Day 1 – Shanghai
Our first visit was to the Yu Yuan Gardens. What a place to start! It was so beautiful. We went for a tea ceremony where we got to try different types of tea, learnt how they are traditionally prepared and brewed.
We then went to see the old town of Shanghai, which had beautiful traditional Chinese architecture. Visiting the jade temple was so peaceful, we were even lucky enough to witness the local Buddhists sing.
Before heading back to the hotel for dinner we had a lovely stroll along the Bund.
Day 2 – Shanghai
Shanghai tower is now the third tallest building in the world and has the fastest elevator in the world, taking you up at 18m per second. It’s a weird feeling going up, but the views of Shanghai are spectacular. Luckily, we had a clear day, so the view was even better.
We took a drive to an ancient water town, known as the Venice of China. I honestly could’ve spent days here, getting lost in all the little streets and soaking in the beauty of the town. This evening, after trying lots of traditional dishes from Shanghai, we sail on a beautiful cruise along the Huangpu river.
Day 3 - Xi’an
We flew to Xi’an this morning, and after eating some traditional dishes at a local restaurant, we headed for the terracotta warriors. This was the highlight of the trip so far, it was incredible to see these warriors. The feeling surrounding them is something you must feel yourself. Tonight, we headed for a dumpling banquet and Tang Dynasty show.
We tried so many different types of dumplings and then were truly blown away by an amazingly beautiful telling of Empress Wu’s story. A must see for all travellers! Before leaving the theatre, we were surprised with a chance to wear the traditional dress of the dynasty and had photos with the cast.
We finished this wonderful day by seeing this Xi’an by night, if you were impressed by this city in the day, you will be blown away at it by night! Just beautiful lights and colours, you really cannot come here and not see this city at night, it’s really something special.
Day 4 - Xi’an
We start the day with a visit to the Wild Goose Pagoda, and then went to the city wall of X’ian, which is the only complete ancient city wall remaining in China! After walking along, it for a while, we headed for lunch and then boarded the iconic bullet train to Beijing travelling an average speed of 300km/h.
Day 5 - Beijing
This morning head off to the Temple of Heaven, before seeing the temple we were surprised with a Tai Chi lesson with a Tai Chi master, an experience I’ll never forget. We then head to the Tiananmen Square with the famous painting of Chairman Mao and then continue our journey to the Forbidden City. After a wonderful lunch made by a local family in their home, we enjoyed a calligraphy lesson, which I found very therapeutic.
Day 6 – Beijing
Our final day before returning home was the day we were all waiting for: the day of the Great Wall. Climbing the Great Wall was a pinch me moment, I couldn’t even hold back the tears from how fortunate I felt to be there. We even had a surprise glass of Prosecco waiting for us further along the wall from the Travelsphere and Just You agent. An experience I will never forget and will forever treasure. We then went to visit the Summer Palace and finished the day off with a beautiful farewell Peking Duck dinner.
