The Trip of a Lifetime—China and the Yangtze—for only $2,739

Bellevue, WA, January 22, 2014—Most people have a once in a lifetime-someday-bucket list trip tucked away in the back of their mind.  And for many, that destination is China.  But a trip to China can become a reality this year, with China Spree’s 15-day The Mighty Yangtze tour that starts at only $2,739.

The price of the trip works out to less than $200 a day, amazing when you consider that it includes round-trip air fare from San Francisco or Los Angeles (New York is  $60 more), all transportation in China, 4- and 5-star hotel accommodations, daily American buffet breakfast, 19 other meals, a deluxe 3-night Yangtze River cruise, shore excursions, sightseeing tours and entrance fees, culinary events, evening shows, expert guides and baggage handling.

Among the highlights are the imperial capital, Beijing, with the 16-century-old Great Wall of China, the 9,999-room royal palace called The Forbidden City, the enormous Temple of Heaven, the idyllic Summer Palace gardens and a rickshaw ride through Old Beijing’s hutongs (ancient alleyways) with lunch in a traditional courtyard home.  Equally impressive is China’s sophisticated financial and artistic center, Shanghai, where you’ll visit the famous colonial-era Bund  and the futuristic skyscrapers of Pudong on the other side of the Huangpu River and see the Shanghai Acrobats.  Also noteworthy is the ancient capital, Xian, which had a population of one million in the 10^th century (when London had 10,000 inhabitants), and is known now for the 6,000 Terracotta Warriors and Horses, which guarded the tomb of China’s first emperor for millennia. .

In Chengdu the itinerary includes a spicy Sichuan meal, a Sichuan-style afternoon tea with locals in a bamboo teahouse and a face-to-face visit with the giant pandas.  Then there’s a scenic train ride through rice fields, fish farms and small villages to Chongqing, to board the newly-renovated 5-star cruise ship Victoria Katarina (with private balconies) for a three-day trip down the Yangtze and the fantastically beautiful Three Gorges. Last but not least there’s a visit to Suzhou, the city of ancient canals and Chinese classical gardens; a gondola ride through the canals of  the charming little town of Tongli with its stone bridges, cobbled lanes and Ming-style wooden houses; and a final ride to the airport on the Maglev, world’s fastest magnetic levitation train.

All prices are cash-only, are per person, double occupancy and are subject to availability.  For more detailed information about The Mighty Yangtze tour, log onto www.chinaspree.com and click “China Tours,” then “Specials.”  China Spree’s toll-free telephone number is 1-866-652-5656.

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