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8 Days Beijing Shanghai Tour with Confucianism Exploration & Mount Tai Hiking

Explore Confucian & Taoist Culture in Shandong

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The province Shandong is conveniently located in the middle point of Beijing Shanghai high speed rail. It is the perfect stopover for your Beijing Shanghai tour. After spending three and a half days in Beijing exploring the heritage sites and hiking the Great Wall, you can hop onto a bullet train to Qufu where the siege Confucius was born in. Only about 1 hour’s drive from Qufu locates majestic Mount Tai which is the most sacred mountain in China as well as a beautiful UNESCO Heritage Site. After 2 memorable days in Shandong, you can take another bullet train to Shanghai to enjoy its modernity and hidden tradition. What a Chinese culture tour!

Highlights of this tour:

  • Experience the stunning contrasts of ancient and present, tradition and modern, East and West in Beijing and Shanghai;
  • Enjoy a leisure walking on Mutianyu section of Great Wall of China in Beijing;
  • Take the fastest Beijing-Shanghai high speed train for a refreshing experience;
  • Explore the culture & history of Confucianism in the birthplace of Confucius – Qufu;
  • Hiking up along the legendary path to the summit of Mount Tai and descend by cable car;
  • Visit a traditional Chinese water town near Shanghai – Zhujiajiao Water Town;
  • Fully-inclusive tour package covering hotels, trains, attractions, private guide and driver, etc.

Basic Trip Information

Price:
from Request
  1. 1. This price is for one person, based on a group of 2 adults sharing one double-bed room in a 4-star hotel and traveling in low seasons;
  2. 2. This price is subject to change according to your traveling season, group size, hotel class, change of activities and possible fluctuation of currency exchange rate.
Travel Route:
Beijing / Mount Tai / Qufu / Shanghai
Travel Length:
8 Days & 7 Nights
Tour Code:
CD-BSST-08
Group Size:
You, your family, friends or group
Experience:
ArchitectureCultureHikingPhotographReligious
Departure:
Any day you want
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Your tour - at a glance

Day 1~3 Arrival & Beijing Tour

Three full days and a half day sightseeing covering the grand Tiananmen Square, historical Forbidden City, spectacular Temple of Heaven, manmade wonder Great Wall of China, royal park Summer Palace, traditional Hutong, etc.

Day 4~5 High Speed Train from Beijing to Jinan & Jinan Tour

Take fast high speed train from Beijing to Jinan. Explore the Spring City by visiting Baotu Spring Park, Daming Lake and Spring City Square.

Day 6 Mount Tai Tour

Transfer from Jinan to Mount Tai and take one full day to explore the Taoist mountain.

Day 7 Qufu Tour & High Speed Train to Shanghai

On this day, visit three main sites of Confucius: the Confucian Temple, The Confucian Mansion and the Confucian Cemetery.

Day 8~9 Shanghai Tour & Departure

Experience the great contrast of Shanghai by visiting the traditional Yu Garden and Jade Buddha Temple, modern and prosperous Shanghai World Financial Center, Nanjing Road and the Bund etc.

Full Itinerary Day by Day

Day 1 Beijing Arrival

Ni Hao, welcome to Beijing, the iconic city as well as the capital of China!

You will be met by local tour guide at the arrival hall of Beijing Airport and escorted to check in your hotel in downtown by a private comfortable vehicle. The rest of today is on your own to relax. If you want to explore nearby, feel free to get some practical suggestions from your tour guide.

Arrival Ideals: At present, there are many international and domestic flights to Beijing. Besides, you can take a high speed train to this capital city from Shanghai (5-6 hrs), Xian (5.5 hrs), Guangzhou (8-9.5 hrs), etc.

Day 2 Beijing (B, L)

After breakfast, start to explore the historical face of Beijing with a brief visit to Tiananmen Square, now the largest city plaza in the world. Tiananmen Gate on the northern side of the square was the site where Chairman Mao announced the establishment of the People's Republic of China. Stepping into the Tiananmen, you will see one of the world’s five most important palaces – the Forbidden City, a huge palace complex of more than 9,000 rooms where 24 emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties lived. Pass through various doorways in this magnificent structure to admire the beautiful and well preserved buildings decorated with yellow-glazed tile roofs, white marble bases and splendid colorful paintings.

After lunch, drive to the outskirts of Beijing to spend an enjoyable time in the Summer Palace, the largest and best-preserved royal garden in China. Stroll around ancient pavilions, mansions, temples, bridges and corridors while feasting your eyes on the vast lotus in Kunming Lake and the colorful paintings in the Long Corridor.

Optional activities: 1) You can watch a wonderful Kungfu Show in the Red Theater (Hong Ju Chang) which usually starts at 19:30; 2) Enjoy the classic Chinese art performance of Beijing Opera at Liyuan Theater between 19:30-21:00.

  • Woo's group visited Tiananmen Square Woo's group visited Tiananmen Square
  • Forbidden City Photographed by Our Customer Forbidden City Photographed by Our Customer
  • Summer Palace Shot by Our Guest Nguyen in 2017 Summer Palace Shot by Our Guest Nguyen in 2017

Day 3 Beijing (B, L)

After breakfast, drive about 70km to witness one of the Seven Wonders of the World - the Great Wall. Visit the Mutianyu, a less crowded yet well-preserved segment of the Great Wall built in the Ming Dynasty. It will more than live up to all of your expectations! You’ll take a cable car to ascend the Great Wall, then hike the most beautiful and interesting part of Mutianyu. It's a wonderful experience to climb up its rising towers to enjoy scenic views and take brag-worthy photos of the wall wriggling along mountain ridges. After the exciting time, descend Mutianyu Great Wall by cable car. (Note: If energy permits, you can hike up or down which takes about 40 minutes to climb steps. Please tell your likes to your travel consultant.)

Continue your trip to Ding Tomb, the mausoleum of a 13th century emperor of the Ming Dynasty. Follow your tour guide to observe its geomantic arrangement as well as visit the underground palace for a closer observation. Then drive back to Beijing City and take a short stop at the Beijing Olympic Village to view its famous Bird’s Nest and Water Cube from the outside.

Optional activity: After the whole day’s tour, treat yourself a great dinner to taste the famous Peking Roasted Duck at Quanjude.

  • Mutianyu Great Wall Shot by Our Customer Kim Mutianyu Great Wall Shot by Our Customer Kim
  • Ding Tomb Ding Tomb
  • Our customers visited Bird's Nest in 2019 Our customers visited Bird's Nest in 2019

Day 4 Beijing & High Speed Train to Qufu (B, L)

After breakfast, drive to the imperial site of the Temple of Heaven. Originally a site used to pay homage to Heaven and pray for good harvests, it is now a bustling place where locals take part in traditional activities such as Tai Chi, dancing, kite flying, water calligraphy, and others.

Then get back to the central city to hop on a rickshaw to experience the Beijing Hutongs - small alleys made by neighboring quadrangle dwellings. Shuttle among different Hutongs to get a feel of the old Beijing lifestyle, visit various antique shops and small boutiques, and truly feel the historical changes of Beijing, also pay a visit to a local family’s home in the traditional Hutongs.

Your Beijing tour is now about to end. Your tour guide will see you off at railway station for a high speed train trip to Qufu (about 3 hours). Check into to your hotel in Qufu City. The rest of the day is on your own to explore this ancient city.

  • Temple of Heaven in Beijing Shot by Our Customer in 2018 Temple of Heaven in Beijing Shot by Our Customer in 2018
  • Hutong Shot by Our Customer Taylor Hutong Shot by Our Customer Taylor

Day 5 Jinan & Jinan to Tai’an (B, L)

Today you are going to explore the life story of the great sage Confucius and his influential Confucianism.

After breakfast, you will go to the South Gate of Confucius Temple to watch the grand ceremony of the city gate opening which usually starts at 8 AM, with grand performances of ancient music and dance. Then start to explore Confucius Temple which is the largest and most influential temple of Confucius in East Asia. It was originally constructed on the former residence of Confucius in 478 BC. Today, the Confucius Temple is not only a popular site to learn about Communism culture, but also an important site to hold many ceremonies, festival and events about Communism. The history of the tradition of paying homage in the Confucius Temple can be traced back to 205 BC when the emperor Gao of West Han Dynasty offered sacrifices to memorize Confucius and blessed for good fortune for his empire. Since then, many emperors and high officials followed Gao’s example. In total, there were 12 emperors of different dynasties came to Qufu Confucius Temple personally to worship Confucius.

Next site to the Confucius Cemetery which is the private cemetery of Confucius, his more than 100,000 descendants and some of his disciples. The oldest graves can be traced back to Zhou Dynasty, and the most recent graves belong to the 78th generation of Kong family. They are the witnesser of the dominant position of Confucianism in the long feudal society of China with great value to the study of the evolution of China's tomb system and ancient politics, economy, culture, customs, calligraphy and art.

In the afternoon, you will drive about 75km (1.5hrs) to Tai'an which is located at the foot of Mount Tai. Before checking in to your hotel, you will take a cultural visit to Dai Temple which is the epitome of Mount Tai's history and culture with important historical and artistic values. Originally built in the Han Dynasty, it is the place where ancient Chinese emperors worship the gods of Mount Tai and hold the ceremony of sacrifice. Dai Temple also acts as a national museum. It preserves the sacrificial utensils, offerings and handicrafts of the emperors of past dynasties to worship the God of Mount Tai.

Accommodate in Tai'an city.

Optional evening activity: enjoy the live show "Fengchan Ceremony" which is grand and magnificent in scale, integrated with beautiful music and dances, representing you the vivid scene of how ancient emperors of different dynasties paying homage and offering sacrifice to the God.

  • Han Dyansty Cypress in Dai Temple Han Dyansty Cypress in Dai Temple
  • Portrait of Confucius Portrait of Confucius
  • Dacheng Hall - Most Grandiose Building in Confucian Temple Dacheng Hall - Most Grandiose Building in Confucian Temple

Day 6 Mount Tai Hiking & High Speed Train to Shanghai (B)

After breakfast, meet your guide and driver in your hotel and drive about 75km (1.5hrs) to Mount Tai (1524m). Mount Tai is the holiest of all mountains in China. Because of its history, majesty and stunning scenery, it was listed as World Cultural and Natural Heritage Site (the first one of its category) in 1987, and was announced to be a World Geopark later in 2006. Mount Tai has been a significant place of worship for over 3000 years. It was regarded by the ancients as the heaven of "direct access to the throne". From Shihuang Emperor of Qin Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty, there were 13 emperors came to Mount Tai to offer sacrifices. The great sage Confucius once hiked the mountain and claimed “the world is small”.

You will arrive at the Tourist Center first, then shift on to a sightseeing bus (about 30mins) and head along a zigzag but stunning road to the halfway point of the Mount Tai – Zhongtianmen (Middle Heaven Gate 800m). The hiking trail starts from here to Nantianmen (South Heaven Gate), which is the most highlighting part of Mount Tai hiking with more than 6000 uprising steps The steep trails demand much energy and time. You can lower your pace with stops to visit the ancient temples, historical relics, spectacular pine trees and stone inscription of different times. Finally, you will get to Nantianmen (South Heaven Gate 1460m), which means you have already put your steps on the top of Mount Tai. It’s time to slow down your steps to explore the essence of Mount Tai. You can wander leisurely on the Heavenly Street, worship in the Jade Emperor Hall which has a centuries old altar used for worshiping ceremony, appreciate rock inscription of Chinese calligraphy, look out over the peaks, enjoy the sea of clouds, etc.

After about 2 hours’ exploration on Mount Tai, you will descend the mountain by a cable car. Take the sightseeing bus back to the tourist center. Your driver is ready to escort you to catch your high speed train to Shanghai (about 4 hours). Be picked up by local tour guide and check in to your hotel in Shanghai downtown.

Meal tips: Lunch is not covered because restaurants on the mountain are not as fancy as those in Tai'an city. You can bring some snacks and food, or buy some from the vendors on the mountain.

  • Hiking Trail to Nantianmen of Mount Tai Hiking Trail to Nantianmen of Mount Tai
  • Mount Tai Cable Car Mount Tai Cable Car
  • Mount Tai in Summer Mount Tai in Summer

Day 7 Shanghai (B, L)

You will take a full day of sightseeing to explore both the past and present of Shanghai. Your first stop is Shanghai Museum, one of the Best Four Museums in China. This modern museum, with a round top and a square base which symbolizing the ancient Chinese perception of the world as "round sky, square earth", has collected many international-standard exhibits of bronzes, paintings, calligraphy, sculpture, ceramics, jade from more than 5,000 years ago to the Qing dynasty. To help you learn about the history and facts about the relics in the museum easily, an Audio Explanation Device will be prepared for you.

Then you will take an interesting visit to Yu Garden, a shining star among all the ancient Chinese gardens in Jiangnan. This garden fully embodies the traditional design of Chinese architecture with jagged pavilions with elegant decorations, glittering pools with roving fish, and pine trees sprouting to the sky, all designed to refresh your mood and spirit. Adjacent to the garden is the Yuyuan Bazaar where you can savor tasteful local snacks and explore elaborate traditional Chinese handicrafts and art works. Next, you will drive several kilometers to enjoy a panoramic view of the modern face of Shanghai from the 100th floor (474m) of “the Eye of Shanghai” Shanghai World Financial Center

You will then be transferred to another popular landmark of Shanghai, Nanjing Road, a shopping paradise as well as a great place to take a wonderful walk to experience the modern atmosphere of the City. Lastly, you will stop at the Bund, originally a simple towpath for transporting goods but now transformed into a feverish trading district. You will stroll along the Bund, seeing and feeling the perfect fusion of Chinese and Western cultures while at the same time taking in the stunning Shanghai skyline with your own eyes! 

Optional activities: 1) Attend an entertaining Acrobatic Show, including breathtaking “balls of death” acts, chair balancing, hula hoops, juggling of benches, walking in the air, and other breathtaking performances (usually performed during 19:30~21:00); 2) Take a relaxing Huangpu River night cruise to see the city’s most significant edifices and streets sparkling under the atmospheric cover of darkness (about 50 minutes).

  • Tourists Took Photo at The Bund with Backdrop of Lujiazui Tourists Took Photo at The Bund with Backdrop of Lujiazui
  • Yuyuan Bazaar Shot by Our Customer Paul Yuyuan Bazaar Shot by Our Customer Paul
  • 474 M High Glass Walkway in World Financial Center 474 M High Glass Walkway in World Financial Center

Day 8 Shanghai Departure ( B, L )

After breakfast, about 1 hour's drive will take you away from the city's hustle and bustle to visit Zhujiajiao Ancient Town which is known as the Venice of Shanghai

Zhujiajiao has a history of 1,700 years and is a well-preserved waterside ancient town. You will stroll along Hundred-year-old North Street, take some awesome pictures on the Fangsheng Bridge, have a panoramic view of Zhujiajiao by climbing up to Yuanjin Buddhist Temple, enjoy some leisure time on the traditionally decorated boat, cruise along the canals and see the old residences, shops and bridges which are filled with classic architectural style in Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368 AD - 1911 AD).

After the water town tour, your guide and driver will escort you to the airport, railway station or port to catch your flight/train/ship to your next destination or home. Tour ends.

  • Zhujiajiao Water Town - Relax in the Quaint & Charming Jiangnan Area Zhujiajiao Water Town - Relax in the Quaint & Charming Jiangnan Area
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Recommended Add-on Options

+1 more day to visit the city of Gardens - Suzhou

Suzhou of over 2,500 years old is abundant with ancient culture and history of Wu State in ancient times.

City like Suzhou which gathers its best highlighting attractions together in the historical old city area is ideal for taking a day trip. This tour brings you the best features of Suzhou in a brief day tour - Appreciate the beautiful Lingering Garden, one of the four most famous classic gardens of China; Spend some leisure time on the Shantang Street to experience the very history and local life of Suzhou; Explore the most historical site in Suzhou – Tiger Hill; Have fun to see see how the exquisite silk garment is produced at No.1 Silk Factory.

Lingering Garden Spring
+2 more days to explore the Ancient heart of China - Xian

Xian, as the capital of 13 ancient China dynasties, is filled with amazing historic and cultural wonders. 

With only 2 days, you can travel the best highlights of ancient capital Xian at an enjoyable pace. The Day 1 is a full day visit to the famous Terracotta Warriors, Ancient City Wall, Local Snack Street - Muslim Quarter. In the Day 2, you have a half day for visiting to the symbol of Xian - Big Wild Goose Pagoda, and having an educational learning in Shanxi History Museum. The rest time is free for departure.

Our guests get viewed by the countless Terracotta Warriors

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  • +1 more day to visit the city of Gardens - Suzhou
    +2 more days to explore the Ancient heart of China - Xian

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