Suzhou
Located on the Yangtze River Suzhou is located in the Jiangsu Province, which borders Shanghai. This is a city that revels in culture and is known for the Kunqu Opera, Suzhou Opera and for ballad-singing. Suzhou silks are also world famous.
Koyasan (Mt. Koya)
Koya San or Mount Koya is the center of an important Buddhist sect. Secluded, the tiny village is surrounded by mountains where a 1,200 year long history of temples was established. Local and foreign visitors make their pilgrimage to Koya San and stay at temple lodgings. It is also the site of the Kobo Daishi mausoleum, the religious figure who introduced this nation's religious sect in 805.
Mt. Fuji
Mt. Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan and one of the most magnificent in the world. Points along the climbing trail are called “stations” and the fifth station is the highest point to which you can travel by road, located about halfway up the mountain. Here, weather permitting, you’ll have a magnificent panoramic view.
Tokyo
Tokyo, Japan, presents a different view at every turn. It's one of the world's main economic centers and its most populous agglomeration. The business of Tokyo is business, but you can still find harmony and small-scale gardens on back streets. Around the corner from neon and concrete, you may find the bonsai-lined courtyard of a traditional inn.
Tokyo was nearly destroyed by bombs and fires during World War II, and by earthquakes at other times, but it has always rebuilt itself. As a result, there is little left of Old Japan in the city, but there's plenty of New Japan to take its place.
The streets are a confusing maze, so a map is essential. The transit system is excellent, however, and there are kobans (police boxes) throughout the metropolis, as well as a populace generally willing to answer questions.
Visitors to Tokyo represent both business and leisure travelers. And despite its past reputation, Tokyo is no longer fearsomely expensive. It's relatively easy to visit Tokyo on a budget.
Kyoto
If you can visit only one city in Japan, Kyoto is the one. This ancient city, 30 mi/50 km northeast of Osaka, was the capital of Japan for more than 1,000 years and still is considered the country's spiritual capital. Thousands of shrines and temples dot the city, including more than a dozen on the UNESCO World Heritage list. That list is far from all-inclusive, and many excellent places that might be the star attractions of other cities crowd the streets of Kyoto. It is a center of Japanese Zen and has several huge monastery complexes where serious students still sit in meditation.
Kyoto is also the nation's capital of traditional arts. Whether your interest be in pottery, textiles, dance, the tea ceremony or any of the other innumerable arts, Kyoto has excellent galleries, museums, shops and tea houses. Japanese people from the countryside and foreign students flock there to learn under the great masters. Much of what is considered Japanese haute cuisine was developed there too, as an offshoot of the tea ceremony.
Kyoto is Japan's heartland of history. With 1,300 years of tumultuous existence, the city's past intrudes upon the present day as in few other Japanese cities. In Gion, you can spot a geisha (or geiko, as they are called in Kyoto), one of the last hundred or so in Japan, slipping down a side-street to entertain rich guests with witty conversation, dance or music. A shopping arcade may suddenly fill with discordant clanging music as a shrine festival passes among the shoppers, or you may hear the long chant as Zen monks pass through the neighborhood, calling for alms.
Kyoto is an understated city that might disappoint visitors at first (at first glance, it is a large city with modern buildings that might not align with one's original perception); its charm lies in small details, pocket gardens, tiny traditional restaurants and refined artwork.
Hiroshima
Hiroshima in southwestern Honshu has grown rapidly as a commercial city, and after 1868 it was developed as a military base. Every August 6 since 1947, thousands participate in multidenominational services in the Peace Memorial Park built on the site where the bomb exploded. After the war the city was largely rebuilt, and commercial activity gradually resumed. Visit the Peace Park but also explore Miyajima Island and its colourful shrines and mysterious forests.
Osaka
This large, bustling port is the starting point for tours to the ancient cities of Kyoto and Nara, the cultural fountainheads of classical Japan. Kyoto's Old Imperial Palace and the shogunal Nijo Castle remain glorious symbols of the power the city held for over 1,000 years. Until 1868, Kyoto was the capital of Japan, filled with elegant timber buildings and, perhaps more than any other Japanese city, imbued with Kami, the divine spirit. You'll sense it everywhere, for there are hundreds of Shinto shrines and over a thousand Buddhist temples, as well as sacred treasure-houses of religious sculpture, painting and exquisite gardens. Nara, City of the Seven Great Temples, lies in an idyllic setting.
Shanghai
Shanghai is a teeming metropolis of 11 million, bustling with energy, towering skyscrapers, art deco buildings, honking traffic, and shopping crowds. Once here, visitors will find Eastern ways abound: Tai Chi along the Bund, the serenity of exquisite ponds and gardens, and an endless flotilla of sampans edging along the Huangpu River. Explore Shanghai old and new: the busy bazaars and alleyways of the Old Town, Yu Garden, Wuxingting Tea House, Long Hua Temple and more.
Excursions
Shanghai: Yu Garden & Old Town Tour (4 hours)
Half day tour to Yu Garden and Old Town in Shanghai
Highlights
- Yu Garden (closed on Mondays)
- Old Town in Shanghai
Tour Duration: 4 hours
Wheelchair Accessible: No
Physical Activity Level: Light
Inclusions:
- Transportation is by private vehicle (Buick Van) with services of a driver and an English-speaking guide
- Local bottled water and entrance fee during sightseeing
- Gratuity to the guide & driver
- Service voucher
Not Included:
- Any cruise arrangements
- Any meals
- Travel insurance
- Any visa
- Over mileage supplement at USD 55.00 net in total will be applied if the ship docks at Wusong Pier
Shanghai: French Concession & The Bund (4 hours)
Half day tour to French Concession and The Bund in Shanghai
Added Value
- French Concession
- The Bund
- Observatory Deck on the 100th Floor of Shanghai World Financial Center
Tour Duration: 4 hours
Wheelchair Accessible: No
Physical Activity Level: Light
Inclusions:
- Transportation is by private vehicle (Buick Van) with services of a driver and an English-speaking guide
- Local bottled water and entrance fee during sightseeing
- Gratuity to the guide & driver
- Service voucher
Not Included:
- Any cruise arrangements
- Any meals
- Travel insurance
- Any visa
- Over mileage supplement at USD 55.00 net in total will be applied if the ship docks at Wusong Pier
Shanghai: Jewish Quarter Tour (4 hours)
Half day tour to Jewish Quarter in Shanghai
Background
Shanghai was the only city in the world that provided a safe home for World War II refugees without papers. As a result, approximately 32,000 Jews, known among themselves as "Shanghailanders," settled in this fascinating Chinese city. Like the names Schindler, Wallenberg and Sugihara, Shanghai has become synonymous with rescue and refuge during the fascist-dictated times when 6 million Jews perished and at least 35 million Chinese were killed and wounded. At one point, there were at least seven synagogues in Shanghai, but today very little evidence of this once vital community remains.
Highlights
Ohel Moishe Synagogue. The Ohel Moishe Synagogue is a European style temple that was once the centerpiece of the Hongkou District. The original synagogue was founded in 1907 by a Russian Jew, and was moved to this site twenty years later. Once a synagogue for Orthodox Russian and German Jews, it was also at various times, the headquarters of the Zionist youth organization Brith Trumpeldor (Betar) and the isolation ward of the Shanghai Mental Hospital. The synagogue is now a recognized historical site and a Jewish Refugees Memorial has been built next to it.
Tour Duration: 4 hours
Wheelchair Accessible: No
Physical Activity Level: Light
Inclusions:
- Transportation is by private vehicle (Buick Van) with services of a driver and an English-speaking guide
- Local bottled water and entrance fee during sightseeing
- Gratuity to the guide & driver
- Service voucher
Not Included:
- Any cruise arrangements
- Any meals
- Travel insurance
- Any visa
- Over mileage supplement at USD 55.00 net in total will be applied if the ship docks at Wusong Pier
Shanghai: Museum Tour (4 hours)
Half day tour to Shanghai Museums in Shanghai
Highlights
- Shanghai Museum
- Shanghai History Museum (closed on Mondays)
Tour Duration: 4 hours
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Physical Activity Level: Light
Inclusions:
- Transportation is by private vehicle (Buick Van) with services of a driver and an English-speaking guide
- Local bottled water and entrance fee during sightseeing
- Gratuity to the guide & driver
- Service voucher
Not Included:
- Any cruise arrangements
- Any meals
- Travel insurance
- Any visa
- Over mileage supplement at USD 55.00 net in total will be applied if the ship docks at Wusong Pier
Shanghai: Zhujiajiao Water Town Tour (4 hours)
Half day tour to Zhujiajiao Water Town in Shanghai
Highlights
- Visit Zhujiajiao Water Town
- Private Boat Ride on Canal
For your reference - Transfer from downtown pier to Zhujiajiao Water Town takes approximately 45-minute drive per way
Tour Duration: 4 hours
Wheelchair Accessible: No
Physical Activity Level: Light
Inclusions:
- Transportation is by private vehicle (Buick Van) with services of a driver and an English-speaking guide
- Local bottled water and entrance fee during sightseeing
- Gratuity to the guide & driver
- Service voucher
Not Included:
- Any cruise arrangements
- Any meals
- Travel insurance
- Any visa
- Over mileage supplement at USD 55.00 net in total will be applied if the ship docks at Wusong Pier
Shanghai: Disposal Tour (4 hours)
Commence a vehicle / driver / guide at disposal for 4 consecutive hours in Shanghai
Tour Duration: 4 hours
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Physical Activity Level: Light
Inclusions:
- Transportation is by private vehicle (Buick Van) with services of a driver and an English-speaking guide
- Local bottled water during sightseeing
- Gratuity to the guide & driver
- Service voucher
Not Included:
- Any cruise arrangements
- Any meals and entrance fee
- Travel insurance
- Any visa
- Over mileage supplement at USD 55.00 net in total will be applied if the ship docks at Wusong Pier
Shanghai City Tour (8 hours)
Full day city tour in Shanghai
Highlights
- Yu Garden (close on Mondays)
- Old Town
- French Concession
- The Bund
- Observatory Deck on the 100th Floor of the Shanghai World Financial Center
- Lunch reservation at Lu Bo Lang Restaurant (on client's own account)
Tour Duration: 8 hours
Wheelchair Accessible: No
Physical Activity Level: Moderate
Inclusions:
- Transportation is by private vehicle (Buick Van) with services of a driver and an English-speaking guide
- Local bottled water and entrance fee during sightseeing
- Gratuity to the guide & driver
- Service voucher
Not Included:
- Any cruise arrangements
- Any meals
- Travel insurance
- Any visa
- Over mileage supplement at USD 55.00 net in total will be applied if the ship docks at Wusong Pier
Shanghai: Disposal Tour (8 hours)
Commence a vehicle / driver / guide at disposal for 8 consecutive hours within city proper in Shanghai
Tour Duration: 8 hours
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Physical Activity Level: Light
Inclusions:
- Transportation is by private vehicle (Buick Van) with services of a driver and an English-speaking guide
- Local bottled water during sightseeing
- Gratuity to the guide & driver
- Service voucher
Not Included:
- Any cruise arrangements
- Any meals and entrance fee
- Travel insurance
- Any visa
- Over mileage supplement at USD 55.00 net in total will be applied if the ship docks at Wusong Pier
Xi'an
Xi'an - with five million inhabitants and capital of Shaanxi Province - is one of the more pleasant of Chinese cities, more prosperous than any other city in inland China except Chengdu, with streets full of Japanese cars, stores flooded with temptations, and stylish locals in new discos. It's far richer than the surrounding area, a fact which becomes clear after a bus ride into surrounding plains. The city is also a primer in Chinese history, as between 1000 BC and 1000 AD it served as imperial capital for eleven dynasties. Find a wealth of important sites and relics hereabouts: Neolithic Banpo, the Terracotta Army of the Qin emperor, the Han and Tang imperial tombs, and in the city itself, the Goose Pagodas of the Tang, the Bell and Drum towers and Ming city walls, as well as two museums holding a treasury of relics from the most glamorous parts of Chinese history. The city is very popular with foreign residents, and many come to study, as the colleges are regarded as some of the best places to learn Chinese.
Beijing
Beijing is the country's economic, cultural and transportation center as well as a famous historical capital of China. Located in northwest North China Plain, Beijing is the second largest city in China with a population of more than 11 million and is ideal to visit all year. There are numerous museums and libraries with the largest collection of books in the country. It also serves as a center for science and technology. It is a hub of communications, with good railroad and air links with all parts of China and with major cities of the world, thus facilitating the rapid development of tourism as an important industry in Beijing. Beijing is an ancient city with a long cultural history. The four feudal dynasties--Jin, Yuan, Ming, and Qing had all set up their capital here and it became a most concentrated place of the country's scenic spots and historical sites. The best known are the Palace Museum, the Summer Palace, the Great Wall and the Temple of Heaven. Beijing aims to develop into a modern international metropolis..
Located on the Yangtze River Suzhou is located in the Jiangsu Province, which borders Shanghai. This is a city that revels in culture and is known for the Kunqu Opera, Suzhou Opera and for ballad-singing. Suzhou silks are also world famous.
Koya San or Mount Koya is the center of an important Buddhist sect. Secluded, the tiny village is surrounded by mountains where a 1,200 year long history of temples was established. Local and foreign visitors make their pilgrimage to Koya San and stay at temple lodgings. It is also the site of the Kobo Daishi mausoleum, the religious figure who introduced this nation's religious sect in 805.
Mt. Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan and one of the most magnificent in the world. Points along the climbing trail are called “stations” and the fifth station is the highest point to which you can travel by road, located about halfway up the mountain. Here, weather permitting, you’ll have a magnificent panoramic view.
Tokyo, Japan, presents a different view at every turn. It's one of the world's main economic centers and its most populous agglomeration. The business of Tokyo is business, but you can still find harmony and small-scale gardens on back streets. Around the corner from neon and concrete, you may find the bonsai-lined courtyard of a traditional inn.
Tokyo was nearly destroyed by bombs and fires during World War II, and by earthquakes at other times, but it has always rebuilt itself. As a result, there is little left of Old Japan in the city, but there's plenty of New Japan to take its place.
The streets are a confusing maze, so a map is essential. The transit system is excellent, however, and there are kobans (police boxes) throughout the metropolis, as well as a populace generally willing to answer questions.
Visitors to Tokyo represent both business and leisure travelers. And despite its past reputation, Tokyo is no longer fearsomely expensive. It's relatively easy to visit Tokyo on a budget.
If you can visit only one city in Japan, Kyoto is the one. This ancient city, 30 mi/50 km northeast of Osaka, was the capital of Japan for more than 1,000 years and still is considered the country's spiritual capital. Thousands of shrines and temples dot the city, including more than a dozen on the UNESCO World Heritage list. That list is far from all-inclusive, and many excellent places that might be the star attractions of other cities crowd the streets of Kyoto. It is a center of Japanese Zen and has several huge monastery complexes where serious students still sit in meditation.
Kyoto is also the nation's capital of traditional arts. Whether your interest be in pottery, textiles, dance, the tea ceremony or any of the other innumerable arts, Kyoto has excellent galleries, museums, shops and tea houses. Japanese people from the countryside and foreign students flock there to learn under the great masters. Much of what is considered Japanese haute cuisine was developed there too, as an offshoot of the tea ceremony.
Kyoto is Japan's heartland of history. With 1,300 years of tumultuous existence, the city's past intrudes upon the present day as in few other Japanese cities. In Gion, you can spot a geisha (or geiko, as they are called in Kyoto), one of the last hundred or so in Japan, slipping down a side-street to entertain rich guests with witty conversation, dance or music. A shopping arcade may suddenly fill with discordant clanging music as a shrine festival passes among the shoppers, or you may hear the long chant as Zen monks pass through the neighborhood, calling for alms.
Kyoto is an understated city that might disappoint visitors at first (at first glance, it is a large city with modern buildings that might not align with one's original perception); its charm lies in small details, pocket gardens, tiny traditional restaurants and refined artwork.
Hiroshima in southwestern Honshu has grown rapidly as a commercial city, and after 1868 it was developed as a military base. Every August 6 since 1947, thousands participate in multidenominational services in the Peace Memorial Park built on the site where the bomb exploded. After the war the city was largely rebuilt, and commercial activity gradually resumed. Visit the Peace Park but also explore Miyajima Island and its colourful shrines and mysterious forests.
This large, bustling port is the starting point for tours to the ancient cities of Kyoto and Nara, the cultural fountainheads of classical Japan. Kyoto's Old Imperial Palace and the shogunal Nijo Castle remain glorious symbols of the power the city held for over 1,000 years. Until 1868, Kyoto was the capital of Japan, filled with elegant timber buildings and, perhaps more than any other Japanese city, imbued with Kami, the divine spirit. You'll sense it everywhere, for there are hundreds of Shinto shrines and over a thousand Buddhist temples, as well as sacred treasure-houses of religious sculpture, painting and exquisite gardens. Nara, City of the Seven Great Temples, lies in an idyllic setting.
Shanghai is a teeming metropolis of 11 million, bustling with energy, towering skyscrapers, art deco buildings, honking traffic, and shopping crowds. Once here, visitors will find Eastern ways abound: Tai Chi along the Bund, the serenity of exquisite ponds and gardens, and an endless flotilla of sampans edging along the Huangpu River. Explore Shanghai old and new: the busy bazaars and alleyways of the Old Town, Yu Garden, Wuxingting Tea House, Long Hua Temple and more.
Excursions
Shanghai: Yu Garden & Old Town Tour (4 hours)
Half day tour to Yu Garden and Old Town in Shanghai
Highlights
- Yu Garden (closed on Mondays)
- Old Town in Shanghai
Tour Duration: 4 hours
Wheelchair Accessible: No
Physical Activity Level: Light
Inclusions:
- Transportation is by private vehicle (Buick Van) with services of a driver and an English-speaking guide
- Local bottled water and entrance fee during sightseeing
- Gratuity to the guide & driver
- Service voucher
Not Included:
- Any cruise arrangements
- Any meals
- Travel insurance
- Any visa
- Over mileage supplement at USD 55.00 net in total will be applied if the ship docks at Wusong Pier
Shanghai: French Concession & The Bund (4 hours)
Half day tour to French Concession and The Bund in Shanghai
Added Value
- French Concession
- The Bund
- Observatory Deck on the 100th Floor of Shanghai World Financial Center
Tour Duration: 4 hours
Wheelchair Accessible: No
Physical Activity Level: Light
Inclusions:
- Transportation is by private vehicle (Buick Van) with services of a driver and an English-speaking guide
- Local bottled water and entrance fee during sightseeing
- Gratuity to the guide & driver
- Service voucher
Not Included:
- Any cruise arrangements
- Any meals
- Travel insurance
- Any visa
- Over mileage supplement at USD 55.00 net in total will be applied if the ship docks at Wusong Pier
Shanghai: Jewish Quarter Tour (4 hours)
Half day tour to Jewish Quarter in Shanghai
Background
Shanghai was the only city in the world that provided a safe home for World War II refugees without papers. As a result, approximately 32,000 Jews, known among themselves as "Shanghailanders," settled in this fascinating Chinese city. Like the names Schindler, Wallenberg and Sugihara, Shanghai has become synonymous with rescue and refuge during the fascist-dictated times when 6 million Jews perished and at least 35 million Chinese were killed and wounded. At one point, there were at least seven synagogues in Shanghai, but today very little evidence of this once vital community remains.
Highlights
Ohel Moishe Synagogue. The Ohel Moishe Synagogue is a European style temple that was once the centerpiece of the Hongkou District. The original synagogue was founded in 1907 by a Russian Jew, and was moved to this site twenty years later. Once a synagogue for Orthodox Russian and German Jews, it was also at various times, the headquarters of the Zionist youth organization Brith Trumpeldor (Betar) and the isolation ward of the Shanghai Mental Hospital. The synagogue is now a recognized historical site and a Jewish Refugees Memorial has been built next to it.
Tour Duration: 4 hours
Wheelchair Accessible: No
Physical Activity Level: Light
Inclusions:
- Transportation is by private vehicle (Buick Van) with services of a driver and an English-speaking guide
- Local bottled water and entrance fee during sightseeing
- Gratuity to the guide & driver
- Service voucher
Not Included:
- Any cruise arrangements
- Any meals
- Travel insurance
- Any visa
- Over mileage supplement at USD 55.00 net in total will be applied if the ship docks at Wusong Pier
Shanghai: Museum Tour (4 hours)
Half day tour to Shanghai Museums in Shanghai
Highlights
- Shanghai Museum
- Shanghai History Museum (closed on Mondays)
Tour Duration: 4 hours
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Physical Activity Level: Light
Inclusions:
- Transportation is by private vehicle (Buick Van) with services of a driver and an English-speaking guide
- Local bottled water and entrance fee during sightseeing
- Gratuity to the guide & driver
- Service voucher
Not Included:
- Any cruise arrangements
- Any meals
- Travel insurance
- Any visa
- Over mileage supplement at USD 55.00 net in total will be applied if the ship docks at Wusong Pier
Shanghai: Zhujiajiao Water Town Tour (4 hours)
Half day tour to Zhujiajiao Water Town in Shanghai
Highlights
- Visit Zhujiajiao Water Town
- Private Boat Ride on Canal
For your reference - Transfer from downtown pier to Zhujiajiao Water Town takes approximately 45-minute drive per way
Tour Duration: 4 hours
Wheelchair Accessible: No
Physical Activity Level: Light
Inclusions:
- Transportation is by private vehicle (Buick Van) with services of a driver and an English-speaking guide
- Local bottled water and entrance fee during sightseeing
- Gratuity to the guide & driver
- Service voucher
Not Included:
- Any cruise arrangements
- Any meals
- Travel insurance
- Any visa
- Over mileage supplement at USD 55.00 net in total will be applied if the ship docks at Wusong Pier
Shanghai: Disposal Tour (4 hours)
Commence a vehicle / driver / guide at disposal for 4 consecutive hours in Shanghai
Tour Duration: 4 hours
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Physical Activity Level: Light
Inclusions:
- Transportation is by private vehicle (Buick Van) with services of a driver and an English-speaking guide
- Local bottled water during sightseeing
- Gratuity to the guide & driver
- Service voucher
Not Included:
- Any cruise arrangements
- Any meals and entrance fee
- Travel insurance
- Any visa
- Over mileage supplement at USD 55.00 net in total will be applied if the ship docks at Wusong Pier
Shanghai City Tour (8 hours)
Full day city tour in Shanghai
Highlights
- Yu Garden (close on Mondays)
- Old Town
- French Concession
- The Bund
- Observatory Deck on the 100th Floor of the Shanghai World Financial Center
- Lunch reservation at Lu Bo Lang Restaurant (on client's own account)
Tour Duration: 8 hours
Wheelchair Accessible: No
Physical Activity Level: Moderate
Inclusions:
- Transportation is by private vehicle (Buick Van) with services of a driver and an English-speaking guide
- Local bottled water and entrance fee during sightseeing
- Gratuity to the guide & driver
- Service voucher
Not Included:
- Any cruise arrangements
- Any meals
- Travel insurance
- Any visa
- Over mileage supplement at USD 55.00 net in total will be applied if the ship docks at Wusong Pier
Shanghai: Disposal Tour (8 hours)
Commence a vehicle / driver / guide at disposal for 8 consecutive hours within city proper in Shanghai
Tour Duration: 8 hours
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Physical Activity Level: Light
Inclusions:
- Transportation is by private vehicle (Buick Van) with services of a driver and an English-speaking guide
- Local bottled water during sightseeing
- Gratuity to the guide & driver
- Service voucher
Not Included:
- Any cruise arrangements
- Any meals and entrance fee
- Travel insurance
- Any visa
- Over mileage supplement at USD 55.00 net in total will be applied if the ship docks at Wusong Pier
Xi'an - with five million inhabitants and capital of Shaanxi Province - is one of the more pleasant of Chinese cities, more prosperous than any other city in inland China except Chengdu, with streets full of Japanese cars, stores flooded with temptations, and stylish locals in new discos. It's far richer than the surrounding area, a fact which becomes clear after a bus ride into surrounding plains. The city is also a primer in Chinese history, as between 1000 BC and 1000 AD it served as imperial capital for eleven dynasties. Find a wealth of important sites and relics hereabouts: Neolithic Banpo, the Terracotta Army of the Qin emperor, the Han and Tang imperial tombs, and in the city itself, the Goose Pagodas of the Tang, the Bell and Drum towers and Ming city walls, as well as two museums holding a treasury of relics from the most glamorous parts of Chinese history. The city is very popular with foreign residents, and many come to study, as the colleges are regarded as some of the best places to learn Chinese.
Beijing is the country's economic, cultural and transportation center as well as a famous historical capital of China. Located in northwest North China Plain, Beijing is the second largest city in China with a population of more than 11 million and is ideal to visit all year. There are numerous museums and libraries with the largest collection of books in the country. It also serves as a center for science and technology. It is a hub of communications, with good railroad and air links with all parts of China and with major cities of the world, thus facilitating the rapid development of tourism as an important industry in Beijing. Beijing is an ancient city with a long cultural history. The four feudal dynasties--Jin, Yuan, Ming, and Qing had all set up their capital here and it became a most concentrated place of the country's scenic spots and historical sites. The best known are the Palace Museum, the Summer Palace, the Great Wall and the Temple of Heaven. Beijing aims to develop into a modern international metropolis..