15 Days Splendid China Muslim 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 worlds 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 Xian, the ancient capital city of China as well as the starting point of the famous Silk Road.

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. Fly to Chengdu in the afternoon. Centrally located in the western Sichuan Plain, Chengdu is renowned for its fertile land and agricultural wealth, which have earned the city the nickname "Storehouse of Heaven".

Visit Dujiangyan Irrigation System in the morning. This system represents ancient Chinas superb science and technology, and is a milestone in the world history of water harnessing and irrigation technology advancement. Built around 256BC, Dujiangyan project is the oldest diversion project without a dam in the world. Still in use, it feeds a grid of irrigation canals watering 670,000 hectares of farmland, nurturing the Sichuan into Chinas famous "land of rice and dish" since ancient times. Back to the city in the afternoon we will visit the lovely Panda bears at Chengdu Panda Breeding Center and Dufu Thatched House.

Fly to Kunming in the morning. Upon arrival we will visit the West Hill and Dragon Gate. West Hill is located west of the Dianchi Lake and extends for more than 40 kilometers at an altitude of 2,500 meters above sea level. The top of West Hill is the Dragon Gate which is a group of grottoes, sculptures, corridors and pavilions that were hacked from the cliff between 1781 and 1835 by a Taoist monk.

After breakfast at hotel we will drive for about 80 miles to the southeast of Kunming to visit the Stone Forest. The Stone Forest covers an area of 2,670 square kilometers and was formed by karst two million to thirty mullion years ago. The Forest contains peaks, pillars, stalagmites, depressions, underground rivers, and caves. The fantastic stone pinnacles rising abruptly from the ground resemble a huge, dense forest. Back to the city in the afternoon we will visit the Shunchengxiang Mosque and its nearby Muslim district.

Fly to Guilin in the morning. After visiting Guilin Ancient Mosque in the afternoon we will visit the Reed Flute Cave and the Elephant Trunk Hill. The Reed, Flute Cave got its name from the verdant reeds growing outside it, with which people make flutes. Inside this water-eroded cave is a spectacular world of various stalactites, stone pillars and rock formations formed by carbonate deposition. Illuminated by colored lighting, the fantastic spectacle is found in many variations along this 240-meter-long cave.

Guilin, a cultural city with a history of over 2,000 years, is world famous for its serene landscapes and mysterious limestone formations mist covered hills and bamboo groves. The region boasts some of the most beautiful scenery in the world, and is one of the most photographed areas of China. The Li River cruise that we are going to take today from Guilin to Yangshou, following an 83 km long belt of strange landforms, is like traveling along a traditional Chinese Painting. You may be also in luck and seeing the ospreys catching fish on the river.

Fly to Guangzhou in the morning. After lunch we will visit and pray at the Huaisheng Mosque. Known as Guangta Mosque, this is one of the earliest mosques constructed since Islam came into China in the seventh century. We will also visit the Muslim Sage’s Tomb which 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 Wa-ke-su (Sad ibn Abi-Waqqas) to Guangzhou. The Muslim Sage’s Tomb was to commemorate Sad 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. Fly to Shanghai in the afternoon.

In the morning 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. After lunch 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, we will be transferred to the airport for our homeward flight.