CHINA Ancient History Tour Sample Itinerary Phone: +61 (0)3 9245 7435 (Australia) or +64 (0) 29 7708 849 (New Zealand) Email: [email protected] (Australia) or [email protected] (New Zealand) Web: www.travelboundeducation.com.au (Australia) or www.travelbound.co.nz (New Zealand) CHINA - HISTORY TOUR The sheer diversity of China takes you from modern cities craving global prestige to isolated mountain-top Ming-Dynasty villages where time effortlessly slips by. Explore the vast lands of the Three Kingdoms and the ancient capital of Chang’an, known today as Xi’an. Visit Beijing, capital of the Qing dynasty, China’s last imperial dynasty before the Chinese Revolution. Take a tour of the imperial palace of the Forbidden City and stand face to face with the huge portrait of the leader of the Cultural Revolution, Mao Zedong in Tiananmen square. In contrast, students will also experience the culture of contemporary China and the rapidly changing social and political climate of this emerging world superpower. Day 1: AUSTRALIA – BEIJING • Arrive in Beijing, meet your local guide and transfer by private coach to accommodation. • Check into accommodation. • Olympic Park: The Olympic Stadium is known around Beijing as the ‘Birds Nest’ due to its lattice-like concrete appearance. The stadium was the venue for the opening and closing Olympic ceremonies, athletic events and soccer finals. You will also have a guided tour of the National Aquatic Centre, known as the Water Cube. • OVERNIGHT in Beijing. Day 2: BEIJING • Tiananmen Square & Forbidden City: Lying at the centre of Beijing and across from Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City houses an extensive collection of 980 buildings. For almost 500 years, it served as the home of emperors and their households, as well as the ceremonial and political centre of Chinese government. • Summer Palace: The beautiful Summer Palace features elaborate Qing-style pavilions, bridges, walkways and stunning gardens scattered along the shores of the immense Kunming Lake. • Dinner at local restaurant. • Evening Kung Fu Show: Enjoy a visually stunning show with a great story line and incredible martial arts skills. This is an awe-inspiring feat of ancient defensive architecture. Its winding path over rugged country and steep mountains takes in some jaw-dropping scenery. • Kung Fu Lesson: Each with their own characteristics, these martial arts classes are divided among specific families, sects and schools. Each of them honour their own specific and unique techniques. Even if you have no existing experience, you can still find beginner classes that cater to all ages and experience levels. • OVERNIGHT Beijing. Day 4: BEIJING – XI’AN • Temple of Heaven: The Temple of Heaven in the southern part of Beijing is China’s largest existing complex of ancient sacrificial buildings. Occupying an area of 273 hectares, it is three times the area of the Forbidden City. It was built in 1420 as a place for emperors to worship Heaven. • Hutong Walking Tour or Rickshaw Ride: Take a walking tour or Rickshaw ride through Beijing’s traditional back alleys known as Hutongs. See traditional courtyard residences characteristic of how the majority of the population lived in Beijing until the mid-twentieth century. • Tea Ceremony: Tea is an integral part of Chinese culture. The tea ceremony demonstrates different kinds of tea, their individual tastes, colours, smells and how they affect the human body. • Chinese Cookery Lesson: Students will enjoy a hands on Chinese Cookery lesson which will include wok session skills. The school will demonstrate 4 – 5 dishes and the students will practice 2 – 3 before partaking in their creation at lunchtime. • Transfer to the train station for your overnight train journey to Xi’an. • OVERNIGHT on train. Day 5: XI’AN • Arrive in the morning and transfer to your accommodation. • Big Wild Goose Pagoda: Located in the Da Ci’en Temple complex is a well-preserved ancient building and a holy place for Buddhists. Day 3: BEIJING • Ancient City Wall: The city walls of Xi’an are the most complete to have survived in China. The walls, which are surrounded by a deep moat, are 13.7 kilometres long, 12m tall and12-14m wide at the top. The original section was constructed during the old Tang Dynasty (618 - 907). • Great Wall Juyongguan Section: One of the Wonders of the world, this impressive 6000km long wall was built to protect the Chinese Empire from Northern Invaders. • Local School Visit: Students and teachers will have a chance to interact with a local school and gain an understanding of a typical school day. • OVERNIGHT in Beijing. Phone: +61 (0)3 9245 7435 (Australia) or +64 (0) 29 7708 849 (New Zealand) Email: [email protected] (Australia) or [email protected] (New Zealand) Web: www.travelboundeducation.com.au (Australia) or www.travelbound.co.nz (New Zealand) • Tang Art Museum with Calligraphy Lesson: The Museum consists of six exhibition halls featuring artworks exploring the Tang Dynasty. Afterwards enjoy a Calligraphy lesson. • Evening Tang Dynasty Show: Enjoy an evening of cultural entertainment with music and dances that originated in the Tang Dynasty more than a 1000 years ago. • Former President Office: The largest modern history museum in China, the Presidential Mansion was originally a prince dwelling and government office in Qing Dynasty. The Museum is divided into three sections; central, western and Eastern section. • Transfer by coach to Shanghai. • OVERNIGHT in Xi’an. • OVERNIGHT in Shanghai. Day 6: XI’AN – NANJING Day 9: SHANGHAI • Terracotta Army: The awe-inspiring Terracotta Army was accidentally discovered by a farmer in March 1974 near the tomb of Emperor Qin Shihuang. Consisting of nearly 7000 warriors with armaments, horses and chariots, it was made and buried in pits over two thousand years ago to guard the Emperor in the afterlife. It took 38 years and 720,000 builders to complete the Terracotta army. Each warrior possesses individual features and is an average of 1.8 metres tall. • Yu Garden: Visit Yu Garden, a traditional Chinese Park with beautiful pavilions, miniature lakes and bridges; a masterpiece of Chinese gardening. • Huaqing Hot Spring Park: Situated at the foot of the Li Mountain, these springs, favoured by Emperors, were built during the Western Zhou Dynasty and enlarged by the emperor Xuanzong during the Tang Dynasty. • Birth Place of Communist Party: Visit the site of the First National Congress of the Community Parity of China, held on July 23 1921, marking the birth of the Party. The Museum combines exhibits about the History of China and the events surrounding the foundation of the Chinese Communist Party. • Transfer to the train station for your overnight train journey to Nanjing. • OVERNIGHT on train. Day 7: NANJING • Arrive in Nanjing and transfer to accommodation for breakfast. • Sun Yat-Sen Mausoleum: Dr. Sun Yat-Sen is considered the Father of the Republic of China and the forerunner of the Chinese Revolution. The Mausoleum covers an area of 80,000 square metres. With deep historical significance, awe-inspiring architecture and stunning scenery, this really is a must see visit whilst in Nanjing. • Jade Buddha Temple: In 1882, an old temple was built to keep two jade Buddha statues which had been brought from Burma by a monk named Huigen. The temple was destroyed during the revolution that overthrew the Qing Dynasty. Fortunately the statues were saved and a new temple was built on the present site in 1928. • Evening Acrobatic Show: It is believed that acrobatics grew out of the labour and self-defense skills that the people practiced and demonstrated during their leisure time. As the world economy developed, acrobatics was also developed into a kind of performance art. A truly wonderful night out for your group full of colour, human precision and incredible skill. • OVERNIGHT in Shanghai. Day 10: SHANGHAI • OVERNIGHT in Nanjing. • Bund: The Shanghai Bund has many historical colonial buildings lining the Huangpu River. The area was initially a British settlement. A building boom at the end of 19th century and beginning of the 20th century led to the Bund becoming a major financial hub of East Asia. Directly to the south is the former French Bund (the quai de France, part of the Shanghai French Concession). Day 8: NANJING – SHANGHAI • Nanjing Road: Enjoy some free time for some last minute souvenir shopping. • Qinhuai Riverside: Walk around the “life blood” of the city and the birthplace of the age-old Nanjing culture. Visit the Zhanyuan Garden, the Confucius Temple, Egret Islet and China Gate whilst also enjoying the riverside views. • Nanjing Massacre Museum: The Memorial Hall is located on the site where Japanese fascist forces executed and buried Chinese nationals. The exhibition contains historical records concerning one of the ugliest episodes forced by mankind. • Transfer to the airport for your flight home. • OVERNIGHT plane. Day 11: SHANGHAI – AUSTRALIA Phone: +61 (0)3 9245 7435 (Australia) or +64 (0) 29 7708 849 (New Zealand) Email: [email protected] (Australia) or [email protected] (New Zealand) Web: www.travelboundeducation.com.au (Australia) or www.travelbound.co.nz (New Zealand) HISTORY TOURS WITH TRAVELBOUND EDUCATION Travelbound’s tailor-made history tours will fire pupils’ curiosity and imagination, inspiring them with the dilemmas, choices and beliefs of people of the past. Travelbound offer a large range of destinations for all types of historical trips including military history tours and battlefield tours, ancient civilisation tours, revolution tours and many more. A Travelbound tailor-made history tour will also help students to develop an understanding of the historic origins of our ethnic and cultural diversity, whilst always meeting your curriculum requirements. Curriculum based itineraries Our travel experts will work in consultation with you to develop a history tour to suit your curriculum focus. Explore the Ancient civilisations of Greece, Rome, Pompeii or Egypt; walk in the footsteps of the ANZAC on a tour to Gallipoli or the Western Front; stroll the beaches of the D-Day landings; investigate Hitler’s Third Reich and the Holocast of WWII or walk the revolutionary roads in Russia, China, the USA or France. We will work with you to create the perfect living history experience for your history school tour. Please contact us for further information. Battlefield Historians Travelbound Education are able to include official battlefield guides and history academics to accompany you on your school tour. Our historians are either members of the Guild of Battlefield Guide or an official local battlefield guide. Our knowledgeable guides will bring history to life with inspirational passion for their specialised subject. Our trusted advisors have years of experience, many have military backgrounds and some have also put pen to paper as well respected authors. Please contact us for further information. CONTACT US for more information or a tailor-made quote TODAY! Phone: +61 (0)3 9245 7435 (Aust) or +64 (0) 29 7708 849 (NZ) Email: [email protected] (Aust) or [email protected] (NZ) Web: www.travelboundeducation.com.au (Aust) or www.travelbound.co.nz (NZ)
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