Tour 2 Shanghai And Environs With Pictures

THE EMPEROR’S TOUR OF SHANGHAI AND SURROUNDING AREAS AND CITIES SHANGHAI

You start in Shanghai where you will spend 3 nights. http://www.shanghai.gov.cn/shanghai/node17256/index.html http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/china/shanghai/

Widely regarded as the citadel of China's modern economy, the city of Shanghai serves as one of the nation's most important cultural, commercial, financial, industrial, and communications centers.. Upon your arrival at Pudong International Airport, you will be met by your Tour Director and one or more Mercedes S600 limousines. Your luggage will be taken care of and transported to your hotel. We offer a choice of three hotels in Shanghai:

1) the Shanghai Mansion

http://www.chinamansionhotel.com

With its unique historical heritage, China Mansion Hotel captures the essence of old Shanghai, a period when this great city was considered the ‘Paris of the Orient’. The villas design reflects this wonderful era gone by with its graceful fusion of Classic French and Asian architecture that made Shanghai one of the world’s most beautiful and elegant cities.

With 32 exquisitely decorated guest rooms each with its own individual design and layout, China Mansion Hotel offers its guests the ‘personal touch’ that

cannot be offered or replicated. Standard offerings include deluxe king size beds, armchairs with ottomans, business desks, and wireless high-speed Internet access. The guest rooms are complete with mini bars and refrigerators, tea/coffee kettles, complimentary champagne upon check-in, complimentary one hour massage upon check-in, and free bottled water. Bathrooms have marble floors and countertops with separate Jacuzzi baths and

high

pressure

full

body

showers.

The hotel features a traditional-style gourmet Chinese restaurant serving the finest seafood the city can offer and a rooftop restaurant and lounge with terrace overlooking the French Concession District and the city’s breathtaking skyline

serving

the

finest

2) URBN Hotels Shanghai

Western

Bistro-style

cuisine.

http://www.urbnhotels.com

A stylish and innovative hotel using recycled and locally sourced materials. At URBN Hotels they believe that a city is more than a tourist destination, it’s a place with an individual personality and character waiting to be discovered and enjoyed by each and every visitor.

URBN Hotels Shanghai’s 26 distinctive rooms and suites were inspired by the nature of Asian spaces. Contemporary design complimented by natural materials – wood floors, linen curtains and rustic silks in shades of cream, coffee and beige, create a relaxing ambiance to please the most discerning tastes. Each room carefully includes all the modern essentials, and some special

creature

comforts,

for

savvy

international

travelers.

Roomtwentyeight Restaurant & Lounge offers a private garden and courtyard setting, with all-day dining from 6am. The restaurant features global cuisine. Shanghai is more than a tourist destination – it’s a place with an individual personality and character waiting to be discovered and enjoyed by each and every visitor. Whether for business or leisure, URBN offers an unforgettable experience in Shanghai.

3) 88 Xintiandi

http://www.88xintiandi.com

Located in the heart of Shanghai, just off bustling Huai Hai Zhong Lu, 88 Xintiandi is set in one of the city’s most exciting and storied districts, the former French Concession. 88 Xintiandi with its magnificent location, a stunning panoramic lake view and unparalleled luxury service, the hotel is the ultimate

choice.

Designed with luxurious comfort and style as its essence, 88 Xintiandi’s interiors are modern in comfort and function while featuring Southeast Asian style furniture and accessories. There are five unique layouts among 88 Xintiandi’s 53 rooms. While featuring a beautiful plaza or lake view, each room is arranged to provide a place for uninterrupted rest and leisure or a highly functional workspace setting.

88 Xintiandi offers impeccable facilities and services. A full host of amenities, including extensive kitchen and bathroom accessories, daily housekeeping, and high speed Internet, are all designed to meet your every need. In addition, the third floor lounge provides a serene environment for breakfast, afternoon tea and evening cocktail.

Seeing and Doing: To get rid of your jet lag, we can take you to the Mandara Spa, where you will be pampered beyond belief, and made ready for your tour and meeting China and its people. Mandara Spa at JW Marriott Hotel Shanghai at Tomorrow Square is a city spa, with a touch of contemporary old Shanghai and a menu that blends traditional Asian treatments with a range of sophisticated beauty treatments. It

is distinguished by a wider choice of treatment and package options.

After having adapted, we will show you Shanghai in all its splendour: the musea, the Huangpu river, some of its outstanding restaurants, its shopping, both basic and luxury.

You will get to know the Shanghai Art Museum, and will meet it’s curator or another specialist.. Its well-conceived displays elucidate all aspects of Chinese art from ceramics to jades to furniture to seals to paintings. We will travel to the French concession, whose poplar-lined boulevards add a French panache to this "Paris of the Orient". We will take you to an Acrobatic Show that is the mother of all acrobatics. You will walk along Nanjing Lu and Huaihai Lu, the shopping avenues of Shanghai.

And of course you will meet specialists in a range of disciplines to acquaint you with the particularities of Shanghai and China. You will get to know people and their lives. Choices:

-

Take a stroll down the historic Bund and the bustling Nanjing Street to admire one of the world's finest architectural collections and visit one of the best shopping streets in China.

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Visit the old part of Shanghai and visit the beautiful Yuyuan Garden and surrounding Yuyuan Market where visitors can get a glimpse into the local's daily life.

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Climb up Shanghai's Oriental Pearl Tower or Jinmao Tower and get a bird's eye view of this historic city.

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Be overwhelmed by one of the best museums in China, the Shanghai Museum.

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Admire the exquisite milk-white jade Buddha at the historic Jade Buddha Temple, a spiritual oasis in the midst of a modern metropolis.

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Be awed at the artistry of the Shanghai Acrobatics Show, one of China's best.

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Visit the ancient water town of Zhujiajiao, the Venice of the east filled with Ming and Qing Dynasty architectural treasures.

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Visit the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall and see how Shanghai evolved from a simple fishing village to the cosmopolitan metropolis it is today

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Take a ride on the Maglev Train, the first commercial high speed Maglev train in the world.

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Savor world-class cuisine and then hit the dance floor at some of Asia' s most stylish and cutting-edge restaurants and nightclubs.

Hangzhou Next we drive you to Hangzhou, where you will spend 1 night. http://www.morehangzhou.com/ http://www.hangzhou.com.cn/english/

Here we have two hotels for you: 1) Hyatt Hangzhou

http://hangzhou.regency.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp

This brand new five star hotel, set on the eastern shore of West Lake, offers tremendous views over the lake. Every evening, there is a fountain display, reminiscent of the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, by the water's edge. The quality of the decoration and food at the hotel's cafe and Chinese restaurant are in keeping with this city's reputation for fine dining, while its bedrooms and accompanying bathrooms have set a new standard in this city.

Additionally, the hotel's location within a recently developed pedestrian area has been deemed sufficiently smart to attract the interest of the world's leading luxury brands.

Lake views welcome you to a spacious suite and modern interiors including living and dining room, marble bath with separate tub and shower, work area with high-speed Internet access and bedroom with king bed.

2) Shangri-La

http://www.shangri-la.com/en/property/hangzhou/shangrila

The legendary Shangri-La Hotel, Hangzhou stands on the beautiful north shore of Hangzhou's famous West Lake, overlooking Solitary Hill Island and the graceful Xiling Bridge, in a setting that offers guests scenic grandeur, unsurpassed comfort and secluded tranquillty. Shangri-La Hotel Hangzhou is known throughout the region for its elegance and gracious service. The hotel's 382 architecturally distinctive and spacious guestrooms and suites-all equipped with broadband Internet access-are neatly spread across two hotel wings and three detached villas.

The newly renovated and expanded Horizon Club Lounge, and the hotel's Business Centre, offer comprehensive business services that meet the needs of demanding business travellers.

The hotel's health club and recreational services are the region's finest. Rent a bicycle and ride along the lake and the paths winding through the 40-acre property. Or swim in the elegant indoor pool before indulging in a massage. Whatever your pleasure, your stay at the Shangri-La Hotel, Hangzhou will complement the tranquil beauty of historic West Lake.

Seeing and Doing: Hangzhou is a city whose reputation for beauty is encapsulated by a famous Chinese couplet: "In heaven there is paradise, On earth there is Hangzhou and Suzhou". You may wish to take a stroll around the lake . It was Hangzhou whose wealth and splendor flabbergasted Marco Polo. Your visit begins exactly as he recommends, with a tour by gondola of the West Lake's elegant causeways and landscaped islands. Back on land, we repair to the verdant fields of nearby Longjing to learn about tea. The tea ceremony, exported to Japan during the Tang dynasty (618-907), has links to Daosit and Buddhist practice. Your senses will be enthralled by a variety of teas, each with its unique teaware and ceremony. Watch the early morning exercises taking place at this time by West Lake. Choices: -

Relax and unwind in this idyllic Oriental Capital of Leisure, do what the locals do, do nothing

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Stroll on the lakeside of the legendary West Lake, or cruise around the enchanting lake on a dragon boat

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Climb the Peak Flown From Afar, appreciate the lovely Buddha statues carved into its grottos, and find your inner peace in the intriguing Lingyin Temple

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Visit the Liuhe Pagoda and the Leifeng Pagoda and be obsessed with the legendary tales behind them

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Climb the hills and merge yourself in a Dragon Well Tea Plantation, pick tea leaves and sip a delicate cup of exquisite tea as well as the beautiful rural scenery

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Shop for the finest exquisite silk products in China and watch all the processes involved in silk production from silkworms to dyeing

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Visit along the Qinghefang Ancient Street, where huge range of Traditional Chinese herbal medicine is on offer

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Bring yourself back to the Song Dynasty by watching the singing and dancing performance with traditional gorgeous costumes in Song Dynasty Town

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Walk into the tranquil water town Wuzhen, which can successfully sustain and preserve its ancient traditiona and atmosphere

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Pay a visit to the former residence of Lu Xun in Shaoxing, who is considered the father of modern Chinese literature

Qiandao

Next it is on to the 1000 islands lake or Qiandao lake and the destination hotel for 2 nights:

http://www.chinatoday.com.cn/English/e2005/e200511/p66.htm

Fuchun Resort

http://www.fuchunresort.com/en/index.asp

The Chinese character for "pavilion" implies “stopping for a rest”, which beautifully coincides with the concept of Fuchun Resort. Immersed within a traditional Chinese landscape of astonishing countryside, beautiful mountain ranges, picturesque villages and a tea plantation, Fuchun Resort entices its guests to explore the holistic lifestyle within, offering a tranquility that cleanses the soul of mundane life. Guests have the opportunity to experience the same breathtaking natural beauty discovered by Yuan-Dynasty painter Huang Gongwang, alongside the comfort and pampering of this world-class resort.

The resort has 70 rooms and suites with garden or lake views, as well as 12 villas adjacent to an 18-hole golf course. Five hilltop villas with their own indoor pools overlook the stunning vista of Fuchun. The award-winning T8 Restaurant serves excellent East-meets-West cuisine, Asian Corner serves local specialties and for the ultimate relaxation experience, the Fuchun Resort Spa with its Asian soul-balancing treatments awaits you. An equally luxurious range of meeting facilities and corporate function rooms meet the needs of business guests while the Fuchun Pavilion serves as a secluded hilltop getaway ideal for private events. All rooms and suites are equipped with satellite tv, cd-player, broadband access, mini-bar, isdn phones and safe deposit box. Separate shower and washroom for suites and villas, private balcony with lake front view and pantry for hotel villas and an indoor heated swimming pool complemented with sitting room and dining room in the luxurious

4-bedroom

Fuchun

Villas.

Lake Lounge affords a sumptuous view of the Fuchun Resort Lake, offering breakfast, lunch and an assortment of refreshing cocktails and healthy beverages. Aqua Lounge offers a menu of thirst quenching cocktails and snacks. Situated near the waveless swimming pool and the fitness nook, this is an ideal spot to enjoy a bit of post-workout refreshment. Asian Corner Restaurant features a mouth-watering array of various Asian and local specialties. A pan-Asian interior of red lanterns and rosewood panels complete the appealing ambience of Asian Corner. As the suburban counterpart to T8 Restaurant & Bar in Shanghai, Club8 offers not only superb food but also a peaceful, hushed ambience.

Fuchun Resort's sporting centrepiece is its undulating 18-hole golf course with terraced tea plantation. The Fuchun Spa at the Hotel offers treatments with your ultimate spa enjoyment in mind, with 100% natural, organic and botanical custom-blended products, which are used in all treatments. In addition, there are two lit outdoor tennis courts, a landscaped driving range, waveless swimming pool, sauna & steam bath, fitness nook, foot massage, outdoor Jacuzzi. Kids' library, kid's indoor swimming pool and kids' outdoor playground, a jogging path, and taichi & yoga classes.

Seeing and Doing:

We get a power boat and explore Qiandao Lake, or Qiandaohu, is a giant lake with literally 1000 small islands. Many of these islands are developed for tourism. The water is so clean that a major mineral water processing plant is located there. Qiandao Lake is one of the first-class national scenic spots and is the largest national forest park at present. The lake covers five hundred and seventy square kilometers including over one thousand islands of different sizes. Besides the surrounding green hills and large amount of animals and plants, it is also famous for its water. The average depth of the water here is more than one hundred feet and the visibility in the water is twenty two to twenty nine feet. As national first-class water it is so pure that it can be drunk directly. Set in the middle of the lake; this is the best part of Qiandao Lake, named after five conjoined mountains. It resembles a plat blossom and has gained fame for its beautiful natural scenery and perfect environment.

Huangshan

And now it is time to go to Huangshan and its mountains for 2 nights. http://www.huangshan.gov.cn/index-e.asp http://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/anhui/huangshan/

We have two hotels here, and in each you will spend one night. It should be said that these accomodations are basic, but the surrounding area makes it all worth it : 1) Beihai Hotel

Huangshan Beihai Hotel is located in the Beihai area at an altitude of 1630 meters. The hotel is surrounded by the high peaks of the many mountains and a beautiful landscape.

There are the ShiXin Peak, A Fancy of Writing Brush Blossoming, the Monkey Watching the Sea, Cool Terrace and other beautiful spots nearby.

2) Huangshan Golf Hotel

http://www.chinahsgolf.com

The hotel has 117 rooms including 46 twin-bed rooms, 43 deluxe standard rooms and 11 suites and 1 presidential suite. Because the elliptical shape of the hotel, all the rooms enjoy a great view of the golf course and the scenery in the distance.

All rooms are equipped with air-conditioning, TV, internet access, telephone and so on.

There is a Chinese Restaurant within the hotel, which mainly serves Sichuan, Anhui and Huaiyang cuisine. There is also a western restaurant and a Japanese Restaurant. For recreation, there is an indoor swimming pool, tennis court

and

sauna.

The hotel is a must for golf lovers and those who want to enjoy a tranquil atmosphere. It is a perfect place to enjoy a leisurely idyllic stay with excellent service and facilities.

Seeing and Doing: Take full advantage of your day on the Yellow Mountain, you will be immediately driven from Huangshan City to the mountain itself. Having ascended three-quarters of the rugged mountain by cable car, you will still need to hike uphill for another 45 minutes before arriving at Huangshan's circuitous peak. For the next two or three hours you'll want to stroll around the peak appreciating its dramatic views. Depending on the weather, you may enjoy views of granite tusks suddenly piercing through the swirling mist, or else if it's colder, will be delighted by the famous seas of pink-tinged clouds floating between Huangshan's jagged ridges.

It will be up to you to decide whether to descend by foot or by cable-car. The walk down is demanding, but then again these views can be the most sensational. You can tour some ancient, picturesque villages, conveniently located near Huangshan City. Commonly, it is the remote geography of such villages that has harbored them from the destructive force of China's turbulent history..

This visit, then, will be a rare opportunity for you to experience at first hand the design and architecture of well-preserved, affluent Ming Dynasty (13681644) villages. Apart from enjoying curious architectural details, such as a wind shield covering a six hundred year old "window", you will also be able to appreciate the sheer ingenuity of traditional urban designs, maximizing the use of running water for aesthetic, spiritual and practical benefits. Return to Huangshan to walk through its ancient city quarter, which features a centuries old, double-tiered shopping street, packed with intriguing wares. Choices:

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Winter on Huangshan Mountain is particularly beautiful

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Tunxi Ancient Street an ancient commercial street which has survived relatively untouched

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Lucky visitors can witness Huangshan's spectacular sunrises

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The Four treasure of the Study, the artist supplies famed throughout China

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Sample Huangshan's famous Huangshan Mao Feng Tea

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Unbelievable photographic opportunities on Huangshan Mountain

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The ancient villages of Hongcun and Xidi

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Huangshan's delicious and varied Hui Cuisine

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The seven ancient stone Tangyue Memorial Archways

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Huangshan Mountain Scenic Spot a place of paralleled natural beauty

Shanghai Now it is back again to Shanghai, and a two night stay, after which it is on to Suzhou for also 2 nights.

Suzhou

http://www.suzhou.gov.cn/english/Travel/Travel.shtml http://www.chinahighlights.com/suzhou/

Near Suzhou we have one hotel. Taihu Golf Hotel

http://www.taihugolfhotel.com/

Around 90 minutes from Shanghai and nestled between the hills and Taihu Lake in the Suzhou Taihu Tourism Zone. The hotel is a 5 star property complementing an existing development of deluxe villas and an 18-hole golf course. At Taihu Golf Hotel all hotel rooms enjoy the superb views of either Taihu Lake or the surrounding hills. Chosen to meet the needs and tastes of business travelers as well as guests on a more leisurely schedule, the decor is modern and warm with some delicate touches that recall Suzhou’s influence

on Chinese arts and culture. The Hotel features a total of 119 rooms.

The Hotel’s SOO restaurant, deluxe Cantonese cuisine, Dim Sum, barbecue, live fish and seafood, Abalone, Bird’s Nest and more are served to please the pickiest palate and impress the most discerning diner. The wine bar proudly serves red, white and Chinese imports from abroad. And with incredible views over the golf course and Taihu Lake, Lanterns serves an eclectic mixture of Western

and

Asian

cuisine.

On the 3rd floor of the Taihu Golf Hotel lies a sensational Day Spa. It is a modern, warm, and thoroughly inviting place that provides an international standard of treatments with scientifically proven materials. From the moment you step into the area, the smart interiors invoke an expectation of luxury and pampering.

Situated adjacent to the Hotel, the Club boasts an 18-hole course created by

the world famous Australian designer, Graham Marsh. The Club House and driving range facilities match the course with their superbly appointed, luxurious facilities. The Hotel can arrange boat trips on lake Taihu for anywhere from two to forty people, with the launch point being mercury marina, located only a few hundred meters from the Hotel. Parties can be arranged for family, corporate and social groups.

Seeing and Doing: Suzhou is a port on China's Grand Canal. Silk manufacture in the fourteenth century spawned many fortunes here, and with them the advent of a famously libertine sub-culture. Its legacy is Suzhou's elegant private gardens whose tall white perimeter walls might once have blushed at their owners' hedonism. You'll stop at Suzhou's Embroidery Institute to look around its museum and to watch the silk-embroidering process; a craft that is still very much alive in this home town of silk.

Choices: - Lovely Suzhou maintains a distinctive Chinese flavor with quaint canals, stunning gardens, hearty food, and beautiful ladies in elegant silk. - Disappear or lose yourself in the classical gardens of Suzhou - a fusion of nature, poetry and painting designed to ease, move or assist the mind

- Experience the ambience of classical Chinese garden at night and enjoy the Garden Show, a cultural performance of Chinese traditional musical instruments

- Visit a silk factory in Suzhou - China's leading silk producer, and see how the silk is processed from the silkworm to the final woven cloth - Float down the Grand Canal, the world's oldest and longest waterway, to see the local people's life in classical South-China style

- See the streets, the open markets and the local people's life by a rickshaw ride along canals and over bridges through the old town of Suzhou - Step back in time in the cobbled lanes of ancient water townships of the Yangtze River, such as Zhouzhuang, Luzhi and Wuzhen - Ring the bell in the Hanshan Temple, one of most famous temples in China with a lot of cultural relics - Walk along and admire the Panmen Gate, one of the oldest and bestpreserved land and water gate in China - Climb the Tiger Hill, a place with many hidden secrets & legends ad a number of historical sites and admire its leaning tower

Shanghai And now it is back to Shanghai for one night and then back home.