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November 1-15, 2013
With tour leaders Erica Jantzen and Audrey Voth Petkau
In a world that continues to shrink, China is still a mystery to many. Join us in discovering China’s many amazing wonders – natural and cultural, ancient and modern. On this tour, you will have the opportunity to explore major cities – such as Beijing and Shanghai – but also to take a leisurely river cruise along the Yangtze River to see the newly-completed Three Rivers Gorge. We will also get to know China’s dynastic past as we visit cultural sites. You will have opportunity to worship with Chinese Christians and to learn about exciting work that is transforming China’s future. Tour leader Erica Jantzen, who completed numerous teaching assignments in China and who has led two previous TourMagination tours to this country, will introduce you to this country she loves. TourMagination’s Audrey Voth Petkau will take care of tour details so that you can enjoy the marvels of China.
Click here to view past blog posts from China
Our group will meet up at the San Francisco Airport, where we will take an overnight flight to Beijing. It will be early evening when we arrive. We will have an evening meal and go to bed early to be ready for our adventures.
 The Forbidden City
After a good night’s rest, we will begin our tour of China by exploring the city of Beijing. A highlight will be a visit to Tiananmen Square – still the world’s largest public square. We will also enjoy touring the Forbidden City, home to 24 emperors of the Ming and Ching dynasties after its 1406 construction. We will enjoy an afternoon visit to the Summer Palace, China’s largest lakeside royal garden. We also plan to participate in a Christian worship service. Our day will conclude with a traditional Peking duck dinner.
Today will offer us an opportunity to climb the Great Wall of China, the enduring symbol of this country that took a million men and ten years to build and can be seen from outer space. We will also visit the Ming Tomb Museum with its many beautiful artifacts.
Have your cameras at the ready this morning as we visit the graceful Temple of Heaven, built during the Ming Dynasty. This afternoon, we will fly to Xian, an important city that was the cradle of ancient Chinese civilizations and the departure point for the Silk Road.
This morning, we will visit a UNESCO World Heritage site as we explore one of the pits where, in 1974, thousands of Terra Cotta warriors were found surrounding the burial site of the first emperor of China. We will also visit Xian’s Bell Tower, City Wall, and the beautiful Hua Qin Hot Springs, famed for its romantic and artistic history, before partaking in a delicious dumpling banquet dinner. In the evening, we will enjoy a stage show that tells the story of the Tang Dynasty.
We must bid farewell to Xian and fly to Chongqing, where we will have a brief tour of this remarkable mountain city built on rock at the confluence of the Chang Jiang (Yangtze) and the Jialing Jiang rivers. We will learn about the massive engineering project that is the Three Gorges Dam at the Three Gorges Dam Museum. Following our sightseeing, we will board the Victoria Selina cruise ship, which will be our floating home for the next three nights.
 Amazing scenery on the Yangtze River
Sit back and enjoy the magnificent scenery as we cruise on the famous Yangtze River to the Three Gorges Dam – the largest dam in the world. This afternoon, we will go on shore for an excursion to Fengdu, the “city of ghosts” which is known for its mountainside temples and its forest park with magnificent stone carvings.
We will continue to travel through the Three Gorges today. We will board smaller boats that will allow us to travel through the Lesser Three Gorges on the Daning River to enjoy the spectacular views of clear water flowing over unusual stones between beautiful mountain peaks, as well as historic relics of ancient civilizations. You will also have time today to enjoy lectures and enjoy amenities onboard our ship.
This morning we will be amazed at the ingenuity it took to build the massive Three Gorges Dam, which provides China with tremendous power generation and flood control, but which is not without controversy as the dam caused flooding of land that had been home to two million people. After lunch, we will leave the ship and fly from Yichang to Hefei and continue by bus to Anqing.
Today we will visit and participate in an English class at the Anqing Teachers College under the direction of Esther Snader, who has taught there for many years and is a friend of Erica Jantzen. The university students’ enthusiasm and eagerness to learn the English language is inspiring. We also hope to visit the Christian church that meets in the ancient cathedral. We will want to explore the farmers’ market today, as well.
 Shanghai at night
This morning we will drive to Nanjing, one of China’s ancient capitals with a long and important history. There we will visit Amity Foundation and Press, whose work is similar to Mennonite Central Committee’s, to learn about their work in China and about how the church is growing. We will see the press where millions of Bibles are printed. In the afternoon, we will continue on to the now-sophisticated international city of Shanghai, an exhilarating metropolis.
China has long been known for its silk. Today we will visit a silk factory and then will take time to stroll in the Bund, a famous waterfront park that is a popular gathering place for people of all ages. After lunch, we will visit Yu Garden – an oasis in the city – and will have time to buy last minute souvenirs from local vendors nearby. We will enjoy our farewell dinner together, reflecting on the marvels we have seen and the people we have met in this country.
All too soon it is time for us to depart for North America, but we will leave with impressions and memories that will always stay with us. We have an early afternoon departure from Shanghai. Arriving in San Francisco on Friday morning, we will connect on to our home cities.
For further information regarding the complete tour fare, please
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