Itinerary
Day 1
We arrive early morning in Shanghai and take a 12 minute
350km/per hour bullet train into this fabulous city.
Our hotel is the historic Pacific hotel on Peoples' Square.
The thing I love about this hotel is its associations with Shanghai's
old reputation as the 'Paris of the East'.
After a short rest we will visit the former French concession at
Xintiandi and lunch at a well known French restaurant .
In the afternoon, keeping in mind some of you may be a little
tired, we will wander around Hongqiou international pearl,
jewellery and accessory market,where you can bargain beside
buyers from across the world for a dazzling array of jewellery,
bags , hats etc. You might just need that special piece to wear out
tonight.
Meeting up at 6pm, we alight on the 87th floor at the World’s
HIGHEST bar in the Jin Mao tower.
This new building has achieved iconic status with its design mix of
American sky scraper and Chinese pagoda.
The top floors house the prestigious grand Hyatt Hotel, where
we'll dine with a panoramic view of Shanghai as the lights come
on.
Day 2
Today we visit the contemporary art quarter of Moganshan,
home to more than 50 galleries
Here Thomas Charveriat of Island 6 gallery will give us a lecture
on Shanghai's exiting contemporary art scene.
We have chosen your hotel so you can be right in the heart of
Nanjing road, China's most famous shopping street. This
afternoon you can explore it at your leisure.
Tonight we'll experience Shanghai's most famous French
restaurant - 'M on the bund'- overlooking the mesmerising
Huangpu river.
Day 3
Today we spend the whole day at World Expo , with its dazzling
array of magnificent pavilions .
Day 4
Shanghai museum is a must for any visitors to China. A treasuretrove of Chinese decorative arts. The ceramic collection boasts
some of the most superb works of clay on this planet. This
collection will leave you in awe of the subtle brilliance of the
Chinese aesthetic.
We'll lunch at the Museum of Contemporary Art , opposite our
hotel, before seeing just what 'Art versus Art ' (a show from Hong
Kong) is all about.
In the evening we will return to dine at '3 on the Bund' a
sophisticated complex of restaurants , galleries and design stores.
Day 5
Today it's off down Fuzhou Road to a couple of art shops where
you can stock up on a full range of your chosen media: Pebeo
,Winsor and Newton, Fragonard easels, canvases and brushes, all
at very low prices. You can buy everything you need here; oils are
just a couple of dollars a tube!
You can also pop into Shanghai's art book shop for an impressive
range of art books from around the world.
We will then fly to Huangshan (Yellow Mountain) in the heart of
Anhui province. An area renowned for its outstanding domestic
architecture, built by wealthy merchants in the Ming and Ching
eras .
Tonight we stroll one and a half kilometres along the ancient
street of antique and art shops to dine at the 'number one'
restaurant
enjoying the best of Chinese cuisine.
You can stroll back at your leisure , through atreasure trove of
antique and art shops.
Day 6
Be ready to rise early. We're heading off to the Yellow Mountain.
This mountain has been eulogized in Chinese poetry and painting
for thousands of years. Everyone in China hopes to visit Yellow
Mountain at least once in their lifetime.
After travelling up to Behai scenic area by cable car ,we'll settle
into a morning of painting.There are many subjects to choose
from. For those of you with an interest in gardening and botany,
you will be able to see the original variety of so many of your
garden favorites, such as rhododendron , camellia, dogwoods ,
spirea , hydrangea and many more.
In the afternoon we skirt round to Yupingluo cable car where we
will head up and check into the Jade Screen Hotel. If you wish,
you can forgo painting and hike across the mountain to meet up
with us at Yupingluo .When all the tourist have left by the last
cable car we will have this craggy paradise to ourselves. We can
paint the 'Welcome Pine', the most painted and photographed
tree in the whole of China.
Day 7
After breakfast we will leave our erie and descend into the lush
valley of Yixian, where we visit the beautiful village of Hongcun,
location for such films as 'Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon'.
Thousands of art students from across China come here just to
paint this village with its tranquil ponds backed by rustic
Huizhou houses.
We'll have a picnic lunch of Peking duck and quail eggs before
selecting a similar but less touristy village for our afternoon
session.
In the evening we return to our hotel. Chosen for its handy
proximity to the Ancient street, you have 3 days to make this
town yours.
You are free to roam along a Ming street lined with antique and
art shops, you'll find anything from tiny seal boxes to
monumental stone urns, porcelain and bronzes. If you would like
a custom made feather coat , I can arrange a visit to my favorite
feather shop.
You can also find a good selection of mens and womens fashion
stores within walking distance, and if you have too much to carry
the fare back is less then 2 dollars by taxi.
Day 8
This day we go to my favourite village: Xu Cun, not so 'touristy'
but for us a 'painters dream'. Here we have a beautiful covered
bridge and a delightful Ming dynasty tower adorned with little
bells and dragons. Again Ben Ye, from Yin Yang restaurant will
set up his table and provide lunch and refreshments throughout
the day.
Day 9
Be ready for a bit of walking. We cable-car up Qiyuan Sacred
Mountain. Passing a series of Taoist shrines, we'll arrive at a
stunning pink temple nestled beneath a massive rock face, choose
this as your subject , or views over the little black and white
villages below. This is also botanically and ornithologically
interesting.
Day 10
This morning we set off to Hongzhou. This city is set beside the
'West Lake', and described by Marco Polo as 'the most beautiful
city in the world'.Though many of its fabulous houses have been
lost the lake still maintains it’s mystique.
Surrounded on three sides by forested hills and parks we have
chosen some classic water views to paint.
We lunch at a small pasta restaurant with the best seafood clam
risotto I've ever tasted.
After booking into our hotel we will go up to the Six Harmonies
Pagoda for a commanding view of the lake and city
Our afternoon takes in the silk market, Hangzhou's traditional
industry, before dining French at 'Provence'.
Day 11
Today we have the beautiful watery landscapes of Hangzhou to
paint.
Day 12
Today we visit one of Chinas premier attractions. Linyin Temple
is one of China's most significant holy sites. Established in 328
A.D. , thousands of figures are sculpted into the cliffs and worn
smooth by countless hands.
Magnificent temples house giant Buddha forms. Despite myriads
of tourists, one still feels the holiness of this place.
After lunch we'll take a leisurely boat ride on the limpid West
Lake, before flying down to Guilin.
Day 13
Waking up in the midst of Yangzhou's karst landscape, right near
this most picturesque of rivers ,we walk down to the Dragon
river, take a bamboo raft across to a secluded riverbank to paint
a classic Guilin landscape. Your friends will instantly recognize
your work as being chinese , in the same way they would if you
had painted a bridge in Venice.
Tonight we go to Yangzhou town and dine inside a converted
temple at "Le Votre" French restaurant .
Day 14
At nine o’clock the bus takes us to the Li river. We'll set up near
a little riverside restaurant where our painting subjects
encompass river, mountains, bamboo groves and boats .
Tonight we'll enjoy the stunning sound and light show:
'Impressions', designed by acclaimed film director Zhang Yimou.
Day 15
Honeycombed by giant underground caves, we venture into the
'Black Water Cave', three kilometres long.
After dipping ourselves into a pool of luxurious, warm mud we
wash off in clear waterfalls before returning to our hotel to
prepare for lunch at the prestigious Hotel of Modern Art,
HOMA. This hotel in its park setting, has hosted 11 international
sculpture symposiums , amassing an impressive collection of
outstanding outdoor pieces.
Tonight we relax by the Yulong River on our last night in this
enchanting landscape.
Day 16
Our bus takes us to Guilin airport where we fly down to
Shenzhen. Before crossing the border to Hong Kong, we'll visit
Dafen artist village, a town of 8000 artists, churning out copies of
'old masters' and original works.
This will be your last chance to stock up on those now depleted
tubes of paint. Once in Hong Kong we check into our hotel before
a finale dinner aboard The Jumbo floating restaurant, moored
among the luxury yachts in Aberdeen harbour.
Day 17
Today is our last day together. For those returning to New
Zealand we check in our luggage at Kowloon station.
The 120 year-old peak tram takes us up Hong Kong Island's
highest mountain . It's a farewell lunch and an awe inspiring view
of the famous city below; paint it if you wish , but the rest of us
will be partying!!!