour guide to transfer to hotel for checking in. An a la carte welcome dinner will be served at a local famous restaurant. (D)

Overnight Crowne Plaza Hotel Beijing.

Day 2: Tuesday, Nov 4 Beijing

Visit the Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City this morning. Then an a la carte lunch is served. In the afternoon, have a Hutong tour and visit a Pearl Factory. Then walk around the Dashilan shopping street. In the evening, you will enjoy a lively Chinese Kung Fu Show at Red Theatre (Green Area Seats). (B+L)

Overnight Crowne Plaza Hotel Beijing.

Day 3: Wednesday, Nov 5 Beijing

Visit the Great Wall at Badaling. After that, we will take you to have a short visit to a Jade factory. After lunch, visit the Sacred Way and the Ming Tomb in the afternoon. On the way back to downtown, drive by the Bird's Nest (Olympic National Stadium) for a photo stop. You will see it at a distance. [Evening presentation: Significance of Prayer of Good Harvest offered by emperors at the Temple of Heaven.] (B+L)

Overnight Crowne Plaza Hotel Beijing.

Day 4: Thursday, Nov 6 Beijing - Xi’an

Visit Temple of Heaven in the morning. Take a noon flight to Xian (Airline company usually serves lunch on plane). TCG guide will meet at airport and transfer group to hotel. [Afternoon presentation: Significance of the Nestorian Stone on the propagation of Christianity into China.] This evening you will be entertained with a Dumpling Dinner and a Tang Dynasty Music and Dance Performance in Xian. (Tips: Dumplings are a traditional local food in northern China and are made of wheat flour with various indigenous fillings. You will have an opportunity to learn more about the diversified Chinese food culture.) (B+L+D)

Overnight Sheraton Xian Hotel.

Day 5: Friday, Nov 7 Xi’an

Visit the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum. Afterwards, you will have a brief visit to the Pottery-making House. An a la carte lunch is served. In the afternoon, visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and the Nestorian Stone in the Forest Stone steles Museum. The Nestorian Stone, the earliest physical relic that commemorates the entry of western Christianity to China in Tang Dynasty. An a la carte dinner is served at a local famous restaurant. (B+L+D)

[Evening presentation on the story of the China Training Institute at Chiao Tou Tseng]

Overnight Sheraton Xian Hotel.

Day 6: Saturday, Nov 8 Xi'an - Nanjing

Sabbath morning, worship at the Xian SDA church within downtown area. Around noon, transfer group to visit a local family and have a home-cooked lunch. In the afternoon, continue to visit the ancient Xian City Wall. You can take a leisurely stroll along the top of the City Wall on Sabbath afternoon. Take an evening flight to Nanjing and transfer to the hotel. [Evening presentation: Story of the China Training Institute at Qiaotouzhen once the highest Adventist learning center in China]. (B+L)

Overnight Crown Plaza Nanjing Hotel and Suites.

Day 7: Sunday, Nov 9 Nanjing - Shanghai

In the morning visit Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum and Dr. Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum, After lunch, visit Zhonghua Gate and the Confucius Temple. Take an express train to Shanghai and transfer to the hotel. (B+L)

Overnight Renaissance Shanghai Yu Garden Hotel.

Day 8: Monday, Nov 10 Shanghai

Visit the Shanghai Museum and the Yuyuan Garden. Then have a short stay at a Silk Factory and visit Tianzifang, a new art zone combing artistic centers, exotic restaurants and bars. An a la carte lunch will be served at a fancy and famous local restaurant, offering authentic Shanghai and Cantonese cuisine. After lunch, transfer to see the appearance of the former Adventist Sanitarium & Hospital and the former SDA China Headquarter at Ninggua Road. Afterward visit the Bund area, where you will take a cruise tour on the Huangpu River. An a la carte evening dinner will be served at a local popular restaurant. (B+L+D)

Overnight Renaissance Shanghai Yu Garden Hotel. (B,L,D)

Day 9: Tuesday, Nov 11 Shanghai - Xiamen

Take a flight to Xiamen. Our guide will pick you up at the airport. Lunch will be served. Visit the Nanputuo Temple and the Hulishan Battery. Dinner will be arranged. [Evening presentation: Story of early Gulangyu Meihua School built by pioneers Benjamin & Julia Anderson from PoySippi, Wisconsin] (B+L+D)

Overnight Kempinski Yuanchang Hotel Xiamen,

Day 10: Wednesday, Nov 12 Xiamen

Today's tour takes you to Gulangyu Island to visit Meihua Life Health Center, Shuzhuang Garden and Piano Museum in the morning. Explore the building remains of old SDA Mission. After lunch, continue to visit Riguangyan scenic spots, Hundred Bird Garden, and Bright Moon Garden. (B+L)

Overnight Kempinski Yuanchang Hotel Xiamen,

Day 11: Thursday, Nov 13 Xiamen - Shenzhen

This is a 12-day 6-city guided tour of China, sponsored by AIC, which covers major tourist attractions in China and selected landmarks of Adventist Mission in China.

Travel Destinations: Six Chinese cities: Beijing, Xi’an, Nanjing, Shanghai, Xiamen and Shenzhen.

Beginning and Ending City: The tour will begin from and end at Hong Kong.

Target Audience: First time visitors to China or those who wish to revisit china but also visit historical landmarks of Adventist or Christian missions in China.

Four Special Presentations: To enhance the experience of tour members, four special informational lectures will be presented Adventist scholars:

1. (in Beijing) Temple of Heaven and Christian concepts in ancient China,

2. (in Xian) Nestorian Stone, the earliest evidence of Western Christianity in China,

3. (in Nanjing/Shanghai) China Training Institute, the highest SDA educational institution in China

4. (in Xiemen) Meihua Health Center, an Adventist institution reborn.

Cost: All inclusive fee of approximately $2,500 USD per person. We also ask each person to contribute $2.00 USD to cover the international wiring cost charged by the bank when we wire the money for the entire group to the tour operator. So the actual total cost per person is $2,502 USD.

Fee includes all domestic flights within China, trains between Nanjing & Shanghai and Xiemen & Shenzhen, bus/van travel in each city, all meals as indicated, entries to all major attractions (except additional entry fees for special exhibits inside an attraction), travel insurance, tips to tour guide & bus driver.

International Flights: You will be responsible for international flights from your home city to Hong Kong and return. If you need assistance with the international flights, please contact the tour leader.

Tour Leader: Bruce W. Lo. Director of AIC, lobw@uwec.edu.

Guide: Bilingual guides who are fluent in both English and Chinese.

Meals: Vegetarian meals will be catered for throughout the tour.

Accommodation: Four-star foreign hotel, double or single occupancy.

Tour Group Size: A minimum of 10 is required. However, it is expected that this tour will be popular, therefore reserve your place as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. A reservation is not complete until the full deposit of $200 USD is received.