The Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square

Step inside the Forbidden City, a massive imperial palace once home to China’s emperors and the geographic center of Beijing. The gates were shut to all but the royal household and their entourage of eunuchs and concubines for 600 years until, in 1924, a powerful warlord gave the last emperor just three hours to leave. Beyond the imposing red walls to the south lies Tiananmen Square, where, Chairman Mao, China’s most powerful ruler lies embalmed in a glass coffin within his own giant mausoleum.

Jingshan Park

No exploration of the Forbidden City is complete without a visit to Jingshan Park. Located just across the street, a short hike up Jingshan Hill rewards visitors with stunning panoramic views of the old Imperial Palace and Beijing. Made from dirt excavated from the Forbidden City’s moat, the hill also stands as a feng shui defense against evil spirits that may threaten the palace.

The Temple Hotel Exhibition

Discovered in 2007, shrouded in dust and rubble among Beijing’s new developments, zizhusi is a living piece of Qing Dynasty history. Today, zizhusi temple forms the centerpiece of the Temple Hotel and its 3,500 sq. meters of rotating contemporary art exhibitions. We will stroll through the 600-year-old courtyard and discuss its historical importance and discover the art for ourselves.

Into the Hutongs

Ask the residents of Beijing’s hutong alleyways, the crisscrossing mazes of courtyards and alleyways which make up the heart of the city, and they’ll tell you that anyone who lives further out isn’t really a Beijinger. You’ll see elders whiling away the night with a game of Chinese chess or mahjong, shopkeepers selling traditional snacks like jianbing (pancakes) and baozi (steamed buns), and hear calls announcing the arrival of the knife sharpener or cardboard collector. It is in these ancient neighborhoods where the capital’s distinct culture was generated, and where it continues to thrive today. You’ll spend the afternoon stopping by the homes of some of the city’s more traditional residents.

Wheelchair Accessibility: While the hutong alleyways are generally navigable, some traditional doorways or shop entrances may have small steps where assistance will be needed. A limited number of accessible restrooms are available.

(Optional) Peking Duck Dinner

With crispy, succulent skin snapping effortlessly to reveal the tender meat below, it’s unsurprising that Beijing’s signature dish, Peking duck, has been the benchmark of indulgence and culinary perfection in China for hundreds of years. We highly recommend tucking into a meal quite literally fit for an emperor, where the bird is cooked whole in stone ovens and sliced tableside in true imperial style.

Drive to Jinshanling

The ride from Beijing downtown to Jinshanling Great Wall will take around 2.5 hours one-way.

The Great Wall at Jinshanling

Rising from the sea in the east before extending 5,000 miles to the deserts of China’s far west, this is arguably the greatest man made wonder on earth: The Great Wall. WildChina bypasses the more touristy sections, taking you straight to the stunning Ming Dynasty ruins outside Beijing from which lonely guards far from home once kept a weary watch over the barbarian lands beyond.

Three hours from Beijing, in the rugged mountains of Hebei Province, is one of the most picturesque parts of the Great Wall reachable from the capital. Free from the crowds of its closer, neighboring sections, more remote Jinshanling’s 10.5km stretch of both restored and wild wall is steeped in centuries of history. A short gondola-ride up the mountain followed by a three-hour hike offers an unbelievable view of countless watchtowers stacked against endless mountain silhouettes, and a window into the mind of those ancient soldiers who once shared this view many hundreds of years before.

The Temple of Heaven

Once a site of ritual and sacrifice where rulers would pray for good harvests, the Temple of Heaven is home to ancient engineering marvels and, now, Beijing’s best people-watching spots. Meander through curved, airtight walls that housed an acoustics system far before its time, and spot the subtle divine motifs cleverly incorporated throughout the grounds, all while basking in the sea of Beijingers who gather here for everything from tai chi to rowdy bouts of ‘Fight the Landlord’ – a revolutionary era card game.

The Summer Palace

Live an afternoon of royal splendor just 30 minutes from Beijing at the Summer Palace, whose regal pathways and pavilions were built by the Empress Dowager Cixi, a former concubine who went on to become the most powerful woman in China. Unwind from her tales of backstabbing and betrayal with a leisurely boat ride across the garden’s centerpiece, Kunming Lake, but as you do spare a thought for the 10,000 laborers who were forced to dig at Cixi’s behest.

High Speed Train to Tianjin

Your WildChina guide and private chauffeur will escort you to the train station and help you check in for your train. Upon arriving in Tianjin, your local WildChina guide will meet you in the arrival hall with your private vehicle on standby to take you around the city for the day.

Wudadao (Five Great Avenues)

Wudadao, Five Great Avenues, is an area of Tianjin that was historically home to the foreign concessions. As a result, the architecture in this district is unique and varied, featuring styles typical of European countries including Britain, Italy, and Germany. Complete with tree-lined boulevards and a clock tower, a walk down Wudadao transports you back through Tianjin’s marbled and little-known past as an international treaty port.

Xiaobailou District (Old Jewish Ghetto)

During the 1920s and 1930s, Tianjin boasted China’s third largest Jewish population. Although not many buildings from this period remain today, the ‘Five Great Avenues’ neighborhood is still home to Jewish residences. A Gothic-style synagogue built in 1939 recalls the melange of Jewish, Russian, and Chinese architectural styles of the turn of the century.

Next Stop: Harbin

When wandering past the emerald domes of the Church of St. Sophia and along Harbin’s main thoroughfare, one would be forgiven for thinking they’ve been miraculously transported to the streets of Saint Petersburg. Nestled in China’s chilliest, most northeastern province of Heilongjiang, the provincial capital is a multicultural hub, boasting a unique confluence of Chinese and Eastern European cultures. When it was founded in 1898, Harbin’s population primarily consisted of Russian and Jewish immigrants. Although the European citizenry diminished through the years, the remnants of the city’s international past live on in its architecture and folklore.

Flight to Harbin

Your WildChina guide and private chauffeur will escort you to the airport and help you check in to your flight. Upon arriving in Harbin, your local WildChina guide will meet you in the arrival hall with your private vehicle on standby to take you to your hotel.

Harbin New Synagogue

The Harbin New Synagogue, now a Jewish Cultural Museum, still stands as the largest synagogue in East Asia. Situated in the heart of the city’s foreign district, explore the halls of this religious sanctuary and get a glimpse of what life was like for Harbin’s “youtairen,” or Jewish population. In the synagogue, you’ll find historical descriptions, black-and-white photos, and relics of times past. Take your time during your visit and enjoy this unique aspect of Harbin’s multicultural past.

Church of St. Sophia

Towering over the sprawling Chinese metropolis, the verdigris domes of the Church of St. Sophia are a sight for sore eyes. Constructed in 1907 to serve Harbin’s booming Russian population, this once-functioning Russian Orthodox Church – the largest in the Far East – was almost lost to development. Fortunately, charitable donations during the 1990s helped to transform the cathedral-turned-warehouse into a museum. As you walk beneath its timeworn arches, peruse the collection of images and artifacts depicting the lives of foreigners in old Harbin, including its vivacious Russian and Jewish communities.

Central Street

Alive with Russian heirloom shops, locals going about their daily life, and a fascinating blend of architectural styles, Central Street (or Zhongyang Dajie) is the main boulevard through Harbin’s historic quarter. Once called Kitayskaya Street, meaning Chinese in Russian, this pedestrian-only thoroughfare is lined with churches, synagogues, and Baroque and Art Deco buildings, some newly renovated and some worn by time. As you wander the cobbles listening to tales of the city’s rich history, you can almost picture the locals from Harbin’s founding, bedecked in fur and walking the age-old streets with Jewish pastries in hand.

Next Stop: Shanghai

Once a mere backwater fishing village, the destiny and fortunes of Shanghai changed forever when the British opened their first concession here in 1842, followed soon after by the French and Americans. Shanghai today retains those charms in the tree-lined streets of the former French Concession and iconic banking houses along the Bund; at the same time, the urban bustle and multitudes of skyscrapers are a testament to Shanghai’s aspirations to be a major international metropolis. Now the financial capital of China, Shanghai is a great place to check out the old, the new and the foreign in this worldly economic and cultural center.

Flight to Shanghai

Your WildChina guide and private chauffeur will escort you to the airport and help you check in to your flight. Upon arriving in Shanghai, your local WildChina guide will meet you in the arrival hall with your private vehicle on standby to take you to your hotel.

An Evening to Yourself

Head back into town, rest up, and spend the remainder of your final evening as you please.

Expert-led Jewish Quarter Tour

Jewish history is not something that springs to mind when thinking of Shanghai, but this is a city that has seen Jewish migration from as far away as Baghdad and Bombay since the 19th century. Taking to the Jewish Quarter with a WildChina expert on this four-hour tour, you’ll visit the city’s synagogue-turned-museum, learn how Shanghai became one of the few cities which granted unconditional refuge to those fleeing the Holocaust, and see what life was like for the Jewish community during the Japanese occupation.

The Former French Concession

The elegant, tree-lined streets of the former French Concession are steeped in European charm. This enclave, governed by France for almost a century until the 1940s, was once the domain of China’s rich and powerful, from revolutionaries to movie stars. Step inside the creaking hallways of mansions that have housed members of the French, Japanese, Nationalist, and Communist elite, and relive the glamor of pre-World War II Shanghai.

Expert-led Tour of Shanghai Museum

Be warned, this is not your average museum. Shaped like an enormous ancient Chinese cooking vessel, the Shanghai Museum delivers on the inside everything that its bold and confident design promises on the outside. The museum houses a world-class collection of Chinese artifacts (jade burial suit, anyone?) which spans over an astonishing 5,000 years of history; each piece telling a story of humanity millennia ago. To do these stories justice, we’ve set you up with a private tour from a museum curator who will breathe life into some of the collections’ most intriguing objects.

Yuyuan Garden

Manufacturing and megacities may be the name card of today’s China, but Yuyuan Garden is a postcard example of a more traditional side to the country, one of beautifully manicured gardens, punctuated with rocks and trees, interspersed with green ponds and framed by white walls with circular doorways. Built in what is now downtown Shanghai by a Ming Dynasty official, Yuyuan Garden’s pavilions and bridges, rockeries and teahouse, will transport you to a world far away from skyscrapers and bullet trains.

Yuyuan Bazaar

Nestled in Shanghai’s old town next to the city’s famed Yu Garden, or Nanshi, the Yuyuan Bazaar is a souvenir hunter’s paradise. Tucked amid Ming Dynasty-era buildings, this winding maze of alleyways is filled with an eclectic collection of shops and food stalls hawking local snacks. Although a popular tourist destination, it’s fun getting lost in the colorful swirl of antiques, lanterns, and keepsakes. Bask in the aroma of freshly made xiao long bao and flex your haggling skills as you search for the perfect Shanghai memento.

The Bund

Rising majestically across the river from Shanghai’s electric skyline are the sublime art deco and neoclassical buildings of the Bund, a patchwork which has earned the street the nickname of “Museum of International Architecture.” Strolling down the riverside promenade, flanked by neon on one side and marble on the other, there are few other places on earth where you can see such a vivid depiction of a city’s past and future with one turn of the head.

Your Flight Back Home

In the morning, spend some time at your own leisure before your WildChina guide escorts you to the airport and helps you check in for your flight home.