13 Days China Muslim Experience Tour

Our professional Muslim expert tour guide will pick you up at Beijing capital international airport and transfer you to the hotel. Relax during the remainder of the afternoon and evening to recover from the jet lag.

We will start to explore Beijing from the largest city square in the world; the impressive Tian'anmen Square. From there we will enter the "Imperial Palace" known as the Forbidden City to explore its many fascinating halls and pavilions. After lunch and prayer at Niujie Mosque we will visit the Temple of Heaven, the place where the Emperors worshipped the Heaven for good harvests. Today’s shopping stops are the Muslim Supermarket and Traditional Chinese herbal medicine of Tongrentang.

Today is the highlight of our China tour, the climbing of the Great Wall of China. In 220 B.C., under Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China, sections of earlier fortifications were joined together to form a united defense system against invasions from the north. Construction of the great wall continued up to the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), when the Great Wall became the world's largest military structure. Its historic and strategic importance is matched only by its architectural significance. In the afternoon we will visit the Ming Tomb Sacred Way where we will learn the ancient Chinese Fengshui Theory. On the way to the Great Wall, we will make a stop at Bona jade carving factory where we will learn the ancient art of jade carving skills.

In the morning we will visit the largest garden in the world, the Summer Palace. The Summer Palace first built in 1750, largely destroyed in the war of 1860 and restored on its original foundations in 1886, is a masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design. The natural landscape of hills and open water is combined with artificial features such as pavilions, halls, palaces, temples and bridges to form a harmonious ensemble of outstanding aesthetic value. After afternoon prayers at Madian Mosque, we will fly to Lanzhou.

In the morning we will drive to Linxia, a Muslim city nicknamed the Little Mecca of China. Along the way we will pass numerous a mount of Muslim villages with hundreds of thousands of mosques built both traditional Chinese and Arabic style. We will stop at some of the villages to experience the local life and communicate with them about their daily life. Upon arrival in Linxia we will visit Muslim community, Madrassah, Mosques and local Bazaar in the Muslim city of Linxia.

After breakfast at hotel we will drive back to Lanzhou. Lanzhou is the capital city of Northwest China’s Gansu province with a large Muslim population. After lunch we will visit the largest mosque in Lanzhou, the Xiguan Mosque which was recently renovated according to traditional Arabic style. Later on we will visit the Water Wheel Park and Gansu Provincial Museum. We will fly to Xian after dinner in Lanzhou.

After breakfast at hotel we will drive for about 45 minutes to the Eighth Wonder of the World, the Terra Cotta Warriors of Emperor Qin Shihuang. This is one of the greatest archaeological discoveries in the world with three exhibition halls, the largest of which is 180 meters by 60 meters, housing the continuing excavation of an army of 8,000 terra-cotta soldiers and horses that guard the tomb of Qin Shihuang, the first emperor of the unified China. It is a stunning exhibition of ancient artifacts that is well laid out and easy to view. Back to the city in the afternoon, we will visit Shaanxi History Museum, which houses a large collection of historic and cultural artifacts unearthed in Shaanxi Province.

We will visit the Stone Tablets Museum in the morning. Named by UNESCO as one of the 50 famous museums in the world, the Stone Tablets Museum was built on the site of the original Xian Confucius Temple constructed in the Song Dynasty (AD907-AD1279). This is the best known Museum in China for its collections of Stone Tablets where masterpieces of ancient Chinese calligraphers' work were carved and Confucius classic works are preserved. In the afternoon, we will visit the most famous mosque in Xian, the Tang Dynasty constructed Great Mosque of Xian (built in 742) and its nearby Muslim community and Bazaar.

We will fly to Guangzhou in the morning. Upon arrival in Guangzhou we will visit the Tang Dynasty (618-907) built Huaisheng Mosque and Muslim Sage’s Tomb. Guangzhou’s Huaisheng Mosque (also named Guangta Mosque) is believed to be the earliest mosque built in China. The meaning of Huaisheng in Chinese can be understood as "devoted to the Prophet", or else "devoted to the sage (Sa’d ibn Waqqas)". The Muslim Sage’s Tomb looks like an ancient Chinese temple, with walls surrounding its four corners. History recorded that Nabi Muhammad (s.a.w), at the age 57 sent his uncle Sa'd ibn Abi-Waqqas to Guangzhou. The Muslim Sage’s Tomb was to commemorate Sa'd ibn Abi-Waqqas who died in Guangzhou.

We will visit the Chen Family Temple in the morning. It is now the site of the Guangdong Folk Art Museum. This 100-year-old temple was once the ancestral temple and study of 72 Chen families in Guangdong in the Qing Dynasty. It is now the largest and best preserved and decorated ancient architecture existing in Guangdong Province. Later on we will visit the Memorial Hall of Dr. Sun Yat-sen and the symbol of Guangzhou, the Five Ram Statue at Yuexiu Park. After lunch we will be free to explore Guangzhou on our own.

Fly to Shanghai in the morning. Upon arrival in Shanghai, we will visit the third tallest TV tower in the world; the Oriental Pearl Tower. We will also stroll along the Bund and Nanjing Road to appreciate early 19th century European Style architectures.

After breakfast at hotel we will visit the Yuyuan Garden, which is characteristic of the architectural style of the Ming dynasty. The highlight of the day is shopping at the Chenghuangmiao Market, a great place to test your bargaining skills. Being the center of silk production of China, a visit to local silk factory can not be missed. We will also visit the Site of the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China and the Xintiandi, which is a newly developed recreation area in Shanghai with old styled buildings. We will visit the Songjiang Mosque in the afternoon.

After breakfast, we will be transferred to the airport for our homeward flight.