China Travel Specialists

Arranging group tour, independent tour, special interest tour to China, Hong Kong and Tibet. Design tailored itinerary. Book airline and train tickets. Reserve hotels in China.

Come with us, China is not far away.

About Us

THE GREAT WALL MARATHON
& Half Marathon

The 2005 Great Wall Marathon^® &

Half Marathon - 10 K - 5 K

GWM group 1 - 4 / Beijing - Jixian - Beijing / 18. - 23. May, 2005

Itinerary No. 1

For Marathoners and their families

This 6 days / 5 nights itinerary is the first of four options to participate in one of the world's most amazing marathon experiences, The Great Wall Marathon. It's primarily aimed at runners who want to participate in the marathon, but welcomes accompanying friends and family too.
The tour combines the capital city Beijing with a stay in rural Jixian located not far from the Great Wall Marathon venue. The town Jixian offers the charm of life in a small town as well as fairly modern and comfortable hotel facilities and is a wonderful place to explore a different face of China. A fluent English-speaking guide will escort the group throughout the stay.

Timetable

Day 1: Wednesday May 18. Beijing.
Welcome to China
Welcome to amazing China and the city Beijing, capital of the Peoples' Republic of China.
You arrive in a modern and bustling airport that reflects the energy of contemporary China. In the airport, our Great Wall Marathon (GWM) staff will help you get to your hotel, as an arrival transfer is included in your package.
On arrival at the hotel, you will receive further information about the following days arrangements. T-shirts and entries to the Great Wall Marathon^© will be handed out at your check-in. And by this, the rest of the day is at your own leisure. No meals included this day.

Day 2: Thursday May 19. Beijing.
Great Wall Marathon Inspection & Jixian
A closer look at Beijing will have to wait for a few more days, as we will be heading to the Tianjin province for the following three days.
Today your dream of climbing the Great Wall will come true. After an early breakfast, we will leave Beijing at 5 am and head northeast to "our piece" of the enormous Great Wall at Huangyaguan.
Very few tourists find their way up to this remote place, despite the rich choice of possibilities here. All runners must walk the 3.5 km of the wall that is part of the Great Wall Marathon^© course to familiarize themselves with the route. Non-runners are also welcome to partake in this walk, though good physical condition is required.
A sandwich lunch will be served and after lunch, the valley and village part of the course is partly inspected (by foot and bus) to give everyone a chance to plan his or her running strategy.
After finishing the inspection, we will go straight to our hotel in the small town Jixian, situated approximately half an hours drive away from Huangyaguan. The town contains a few sites, but lots of local folklore that the visitor will never get to feel in Beijing.
The rest of the afternoon is at your own leisure and at night, we will enjoy a typical Chinese dinner inspired by local dishes. Please remember to check out of your hotel before leaving Beijing. All luggages will be transported directly to the hotel in Jixian. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included this day.

Day 3: Friday May 20. Beijing.
Relaxation in Rural China with tour option and Pasta Party
Today is at your own leisure. A good day to relax and sense the local atmosphere of rural China. The warm and friendly Chinese in this area are not used to foreigners, and their curiosity is a tourist attraction in itself.
In Jixian, there is a choice of participating in the optional tour of Jixian and its most famous monuments.

Optional Tour 1 - Rural China

* The local Free Market
* The Duleshi Temple
* The Qing Tombs
Including Chinese style lunch
Price US$ 49,- / person

We will start this excursion with a visit to Jixians local free market. In China, private entrepreneurship has returned to the local markets after being illegal for several decades, and here you will meet the most interesting examples of private initiative.
From the local market, we will continue to the Duleshi Temple, originally constructed by the Tang dynasty (618-907 AD). The temple is famous for its ancient wooden pavilion as well as numerous of the elsewhere-rare fresco paintings.
From the Duleshi Temple, we will visit the Qing Tombs. An impressive graveyard covering an enormous area and housing 5 of Chinas emperors, 14 empresses and 136 "prime" concubines. Despite these graves being more impressive than the famous Ming graves (located closer to Beijing), the Qing graves only receive very few visitors. The greatest emperor of the Qing dynasty Qianlong, (who's grave monument is open to visitors) as well as the widowed empress Cixi (who ruled through her son), is buried here.

Optional tours has to be booked before leaving for China.

At night, a pasta party will be held for everybody.
Breakfast and dinner, prepared under foreign supervision, included this day.

Day 4: Saturday May 21. Beijing.
The Great Wall Marathon^©
Today is the big day. We get up early in order to have a big breakfast, and will leave Beijing, at 3 am to head for Huangyaguan and the 7:30 am start of the 2005 Great Wall Marathon©. Half marathon will likewise start at 7:30 am, while the 10K and 5K will start at 8:30.
The reason we start early is to avoid the daytime heat and humidity. Running in the early hours of the morning is much nicer, and will definitely improve your running time.
The Great Wall Marathon is an official international marathon timed by the Champion Chip system and with medals to all participants completing the race in 8 hours. However, it should be underlined once more that the main aim of this challenge is to have fun and finish the race. Times are of minor importance and there are no prizes to be won.
Sandwich lunch is provided for everyone, just as there will be some extra catering for the runners.
Between 11 am and 6 pm, shuttle busses will take runners back to Beijing as they fill. Remember to check out of the hotel in the morning, as we will go to Beijing at the end of this day. Luggage will be transported directly to the hotel in Beijing. Breakfast and lunch included this day.

Day 5: Sunday May 22. Beijing.
Beijing at leisure with tour options and Gala Dinner
Today is for runners to recover and catch up with themselves, sleep in, shop at the Silk Alley, or to fill the senses with sights and sounds of Beijing, the street vendors, the crowds, the bicycles or the colourful banners. And by this there is no included day program as a Sunday is good for exploring Beijing and its markets on your own. Don't forget to take a package of matches or letterhead from the hotel in case you get lost so you can show it to a taxi driver to get home.
However, for people with a need for more planned activities, there is a choice of participating in two optional tours of Beijing and by this explore Beijing’s most famous attractions.

Optional Tour 2 - City of Emperors

* The Tian An Men Square
* The Forbidden City
* Temple of Heaven
* Hongqiao Market
Including Peking Duck lunch
Price US$ 49,- / person

Beijing served as the capital for 5 dynasties over a period of 800 years with each emperor identified as a dragon sent from heaven.
After breakfast the tour will start from Capital Hotel at 9AM and we begin with a stop at Tian An Men Square, the largest public plaza in the world. Located in the heart of modern Beijing, Tiananmen Square was first built in the Ming Dynasty. Covering an area of 44 hectares, the enormous square is the main entrance to the Forbidden City. On the four sides of the square you will find Mao's Mausoleum, the Great Hall of the People, the National Museum, and the front entrance to the former Imperial Palace, The Forbidden City. You will recognize this from TV since every western news person uses it as a backdrop in Beijing with the familiar face of Chairman Mao looking over the reporters shoulder to give the story credibility.
From there we continue north through The Forbidden City. Over the central arched gateway is the famous portrait of Mao. This magnificent complex with its many palaces and halls, is the largest imperial palace ever built in the world, features more than 800 buildings with over 9,000 rooms, resplendent golden-glazed roofs, red lacquered pillars and vermilion walls. Most of the morning will be taken up by your visit to the Forbidden City.
Then we will walk with you just north of the Forbidden City to the Scenery Hill, yet remembered by most Beijing seniors as the Coal Hill. It is said the site for this hill was originally coal placed for warming and construction of the Forbidden City. Later the coal was used up and earth excavated from digging the city moat was piled to form the hill we see today. This hill is the top point within the city area and offers a superb bird's eye view of both the whole Forbidden City as well as the modern Beijing City.
At lunch you will enjoy a outstanding dish, the real roasted Beijing Duck.
After lunch the sightseeing continues at the beautiful Temple of Heaven in the southern part of Beijing. This was the place where the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties worshipped heaven and prayed for abundant harvests. The complex consists of the Hall of Prayer for Bounteous Harvests (38 meters high), the Imperial Vault of Heaven with a gilded cupola, the three-tier Circular Altar, Echo Wall and the Thrice-Re-echoing Stone. Occupying an area of 270 hectares this is China's largest temple and altar complex.
We complete the afternoon with a visit to the locals market, Hongqiao, where everything from fish to silk clothes and embroidered tablecloths are sold. This is one of Beijing's most colourful and lively all-purpose free markets.

Optional tours has to be booked before leaving for China.

Optional Tour 3 - City of People

* The Tibetan Lama Temple
* Kindergarten
* Rickshaw drive
* Local family visit
* Liulichang Art District
* Silk Alley
Including family lunch
Price US$ 37,- / person

After breakfast the tour will start from Capital Hotel at 9AM and we begin with a visit to The Tibetan Lama Temple, one of the most extraordinary sights in Beijing and a renowned lama temple of the Yellow Hat Sect of Lamaism. It's situated in the northeast part of Beijing city and was originally built in 1694 as the residence of the Qing Emperor Yongzheng.
In 1744, it was converted into a lamasery and became a residence for large numbers of monks from Mongolia and Tibet. And nowadays there are about 70 lamas in this temple. Inside, each room displays Buddhas more beautiful than the other. The last hall contains a 70-foot high Buddha carved from the trunk of a single tree.
Thereafter, we visit the traditional Hutongs, the traditional settlements within the city. Here, blue collar workers live in typical Chinese houses with carved doors. We first pay a visit a local kindergarten and for sure it's cute kids will bring you the future of China and liveliest memory during your stay in Beijing. Next we then take a rickshaw ride through the Hutong's ancient narrow streets. At the end of the rickshaw tour we meet up with a local Hutong family, who will show us their home and share a meal with us! In other words you will now participate in making your own lunch at the courtyard residence! Only from such a stay in a Chinese family, you can experience their daily and the hospitality of the Chinese people. What is more, you will get to know what a neighbour hood means in today's compound.
In the afternoon, we will assist you in your search for the ultimate power shopping experience!
First we visit Liulichang, a street of ancient culture in Beijing founded during the reign of the Qing Emperor Qianlong. This is the right place for great works of art such as paintings, calligraphy, sculptures and curios.
Second and maybe even better, we pay a visit to the famous outdoor market, Silk Alley, where the vendors pitch their stalls and awnings on both sides of a narrow passageway and customers squeeze their way through. And in defiance of it's name, you won't find silk, souvenirs, or crafts here, but designer-label clothing, much of it knockoffs, with the upscale labels sewn in, although some items are factory seconds or overruns (sometimes smuggled out of legitimate brand-name factories). It's quite colourful and the prices can be very low if you know the rules of bargain...

Optional tours have to be booked before leaving for China.

At 5:30 pm, all participants - runners and non-runners alike - are picked up from the hotel and taken to the great banquet prepared to celebrate your triumph over the Great Wall.
Shuttle busses will be serving all hotels between 7 and 11 pm. For the very fit not wanting to spend this celebratory night in bed, one of Beijing's great nightclubs will be awaiting us with dance music and colourful cocktails until the break of dawn. Dress code for the evening: No shorts or sandals. Breakfast and dinner included this day.

Day 6: Monday May 23. Beijing.
Ready for The Great Tibetan Marathon?
Bags packed with sweaty running gear and unforgettable memories, we are ready to return home.
Breakfast at the hotel starts at around 6:00 am and depending on your departure time, you will have the day for shopping or a final visit to one of Beijing's many sights.
Breakfast included this day.

Price from US$ 925,- / person

General information;
All prices are per person based on double occupancy (minimum 2 persons travelling together). Single room is available upon request.

The price includes;

One way transfer between airport and hotel on arrival
5 nights accommodation, including services and taxes
Meals as written, where breakfast is American buffet style, when possible. Meals in Jixian, according to program, are prepared under supervision
Sightseeing and excursions as listed (Optional tours must be purchased separately)
All expenses related to the Great Wall Marathon (Champion Chip excluded)
Compulsory medical insurance, including "May 21." emergency medical treatment on location and evacuation from the race area.
Marathon medical team of specialized physicians and nurses led by former Danish Marathon champion Dr. Keld Johnsen. This on May 21.
Comprehensive information packet with documents

Price excludes;

International air tickets, air fees and airport taxes
Passport fee (every participant must have a passport valid past 01Dec2005)
Visa for China
Return transfer to the airport (can be booked through your national GWM sales agent).
Champion timing chip (if you don't already own a chip, the Great Wall Marathon^© Souvenir Chip is available for USD35)
Optional Tours which must be booked in advance

Please Note:

- It is the responsibility of each participant to have a valid passport and to obtain a valid visa before travelling into China.

- Every runner must have a Champion timing chip to enter the Great Wall Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K or 5K.

- Participation is purely at own risk. All extra cost incurred, independent of cause, will under no circumstances be the responsibility of the Great Wall Marathon Company.

- Concerning medical risk, then all active participants must declare that they are in good health. The Great Wall Marathon brings its own team of specialised physicians and nurses to China to assure that every injured participant receives the right treatment. This is also the reason why compulsory travel insurance has been included in the package price.

The 2005 Great Wall Marathon^® &

Half Marathon - 10 K - 5 K

GWM group 5 - 10 / Beijing / 18. - 23. May, 2005

Itinerary No. 2

For Marathoners and their families
This 6 days / 5 nights itinerary is the second of four options to participate in one of the world's most amazing marathon experiences, The Great Wall Marathon. Also this itinerary is primarily aimed at runners who want to participate in the marathon, but as this itinerary stays all 5 nights in Beijing, the level of comfort is higher than the one in itinerary 1. This itinerary welcomes accompanying friends and family too.
This tour combines Beijing with The Great Wall Marathon, and since all nights are spent in Beijing, there is more time to explore the capital of China. A fluent English-speaking guide will escort the group throughout the stay.

Timetable

Day 1: Wednesday May 18. Beijing.
Welcome to China
Welcome to amazing China and the city Beijing, capital of the Peoples' Republic of China.
You arrive in a modern and bustling airport that reflects the energy of contemporary China. In the airport, our Great Wall Marathon (GWM) staff will help you get to your hotel, as an arrival transfer is included in your package.
On arrival at the hotel, you will receive further information about the following days arrangements. T-shirts and entries to the Great Wall Marathon© will be handed out at your check-in. And by this, the rest of the day is at your own leisure. No meals included this day.

Day 2: Thursday May 19. Beijing.
Great Wall Marathon Inspection
A closer look at Beijing will have to wait for the following day, as we will be heading towards The Great Wall already this day.
Today your dream of climbing the Great Wall will come true. After an early breakfast, we will leave Beijing at 5 am and head northeast to "our piece" of the enormous Great Wall at Huangyaguan.
Very few tourists find their way up to this remote place, despite the rich choice of possibilities here. All runners must walk the 3.5 km of the wall that is part of the Great Wall Marathon© course to familiarize themselves with the route. Non-runners are also welcome to partake in this walk, though good physical condition is required.
A sandwich lunch will be served and after lunch, the valley and village part of the course is partly inspected (by foot and bus) to give everyone a chance to plan his or her running strategy.
After finishing the inspection, we will return to Beijing where we must expect to arrive at 6 pm.
After a typical Chinese dinner inspired by Beijing dishes the rest of the evening will be at your own leisure. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included this day.

Day 3: Friday May 20. Beijing.
Tian An Men Square, Mao's Mausoleum, Forbidden City, Coal Hill, Peking Duck, Temple of Heaven, Hongqiao market and Pasta Dinner
Beijing served as the capital for 5 dynasties over a period of 800 years with each emperor identified as a dragon sent from heaven.
After breakfast you will be picked at your hotel and now we begin our tour with a stop at Tian An Men Square, the largest public plaza in the world. Located in the heart of modern Beijing, Tiananmen Square was first built in the Ming Dynasty. Covering an area of 44 hectares, the enormous square is the main entrance to the Forbidden City. On the four sides of the square you will find Mao's Mausoleum, the Great Hall of the People, the National Museum, and the front entrance to the former Imperial Palace, The Forbidden City. You will recognize this from TV since every western news person uses it as a backdrop in Beijing with the familiar face of Chairman Mao looking over the reporters shoulder to give the story credibility.
From there we continue north through The Forbidden City. Over the central arched gateway is the famous portrait of Mao. This magnificent complex with its many palaces and halls, is the largest imperial palace ever built in the world, features more than 800 buildings with over 9,000 rooms, resplendent golden-glazed roofs, red lacquered pillars and vermilion walls. Most of the morning will be taken up by your visit to the Forbidden City.
Then we will walk with you just north of the Forbidden City to the Scenery Hill, yet remembered by most Beijing seniors as the Coal Hill. It is said the site for this hill was originally coal placed for warming and construction of the Forbidden City. Later the coal was used up and earth excavated from digging the city moat was piled to form the hill we see today. This hill is the top point within the city area and offers a superb bird's eye view of both the whole Forbidden City as well as the modern Beijing City.
At lunch you will enjoy an outstanding dish, the real roasted Beijing Duck.
After lunch the sightseeing continues at the beautiful Temple of Heaven in the southern part of Beijing. This was the place where the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties worshipped heaven and prayed for abundant harvests. The complex consists of the Hall of Prayer for Bounteous Harvests (38 meters high), the Imperial Vault of Heaven with a gilded cupola, the three-tier Circular Altar, Echo Wall and the Thrice-Reechoing Stone. Occupying an area of 270 hectares this is China's largest temple and altar complex.
We complete the afternoon with a visit to the locals market, Hongqiao, where everything from fish to silk clothes and embroidered tablecloths are sold. This is one of Beijing's most colourful and lively all-purpose free markets.
At night, a pasta dinner will be held for everybody. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included this day.

Day 4: Saturday May 21. Beijing.
The Great Wall Marathon©
Today is the big day. We get up early in order to have a big breakfast, and will leave Beijing, at 3 am to head for Huangyaguan and the 7:30 am start of the 2005 Great Wall Marathon©. Half marathon will likewise start at 7:30 am, while the 10K and 5K will start at 8:30.
The reason we start early is to avoid the daytime heat and humidity. Running in the early hours of the morning is much nicer, and will definitely improve your running time.
The Great Wall Marathon© is an official international marathon timed by the Champion Chip system and with medals to all participants completing the race in 8 hours. However, it should be underlined once more that the main aim of this challenge is to have fun and finish the race. Times are of minor importance and there are no prizes to be won.
Sandwich lunch is provided for everyone, just as there will be some extra catering for the runners.
Between 11 am and 6 pm, shuttle busses will take runners back to Beijing as they fill. Breakfast and lunch included this day.

Day 5: Sunday May 22. Beijing.
Beijing at leisure with tour option and Gala Dinner
Today is for runners to recover and catch up with themselves, sleep in or to fill the senses
with sights and sounds of Beijing, the street vendors, the crowds, the bicycles or the colourful banners. And by this there is no included day program as a Sunday is good for exploring Beijing and its markets on your own. Don't forget to take a package of matches or letterhead from the hotel in case you get lost so you can show it to a taxi driver to get home.
However, for people with a need for more planned activities, there is a choice of participating in an optional tour and by this explore other parts of the life in Beijing.

Optional Tour 3 - City of People

* The Tibetan Lama Temple
* Kindergarten
* Rickshaw drive
* Local family visit
* Liulichang
* Silk Alley
Including family lunch
Price US$ 37,- / person

After breakfast the tour will start from Capital Hotel at 9AM and we begin with a visit to The Tibetan Lama Temple, one of the most extraordinary sights in Beijing and a renowned lama temple of the Yellow Hat Sect of Lamaism. It's situated in the northeast part of Beijing city and was originally built in 1694 as the residence of the Qing Emperor Yongzheng.
In 1744, it was converted into a lamasery and became a residence for large numbers of monks from Mongolia and Tibet. And nowadays there are about 70 lamas in this temple. Inside, each room displays Buddhas more beautiful than the other. The last hall contains a 70-foot high Buddha carved from the trunk of a single tree.
Thereafter, we visit the traditional Hutongs, the traditional settlements within the city. Here, blue collar workers live in typical Chinese houses with carved doors. We first pay a visit a local kindergarten and for sure it's cute kids will bring you the future of China and liveliest memory during your stay in Beijing. Next we then take a rickshaw ride through the Hutong's ancient narrow streets. At the end of the rickshaw tour we meet up with a local Hutong family, who will show us their home and share a meal with us! In other words you will now participate in making your own lunch at the courtyard residence! Only from such a stay in a Chinese family, you can experience their daily and the hospitality of the Chinese people. What is more, you will get to know what a neighbourhood means in today's compound.
In the afternoon, we will assist you in your search for the ultimate power shopping experience!
First we visit Liulichang, a street of ancient culture in Beijing founded during the reign of the Qing Emperor Qianlong. This is the right place for great works of art such as paintings, calligraphy, sculptures and curios.
Second and maybe even better, we pay a visit to the famous outdoor market, Silk Alley, where the vendors pitch their stalls and awnings on both sides of a narrow passageway and customers squeeze their way through. And in defiance of it's name, you won't find silk, souvenirs, or crafts here, but designer-label clothing, much of it knockoffs, with the upscale labels sewn in, although some items are factory seconds or overruns (sometimes smuggled out of legitimate brand-name factories). It's quite colourful and the prices can be very low if you know the rules of bargain...

Optional tours have to be booked before leaving for China.

Price from US$ 960,- / person

General information;
All prices are per person based on double occupancy (minimum 2 persons travelling together). Single room is available upon request.

The price includes;

One way transfer between airport and hotel on arrival
5 nights accommodation, including services and taxes
Meals as written, where breakfast is American buffet style, when possible. Meals in Jixian, according to program, are prepared under supervision
Sightseeing and excursions as listed (Optional tours must be purchased separately)
All expenses related to the Great Wall Marathon (Champion Chip excluded)
Compulsory medical insurance, including "May 21." emergency medical treatment on location and evacuation from the race area.
Marathon medical team of specialized physicians and nurses led by former Danish Marathon champion Dr. Keld Johnsen. This on May 21.
Comprehensive information packet with documents

Price excludes;

International air tickets, air fees and airport taxes
Passport fee (every participant must have a passport valid past 01Dec2005)
Visa for China
Return transfer to the airport (can be booked through your national GWM sales agent).
Optional Tours which must be booked in advance

Please Note:

- It is the responsibility of each participant to have a valid passport and to obtain a valid visa before travelling into China.

- Every runner must have a Champion timing chip to enter the Great Wall Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K or 5K.

- Participation is purely at own risk. All extra cost incurred, independent of cause, will under no circumstances be the responsibility of the Great Wall Marathon Company.

The 2005 Great Wall Marathon^® &

Half Marathon - 10 K - 5 K

GWM group 11 - 12 / Beijing / 18. - 23. May, 2005

Itinerary No. 3

For Marathoners and their families
This 6 days / 5 nights itinerary is the second of four options to participate in one of the world's most amazing marathon experiences, The Great Wall Marathon. Also this itinerary is primarily aimed at runners who want to participate in the marathon, but as this itinerary stays all 5 nights in Beijing, the level of comfort is higher than the one in itinerary 1. This itinerary welcomes accompanying friends and family too.
This tour combines Beijing with The Great Wall Marathon, and since all nights are spent in Beijing, there is more time to explore the capital of China. A fluent English-speaking guide
will escort the group throughout the stay.

Timetable

Day 1: Wednesday May 18. Beijing.
Welcome to China
Welcome to amazing China and the city Beijing, capital of the Peoples' Republic of China.
You arrive in a modern and bustling airport that reflects the energy of contemporary China. In the airport, our Great Wall Marathon (GWM) staff will help you get to your hotel, as an arrival transfer is included in your package.
On arrival at the hotel, you will receive further information about the following days arrangements. T-shirts and entries to the Great Wall Marathon© will be handed out at your check-in. And by this, the rest of the day is at your own leisure. No meals included this day.

Day 3: Friday May 20. Beijing.
This day is reserved to fill the senses with sights and sounds of Beijing, the street vendors, the crowds, the bicycles or the colourful banners on your own. And by this there is no included day program as also Friday is good for exploring Beijing and its markets on your own. Don't forget to take a package of matches or letterhead from the hotel in case you get lost so you can show it to a taxi driver to get home.
However, for people with a need for more planned activities, there is the choices of participating in optional tours and by this explore the life and sights of Beijing at full value.

Optional Tour 2 - City of Emperors

* The Tian An Men Square
* The Forbidden City
* Temple of Heaven
* Hongqiao Market
Including Peking Duck lunch
Price US$ 49,- / person

Beijing served as the capital for 5 dynasties over a period of 800 years with each emperor identified as a dragon sent from heaven.
After breakfast the tour will start from Capital Hotel at 9AM and we begin with a stop at Tian An Men Square, the largest public plaza in the world. Located in the heart of modern Beijing, Tiananmen Square was first built in the Ming Dynasty. Covering an area of 44 hectares, the enormous square is the main entrance to the Forbidden City. On the four sides of the square you will find Mao's Mausoleum, the Great Hall of the People, the National Museum, and the front entrance to the former Imperial Palace, The Forbidden City. You will recognize this from TV since every western news person uses it as a backdrop in Beijing with the familiar face of Chairman Mao looking over the reporters shoulder to give the story credibility.
From there we continue north through The Forbidden City. Over the central arched gateway is the famous portrait of Mao. This magnificent complex with its many palaces and halls, is the largest imperial palace ever built in the world, features more than 800 buildings with over 9,000 rooms, resplendent golden-glazed roofs, red lacquered pillars and vermilion walls. Most of the morning will be taken up by your visit to the Forbidden City.
Then we will walk with you just north of the Forbidden City to the Scenery Hill, yet remembered by most Beijing seniors as the Coal Hill. It is said the site for this hill was originally coal placed for warming and construction of the Forbidden City. Later the coal was used up and earth excavated from digging the city moat was piled to form the hill we see today. This hill is the top point within the city area and offers a superb bird's eye view of both the whole Forbidden City as well as the modern Beijing City.
At lunch you will enjoy a outstanding dish, the real roasted Beijing Duck.
After lunch the sightseeing continues at the beautiful Temple of Heaven in the southern part of Beijing. This was the place where the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties worshipped heaven and prayed for abundant harvests. The complex consists of the Hall of Prayer for Bounteous Harvests (38 meters high), the Imperial Vault of Heaven with a gilded cupola, the three-tier Circular Altar, Echo Wall and the Thrice-Re-echoing Stone. Occupying an area of 270 hectares this is China's largest temple and altar complex.
We complete the afternoon with a visit to the locals market, Hongqiao, where everything from fish to silk clothes and embroidered tablecloths are sold. This is one of Beijing's most colourful and lively all-purpose free markets.

Optional tours have to be booked before leaving for China.

Optional Tour 3 - City of People

* The Tibetan Lama Temple
* Kindergarten
* Rickshaw drive
* Local family visit
* Liulichang
* Silk Alley
Including family lunch
Price US$ 37,- / person

After breakfast the tour will start from Capital Hotel at 9AM and we begin with a visit to The Tibetan Lama Temple, one of the most extraordinary sights in Beijing and a renowned lama temple of the Yellow Hat Sect of Lamaism. It's situated in the northeast part of Beijing city and was originally built in 1694 as the residence of the Qing Emperor Yongzheng.
In 1744, it was converted into a lamasery and became a residence for large numbers of monks from Mongolia and Tibet. And nowadays there are about 70 lamas in this temple. Inside, each room displays Buddhas more beautiful than the other. The last hall contains a 70-foot high Buddha carved from the trunk of a single tree.
Thereafter, we visit the traditional Hutongs, the traditional settlements within the city. Here, blue collar workers live in typical Chinese houses with carved doors. We first pay a visit a local kindergarten and for sure it's cute kids will bring you the future of China and liveliest memory during your stay in Beijing. Next we then take a rickshaw ride through the Hutong's ancient narrow streets. At the end of the rickshaw tour we meet up with a local Hutong family, who will show us their home and share a meal with us! In other words you will now participate in making your own lunch at the courtyard residence! Only from such a stay in a Chinese family, you can experience their daily and the hospitality of the Chinese people. What is more, you will get to know what a neighborhood means in today's compound.
In the afternoon, we will assist you in your search for the ultimate power shopping experience!
First we visit Liulichang, a street of ancient culture in Beijing founded during the reign of the Qing Emperor Qianlong. This is the right place for great works of art such as paintings, calligraphy, sculptures and curios.
Second and maybe even better, we pay a visit to the famous outdoor market, Silk Alley, where the vendors pitch their stalls and awnings on both sides of a narrow passageway and customers squeeze their way through. And in defiance of it's name, you won't find silk, souvenirs, or crafts here, but designer-label clothing, much of it knockoffs, with the upscale labels sewn in, although some items are factory seconds or overruns (sometimes smuggled out of legitimate brand-name factories). It's quite colourful and the prices can be very low if you know the rules of bargain...

Optional tours have to