Dates: October 18 - November 2, 2010
Tour Limit: 15 people
Cost: $5,098 per person - includes airfare - (single supplement, $700)
Registration: 703.473.4618 or corey@coreyhilz.com

Itinerary

October 18-19
Travel to Beijing
Overnight flight, a day is lost due to time change. Arrive in Beijing the afternoon of the 19th.

October 20-21
Beijing - Capital of China
The capital of China is both ancient (Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644 and Qing Dynasty, 1644-1919) and modern, full of people and lives. It is also packed with UNESCO World Cultural Heritage sites such as the Great Wall, Imperial Palace, also known as the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven and Tiananmen Square. We will spend time photographing the ancient Chinese styles of architecture in these areas. In addition, we will reserve time for taking photos of hutongs, ancient alleyways of Beijing where many local residents still live. One morning we’ll go out to do some street photography to capture morning exercise scenes in a local park as well as rush hour scenes. We’ll also visit Tiananmen Square and the Jin Shan Park for a birds-eye view of the Forbidden City. One of the highlights in Beijing is to visit the Great Wall. We will take a picturesque ride on a chartered bus to the mountains north of Beijing. We will spend the afternoon at a section of the wall that has expansive views to the east and west. The Great Wall is hard to imagine until you actually walk along it. In mountainous landscape of the north, the Great Wall served as an elevated highway in ancient China. Travel overnight by train on the 21st to Xian.

October 22-23
Xian - Home of the Terra Cotta Warriors
Capital of Qin Dynasty (221- 207 BC) and Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), Xian provides a different picture with its simple yet grand style of architecture, rich yet barren landscape, and strange yet familiar culture. We will visit famed archaeological treasures of the city, including the life-size Terra Cotta Warriors and horses guarding the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang. He was the first emperor to unite China and also the one responsible for the construction of the Great Wall. While in Xian, we’ll visit the Big Goose Pagoda and the surrounding area. The pagoda, originally built in 652, is a well-preserved ancient building and a holy place for Buddhists, who purpose is to collect Buddhist materials that were taken from India by the hierarch Xuanzang.

October 24-25
Guilin and Longji - Rice Terraces, Fields of Manmade Beauty
An early afternoon flight will take us from Xian to Guilin. From Guilin we’ll travel by bus to Longji where we’ll have the opportunity to photograph picturesque rice fields the next morning. We’ll be in an area of farmland called the “Dragon's Back” that can be traced back to the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). Here we’ll have the opportunity to observe ancient farming methods and tools. In the afternoon we will visit a village of one of China’s ethnic minority groups to see how they live as well as try their food. These groups, the Yao, Zhuang, and Miao, each have their own distinctive colors, hair pieces and earrings. For example, the Yao women wear bright pink embroidered clothing with heavy silver earrings. They are famous for their extremely long hair; some have been listed in the Guinness Book of World Records. The Zhuang women wear white shirts, black pants, and brightly colored cloth on their heads. The Miao women wear colorful short jackets with short pleated skirts, and on special occasions wear large amounts of silver jewelry and adornments. In the evening we’ll go by bus from Longji to our next destination: Yangshuo and the Li River.

October 26-27
Yangshuo – Surrounded by Natural Beauty
We will have two days to photograph and explore Yangshuo and the Li River. You’ll discover a breathtaking landscape in a maze of limestone karst mountains which rise out of the rice fields along the beautiful Li River. Add a little fog and it’s transformed into a mysterious landscape. We’ll have the opportunity to see the area by floating on bamboo boats down the Li River, biking the paths between rice fields, or walking through the town. In addition to landscapes you’ll be able to capture photos of buffalo, rice fields, farmers, fishermen (and the cormorants they use to catch fish), farmer’s markets and other vignettes of daily life.

October 28-29
Nanjing – Yangtze River, Ancient City Gates
In the morning we will take a flight to Nanjing then photograph in the late afternoon and evening. We’ll spend the next day photographing Nanjing and along the Yangtze River. The city of Nanjing is 2,500 years old and was China’s capital for six dynasties. The last government located in Nanjing is now in Taiwan. During the 2nd World War, Japanese took over the city and killed more than 300,000 civilians. The city is located at the lower end of the Yangtze River and we will take a ferry across the river and photograph the Yangtze River Bridge, old barges and shipyards along the river. We will also visit one of the ancient city gates, Zhonghua Gate. It is the formal south front gate of the City of Nanjing and was first built in 916 A.D. then rebuilt early in the Ming Dynasty. While we are in Nanjing, we’ll visit a local family where we can take photos of another city wall through their windows. Just for your knowledge, the Nanjing ancient city wall is 67 kilometers long, 7 kilometers longer than the Beijing ancient city wall. It is not only the longest city wall in China, but also the longest of its kind in the world.

October 30
Suzhou: Silk, Crafts and Private Gardens
After spending the morning photographing in Nanjing, we will take a train to Suzhou, another ancient city. Suzhou is famous for its silk production and crafts such as embroidery, wood carving, mahogany furniture and wood block printing. It is also world famous for its private gardens of various styles. We’ll visit one of these private gardens in the afternoon.

October 31
Suzhou & Shanghai
In the morning we will photograph scenes and architecture in a river town. Midday we’ll take a tour of a silk factory, where there may also be time to do some shopping. After lunch we will take a train ride to Shanghai. Shanghai is the ultimate city of contrast, East and West, old and new, modern and historic, shining and dark, glamour and dull, all offering exciting photo opportunities. After settling in at our hotel we’ll photograph in the late afternoon and evening on the Bund. There are great opportunities for night photography, lots of high rising buildings, neon lights, along with people and boats on the Huang Pu River. You will see similarities to New York - modern skyscrapers of glass and steel - and a glimpse of London along the Bund.

November 1
Shanghai - Marriage of the Western and Eastern Culture
All day will be spent in Shanghai, we’ll photograph city scenes as well as the Yuyuan Gardens. There will also be some free time to explore the many shopping opportunities Shanghai offers. A great time to pick up something to take home in addition to your photos and memories.

November 2
Depart Shanghai
Due to the time change you will arrive back in the US on the same day. This trip is a life changing experience and will give you new insights for a better understanding of China.

Tour Package includes:
• Roundtrip international airfare from gateway cities
(Los Angeles, Chicago, DC, Detroit, Atlanta, New York)
• Domestic air and train transportation while in China
• Land transportation between airports, hotels and field locations
• Hotel accommodations
• Daily meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner)
• Sight-seeing entrance fees
• English speaking tour leader and local guides

Not included in Tour Package:
• Visa fees
• Tips
• Porter to carry bags (if desired)

Payment
$400 deposit at time of registration
Remaining balance due in 2 payments

Interested in the tour? Let us know right away because we don't want you to miss a great tip!

Travel Insurance available through Travel Guard at 1-877-653-2516 or travelguard.com, Joy Travel Group code: 193130. Comprehensive travel insurance is needed to protect your investment. Group rate is about 10% to 20% lower than the cost of regular individual travel insurance plan. However, at least 10 travelers are needed in order to obtain a group rate so please let me know as soon as possible if you plan to take advantage of it.

Please don't hesitate to contact us should you have any questions regarding to the photo tour.