China has long been in the news as a growing economy still relatively shrouded in mystery. The Greater KW Chamber of Commerce together with Goliger’s TravelPlus is proud to be able to offer an exclusive 12-day trip to China from April 15-26, 2015.
As recent as our 125th Anniversary Point of View speech by the Governor of the Bank of Canada Mark Carney, more influential bankers and policy makers are urging Canadian businesses to look to China and the Asian markets to help diversify and build exports. With this Experience China trip you can do that at an unbeatable price.
For more information about information meetings or future travel options under consideration please call us at 519.576.5000 or email Lester Holley. For more information about this trip be sure to contact Janet McVeigh from our partner Goliger’s TravelPlus by phone at 519.741.0770 x262.
Tuesday, February 10th @ 5:30pm at the Chamber Office (80 Queen St. N., Kitchener
$2,850 for Chamber Members
$3,050 for Non-Chamber Members
Prices based on Double Occupancy. Single supplement is $520.
Trip Includes:
Round Trip Air Fare, 4/5 star accommodations | Domestic Flights within China | Flight leaves from Toronto’s Pearson International | Daily Meals | Deluxe Tour Buses | Entrance Fees to Cultural Attractions | English Speaking Tour Guides
Day 1 – Toronto -> Beijing
Check in at Toronto International Airport for an afternoon flight HU7976 by 5:20pm to Beijing. Your adventure begins as you fly trans-Pacific aboard a wide cabin jetliner. Cross the International Dateline.
Day 2 – Beijing (Pullman South Beijing/5-Star)
Upon arrival in late afternoon, you will meet our professional English-speaking tour guide and transfer to the hotel by a private air conditioned tour bus. The rest of the day is at your leisure to explore this city once known as Peking to Westerns.
Day 3 – Beijing
Today, we start our sightseeing with a visit to the Tiananmen Square—the largest public city square in the world. From there you enter The Forbidden City to observe the 250-acre complex of palaces, pavilions, courtyards and gardens. After lunch, we visit the Summer Palace, a royal resort during the Qing Dynasty. A Peking duck dinner is prearranged to conclude your first day of sightseeing.
Meals Included: B|L|SD
Optional Tour: Peking Opera ( CAD 25/pp , CAD 40/pp for VIP seat )
Peking Opera is the masterpiece of China’s traditional culture and art and it is born in Beijing. Until today it is more than three hundreds years old. The Opera lasts an hour and thirty minutes, covering several different plays, of which some are full of fighting and some traditional singing and dancing. The show is beautiful for its colorful costumes, impressive facial designs and staging style of oriental culture.
Day 4 – Beijing (Great Wall, Ming Tombs, & more sights)
We drive 70km northwest from the city of Beijing for a full-day excursion to the Great Wall — the world’s longest man-made structure, stretching over 6,352 km (3,948 miles) from Shanhai Pass in the east to Lop Nur in the west. Then we will visit the Ming Tombs. On the way back we have an opportunity to stop for picture-taking at the Bird’s Nest and Water Cube where the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games were hosted.
Meals Included: B|L|D
Optional Tour: The Legend of Kung Fu (CAD 35/pp)
The Legend of Kung Fu is the a production which combines the elements of kung fu, story-telling, acrobatics, modern dance, and original music to celebrate the philosophy and skill of martial arts. The show tells the story of a young boy, Chun Yi (the pure one), who in order to pursue spiritual and physical harmony is apprenticed as a monk to learn kung fu. Along the way he overcomes obstacles, is distracted and tempted, but ultimately achieves the designation of master who will enlighten the younger generations. Invited by Canada’s most experienced cultural brokers, John Cripton of Great World Artists, ‘Chun Yi: The Legend of Kung Fu’ had its first North America tour from August 2005 to January 2006. During the time, it played 150 performances in Vancouver, Toronto, Reno and other North American cities and won enormous audience admiration.
Day 5 – Beijing -> Xi’an (Empark International Hotel Xi’an/5-star)
In the morning, we visit the Temple of Heaven and join local residents in practicing Tai Chi and morning exercises in the park. After lunch we will take a Hutong tour by rickshaw ride to look around Beijing’s traditional old alleys and visit local residential courtyards. Take a late afternoon flight to Xi’an – an ancient Chinese capital city for 13 dynasties and the home of the incredible Terracotta Army. Transfer to hotel upon arrival.
Meals Included: B|L|D
Day 6 – Xi’an
Today, we drive 30km east of the city to visit the excavation site of the Terracotta Army, followed by visiting Shan’xi Museum.
Meals Included: B|L|D
Day 7 – Xi’an -> Shanghai -> Suzhou (Howard Johnson Wuzhong Business Club Resort/5-star)
Our morning city tour in Xi’an includes visiting the Ancient City Wall and Old Street. Take an afternoon flight to Shanghai — a world-class modern metropolitan, Make immediate transfer to Suzhou upon arrival.
Meals Included: B|L|D
Day 8 – Suzhou
This 25th-century-old city is best known for its traditional Chinese gardens, silk industry and well-preserved Grand Canal. Our schedule today includes the Master of the Nets Garden, and a silk spinning mill and an embroidery institute to see the amazing art on silk.
Meals Included: B|L|D
Optional Tour: Canal cruise in Suzhou (CAD 35/pp)
It will be over one hour boat ride on the canals. That will be quite an experience for you. Part of the cruise will be on the ancient Grand Canal, which was dug up over 1,300 years ago. This Grand Canal with a total length of 1,100 miles is the longest man-made canal in the world, far longer than the Suez Canal and the Panama Canal. It is one of the two most famous engineering feats in China. And part of the cruise will be on the smaller side canals in the old part of the city. This will be the most interesting part of the cruise. Since you can not only see the water country view with old arched bridges and old houses on the two sides of the canal, which this city is famous for, but also you will get a firsthand view of what life is like living on the canal. Laundry hanging on lines to dry, children playing and waving, potted plants bathing in the sun and women doing laundry in the canal are common sights along the canal. Half way of the cruise you will also make a stop in the old part of the city to explore the real life of the ordinary people. There is a local market there, and you will have the chance to see a lot of interesting things of the daily life of the local natives. That will also be a fun experience. The canal cruise will be the charm of the “Venice of the East”. Any passengers who do not attend the Canal Cruise will be accompanied to visit the arts & crafts market without any additional payment.
Day 9 – Suzhou -> Wuxi (Double Tree by Hilton Wuxi New District/5-star)
This morning we drive to Wuxi, visit one of the largest Fresh Water Pearl Farms in the country, followed by the Lingshan Grand Buddha. Later, stroll along Nanchang Street, a charming and fashionable pedestrian street composed of both ancient and modern architectural styles
Meals Included: B|L|D
Day 10 – Wuxi -> Shanghai (Crown Plaza Shanghai/5-Star)
Today’s sightseeing includes visiting the Yuyuan Garden, Town-God Temple bazaar, Shanghai Museum and The Bund — a waterfront promenade famous for its landmark neoclassical buildings of European style.
Meals Included: B|L|D
Optional Tour: ERA SHOW (CAD 45/pp)
Invested with nearly $10 million created by international masters, the first of it kinds in China , ERA is a multimedia odyssey whose inspiration is a direct result of the combination of traditional Chinese acrobatic arts and modern technology. Just like Shanghai, ERA evolves through a constant collision between the past and future. ERA is a love story, yet it is also a contemplation across the millennia, a fascination with that other dimension man has yet to conquer: time. Not only will the audience be amazed by the acrobats’ control and precision, they will be enchanted by the world that is created through the use of multimedia, technology, lighting and sound effects, elaborate costumes, original live music and a lot more. The one and a half hour show tells of a fascinating story with a journey of “past”, “present” and “future”. The audience will be subject to the stimulation of vision, wind, smoke, odor, surrounding sound and effect of light or no light… Making them become a show participants. As such, ERA can remain universal, without language or cultural barriers.
Day 11 – Shanghai
Today is yours to spend at leisure — exploring China’s most dynamic city on your own is easy and enjoyable. Our recommended to-do list includes a visit to glitzy Pudong New District, a ride aboard the Maglev train, and the popular evening cruise on Huangpu River to enjoy the city’s spectacular neon-lit skyline.
Meals Included: B
Optional Tour: Huangpu River Cruise (CAD $45)
Huangpu River, a symbol of Shanghai, originates in Dianshan Lake and empties into the Yangtze River at Wusongkou (mouth of Wusong River). It is 114 kilometers (71miles) long and 400 meters (0.25 miles) wide. It is ice-free year round. The river divides Shanghai into east and west. It is a silent eyewitness to Shanghai’s history and its development. Cruising on the Huangpu River has become a must for most visitors to Shanghai.
Day 12 – Shanghai -> Toronto
Bid farewell as we transfer to the airport for a return flight home.
Meals Included: B
234 King St. S.
Waterloo, ON N2J 1R3
519.741.0770 x262
TICO #50013745
