Day 1

London/Beijing

Begin your unique holiday by making your own way to London Heathrow for an overnight flight to Beijing with Air China.

Day 2

Beijing

On arrival in Beijing, met by your friendly local guide and take a stroll through Tiananmen Square where Mao’s Mausoleum and the Monument to the People’s Heroes, symbolically right in front of the former imperial palace, the Forbidden City are located. Transfer to the 4* Super House International Hotel for an overnight stay.

Day 3

Datong

Visit the magnificent circular Temple of Heaven, constructed entirely of wood and with no nails, and designed according to principles of cosmology and numerology to illustrate the meeting point of heaven and earth. Take the train to Datong, strategically located between Beijing and Xian, staying for two nights at the 4*Datong Hotel.  BD

Day 4

Datong 

See the five enthroned and gilded Buddhas in Huayuan Temple that also houses the museum with its relics unearthed from ancient tombs nearby, and the glorious Nine Dragon Screen, a 100ft-long wall of colourfully glazed tiles 600 years old that used to stand in front of the palace entrance to stop evil spirits entering. Visit Yungang where caves are filled with 50,000 Buddhist statues that were carved in the 5th and 6th centuries.   BL

Day 5

Wutaishan

Drive to Wutai Mountain, the holiest of the four sacred Buddhist peaks of China and home to dozens of monasteries and temples that were mostly built during the Tang dynasty of the 7th to 10^th centuries. Luckily, they survived Mao’s Cultural Revolution as did nearby Yingxian Wooden Pagoda from the same era, the oldest and largest wooden building in China and built entirely without nails. Stay tonight at the 4*Huahui Hotel. BL

Day 6

Taiyuan

Not only goods but ideas travelled along the old Silk Road to Xian, and at Datong is evidence how Buddhism travelled from India to China, here at the spectacularly-located Hanging Temple, hewn from caves in the sacred Heng Shan mountain and clinging to the cliff face, where Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism are all celebrated. Drive to Taiyuan to stay overnight at the 4*Shanxi Hotel.  BL

Day 7

Pingyao

Visit Jinci Temple, a one-thousand-year-old ancestral temple, before driving to the quaint old town of Pingyao. En-route visit the Qiao Family Mansion, a perfect example of traditional workmanship and design with graceful roofs, red lanterns and fine carvings. Stay two nights at Pingyao’s characterful Yunjincheng Folk Guest House.   BL

Day 8

Pingyao

A day to explore charming Pingyao’s well-preserved streets and houses, China’s first bank that was established here in 1823 and which brought prosperity to the town, and the great fortified City Wall, 30ft high and 15ft wide, that was needed to keep out gangs of thieves intent on robbing the rich citizens and travellers.  BL

Day 9

Changzhi

On the way to Changzhi call at Pujiu Temple, founded by the wicked Empress Wu of the Tang dynasty and scene of a famous love story. Stay overnight at the 4*Jinxin International Hotel.  BL

Day 10

Luoyang 

Head to Luoyang to stay two nights at the 4*Grand Hotel. This afternoon visit the renowned Longmen Grottoes where 100,000 Buddhist statues of wildly varied sizes were carved into natural caves along a half-mile stretch of the Yi River valley, mostly between the 5th and the 12th centuries.  BLD

Day 11

Luoyang

Visit the birthplace of Kung Fu, Shaolin Temple, where the Buddhist monks devised this form of exercise to aid their self-discipline and to defend themselves from outside attackers, 1,500 years ago. They gained renown for their fighting prowess and the martial art became an integral part of monastic life. Then tour Kangbaiwan Manor, a Ming dynasty house like a castle the size of a village.  BL

Day 12

Beijing

Transfer to train station for  your high speed day train to Beijing for an overnight stay at 4* Super House International Hotel. B

Day 13

Beijing / London Heathrow

Fly from Beijing to London Heathrow with Air China. B

Key:

B=Breakfast    L=Lunch    D=Dinner