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Beijing	→	Xian	→	Chengdu	→

Jing De Zhen	→	Suzhou	→	Shanghai

The Bird Tour

The Craft Tour

The Golf Tour

The Health Tour


The Kung Fu Tour	The Meditations Tour	The Silk Road Tour

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The Echo Craft Tour

The Majesty of Chinese Craftmanship... And Much More!

With thousands of years of history behind their development, Chinese crafts are as culturally significant as they are beautiful. From the intricate designs of paper-cut to the brilliant colors of cloisonne to the astounding detail found in embrodiery, China leads the world in the creation of these beautiful works of art.

Destinations on the Craft Tour include:

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The Echo Craft 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.

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The Echo Craft 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 5 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 6 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 6 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 6 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.

Day 7 am: Paper Cut Factory

Paper-cut is a very distinctive visual art of Chinese handicrafts. It originated from the 6th century when women used to paste golden and silver foil cuttings onto their hair at the temples, and men used them in sacred rituals. Later, they were used during festivals to decorate gates and windows. After hundreds of years\' development, now they have become a very popular means of decoration among country folk, especially women.

Although other art forms, like painting, can also show similar scenes, paper cutting still stands out for its charm - exacting lines and ingenious patterns which are all hand-made.

Day 7 pm: Shadow Play

The Chinese shadow play is a kind of puppet show as well as an ancient Chinese play. The "figures" on performance are made of donkey skin, oxhide and sheep skin. After tanning and flattening, the skins are carved, colored, ironed flat and bound into different shapes, which are controlled and played on the screen by artists through lights. Accompanied by music and singing, they become very interesting artistic images, which can \'tell stories of hundreds of dynasties\'.

The Chinese shadow play has close ties with other Chinese arts. It is a flat carving art, which is similar to the folk paper-cutting. From the modeling of figures, stage property, horses and carts and buildings of the shadow play, it is similar to the figures of local operas. The figure of a shadow play can be carved only from the front side. The modeling of the shadow play stresses on empty instead of solid, forming a contrast between the empty and solid and projecting the image.

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The Echo Craft Tour - Destination 3

Chengdu... The Country of Heaven

Chengdu is the capital of \'Heavenly State\' (Tian Fu Zhi Guo), habitat of giant pandas and city of cotton-rose hibiscus.

Located in the west of Sichuan Basin and in the center of Chengdu Plain, Chengdu covers a total area of 12.3 thousand square kilometres (4,749 square miles) with a population of over 11 million.

Day 8 pm: Giant Panda Research Center

China\'s giant pandas are not only a national treasure but are also beloved by people the world over. They are found only in Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces. In total there are fewer than 1000, of which 80% are distributed within the territory of Sichuan province. When visitors from home and abroad come to Chengdu, Sichuan Province one of their main objectives will be to see the giant pandas for themselves.

Located just 6 miles away from downtown Chengdu, the Chengdu Panda Research Center has been created and imitates the pandas\' natural habitat to provide the best possible environment for rearing and breeding.

The Center also cares for other rare and endangered wild animals and covers an area of 92 acres. Giant pandas, lesser pandas, black-necked cranes, white storks as well as over 20 species of other rare animals are fed and bred at the Center throughout the year. Verdant bamboo, bright flowers, fresh air, a natural hill scene and a beautiful artificial view are merged ingeniously at the base.

Day 9: Embroidery Factory

Embroidery is a brilliant pearl in Chinese art. Embroidery is a traditional Chinese craft which consists of pulling colored threads through a background material with embroidery needles to stitch colored patterns that have been previously designed on the ground.

Chinese embroidery had already reached a high level early in the Qin and Han dynasties, and silk and embroidery were the main products transported along the ancient Chinese Silk Road.

The adoption of different needling methods resulted in different embroidery styles and technique schools. The four famous Chinese embroidery styles are the Su embroidery of Jiangsu Province, the Xiang embroidery of Hunan Province, the Yue embroidery of Guangdong Province and the Shu embroidery of Sichuan Province.

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The Echo Craft Tour - Destination 4

Jing De Zhen... The Porcelain Capitol of China

As the world-famed ceramic capitol, Jing De Zhen has a long history of making ceramics and a rich cultural heritage.

Pottery was first made in Jing De Zhen in Han Dynasty. In the first year in Jingde Reign of Song Dynasty (1004), the royal court decreed the city made porcelain wares for imperial use with the wording \'Made during the Jingde Reign\' printed on the bottom of every piece. Hence the city got its name \'Jingdezhen\'.

Jing De Zhen is also blessed with many landscapes and sites, such as perfectly preserved clusters of Ming and Qing dynasty buildings, an ancient play stage, the old Sanlu Temple, the Red Tower where the first emperor in Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzha\'ng, hid during a battle, and Jade Green Lake.

Day 10 pm: Old Street

Jing De Zhen Old Street is located on the west bank of the Chang River, in the center of Jing De Zhen. It is a famous street in China, renowned for its long history and beautiful traditions that come from its ancient culture. This street is composed of three parts each of which fully reflects its prosperous past and its important position as a transportation center: Ming Street, Qing Street and the Old Pier.

Not to be missed are several well-maintained residences, most of which were built during the Ming and Qing dynasties. These exquisitely designed and decorated residences were clearly the elite residences of their time and demonstrate the highest skills and architectural knowledge of Chinese artisans of their eras. Visiting these residences offers a unique view into the philosophical and artistic sensibilities of Chinese culture during their time.

A visit to Jingdezhen Old Street is one that will be filled with interesting sights and deep insights into ancient Chinese life and culture.

Days 11: Ceramic History Museum

Located in the Panlongshan in the western suburb of Jing De Zhen City, the Ceramic History Museum is a professional ceramic museum covering an area of about 205 acres, and was built in 1980. The museum has a rich collection of over 5,000 articles. Items on display include ceramics from past dynasties, historical information about ceramics, precious collections of paintings and calligraphies, among which many are of excellent quality.

In addition to the wide variety of articles in the exhibition, the beautiful antique architecture of the museum itself is quite an attratction.

Nearby are a group of kiln-workshops in which the ceramics are manufactured. Tourists can not only watch the manufacturing process and appreciate the elaborate techniques, but also experience the process themselves and buy beautiful ceramic works.

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The Echo Craft Tour - Destination 5

Suzhou... Land of Beautiful Gardens

As the saying goes - \'Gardens to the south of Yangtze River are the best in the world, and Suzhou gardens are the best among them\'.

These gardens attain their grand reputation not only for their vast numbers, but also for their charming natural beauty and harmonious construction. At present more than 60 gardens are kept intact in Suzhou, and a series of them have been listed in the World Heritage List, including the Humble Administrator\'s Garden, the Lingering Garden, the Garden of Master of Nets and the Mountain Villa with Embracing Beauty.

Day 12 am: Humble Administrator\'s Garden

The beautiful waterside City of Suzhou in South China is most famous for its elegant classical gardens. Among these, the Humble Administrator\'s Garden, covering almost 13 acres, is the largest and most renowned. Due to its unique designs and ethereal beauty, the garden has garnered many special honors. Along with the Summer Palace in Beijing, the Mountain Resort of Chengde in Hebei Province and the Lingering Garden in Suzhou, it is considered as one of China\'s four most famous gardens. No other classic garden in the country has been honored more than this one.

The Humble Administrator\'s Garden was originally built in 1509 during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). It was initially a private garden of a former government servant named Wang Xianchen. It was said he intended to build a garden after retired and just do some gardening work like planting trees and vegetables there, which was said to be the life of a humble man by him, hence is the name of the garden. The garden was created upon the old relics of a resident and a temple. Water is the main background and its natural landscape includes small forests, hills and rock formations.

Day 12 pm: Tao Hua Wu Wood Cutting Society

Since the end of the Ming dynasty and into the Qing dynasty, Suzhou Tao-hua-wu wood-cutting has been recoqnized as one of China\'s finest styles of art. It later had such a great influence upon Japanese engravings that it was named \'the Suzhou Engraving\' by Japanese engraving historians and won international recognition.

After the Cultural Revolution in China, Suzhou engraving maintained the excellent work of traditional woodblock prints and introduced contemporary styles depicting the landscapes of the South Yangtze River to the world. This style of print has gained recognition both at home and abroad and has been exhibited extensively in England, Canada, Japan, U.S. and other countries.

Day 13 am: Choyers Silk Factory

Day 13 pm: Embroidery Factory

Suzhou embroidery is one of the oldest embroidery techniques in the world, with origins stretching back more than 2,000 years. Suzhou embroidery was one of the first embroidery styles to be developed in China, but its detailed needlework and intricate images are still produced today. It is a style characterized by brightly colored silk embroidered with well-proportioned and uncluttered representations of almost any pastoral scene, person, animal, or object.

Examples of Suzhou embroidery were so detailed and intricate that many people used the pieces as artwork, and some of the oldest pieces still in existence date back hundreds of years.

Suzhou embroidery as a technique has continued to grow and develop. In the years since its first appearance, many crafting schools have taught the technique, and an entire industry has developed to produce Suzhou embroidery pieces for sale both in China and on world markets. However, Suzhou embroidery is not just a commercial enterprise; master Suzhou embroiderers have practiced their craft for hundreds of years, creating some of the most detailed and beautiful pieces.

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The Echo Craft Tour - Destination 6

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 14: Visit a Watertown

Small nested rivers flow through the region south of the Yangtze river. The soil is fertile, and the weather is gentle. In ancient times, rivers were a primary means of transportation. Many canals were built to facilitate these water highways.

In recent history, wars, the cultural revolution, and the rapid economic development around Shanghai, Jiangsu, and the Zhejiang province has contributed to the \'destruction\' of countless numbers of these ancient towns and cultural relics. However, the Watertown culture is not completely destroyed.

Today, there are six famous and well preserved Watertowns remaining in Zhejiang and the Jiangsu Province. They are remarkably rich in culture and are being preserved at great expense by the local governments. In these Watertowns, one can see Chinese architecture over 1,000 years old including countless numbers of unique bridges and small Chinese boats. In a Watertown, you\'ll see an ancient culture and a way of living that is quickly fading from modern China.

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