Final Itinerary
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University of Central Arkansas - ChinaD 115265 CF
UCA in China
13 May 2013 - 27 May 2013
CHICAGO
ITINERARY OUTLINE
DAY 1
DEPART LITTLE ROCK
DAY 2
ARRIVE BEIJING - FLIGHT TO QINGDAO (8 NIGHTS)
DAY 3-10
QINGDAO (BY OWN ARRANGEMENTS)
DAY 11
QINGDAO - TRAIN TO BEIJING (4 NIGHTS)
DAY 12
HALF-DAY TRIP TO THE GREAT WALL
DAY 13
BEIJING
DAY 14
BEIJING
DAY 15
DEPARTURE FROM BEIJING
“UCA in China”
Monday, 13 May 2013
DAY 1
DEPART LITTLE ROCK
Enjoy full meal service on your scheduled wide-bodied flight to Beijing.
Tuesday, 14 May 2013
DAY 2
ARRIVE BEIJING - FLIGHT TO QINGDAO (8 NIGHTS)
We will arrive in Beijing, where we will be met by a guide that will assist us in transferring to our flight to
Qingdao. On arrival in Qingdao, all arrangements, including our airport transfer, will be through our partner
university.
Wednesday, 15 May 2013 - Wednesday, 22 May 2013
DAY 3-10 QINGDAO (BY OWN ARRANGEMENTS)
All arrangements will be through our partner university in Qingdao.
Thursday, 23 May 2013
DAY 11
QINGDAO - TRAIN TO BEIJING (4 NIGHTS)
This morning we will transfer to the train station (by own arrangement) and board a highspeed train to Beijing.
Our English-speaking guide will meet us at the station and accompany us on our transfer by private coach to our hotel in
central Beijing. After some free time to settle in, we will visit a Silk Factory, and view the process ionvolved in turning
the cocoons of the silkworm into some of the finest and most beautiful textiles in the world. Dinner this evening will be in
a local restaurant.
Friday, 24 May 2013
DAY 12
HALF-DAY TRIP TO THE GREAT WALL
This morning we will journey outside of the city for a visit to the Great Wall of China, one of the world’s most awesome
and impressive sights. The Great Wall snakes its way from east to west for nearly 4,000 miles, and has been in existence
for over 2,600 years. This afternoon we visit the Jade Factory to learn about these beautiful stones, and to see some
incredible handcarved works created from it. Dinner this evening will be in a local restaurant.
Saturday, 25 May 2013
DAY 13
BEIJING (THE FORBIDDEN CITY)
Our morning commences in Tian’an Men Square, the world's largest public square (the size of 90 American football
fields). In the center of the square stands the Monument to the People's Heroes (Renmin Yingxiong Jinian Bei), a 124ft.granite obelisk erected in 1958, engraved with scenes from famous uprisings. We will visit the massive Great Hall of
the People, one of the world's architectural marvels, where the thousands of representatives that make up China's
governing body, the People's Congress, meet for most of the year. We continue with a visit to the Forbidden City, a
massive complex of red-walled buildings and pavilions topped by a sea of glazed vermilion tile. It is by far the largest
and most intricate imperial palace in China and receives more visitors than any other attraction in the country. Our visit
will include the Inner Court, where only the emperor, his family, his concubines, and the palace eunuchs were allowed;
the Hall of Mental Cultivation, where emperors lived after Yongzheng moved out of the Qianqing Gong; the Nine
Dragon Screen, an 11 1/2-ft-high wall covered in striking glazed-tile dragons depicted frolicking above a frothing sea,
built to protect the Qianlong emperor from prying eyes and malevolent spirits; the Hall of Jewelry, with all 25 of the Qing
imperial seals, ornate swords, and bejeweled mini-pagodas; Cixi's Theater, an elaborate green-tiled three-tiered structure
with trap doors and hidden passageways to allow movement between stages; and the Hall of Clocks, a collection of
elaborate timepieces, many of them gifts to the emperors from European envoys. Lunch will be included today, and we
will have time this afternoon for Shopping in a Local Market. Dinner this evening will be in a local restaurant.
Sunday, 26 May 2013
DAY 14
BEIJING
Our day begins with a visit to the Temple of Heaven, an enormous park and altar to Heaven directly to the south of the
Forbidden City. Each winter solstice, the Ming and Qing emperors would lead a procession here to perform rites and
make sacrifices designed to promote the next year's crops and curry favor with Heaven for the general health of the
empire. We will then stop by a Tea House to sample some of China’s finest teas and learn about the significance of tea in
Chinese culture. After lunch we will visit the Summer Palace, the grandest imperial playground in China. The
compound is an expanse of elaborate Qing-style pavilions, bridges, walkways, and gardens, scattered along the shores of
the immense Kunming Lake. We will enjoy a tour of the park, which covers roughly 716 acres, with Kunming Lake in
the south and Longevity Hill in the north. We will also have the opportunity to take slow electric-powered Boats on the
Lake and stroll along Suzhou Street, which is filled with interesting shops. Our day concludes at a Pearl Factory, where
we will learn about pearls and their many distinctions, as well as see some wonderful pieces made of pearls. Dinner this
evening will be in a local restaurant.
Monday, 27 May 2013
DAY 15
DEPARTURE FROM BEIJING
Our enjoyable and rewarding tour will come to an end as our guide accompanies us to the airport for the return flight
home.