Beijing, Xi'an, Chengdu, Guilin & Shanghai — 13 Days

Arrive in Beijing and transfer to your hotel. The rest of the day is free for you to settle in and recover from the journey before the touring begins in earnest tomorrow.

Begin in the Forbidden City, the Ming and Qing imperial palace of twenty-four emperors, whose courtyards and throne halls occupy the heart of the city. Cross the road to Jingshan Park for a view back over the rooftops, then drive to the Summer Palace, the Qing rulers' lakeside retreat built around Kunming Lake.

Travel out to the Great Wall at Mutianyu, a well-preserved Ming-dynasty section first built in the 6th century and rebuilt under the Ming, where you walk the ramparts between watchtowers. On the way back, pause for an exterior view of the Bird's Nest, the steel lattice stadium built for the 2008 Olympic Games.

Spend the morning at the Temple of Heaven, the Ming emperors' circular altar complex where they prayed for good harvests, set in a large walled park. Later drift through Shichahai's lakeside lanes and the Qianmen Street area, ending in a hutong to see how Beijingers have lived in courtyard homes for centuries.

Take the high-speed train west to Xi'an, the ancient Tang capital. On arrival your guide shows you the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, a 7th-century brick tower built to house Buddhist scriptures brought from India, and then the Tang Paradise Never Night City, a pedestrian quarter lit in Tang style.

Stand before the Terracotta Army, the thousands of life-sized soldiers buried since 210 BCE to guard the tomb of China's first emperor, Qin Shi Huang. Back in the city, walk the Ming-dynasty Xi'an City Wall and finish in the Muslim Quarter, where the cooking and crafts reflect Xi'an's place on the old Silk Road.

Board the bullet train south to Chengdu, the Sichuan capital. The remainder of the day is free for you to rest or explore the city at your own pace before tomorrow's panda visit.

Start at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, where pandas are raised and studied in a bamboo setting. Continue to Wenshu Monastery, a working Chan Buddhist temple, then pause in People's Park for a bowl of gaiwan tea before strolling Jinli Ancient Street, a Qing-style lane of snack stalls and crafts.

Ride the high-speed train to Guilin, famed for the karst hills that rise from the Li River plain. After arrival, visit Elephant Trunk Hill, the rock formation named for its likeness to a trunk drinking from the water, and the Sun and Moon Pagodas on the city's Ronghu Lake.

Cruise the Li River past the rounded karst peaks that have inspired Chinese landscape painters for a thousand years, then continue to the Yulong River and the Ten-Mile Gallery of rural scenery. The day ends in Yangshuo West Street, a lively lane of cafés and shops beneath the mountains.

Fly to Shanghai, China's commercial hub. The rest of the day is at leisure for you to relax or take an independent first look at the city.

Explore Yu Garden, a refined 16th-century Ming private garden of pavilions and rockeries, then walk the Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street. Continue through the former French Concession and the lanes of Tianzifang, and finish at the Bund, the riverside frontage of colonial-era buildings, with an optional Huangpu River night cruise.

Transfer to the airport for your departing flight, bringing the journey to a close.