China Silk & Fabric Tour

Silk originated from China. This special Silk and Fabric tour will let you explore the Silk and Fabric in China from Shanghai to Hangzhou, Guizhou, Yunnan, Tibet, Xian and Beijing to acquire unique knowledge in China.

Itinerary
Day 1. Arrival Shanghai
Fly to Shanghai. Transfer to hotel upon arrival.
Overnight in Shanghai 5* hotel
Meals: None

Day 2. Shanghai City Tour
Hotel breakfast then start the city tour in Shanghai includingYuyuan Garden, Xintiandi(Former French Concession) and Shanghai Museum.
In Shanghai Museum, there is an exhibition about costume of various ethnic groups in China, very impressive. Walking tour to Bund in the evening.
Overnight in Shanghai 5* hotel
Meals: Breakfast and lunch

Day 3. Shanghai– Hangzhou Bullet train
Take a bullet train to Hangzhou (50 mins), it is where the silk originated from. Visit Hangzhou Silk Museum to explore the history of Silk in China. Afterwards move to Hangzhou silk market. Visit West Lake this evening.
Overnight in Hangzhou 5* hotel
Meals: Breakfast and lunch

Day 4. Hangzhou –Guiyang Flight
Take flight to Guiyang this morning. Drive 1.5 hour to Anshun, visit batik workshop of Master Hong, who’s one of the 10 top folk artist in China. Try hand on batik making. Return to Guiyang this late afternoon.
Overnight in Guiyang 5* hotel
Meals: Breakfast and lunch

Day 5. Guiyang – Kaili (180km, 3 hours)
Drive 2.5 hours on the highway to Kaili, capital city of both the Miao & Dong minority. We spend 1 hour in Kaili Museum to get an overall view of the textile art of the minorities in Guizhou. After our light lunch in Kaili, we drive 30 minutes to Matang, a village inhabited by Gejia people, known for their batik making and embroidery. Meet Madam Yang, one of the top 10 batik maker in Guizhou.
Overnight in Kaili 5* hotel
Meals: Breakfast and lunch

Day 6. Kaili
Drive 1 hour to a small village near Sankeshu town, see how local Miao ladies make Braided Cord embroidery and Crepe embroidery. Both these 2 skills can be easily found on their festive costumes.
Overnight in Kaili 5* hotel
Meals: Breakfast and lunch

Day 7. Kaili-Kunming Overnight train
Visit local textile workshop in Kaili, meet Madam Xu or Madam Yang, both have excellent minority textile collection. A lecture of minority textiles will be given by either of them.
Catch overnight sleeper train to Kunming.
Overnight on the train
Meals: Breakfast and lunch

Day 8. Kunming-Jianshui
In the morning arrival in Kunming by train, met and drive to Jianshui after breakfast ( about 220K, 3.5hours), in the afternoon visit the old village of Tuanshan where you will view the traditional minority dressing up traditionally. and the old town of Jianshui. Jianshui is a Yi and Hani minority county.
Overnight in Jianshui Tingziyun Resort Hotel or similar
Meals: Breakfast and lunch

Day 9. Jianshui – Jinping (about 180KM, 4hours)
In the morning visit the Confucian Temple and the Garden of Zhu Family. Then drive to Jinping, a Yao village. visit the local village on the road to explore local colorful costume.
Overnight in Xilong Hotel Jinping or similar
Meals: Breakfast and lunch

Day 10. Jinping—Yuanyang (about 160KM, 4hours)
Explore local market and nearby traditional Yao villages where you have opportunity to view local people make their own clothing in a traditional way. Afternoon drive to Yuanyang On the way explore the local Yi, Yao and Hani villages.
Overnight in Yuanyang Yunti Shencun Village Hotel or similar
Meals: Breakfast and lunch

Day 11. Yuanyang—Shilin(Stone Forest) ( 240KM, 5hours)
Yuannyang is a Hani people county, enjoy the imposing rice terrace here and colorful minority costume. Visit the local market and old town of Yuanyang, later afternoon drive to Shilin .
Overnight in Shilin(stone forest) Yinruilin Hotel or similar
Meals:Breakfast and lunch

Day 12. Shilin – Kunming (90km, 1.5 hours)
Visit Shilin, stone forest in the morning, then visit local embroidery workshop where you can buy and ship back home. Drive to Kunming this afternoon.
Overnight in Kunming 5* hotel
Meals: Breakfast and lunch

Day 13. Kunming – Lhasa FLIGHT
Transfer to Kunming airport to catch a flight to Lhasa in the morning. Upon arrival transfer to hotel in Lhasa, orientation walk near the hotel.
Overnight in Lhasa 5* hotel
Meals: Breakfast and lunch

Day 14. Lhasa
Spend the day exploring the highlights of the Tibetan capitol starting with the Potala Palace. The exotic structure stands 13 stories high and contains more than 1,000 rooms. The palace is divided into two sections. The White Palace, built in the mid-17th century, provided living quarters for the fifth through the fourteenth Dalai Lamas. From the White Palace, pilgrims climb to the central Red Palace, completed in the late 17th century and packed with chapels, ornate statues, and the gem-embellished tombs of past Dalai Lamas. The fifth Dalai Lama's tomb, made from two tons of gold, stands three stories tall. Afterwards visit the Tibet’s holiest shrine, the Jokhang Temple, at over 1300 years old it holds one of Tibet's most venerated images, a solid gold statue of Sakyamuni Buddha. Finish up with walk around the Barkhor area filled with thousands of pilgrims, shops and tea houses to relax and soak up the atmosphere, you can purchase Tibetan jewelry in the Tibetan shops here as well.
Overnight in Lhasa 5* hotel
Meals: Breakfast and lunch

Day 15. Lhasa
Sightseeing in Lhasa : Morning time will be spent in Drepung Monastery, which was built in 1416 being one of the six biggest monasteries for the Gelukpa sect. If you are interested, you can visit a local carpet factory and a Tangkha painting school.
In the afternoon, we will go to visit the Sera monastery where lively lama debating will be seen (except Sundays). Many lamas sitting or standing in the yard debate a certain topic their teacher has given.
Overnight in Lhasa 5* hotel
Meals: Breakfast and lunch

Day 16. Lhasa –Chueshur –Tsedang (250km)
Drive some 80 KM from Lhasa to Sayphu village of Chueshur county, visit local family textile. This family still keeps their traditional technology of textile, you have opportunity to talk with locals and discussion to local’s daily life.
Also you will enjoy the view of in the valley of Sayphu. After visit here you continue drive 100 km along and Brahmaputra river to Tranang county township, there is a local textile group in the town, those workers come from different villages and working for whole year in this textile factory. There are quite numbers of textile groups and handcraft factories in Tibet, and they still keep the traditional style, their product as Yak hear tent, Yak and sheep wool dress, scarf, Tibetan style shoes, blanket, sweater, pack etc of production equipments. You may enjoy to visit and directly to talk with any of them. In the evening drive to Tsedang.
Overnight in Tsedang hotel or similar
Meals: Breakfast and lunch

Day 17. Tsedang
Today we will drive to Samye Monastery. Situated in the north bank of the Yarlong Tsangpo (Brhamaputra )river, this monastery was built in 779 A.D, and presided over and constructed by Padmasambava and Trisong Detsen. It is the first monastery allowing tonsured monks to become real Buddhists. In the afternoon, back to Tsedang& visit Yumbu Lhakhang, which was first built by NyatriTsenpo, the first Tibetan king at the beginning of the 2nd century B.C..
Overnight in Tsedang hotel or similar
Meals: Breakfast and lunch

Day 18. Tsedangto Xian Flight
Transfer to Lhasa airport Take a flight to Xian, the old capital for Tang and Han Dynastic. Time permits, visit Muslim Quarter in the afternoon.
Overnight in Xian 5* hotel
Meals: Breakfast and lunch

Day 19. Xian
Drive to Terra-cotta Warrior Museum to explore in the morning. You will have opportunity to buy jade in the museum shop. Then visit Xian Fabric market to explore all kinds of fabric this afternoon.
Overnight in Xian 5* hotel
Meals: Breakfast and lunch

Day 20. Xian/Beijing Flight
Fly to Beijing this morning, then visit Tian’anmen Square and Forbidden City this afternoon.
Walking tour in the hutong and dinner is at local family in old Hutongs this evening.
Overnight in Beijing 5* hotel
Meals: Breakfast and lunch

Day 21. Beijing
Take a ride 2 hours to Mutianyu Great Wall to explore the ancient military project.
Afterwards visit a cloisonné enamel workshop.
Shopping time this afternoon, you can purchase furniture, pearls or silk clothing in shops, our guide will take you to the shops.
Overnight in Beijing 5* hotel
Meals:Breakfast and lunch

Day 22. Beijing - home
Morning visit Temple of Heaven where you can join local people to dance and sing.
Transfer to Beijing airport to take flight back to your home.
End of services.
Meals: Breakfast