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Shanghai

The Bird Tour

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The Kung Fu Tour	The Meditations Tour	The Silk Road Tour

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The Echo Bird Tour

Rare Birds In Their Natural Habitiat... And Much More!

The Echo Bird Tour offers the opportunity to see three of China\'s most expansive bird habitats at Yeya Lake, Poyang Lake, and on Chongming Island. These beautiful sites host over 250 different species of bird including some the most rare, such as the Chinese Lesser Tern.

As China has developed in recent years, the environment has become more and more fragile, having a profound affect on the wildlife habitat. Watching birds is not only admiring the beauty of the bird but also the beauty of mother nature.

The Echo Bird Tour incorporates these marvels of nature into a tour that also includes trips to the best of China. From the cities of Beijing and Shanghai to the breathtaking landscapes of China\'s mountains.

Whether you\'re a bird lover or not, you\'ll find our Bird Tour a rewarding, enriching, and relaxing experience you\'ll remember and share with your friends for years.

Destinations on the Bird Tour include:

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The Echo Bird Tour - Destination 1

Beijing... Tradition, Beauty, Promise

China\'s capital city eagerly awaits your visit! Locations below are available in our different package tours but can also be included in a custom upon request.

Day 1 am: Temple of Heaven

The Temple of Heaven, at three times the area of the Forbidden City, is China\'s largest existing complex of ancient sacrificial buildings. It was built in 1420 for emperors to worship Heaven. The principle buildings include the Altar of Prayer for Good Harvests, Imperial Vault of Heaven and Circular Mound Altar.

The Altar of Prayer for Good Harvest stands on a round foundation built with three levels of marble stones. This towering triple-eave hall is under a three-story, cone-shaped glaze-tile roof in blue color crowned with a gilded knob. A circular wall of polished bricks known as the Echo Wall encloses the Imperial Vault of Heaven.

Day 1 pm: Yonghegong Lama Temple

Historically, the Yonghegong Lama Temple was a residence for Emperors Yongzheng and Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty. It was built in the 33rd year of Kangxi\'s reign (1694) and was changed into a Emperor\'s palace in the 3rd year of Yongzheng\'s reign (1725). In the 9th year of Qianlong\'s reign (1744), it became a temple of the Lama Buddhist sect.

The Yonghegong Lama Temple was made up of three exquisite arches, the Yonghe Door, the Yonghegong Hall, Yongyou Hall, Falun Hall, Wanfu Hall, and the Neicheng Hall. It also has the East and West side halls, the \'Four Halls of Scholarship\' (Medicine Hall, Mathematics Hall, Mizong Buddhist Sect Hall, and Scripture Recital Hall) as well as two display rooms for relics.

Day 1 pm: Ancient Observatory

A passer-by strolling east of Tiananmen Square in the middle of Beijing will be surprised to see an ancient observatory high up on the top of a fort-like building at Jianguo Gate.

On entering the unassuming entrance of the observatory compound (built in 1422), one can see various sea-faring instruments at the courtyard. One then enters a two story museum which is a collection of pictures, write-ups and busts to show the ancient Chinese scientists and their various astronomical achievements. An impressive replica of a Ming Dynasty gold foil map of the constellations can be seen in the museum.

Day 2 am: Jingshan Park

There\'s no better place for a clear aerial view of the Forbidden City than from Jingshan Park. The park\'s central hill was created using earth left over from the digging of the imperial moat and was the highest point in the city during the Ming dynasty.

It was designed to enhance the fengshui of the Forbidden City, by blocking the harsh northern wind and by burying a Mongol Yuan dynasty pavilion, the Yanchun Ge. A tree on the east side of the hill marks the spot where the last Ming emperor, Chongzhen, supposedly hanged himself in 1644, just before Manchu and rebel armies overran the city.

Day 2 pm: Forbidden City

Lying at the center of Beijing, the Forbidden City (Gu Gong in Mandarin Chinese) was the imperial palace during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Now known as the Palace Museum, it is to the north of Tiananmen Square.

Rectangular in shape, it is the world\'s largest palace complex. Surrounded by a seven foot deep moat and a 12 foot high wall are 9,999 buildings. The wall has a gate on each side. Opposite the Tiananmen Gate and to the north is the Gate of Devine Might (Shenwumen), which faces Jingshan Park. There are unique and delicately structured towers on each of the four corners of the curtain wall that afford breathtaking views over both the palace and the city outside.

Day 2 eve: Acrobats Show

Acrobatics is an interactive art form. Admirers from all walks of life can immediately appreciate and be dazzled by acrobats as it is a specialty no language barrier or cultural border.

The history of acrobatics in China can be traced back to Neolithic times. It is believed that acrobatics grew out of the labor and self-defense skills that the people practiced and demonstrated during their leisure time.

A professional acrobatic program requires significant preparation time before it is ready to be performed in public. Acrobatic art has its own genre. The performance itself is very depictive and requires very specific lighting and musical accompaniment.

You will find the acrobats show an excellent way to finish off your second day in Beijing.

Day 3 am: Cloisonné Factory

Cloisonné is a unique combination of copper and porcelain working skills, traditional painting, sculpting, and etching skills. Originating in Beijing during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), cloisonné is an intricate process requiring many years of training for an artisan to master.

Over the centuries, a great variety of beautiful and creative cloisonne have been created. They are brilliant in color and splendid in design. Cloisonne is one of the defining arts and crafts of Beijing.

See for yourself the ancient art of cloisonne at one of the original creation sites.

Day 3 pm: The Great Wall

The Great Wall of China is acknowledged as one of the greatest wonders of the world. Like a gigantic dragon, the Great Wall winds up and down across deserts, grasslands, mountains and plateaus, stretching approximately 6,700 kilometers (4,163 miles) from east to west of China.

With a history of more than 2000 years, some of the sections of the great wall are now in ruins or even entiFIXY disappeared. However, it is still one of the most appealing attractions all around the world owing to its architectural grandeur and historical significance.

Day 3 eve: Kung Fu Show

Kung Fu is one of the most well known features of traditional Chinese culture. Kung Fu has been developed for self-protection and survival. Over its long history, it has become a unique combination of exercise, practical self-defense, self-discipline and art. The form was popularized in the West by the Chinese Kung Fu actors Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan.

The skills of Chinese Kung Fu consist of various forms of fighting: fist fights (e.g. long fist, southern fist), weapon fights (e.g. lance, staff, rapier, the rope dart), and other fighting routines (including kicking, hitting, throwing, holding, chopping and thrusting) and unarmed combat. Chinese Kung Fu contains many different styles including the well-known Shaolin Temple System.

Our Kung Fu show will amaze you with feats physical and mental prowess. This is a performance you will remember for years to come.

Day 4 am: Hutong Tour via Riskshaw

People say the real culture of Beijing lies in the Hutong or, culture of the courtyard.

How true that is, for it is from within the Hutongs that every day Chinese culture originates. A Hutong is a typical lane or small street in Beijing dating back to the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). In many cases, Hutongs were formed when people left a passageway between two courtyards to make entering them more convenient.

Hutong is a Mongolian word that means water \'well\'. Historically, towns and cities grew around the area where water wells were dug, making the wells the center of the community. There are literally tens of thousands of hutongs throughout Beijing, especially around The Forbidden City.

Hutongs and similar courtyards reflect the ritualistic and traditional ideas of China, and contain rich cultural connotations. They are the archetypes of the royal architecture.

Day 5: Yeya (Wild Duck) Lake

Yeya Lake is the largest wetland bird habitat near Beijing. The lake, covering 800 acres of water area and over 1,300 acres of wetland and grassland, has recently been designated a protected zone for birds. In addition to over 400 swans, more than 150 species of birds including geese, cormorants, wild ducks, grey heron, great egret, Eurasian spoonbill and black cranes can been found at the lake.

As an outdoor leisure activity, birdwatching is not yet particularly popular among Beijing people, making Beijing\'s best spots all the more attractive and undisturbed.

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The Echo Bird Tour - Destination 2

Xian... The Eternal City

Xian stands as a living history book of the great changes of the Chinese nation. Called Chang\'an in ancient times, Xian is one of the birthplaces of the ancient civilization in the Yellow River Basin area of the country. During Xian\'s 3,100 year development, 13 dynasties such as Western Zhou (11th century BC - 771 BC), Qin (221 BC - 206 BC), Western Han (206 BC - 24 AD) and Tang (618 - 907) placed their capitals here.

Day 6 am: Shaanxi Provincial Museum

Located to the northwest of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, in the south suburb of Xian city, the Shanxi Provincial Museum is a epitome of Shaanxi\'s glamorous imperial past. The museum building was designed in China\'s ancient Tang Dynasty style, grand and elegant.

Built at the site of a former Confucian temple in the southern part of Xian, this is the largest and most comprehensive museum in the province. It exhibits rare and beautiful historical relics of past dynasties and displays precious art treasures and stone carvings of the Han and Tang dynasties.

Day 6 pm: Terra Cotta Warrior Site

The Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses are the most significant archeological excavations of the 20th century. It is a sight not to be missed by any visitor to China.

Life size terracotta figures of warriors and horses arranged in battle formations are the star features at the museum. They are replicas of what the imperial guards looked like back in the days of pomp and vigor.

Altogether over 7,000 pottery soldiers, horses, chariots, and even weapons have been unearthed from these pits. Most of them have been restored to their former grandeur.

Day 7 am: Ancient City Wall

The Xian City Wall is not only the most completely well preserved example of ancient Chinese architecture but also the largest and most integral ancient military fort in the world.

The wall was constructed in the early Ming Dynasty on the basis of the Imperial City of Chang An (Everlasting Peace) of the Tang Dynasty. It is also a symbol of great significance of the famous historic cultural city of Xian.

As old as it is, the Xian Wall has been preserved intact. The construction of the Xian City was formally started in the seventh year of Emperor Hongwu\'s reign (1374) and completed in the eleventh year of Hongwu\'s reign (1378).

Day 7 am: Feng Shui Symposium

Feng Shui is the ancient Chinese art of placement that creates harmony and prosperity in our lives. If you have walked into a home or a place of business and instantly felt at ease, chances are you have experienced good Feng Shui. If you couldn\'t get out of a store or office fast enough, you may have been in an establishment that didn\'t have good Feng Shui.

For over four thousand years, Feng Shui practitioners have balanced the relationship between the natural world and our dwelling spaces. While it began as a method for choosing auspicious land for optimum survival, Feng Shui is recognized today as an effective method for helping us function in our complex, modern societies.

The Chinese Feng Shui character literally means \'wind and water\'. This represents a natural balance of opposite forces such as the familiar yin yang.

Day 7 pm: Mt. Huashan

Situated roughly 75 miles east of Xian, Mt. Huashan is known as \'The Number One Precipitous Mountain Under Heaven\'. It is one of the five sacred mountains in China which include Mt. Taishan in Shandong, Mt. Hengshan in Hunan, Mt. Hengshan in Shanxi, and Mt. Songshan in Henan.

In ancient times, Mt. Huashan was called Mt. Taihuashan. From a distance the five peaks seem to form the shape of a \'flower\' (hua in Chinese), hence the name \'Huashan\'. It is famous for its natural vistas of steep and narrow paths, precipitous crags, and a high mountain range. It is home to several influential Taoist temples where emperors of past dynasties made pilgrimages, making Mt. Huashan the holy land of Taoism.

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The Echo Bird Tour - Destination 3

Jiujiang... Nature\'s Beauty

Jiujiang is located in northern Jiangxi Province. It is a famous cultural and tourist city in south of the Yangtze River with about 2,200 years of history, famous scenic spots are all over the city including the famous Yangtze River and Poyang Lake.

Days 8 & 9: Poyang Lake

Located in the Jiujiang City, Jiangxi Province, Poyang Lake is the largest fresh-water lake in China. Having experienced many geological changes, Poyang Lake is now wide in the south and narrow in the north, like a huge gourd tied on the waist of the Yangtze River.

Looking out over the vastness of Poyang Lake, with its blue waves that stretch to the horizon, is much like standing on the shore and looking out over an ocean. On days when the sun shines and the sky is a clear blue, the sky and the water of the lake seem to meet on the horizon.

Poyang Lake is rich in aquatic plants, which create a hospitable environment for many rare species of freshwater fish. In addition, many kinds of rare birds are attracted to the lake, making it a popular destination for birdwatchers.

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The Echo Bird Tour - Destination 4

Huang Shan... Land of Yellow Mountains

Xian stands as a living history book of the great changes of the Chinese nation. Called Chang\'an in ancient times, Xian is one of the birthplaces of the ancient civilization in the Yellow River Basin area of the country. During Xian\'s 3,100 year development, 13 dynasties such as Western Zhou (11th century BC - 771 BC), Qin (221 BC - 206 BC), Western Han (206 BC - 24 AD) and Tang (618 - 907) placed their capitals here.

Day 10: Mt. Huang Shan

Mt. Huang Shan has a spectacular landscape with four unique types of scenery: stunning shaped rocks, picturesque waterfalls, shaped pine trees growing out of rocks, and a sea of clouds. On Huang Shan, you will find the sheer beauty, the grace, and the breathtaking elegance of nature at its most creative. Huang Shan\'s ever-changing scenes attract tourists in all seasons and has inspired countless Chinese painters and poets for thousands of years.

Mt. Huang Shan boasts 72 peaks more than 1,000 meters above sea level, with three main peaks rising majestically. They are both fascinating and dangerously steep. Cliffs, stone forests, stone pillars, stone blocks and egg-shaped stones form the unique granite geomorphological scenery awaiting your discovery.

Day 11: Wuyuan

Wuyuan is a highly coveted tour stop due to its breathtaking natural scenery, well-maintained ancient villages, special folk customs and famous bird paradise.

In addition to being dubbed the most beautiful village in China, Wuyuan is also home to the beautiful and rare yellow-throated laughingthrush. With nearly 200 conservation areas, Wuyuan attaches great importance to the protection of its natural resources.

Numerous bird species pass through the sky in Wuyuan including the Chinese Sparrowhawk, Common Kestrel, and Grey-Streaked Flycatcher. A recent informal survey found over 108 different types of birds in just five days.

Wuyuan is also famous for the well-kept architecture of AnHui housing which is surrounded by the serenity of mountains, brooks, and tea plants.

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The Echo Bird Tour - Destination 5

Shanghai... Where Old World Meets New

Today\'s Shanghai is a multi-cultural metropolis with both modern and traditional Chinese features. Bubbling Shanghai shows off every aspect of her unique glamour.

Shanghai is a scintillating city swirling with rapid cultural change. Since market restrictions were lifted, it has embraced the forces of business and design and rewritten its rule book shaping a fresh, new city that is sophisticated, innovative and living a life it has never lived before.

A wide variety of cuisines can be found in the city and today Shanghai offers a plethora of culinary delights focusing on the traditions of Beijing, Yangzhou, Sichuan, Guangzhou as well as its own local dishes. Shanghai\'s restaurants are among the finest to be found in China and they welcome diners from anywhere at any time.

Day 12 am: Visit Yuyuan Garden

Yuyuan Garden is a famous classical garden located in Anren Jie, Shanghai. The garden was finished in 1577 by a government officer of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) named Pan Yunduan. Yu in Chinese means pleasing and satisfying, and this garden was specially built for Pan\'s parents as a place for them to enjoy a tranquil and happy time in their old age.

In the 400 years of its existence, Yuyuan Garden has undergone many changes. During the late Ming Dynasty, it became very dilapidated with the decline of Pan\'s family. In 1760, some rich merchants bought Yuyuan Garden and spent more than 20 years reconstructing the buildings. The Yuyuan Garden you see today is the result of a five year restoration project which began in 1956. The garden was open to the public in September, 1961.

Day 12 am: Visit an Old Shanghai Neighborhood

To the casual eye, Shanghai is a city obsessed modernity, from the stark space of People\'s Square to Huaihai Lu, where all the old buildings have been razed to make way for department stores or covered in green glass and converted into boutiques. The sense of timeless and tranquility that can be found in China\'s older and more \'Chinese\' cities seems to be lacking in the midst of Shanghai\'s fast-paced bustle. That is, unless you know where to look.

Beyond the tourist theme parks of Yuyuan and the \'Shanghai Old Street\' lies a little known treasure trove of living history. In Old Shanghai, as foreign ways and architecture dominated the rest of the city, its \'Chinatown\' was a crowded place of winding streets, vibrant markets, entrenched customs and a lifestyle that remained relatively unaltered despite the rapid pace of change around it. That description still holds true today, and the little back lanes of the Old City remain an intriguing anachronism of the way life was lived a century ago.

Day 12 pm: Visit The Bund

The Bund, also called the Zhongshan Road, is a famous waterfront and regarded as the symbol of Shanghai for hundreds of years. It starts from the Baidu Bridge, which is at the connecting point of the Huangpu River and the Suzhou Creek, to the East Jinling Road and winds less than one mile in length. Walking along the Bund, which is at the west shore of the Huangpu River, the Oriental Pearl TV Tower can be seen on the opposite side and also the Jin Mao Tower. Being one of the Top Ten Shanghai attractions, the Bund is a really beautiful and special place which is worth visiting.

The most famous and attractive sites are the 52 various buildings of different architectural styles including Gothic, Baroque, Romanesque, Classicism and the Renaissance. The Bund was the centre of Shanghai\'s politics, economy and culture hundreds of years ago, consulates of most countries and many banks, businesses and newspaper offices were settled there.

Day 12 pm: Visit Jin Mao Tower

Being the third tallest building of the world and the tallest building in China, Jin Mao Tower is located in the center of Lujiazui Finance and Trade Districts in Pudong.

The 88-stories Jin Mao Tower was completed in 1999. It is almost 1,380 feet tall and covers an area of almost 6 acres.

Jin Mao includes modern offices, a deluxe 5-star hotel, exhibition halls, banquet halls, an observation deck, and entertainment facilities.

The tower has the best elevators available. Two direct elevators operate at the speed of nearly 30 feet per second that can send visitors from the ground floor to the 88th floor for only 45 seconds. There are also five to six elevators every 10 floors, which reduce waiting-time to 35 seconds even during busy times.

Day 13: Visit Chongming Island East Beach

Approximately one million migratory birds now spend the winter on Chongming Island, Shanghai, according to a recent survey. These birds, of more than 100 species, include some 100 hooded cranes, one of the world\'s most endangered crane species.

Experts say Chongming Island, China\'s third largest at the mouth of the Yangtze River, is very important for the survival of birds migrating between Northeast Asia and Australia. Every year large numbers of migratory birds arrive on the island, residing mostly on its eastern end in a wetland area of some 220 square kilometers, about one-fifth of the island\'s land mass. In 1998, the municipal government set up a nature reserve on the island to better protect the habitat of rare birds.

The reserve, covering more than 326 square kilometers, has since become home to an increasing number of bird species during the winter, including cranes and storks from northeast China and Siberia.

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