8-Day China Islamic Heritage Tour

Day 1 Arrival in Beijing, Greet & Meet at Airport, Transfer to Hotel

Destination: Beijing
Meals included: Dinner at Halal restaurant
Accommodations: Novotel Beijing Xin Qiao Hotel or similar

Your professional Muslim expert tour guide will meet you at the arrival hall of the airport with your private vehicle on standby and assists you to your hotel. Relax at hotel to recover from the jet lag.

Day 2 Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Fresh Water Pearl, Temple of Heaven

Destination: Beijing
Meals included: Breakfast at hotel, lunch & dinner at Halal restaurants
Salat prayer: Niujie Mosque
Accommodations: Novotel Beijing Xin Qiao Hotel or similar

Explore Beijing from Tiananmen Square in the morning. Located in the center of Beijing, Tiananmen Square is the largest city square in the world and it has great cultural significance as it was the site of many important events in Chinese history such as Chairman Mao’s declaration of the establishment of the People’s Republic of China on Oct, 01, 1949. Next walk to the Forbidden City. As the royal residences of the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties from the 15th to 20th century, the Forbidden City was the centre of state power in late feudal China and witnessed the enthronement of 14 Ming and 10 Qing emperors over 505 years. Visit fresh water pearl shop and the Temple of Heaven after lunch at a local Halal restaurant and Salat at the 900 year old Niujie Mosque. The Temple of Heaven, built between 1406 and 1420 by the same emperor who was responsible for building the Forbidden City, is where the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties would worship the god of heaven and pray for good harvest. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site regarded as a masterpiece of architectural and landscape design.

Day 3 Great Wall, Jade Carving, Sacred Way of Ming Tombs, Photo Stop at Olympic Venues

Destination: Beijing
Meals included: Breakfast at hotel, lunch & dinner at Halal restaurants
Accommodations: Novotel Beijing Xin Qiao Hotel or similar

Visit the Great Wall of China and jade carving factory in the morning. The Great Wall was continuously built from the 3rd century BC to the 17th century AD on the northern border of China as the great military defense project of successive Chinese Empires. Today, the wall is still impressive at 3,750 miles in length, stretching from the Bohai Sea to the Gobi Desert. The Great Wall embodies unparalleled significance as the national symbol for safeguarding the security of the country and Chinese people. Visit the Sacred Way of the Ming Tomb after lunch and Salat at a local Halal restaurant. The Sacred Way is a stone paved path which stretches as long as one kilometer to the north of the main gate of the Ming Tombs. Next, make a photo stop at the 2008 Olympic Venues of Bird Nest (National Stadium) and Water Cube (National Aquatics Center).

Day 4 Summer Palace, High Speed Train to Xian (about 5 hours)

Destination: Beijing & Xi’an
Meals included: Breakfast at hotel, lunch & dinner at Halal restaurants
Accommodations: Mercure Xi ‘an Downtown or similar

Morning visit to the largest and best-preserved royal garden in China, the Summer Palace. Using Kunming Lake and Longevity Hill as the basic framework, the Summer Palace combined political and administrative, residential, spiritual, and recreational functions within a landscape of lakes and mountains, in accordance with the Chinese philosophy of balancing the works of man with nature. The natural landscape of hills and open water is combined with artificial features such as pavilions, halls, palaces, temples and bridges to form a harmonious ensemble of outstanding aesthetic value. Board second class high speed train to Xian in the afternoon. Xian is the ancient capital city of China and the starting point of Silk Road.

Day 5 Terracotta Warriors & Reproduction Factory, Great Mosque, Muslim Quarter

Destination: Xi’an
Meals included: Breakfast at hotel, lunch & dinner at Halal restaurants
Salat prayer: Xian Great Mosque
Accommodations: Mercure Xi ‘an Downtown or similar

Morning visit to the Terracotta Warriors and Horses and its reproduction factory. Considered one of the foremost archaeological discoveries of the 20th century, the 2,000-year-old Terracotta Army was discovered by accident in 1974 by local farmers digging a well. The 8,000-plus life-sized figures are arranged in vaults to guard the tomb of Qin Shihuang, the first emperor of China, a major architect of the Great Wall and unifier of China. Visit the Muslim Quarter after lunch and Salat at Xian Great Mosque. The area north of the Drum Tower is the Muslim Quarter of Xian which covers several blocks with an estimated 60,000 Muslims in the region. There are about seven ancient mosques in the area, among which the Great Mosque built in 742 is most famous and popular among all. Experience a seemingly endless labyrinth of street food, restaurants and bustling local life at Xian’s Muslim Quarter.

Day 6 Little Wild Goose Pagoda, Xian Museum, City Wall, Fly to Guangzhou

Destination: Xi’an & Guangzhou
Meals included: Breakfast at hotel, lunch & dinner at Halal restaurants
Accommodations: Grand Mercure Guangzhou Zhujiang New Town or similar

Visit Small Wild Goose Pagoda and Xian Museum in the morning. With a history of more than 1,300 years, Small Wild Goose Pagoda was built to store the Buddhist scriptures delivered from ancient India. It is a perfect example of the multi-eaved square brick pagodas built in ancient China. Currently there are 13 storeys left as the top two storeys were destroyed in earthquakes. Continue to visit Xian Museum. Xian Museum boasts nearly 130,000 relics that all relate to the history of Ancient China and Xian specifically. Afterwards visit Xian City Wall. The City Wall of Xian is one of the oldest and best-preserved city walls in the world. Walking atop the Wall you can get the panorama of Xian skyline. Fly to Guangzhou late in the afternoon or at night.

Day 7 Yuexiu Park & Five Ram Sculpture, Memorial Hall of Sun Yat-sen, Huaisheng Mosque, Waqqas Tomb

Destination: Guangzhou
Meals included: Breakfast at hotel, lunch & dinner at Halal restaurants
Salat prayer: Guangzhou Huaisheng Mosque
Accommodations: Grand Mercure Guangzhou Zhujiang New Town or similar

Visit Yuexiu Park & Five Ram Sculpture in the morning. Yuexiu Park is the largest park in downtown Guangzhou reputed for its pretty water and hills as well as cultural relics. The Five-Ram Sculpture is the emblem of Guangzhou at the top of Yuexiu Hill inside Yuexiu Park. The legend behind the sculpture is something about five celestial beings riding through the air on rams to bring rice to the first settlers of the area. Continue with a visit to the Memorial Hall of Sun Yat-sen. Sun Yat-sen is referred as the “Father of the Nation” in the Republic of China due to his instrumental role in the overthrow of the Qing dynasty. Perform Salat Prayer at the Huaisheng Mosque. Known as Guangta Mosque, this is one of the earliest mosques constructed by Sa’ad Ibn Abi Waqqas in the fifth century. Afterwards, admire the tomb of Sa’ad Ibn Abi Waqqas which looks like an ancient Chinese temple. History recorded that Nabi Muhammad (s.a..w), at the age 57 sent his uncle Sad ibn Abi-Waqqas to Guangzhou. The Muslim Sage’s Tomb was to commemorate Sad ibn Abi-Waqqas who died in Guangzhou.

Day 8 Departure from Guangzhou

Meals included: Breakfast at hotel.

Transfer to the airport for your departure flight (without guide). Wish you a pleasant journey home and thank you for traveling with IslamiChina.