You will sightsee from the riverfront Bund where foreign traders left a legacy of European-style buildings, to the Yuyuan Gardens with its quintessential Chinese zigzag bridge, rookeries, and pavilions. Visit the Children's Palace where school kids study traditional arts, and the dazzling new Shanghai Museum where the development of the arts is traced back thousands of years. Complete the day at a thrilling show by the Shanghai Acrobats. Fly to and coach to Shaoxing, a visual feat of scenic beauty. The town's enchanting old-wold character makes it a favorite of all who discover it.
Today cruise the mirror-bright waters of East Lake, nestled amid blue mountains and cultural relics.
After lunch drive to Hangzhou, the land of tea and silk, for dinner. Transfer to the airport to catch the flight to Beijing. One of the world's most awe-inspiring sights, the Great Wall snakes along nearly 4000 miles of impossibly steep hills and harsh, rugged plains. Today's excursion will give you ample time to explore it in leisure and marvel at the manpower that went into building the world's longest structure entirely by hand. Continue to the Min Tombs, the graveyard of 13 emperors, before returning to Beijing for an imperial-style Peking Duck dinner.