Grand China Journey: Capitals, Mountains and the South

Meet the representative at Beijing International Airport and transfer into the city for hotel check-in. The rest of the day is deliberately unstructured, allowing time to recover from the flight or walk nearby at your own pace. An independent visit to Universal Studios Beijing or another city attraction is possible if timing permits, but tickets and transport are arranged separately.

Walk through the Forbidden City, the early-fifteenth-century palace used by 14 Ming and 10 Qing emperors. Its sequence of gates, ceremonial courtyards and throne halls introduces the formal world of the imperial court. Continue to the UNESCO-listed Temple of Heaven, where rulers performed state rites for a good harvest. The day's historical programme concludes with a Peking duck dinner, served in the familiar Beijing style with pancakes, vegetables and sauce.

Begin at the UNESCO-listed Summer Palace, where pavilions, halls and long covered walks frame Kunming Lake. See the Long Corridor and Marble Boat area while learning how architecture and landscape were composed as one garden ensemble. Continue to a scenic mountain section of the Great Wall. Walk its fortified path across the terrain and pause for wide ridge views before lunch near the Wall and the return to Beijing.

Transfer to the station and travel by high-speed train to Luoyang. On arrival, visit the UNESCO-listed Longmen Grottoes beside the Yi River. More than 2,300 caves and niches contain almost 110,000 Buddhist stone figures, alongside inscriptions, stupas and monumental sculptures created principally between the late fifth and mid-eighth centuries. After the guided route, have the scheduled Henan lunch, check in at the hotel and use the evening for an independent walk or rest.

Travel to the UNESCO-listed monuments of Dengfeng at the foot of Mount Song. Visit Shaolin Temple and the Pagoda Forest, a memorial landscape of masonry pagodas associated with generations of senior monks. Watch the scheduled martial-arts demonstration, then have a vegetarian lunch at the monastery restaurant. Continue with a walk in the Songshan mountain setting, traditionally regarded as China's central sacred mountain, before returning to Luoyang for a free evening.

Take the high-speed train from Luoyang to Xi'an and meet the local guide on arrival. Continue directly to the UNESCO-listed mausoleum complex of the First Qin Emperor, where thousands of life-size terracotta warriors and horses stand in excavated pits. Return to Xi'an after the visit and check in. In the evening, choose among a Tang music-and-dance performance with dumpling banquet, The Great Qin show or Tang Paradise, all available as separately ticketed options.

Transfer to Xi'an Airport and fly to Zhangjiajie. Meet the local team after landing, continue to the hotel and check in, leaving time to rest after the journey. In the evening, an optional local production may introduce regional stories through dance, costume and music. The performance is available at additional cost, leaving you free to attend or keep the evening for rest.

Enter Zhangjiajie National Forest Park and explore Yuanjiajie within the wider UNESCO-listed Wulingyuan landscape. Narrow quartz-sandstone pillars rise above forested ravines, scenery promoted in Hunan as a visual prototype for Pandora's floating mountains in Avatar. Ride the 326-metre Bailong Elevator to the upper trails; Guinness World Records recognises it as the tallest outdoor elevator. Continue through a network of viewpoints and walking paths before returning to the hotel.

Cross the 430-metre glass bridge spanning Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon, with the canyon floor far below. Weather permitting, a zipline or canyon boat ride may add another perspective on the gorge. Continue to Yellow Dragon Cave, or Huanglong Cave, following a visitor route through limestone chambers, stalactites and stalagmites. Part of the underground experience is completed by sightseeing boat before the return to the hotel.

Ascend Tianmen Mountain by cableway and continue through the summit landscape by mountain transport. Follow high-level paths, cross a glass walkway when conditions allow and see Tianmen Cave, the natural arch known as Heaven's Gate. Afterwards, travel by road to Fenghuang. An evening walk introduces the old town beside the Tuojiang River, where bridges, narrow lanes and timber stilt houses form the historic riverside scene. Lighting after dark gives the waterfront a different character.

Travel by bus to the Longji Rice Terraces and check in at the planned hotel overlooking the slopes. Walk through the terraced landscape and visit a Yao community to learn about local crafts and daily life. In Huangluo Red Yao culture, the celebrated long-hair custom includes a coming-of-age haircut at 18. Field colour and agricultural activity change with the season, while the mountain contours remain visible year-round.

Leave the Longji area and travel to Yangshuo through southern China's changing rural landscape. Check in at the hotel near the karst hills and keep the afternoon free for rest or an independent walk. In the evening, an optional outdoor production may use mountains, water and lighting as part of its setting. The performance is available at additional cost, leaving the evening flexible.

Travel to Xingping for a boat trip on the Li River through the tower-karst landscape of the Guilin region. See the riverside scenery associated with the image on China's 20-yuan banknote. Back on land, walk along Xingping's old street among traditional façades, small shops and teahouses. Return to Yangshuo later in the day, with the evening free.

Travel from Yangshuo to Guangzhou and begin an evening introduction to the city after arrival. Walk beside the Pearl River for views of illuminated bridges, business districts and contemporary architecture. Continue to the area around the 600-metre Canton Tower, Guangzhou's defining modern landmark, to see the skyline after dark. Check in at the hotel following the city programme and gather for the scheduled farewell dinner.

Keep the morning free according to your flight time, with space to pack, rest or walk independently near the hotel. At the appointed time, meet the driver for the transfer to Guangzhou Airport. The fifteen-day escorted route concludes at the terminal before your onward flight.