Beijing · Xi'an · Chengdu · Guilin · Yangshuo · Zhangjiajie · Shanghai
Imperial Echoes & Karst Dreams
15Days/ 14Nights
Pickup Location: Beijing
2 to 10 travelers
Accommodation: 4-Star Hotel
Drop-off Location: Shanghai
Meals: 3 meals /per day
From ￡4,900 Per Person
This is a single, unhurried arc across six of China's most distinct faces: the imperial gravity of Beijing, the buried armies of Xi'an, the unbothered good living of Chengdu, the ink-wash rivers of Guilin and Yangshuo, the otherworldly peaks of Zhangjiajie, and the glass-and-neon skyline of Shanghai as a closing note. Travel between cities is by high-speed rail and short domestic flights, chosen for comfort and time saved rather than spectacle.
The design follows a simple rule: one or two meaningful experiences a day, never a checklist of sights. At each stop, alongside the landmark you came to see, there is something to do with your hands — painting a folk figurine in a Beijing courtyard, shaping a miniature terracotta warrior, learning mahjong over tea, weaving a few threads of Tujia brocade, painting a fan in a three-hundred-year-old river town. There are no factory visits and no shopping stops anywhere in this itinerary.
It is built for travellers who have likely seen photographs of the Great Wall and the Terracotta Army already, and who want this trip to go further: real time in each place, contact with the people who keep its traditions alive, and a pace slow enough to actually notice where you are.
— Walk a quiet, restored stretch of the Great Wall at Mutianyu and visit the Forbidden City in its unhurried late-afternoon hours
— Step into a hutong courtyard house and paint your own Tu'er Ye, Beijing's folk rabbit-god figurine
— Stand before the terracotta armies of the First Emperor outside Xi'an, then shape your own miniature warrior with a local craftsman
— Ride a bicycle along Xi'an's Ming dynasty city wall and wander the Muslim Quarter's night market lanes
— Meet the giant pandas of Chengdu before the crowds arrive, then learn mahjong over tea in a century-old teahouse
— Take a hands-on Sichuan cooking class with a local chef, and eat what you make
— Walk the Dragon's Backbone rice terraces at Longji through a Zhuang or Yao hillside village
— Cruise the Li River from Guilin to Yangshuo through China's most painted landscape
— Drift the Yulong River by bamboo raft and cycle a stretch of the Ten-Mile Gallery
— Learn the 300-year-old craft of fan painting in the river town of Fuli, a national intangible heritage
— Watch cormorant fishermen work the river by lantern light over a beer-fish dinner
— Walk among the floating sandstone peaks of Zhangjiajie's Avatar mountains and cross the Grand Canyon glass bridge
— Try your hand at Tujia brocade weaving, a Hunan ethnic textile craft, with a local weaver
— Close the journey on Shanghai's Bund and the plane-tree lanes of Wukang Road
Day 01
Arrival in Beijing
Arrive in Beijing and transfer privately to your hotel. In the afternoon, a hutong rickshaw ride , Step into a hutong courtyard house and paint your own Tu'er Ye, the rabbit-god folk figurine sold at Beijing's Mid-Autumn festivals for generations. A welcome dinner of Peking duck introduces the capital's imperial table.
Day 02
The Great Wall at Mutianyu and a Quieter Forbidden City
A morning at Mutianyu, choosing a quieter, well-restored stretch of the Great Wall over the crowds of Badaling, with time to walk at your own pace rather than race between watchtowers. In the afternoon, the Forbidden City opens up in its calmer late hours, once the tour groups have thinned, for an unhurried walk through the halls of the Ming and Qing emperors.
Day 03
Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace and Hutong Life
Morning at the Temple of Heaven, where locals gather under the ancient cypress trees for tai chi, fan dance and games of Chinese chess long before the ceremonial halls open to visitors. Continue to the Summer Palace, wandering its lakeside pavilions and the painted Long Corridor. The afternoon is left open to wander the hutongs at your own pace, with a free evening.
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Temple of Heaven, with its early-morning local life
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Summer Palace: lakeside pavilions and the Long Corridor
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Free afternoon and evening to explore the hutongs
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch Overnight: Beijing
Day 04
A Last Beijing Morning and On to Xi'an
A final unhurried Beijing morning, with time for an optional visit to the Lama Temple or the 798 Art District, before a high-speed rail journey of roughly four and a half hours to Xi'an. Arrive in the evening and settle in with a simple dinner near the hotel.
Day 05
The Terracotta Army
A full day devoted to the Mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shi Huang and the Terracotta Army, with unhurried time across all three excavation pits and the museum rather than a rushed circuit. In the afternoon, a hands-on workshop with a local craftsman teaches you to shape and fire your own miniature terracotta warrior to take home. The evening brings a dumpling banquet and a Tang dynasty music and dance performance at Datang Everbright City
Day 06
The City Wall and On to Chengdu
A morning bicycle ride along a stretch of Xi'an's fourteen-kilometre Ming dynasty city wall, followed by a wander through the Muslim Quarter's lanes near the Great Mosque. In the afternoon, a high-speed rail journey of roughly three and a half hours continues on to Chengdu, with the evening left free.
Day 07
Pandas, Tea and a Sichuan Kitchen
A gentle, early visit to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, timed to see the pandas at their most active before the crowds arrive. Back in the city by afternoon, settle into Renmin (People's) Park for tea and a hands-on lesson in Sichuan-style mahjong with local players at the century-old Heming Teahouse. In the evening, a hands-on Sichuan cooking class with a local chef ends with dinner: the dishes you made yourself.
Day 08
Old Alleys and On to Guilin
A morning wander through Kuanzhai Xiangzi, the Wide and Narrow Alleys, and the quiet, garden-like grounds of Du Fu's Thatched Cottage, home to one of China's most celebrated poets. In the afternoon, a flight of roughly two hours continues on to Guilin, with the evening left free to settle in.
Day 09
The Dragon's Backbone Rice Terraces
A day trip of roughly an hour and a half each way to Longji, the Dragon's Backbone rice terraces, carved into the hillsides over centuries. Walk between the terraces and through a Zhuang or Yao ethnic hillside village, meeting local farmers along the way, with lunch taken among the terraces themselves before returning to Guilin in the evening
Day 10
The Li River to Yangshuo
A four-star cruise down the Li River from Guilin to Yangshuo, roughly four and a half hours through the limestone peaks that have shaped Chinese landscape painting for a thousand years. In the afternoon, free time on Yangshuo's West Street, and in the evening, VIP seating for Impression Liu Sanjie, Zhang Yimou's open-air night performance staged directly on the river against a backdrop of illuminated peaks.
Day 11
Bamboo Rafts, Country Lanes and Fan Painting
A morning bamboo raft drift down the gentle Yulong River, followed by a bicycle ride along a stretch of the Ten-Mile Gallery, past rice paddies and karst peaks at an easy pace. In the afternoon, a hands-on fan-painting workshop in Fuli, a river town some three hundred years old and recognised as a national intangible cultural heritage site for this craft. The evening brings a lantern-lit view of cormorant fishermen working the river, followed by a beer-fish dinner
Day 12
On to Zhangjiajie: The Avatar Mountains
Transfer to Guilin airport for a flight of roughly ninety minutes to Zhangjiajie. In the afternoon, Tianzi Mountain and Yuanjiajie, the sandstone pillars that inspired the floating 'Hallelujah Mountains' of the film Avatar, reached in part by the Bailong Elevator, the tallest outdoor lift in the world, rising over three hundred metres up the cliff face. The evening is free.
The Glass Bridge, Tujia Brocade and On to Shanghai
Day 13
A morning at Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon, crossing its glass-bottomed bridge suspended some three hundred metres above the gorge floor. In the afternoon, a hands-on workshop with a local Tujia weaver introduces xilankapu, the ethnic brocade weaving tradition of this region. Transfer to the airport for an evening flight to Shanghai, roughly two and a half hours, departing from beneath Tianmen Mountain's namesake 'Heaven's Gate' opening. Arrive in Shanghai in the evening, with time to settle in before a full day in the city tomorrow.
The Bund, Old Lanes and a Dumpling Class
A full day in Shanghai, matching the unhurried pace of the rest of the journey rather than squeezing the city into a single morning. Walk the Bund's colonial-era waterfront against the Pudong skyline, then wander into the former French Concession for the plane-tree lined lanes of Wukang Road. In the afternoon, a hands-on class in a Shanghai kitchen teaches you to fold and steam your own xiaolongbao, the city's famous soup dumplings, which become your lunch. The evening closes with a Huangpu River cruise past both illuminated skylines, followed by a farewell dinner.
Day 14
Day 15
The Bund, Old Lanes and a Dumpling Class
A ast, unhurried morning with nothing fixed: a wander through the narrow art lanes of Tianzifang, one final cup of tea or coffee, or simply packing at an easy pace. A private transfer to the airport closes the journey at a time to suit your onward flight.
What's included
A private English-speaking guide for the whole trip — not just at the big sights. Private driver and vehicle: airport pick-ups, drop-offs and high-speed train journeys in first class, as shown in your itinerary. Hand-picked hotels, 4★ minimum, in the centre of each city (double occupancy). All admission tickets and listed activities. Meals noted in the itinerary, with drinking water at every table. A VPN and eSIM setup guide so Google, WhatsApp and Instagram just work. 24/7 in-trip support on WhatsApp, from us, in London. Full financial protection (as agent for ATOL No. 10106; ABTA bonded No. Y6874)
What's not included
- International flights
- Travel insurance
- Visa fees — though for most UK and EU travellers China is now 30-day visa-free; we confirm your exact status before you book
- Tips for guides and drivers (discretionary, and appreciated)
- Anything you add on the spot — which we'll happily arrange and quote in minutes
How do I secure my spot on this tour?
Click the ENQUIRE NOW button and fill in the enquiry form, or email us at info@jade-compass.com. Tell us your dates, how many of you are travelling, and anything on your wish list — we'll come back within 24 hours with a real itinerary and a real price. There's no charge for this; it's how we work. Every Jade Compass tour is private, for your group alone. Once you're happy with the plan, a deposit secures your dates — the amount is shown clearly in your quote and goes towards your final balance. We don't ask for anything before you've seen the full plan and the price.
Is this trip guaranteed to run?
Yes — because it's private. Your tour runs from just two people: you and your travelling companion. There's no minimum group size, no "needs six more to confirm", no chance of cancellation for lack of numbers. Your dates and your itinerary are confirmed when you confirm your booking — and they stay confirmed.
What is your cancellation policy?
Cancellation & changes — the honest version
Plans change. Flights move, school holidays shift, family plans wobble. So here's our cancellation policy, written the way we'd want to read it — no small print, no "see our booking conditions".
Every booking starts with a 72-hour cooling-off period: cancel within 72 hours of confirming and it's a full refund, no questions — however close to departure you booked.
After that, the ladder applies from your booking date, not from the day you call to cancel:
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Booked more than 60 days before departure: full refund up to 60 days before; 50% refund up to 30 days before; 25% after that
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Booked 30–60 days before departure: 50% refund up to 30 days before; 25% after that
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Booked within 30 days of departure: 25% from the end of your cooling-off period
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Or change your dates instead — once, free of charge. We'll rebook your trip and only adjust for any real difference in cost.