China Highlights Tour

Friendly people and many of the world’s most famous treasures make China a popular tourist destination with millions of visitors from all over the world every year. China is an ancient civilisation with a recorded history of more than 5,000 years. This tour includes four "must see" destinations, The Great Wall, Chengdu Panda Sanctuary, The Terracotta Army, and the Forbidden City. 1) The Great Wall of China The Great Wall is one of the greatest wonders of the world. Built to defend the Chinese Empire from Mongolian and Manchu enemies, it was listed as a World Heritage Site in 1987. The Great Wall winds up and down across deserts, grasslands, mountains and plateaus, stretching thousands of kilometres across northern China. 2) The Forbidden City The Forbidden City is the world's largest palace complex and is located in the centre of Beijing. For almost 500 years, it was the imperial palace for twenty-four emperors during the Ming and Qing dynasties. The palace was named 'The Forbidden City' because special permission from the emperor was required to enter. It is now known as 'The Palace Museum'. It consists of 980 buildings and more than 8000 rooms. 3) The Terracotta Army The Terracotta Army was discovered in 1974 by a group of farmers when they were digging a water well near the city of Xi'an. It was one of the most significant archaeological discoveries of the 20th century. Years of digging uncovered thousands of life-size terracotta soldiers, horses, and chariots - all life-size - all made out of clay, and each is unique! 4) Chengdu Panda Sanctuary The giant panda is a symbol of China. It is also endangered with fewer than 1000 left in the wild. The Panda Breeding Research Centre in Chengdu provides a unique opportunity to see pandas in an environment similar to their natural habitat. This centre leads the world in research into the rearing and breeding of Pandas.