Depart Australia to Beijing. You will be met and transferred to your hotel for three nights.

Today you visit Tiananmen Square, the largest City Square in the world. From Tiananmen Square, visitors enter the gates of the Forbidden City. This massive complex was the centre of the Ming and Qing dynasties. With almost 10,000 rooms, this remarkable, well-preserved imperial palace is the largest palace in the world. After lunch, you take trishaw ride to visit the Hutongs, which is an ancient city alley, to experience the life of the local people. Afterwards you take a traditional Chinese sculled cruise on Houhai Lake, where you can enjoy the beautiful scenery while listening to Chinese music played by a local on board (available from April to October). Dinner will be served at the hotel.

Today you visit the Great Wall of China. This is the pride of China and one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It is one of the most amazing man-made structures. After climbing the Great Wall, you visit the Summer Palace, which is the largest and best preserved of all the imperial palace gardens, and boasts such delights as the "Marble Boat" and the ornately painted "Long Corridor". You then head off to the 2008 Beijing Olympic venues of the Bird’s Nest and Water Cube for a photo stop. Dinner tonight is the famous Beijing Duck Banquet.

This morning you take a tour to the Temple of Heaven, a Ming Temple where the Emperors performed annual rites essential for the well being of their land. Next you depart on an afternoon flight to Yichang where you board our 5 star deluxe river vessel the MV Century Star

Depart from Yichang on your voyage upstream. Passing through the five-stage shiplock system on the north bank, the boat will be lifted through the locks more than 500 feet. Shore excursion to the Three Gorges Dam site, passing through Xiling Gorge, followed by tonight’s Captains welcome dinner.

Today you pass through Wu Gorge in the morning and take a shore excursion to Lesser Three Gorges or Shennong Stream. This afternoon you pass through the Qutang Gorge.

A morning shore excursion to Fengdu Ghost City. This afternoon relax onboard. Tonight is a farewell dinner on the cruise.

After disembarking in Chongqing this morning, you visit Erling Park, where you get a bird’s eye view of this amazing city, then onto the Great Hall of People and Chongqing Zoo to see the Pandas. This afternoon you fly to Xian, the most historical city in China, it used to be the capital of ancient China for 11 dynasties. You spend two nights in Xian.

Today you visit the "Terracotta Warriors". They are found at an archaeological site which so far has yielded some 8000 ancient terra cotta soldiers and horses, each a unique, finely detailed sculpture. You then visit to the famous ancient City Gate, followed by a delicious dumpling banquet and stage show at the Tang Dynasty Theatre.

A morning flight to Hangzhou. First you visit Huagang Park to see the Red Carp, then followed by boarding a cruise on the beautiful West Lake. This afternoon will be completed with a visit to a tea plantation where you can taste the tea as well as acquaint yourself with the ancient refining process of tea. You spend one night in Hangzhou. A buffet dinner is served at your hotel.

A morning visit to the small historical water town of Wuzhen, where you take a cruise on its zigzag waterways. After lunch you board your coach to Suzhou, referred to as the “Venice of the East” because it was built around a network of canals and bridges which fan out from the Grand Canal. Suzhou is also famous for its charming gardens. The Suzhou tour will begin with a visit to Tiger Hill with its Cloud Rock Pagoda. The pagoda is the symbol of Suzhou; it leans a bit to one side like the "Leaning Tower of Pisa" in Italy. Dinner is served at your hotel.

The morning you visit the picturesque "Humble Administrator’s Garden", which is best-known garden in Suzhou. The next stop will be Suzhou’s number one silk factory where you can witness, step by step, the production of the finest silk in China. This afternoon you board the coach to travel to China's largest city, Shanghai. Spend two nights in Shanghai. After dinner, head off to the theatre to see the amazing display of Shanghai acrobats

Today you tour the city of Shanghai visiting Yu Yuan Garden, a classical Ming Dynasty garden with pavilions, towers and terraces, followed by the Chenghuangmiao Bazaar. After lunch, you head to the new district across from the Bund called Pudong to experience the economic booming of China. Afterwards you visit the Bund and Nanjing Road, the longest shopping street in China. You also visit the modern Shanghai Museum before you head back to your hotel. A western dinner is served tonight.

Today is at leisure. A late checkout till 6pm, then your tour guide will accompany you on the Shanghai Maglev, the fastest train in the world, to the airport for your flight home to Australia.

Arrive in Australia in the morning.