Chamber Quest to China, October 23-31, 2009
Itinerary
10/23 - JFK International
Check in at JFK International Airport for an afternoon flight CA982 to Beijing. Your adventure begins as you fly trans-Pacific aboard a wide cabin jetliner. Cross the International Dateline and view spectacular panoramas.
10/24 - Beijing
Arrive in Beijing, the Capital of China at 6:00pm. You will be met by your local tour guide at the airport. Transfer to the hotel after dinner.
(King Wing Plaza/5-Star,
17 Dongsanhuannan Rd., Tel: 86-10-67668866)
10/25 - Beijing
Visit the Tian An Men Square, the largest square in the world, and the Temple of Heaven, built in 1420 A.D., where the emperors prayed to the heaven for a good harvest. Sightseeing also includes the Palace Museum, also known as the “Forbidden City”, home of 24 emperors with a total space of 9,999 rooms, and the Summer Palace, renown for the Long Corridor with painted gallery, Kunming Lake and Longevity Hill, Seventeen-Arch Bridge and Marble Boat.
10/26 - Beijing
Tour bus excursion to the Great Wall. The 4,000-mile long and 2,000 years old construction is said to be the only man-made structure visible by the naked eye from the moon. Visit the Ming Tombs. One of the 13 Ming Emperors' Tombs is fully excavated and open for exploration. Enjoy an enticing roasted Beijing Duck Dinner.
10/27 - Beijing/Shanghai/Suzhou
Morning: China Eastern flight to Shanghai, then take the tour bus trip to Suzhou. Afternoon: Sightseeing at the centuries old Lingering Garden, Tiger Hill and Hanshan Temple. Visit the National Embroidery Institute to see silk embroidery, an important local craft with 1,000 years of history. Evening: Dinner Show of traditional Chinese Music.
(Glamor Hotel/5-Star, 68 Tongjingbei Rd., Tel: 86-512-65338811)
10/28 - Suzhou/Hangzhou
Morning: Tour bus journey to Hangzhou. Visit to the dramatic Economic Development Zone. Tour the centuries old Lingyin Temple, with the main feature of the 64.3 ft-high camphor-wood carved Buddha.
(Regal Hotel/5-Star, 370 Gym Rd., Tel: 86-571-56199999)
10/29 - Hangzhou/Shanghai
Morning: Boat cruise on West Lake with relaxing stopover at jewel-like pagodas and tea houses. Afternoon: Tour bus trip to Shanghai.
(Guangdong Hotel/5-Star, 328 Yixian Rd., Tel: 86-21-51171888)
10/30 - Shanghai
Sightseeing includes the Yu Garden, a maze of marvelous pavilions, ponds, rocky works and over arching trees. Visit to the Bund, a famous and glorious waterfront park. Business visit to the energizing Pudong development zone.
10/31 - Shanghai/Beijing/JFK
Morning flight to Beijing. Afternoon flight CA981 will depart by 1:00pm for JFK where you will arrive at 1:30pm on the same day.
OPTIONAL TOURS
1. Hutong Tour in Beijing ( USD35/pp )
Hutong is a traditional living area for ordinary Beijing citizens, the history of which dates back to 1000 years ago. Hundreds of thousands of houses of traditional architecture style are densely flanked on both sides of narrow and zigzag streets in which people have been living a peaceful and traditional life there through many generations. Tourists will first get on a traditional rickshaw, two for each, for a Hutong tour, riding through those narrow streets tracing the tast of the historical life of an oriental country. Afterwards, tourists will visit local families interviewing their life and cooking Chinese dumplings with the family members . During lunch time, tourists will be served with delicious Chinese domestic dishes and the dumpling tourists make. During the two hours Hutong tour tourists will learn a lot of China's modern life and its people. It is another highlight after the Great Wall.
2. Peking Opera ( USD20/pp , USD40/pp for VIP seat )
Peking Opera is the masterpiece of China's traditional culture and art and it is born in Beijing. Until today it is more than three hundreds years old. The Opera lasts an hour and thirty minutes, covering several different plays, of which some are full of fighting and some traditional singing and dancing. The show is beautiful for its colorful costumes, impressive facial designs and staging style of oriental culture.
3. Boat Ride on Grand Canal in Suzhou ( USD25/pp )
Grand Canal is a pure artificial object completed 1300 years ago by Chinese people. It starts from Beijing and ends up in Hangzhou with a total length of more than 1,000 miles. During the 50 minutes boat ride on it, tourists may enjoy the view of both modern and old life of Suzhou.
4. Evening Cruise on Huangpu River ( USD25/pp)
The cruise will absolutely build in every one an unforgettable impression of Grand Shanghai! The evening view fo Shanghai from the cruise is gorgeous, charming and unbeatable.
5. ERA-Intersection of Time-by Cirque du Soleil (USD35/pp)
As a multimillion-dollar stunning acrobatic extravaganza, the first of its kind in China, ERA is a multimedia odyssey whose inspiration is a direct result of the combination of traditional Chinese acrobatic arts and modern technology. Just like Shanghai, ERA evolves through a constant collision between the past and future. ERA is a love story, yet it is also a contemplation across the millennia, a fascination with that other dimension man has yet to conquer: time. ERA’s acrobats are on a quest to find that tenuous point of balance, the intersection between X, Y and Z. Not only will the audience be amazed by the acrobats’ control and precision, they will be enchanted by the world that is created through the use of multimedia, technology, lighting and sound effects, elaborate costumes, original live music and a lot more. As such, ERA can remain universal, without language or cultural barriers. A thousand-year-old gesture is worth a thousand emotions, a thousand images, a thousand words. Allow us to feed your imagination and bring your dreams back to the present.
6. Shanghai Maglev Train (one way ticket USD15/pp, round trip USD25/pp)
Shanghai maglev train, the first commercial rail line of its type in the world, links Metro Line 2 at Longyang Road with the Pudong International Airport by a train traveling at top speed of 431 kilometers per-hour which is much faster than the Bullet Train in Japan. Shanghai Maglev Train takes only 7 minutes
and 20 seconds to cover 30 kilometer trip, which currently takes 30 to 40 minutes by driving. Invested with a total amount of 10 billion yuan, it took 2.5 years to complete. Powered by electromagnetism, when running it is suspended in air, about 10 millimeters above the track on a magnetic cushion. It brings a speed revolution to the world in ground transportation, and riding on the train will be an exciting experience for you!
7. The Legend of Kung Fu (USD25/pp)
The Legend of Kung Fu is the a production which combines the elements of kung fu, story-telling, acrobatics, modern dance, and original music to celebrate the philosophy and skill of martial arts. The show tells the story of a young boy, Chun Yi (the pure one), who in order to pursue spiritual and physical harmony is apprenticed as a monk to learn kung fu. Along the way he overcomes obstacles, is distracted and tempted, but ultimately achieves the designation of master who will enlighten the younger generations. Invited by Canada's most experienced cultural brokers, John Cripton of Great World Artists, ‘Chun Yi: The Legend of Kung Fu’ had its first North America tour from August 2005 to January 2006. During the time, it played 150 performances in Vancouver, Toronto, Reno and other North American cities and won enormous audience admiration.
Shopping for Renown Chinese Arts & Crafts
Beijing
Jade Factory: China is rich in its jade resources. Therefore, jade and its cultural impact on the Chinese people, and later on all Asians, has been historical. Tourists will get a chance to visit Beijing Jade Carving Factory which has the biggest jade collection in China. Tourists will find hundreds of thousands of precious jade, jadeites and handmade jade carvings, the raw material of which comes from the Northeast and Silk Road areas of China.
Pearl Farm: The Pearl shop in Beijing has been exhibiting a rich variety of home produced sea pearls and fresh water pearls, due to both historical reasons and the modern market. Among them, the king and queen size pearls are of precious quality. The type of Pearl Powder on sale was first contributed to Qing Dynasty Royal Family as a cosmetic, and can also be found here.
Ming and Qing Dynasty Furniture: You’ll experience an Ancient Furniture Fair. Apart from the antique furniture, there is a lot of newly made furniture of Ming and Qing Dynasty style to be found in the fair. Shipping is available.
Cloisonne Factory: Born in Beijing 300 years ago, cloisonne is the kind of handmade arts and crafts article used a great deal by royal families and wealthy families in the past. Now it is affordable for everyone. Tourists will visit the workshop seeing how the beautiful articles have been made. The gorgeous design, hand-made workmanship and tremendous variations make cloisonne articles very attractive to both domestic and overseas tourists.
Suzhou
Suzhou Embroidery Institute: It is a state owned handicraft research institute. Among the products you’ll find are the hand-made, double-sided embroidery articles of vivid pets and flowers; truly gorgeous.
Suzhou Silk Factory: The factory produces one fifth of the country's silk products. The beautifully designed silk clothes and its model showroom make it a real attraction to tourists. Besides the silk quilts of different sizes, you’ll find specially designed items for sale here.
Hangzhou
Hangzhou Dragon Well Tea Farm: The Dragon Well Tea planted in this village was once only contributed to the Chinese Royal Family. It is a famous brand of tea in China. Through viewing the Tea Farm and the tea lecture given by a local farmer, tourists will find their stay both enjoyable and healthy.
Shanghai
Shanghai Carpet Mill: Superior quality silk tapestries of all patterns and sizes are produced in the Shanghai Carpet Factory. The hand-made silk tapestries of 400 to 600 knots per square inch, are indeed precious merchandise.
Important Trip Information
This phenomenal trip is only $1,899 per person based on double occupancy for Albany Area Chamber of Commerce members, and is only $2,199 for non-chamber members.
• Reservations on a first come, first serve basis.
• Deposit of $200 per person (non refundable), at the time you register, holds your reservation; balance of your fare ($1,699 Chamber members and $1,999 non Chamber members) is due by July 24, 2009.
Make checks payable to:
Albany Area
Chamber of Commerce
225 West Broad Avenue
Albany, GA 31701
We also accept Visa, Mastercard and American Express (a $65 processing fee will be included)
• Securing and updating a passport is your responsibility. Passports must be valid through October 31, 2009
• All travelers must have a valid Chinese Visa
Citslinc will handle visa application for a cost of $175 per person. (Deadline for Citslinc International to handle Visa is October 1, 2009) Contact the Chamber for application.
• Our first invaluable pre-tour briefing for all participants will be held on May 12 from 5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. in the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce board room. If you are unable to attend the briefing it will be available via teleconference. Reservations are required. Call 229-434-8700.
Citslinc International, tour operators with nearly thirty years of experience in the China tour business, will answer all of your questions and familiarize you with details of the trip.
For more information OR TO MAKE A RESERVATION, email Melissa Howard at mhoward@albanyga.com or Rachelle Bitterman at rbitterman@albanyga.com, or call 229-434-8700.