Beijing, Xi'an, the Yangtze & Shanghai — 14 Days

Arrive in Beijing and transfer to your hotel. The remainder of the day is free for you to rest after the flight and prepare for the days ahead.

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.

Take the high-speed train to Chongqing and board your Yangtze cruise ship in the late afternoon. Once settled in your cabin, the vessel eases away from the dock and you begin the downstream passage through the gorges.

Spend the morning ashore at Fengdu Ghost City, a hillside temple complex built over centuries to dramatise the Chinese underworld and the judgement of souls. Your guide explains the carved demons, halls and bridges that depict the afterlife in folk belief.

Stop at Baidi City, the cliff-top town where Liu Bei, the Shu-Han ruler of the 3rd century, entrusted his sons to his ministers, overlooking the point where the Yangtze narrows into the gorges. Later a small boat carries you up the Shennong Stream, a clear tributary lined with steep green walls.

Visit the Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest hydroelectric project, completed in 2006 to control flooding and generate power along the Yangtze. After the tour the cruise ends and you disembark at Yichang, transferring to your hotel for the night.

Fly to Shanghai and enjoy a free afternoon to rest or explore the city on your own after the river journey.

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.

Take a day trip to Suzhou, long celebrated as the 'city of gardens' south of the Yangtze. You visit a classical garden of pavilions and water, walk the old Shantang Street and follow the canals that give the town its gentle, slow character.

Transfer to the airport for your departure flight, ending the tour.