Gardening Tours- China Spring 2013

April 10th – 23rd,  2013

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS JUST THE SHORT VERSION OF THE TOUR. THE FULL LONG DAY BY DAY WILL BE PUT UP LATER THIS YEAR. But all the DETAILS ARE HERE TO MAKE YOUR DECISION AND THE REGISTRATION FORM IS HERE AS WELL. FOR ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS, PLEASE CONTACT donna@icangarden.com  and I would be happy to answer your queries on it.

If you have not been to China before, I hope you will consider this tour. I don’t do it very often and each time it sells out. I have had the pleasure of seeing China many times and am always humbled by the people. They are so happy to meet us and have their pictures taken with us. China is an incredible country and the more you visit it, the more you want to see. This tour enjoys many of the highlights you have heard about in China, plus some of the most breathtaking gardens, a wonderful first timers glimpse of China .. do come along and see it for yourself. You will come home with some unforgettable memories.

‘Perhaps the best place to begin the story of peonies in the garden is in China. Peonies were known in China as far back as perhaps 1000 BCE. It was not however until the seventh century, during the reign of the Emperor Yang (605-617) of the Sui dynasty, that peonies were thought to have been grown as ornamental plants.’

Besides seeing some of the country’s greatest sights such as the Terra Cotta Warriors and Great Wall, we’ll pay a special visit to the International Peony Festival, the largest event of its type in the world. Luoyang, where the festival occurs, was China’s capital in ancient times.

‘The GARDENS of China - What an inspiration! When you consider the dense population of China, what a retreat and sanctuary these gardens would be for the people, of course, mostly the rich people. The Botanical gardens were beautiful and would be well used by the common people these days. I never tired of our visits to the gardens - they were all different. The peony show was certainly a highlight and has inspired me to grow more peonies. Elfie, 2009 Tour guest

Your very special itinerary includes…

April 10 Arrival into Beijing where you are met and transferred to your hotel. The rest of the day is at your leisure to get acclimated and refreshed.

April 11 Visits to Tian Anmen Square - the largest public square in the world at 440,000 sq. meters in the exact center of Beijing. The Monument to the People’s Heroes stands in the center of the square - the 36 meter obelisk is made of Qingdao granite. The Chairman Mao Memorial Hall sits on the southern part of the Square.

Forbidden City - Otherwise known as the National Palace Museum. It is said that it could take you 2 1/2 days just to visit all of the 9,999 rooms of this city within a city. There are 12 large palace courtyards in this imperial city.

Qianlong Garden - The Qianlong Garden in the Forbidden City was designed as a private, two-acre garden retreat with four courtyards, elaborate rockeries, pavilions and structures for the last emperor of China and when he fled in 1924, the doors closed on one of its greatest treasures. It is a special visit because it's the only still existing 18th-century interior garden that remains preserved as it originally was.

Beijing Botanical Garden – There is much to enjoy here and we should be visiting at the perfect time for the blossoms of the cherries and peonies. Enjoy the Sunken Rose garden with musical fountain, Perennial, Peony and Peach gardens as well as other gardens containing cherry trees, tree peonies, bamboo and camellias. Walk through the magnificent Conservatory housing Rain Forest, Orchid, Desert Garden and Exhibition House.
This evening we start off our tour together with the traditional Peking Duck Dinner, a meal not to be missed!

April 12 Today we visit a garden that was…a garden for an Empress… and the Cherry Blossom Festival

Yuanmingyuan Garden was originally built in 1709. Repeated expansions resulted in an imperial garden of unprecedented scale. It was a pity that Yuanmingyuan was sacked during two invasions. The buildings were burned to the ground, and the treasures in it were looted. A world-famous garden was thus reduced to ruins. Today the ruins of Yuanmingyuan have been put under due protection. A park was established at the site so that from the crumbling walls and ruins people could gain some idea about the former glory of this imperial garden. Luxurious woods and sparkling lakes and ponds combine to create a scene of captivating beauty. Some of the original structures and scenic spots have been restored.

Summer Palace – The Summer Palace, the grand garden park of the Empress Dowager Cixi, is the largest imperial garden in the world. It contains classical Chinese garden architecture.

Yuyuantan Park’s Most Beautiful Cherry Blossom Festival - famous for its cherry blossoms in mid to late April through early May every year. There are about 2000 cherry trees of over 20 different species. Other blossoming trees such as peach are also to be found, as well as tulips.

April 13 We travel to Xi’an today and on the way we visit

Great Wall at Mutianyu with a round trip cable car ride - As you first look upon the Great Wall, it is impossible not to be awestruck at this manmade structure. Construction started in the 7th century BC, with additions and rebuilding continuing until the 16th century AD. The Great Wall was built to keep out the warring invaders of the north, but additional sections were extended eastward for nearly 6,700 kilometers.

Ming Tombs – we visit the most impressive of the 13 Ming Tombs then a stroll down the beautiful Sacred Way, lined with trees and huge statues. The Sacred Way starts with a huge stone memorial archway. It is a beautiful stroll. After lunch we transfer to the airport and fly to Xian.

April 14 Full day visiting the Terra Cotta Warriors – the Army of Qin Shihuangdi, one of the greatest archaeological discoveries in the world. The Grand Mausoleum of Qin Emperor, the first emperor of China, is protected by more than 6000 life size Terra-Cotta Warriors and horses. The exhibit contains multiple exhibition halls and is also ongoing in its excavation.

Then to our hotel to get ready for our Dumpling Dinner and Tang Dynasty Show – absolutely yummy and the show is excellent. The most famous dumplings served are in Xi’an. Xi'an Dumpling Banquet has brought forth new ideas in color, fragrance, taste and style. The dumpling is no
longer one kind of simple flour food. They add more tastes such as sour, sweet, peppery, etc. As for the style, they create various styles such as flowers, birds, grass, fish and so on. A wonderful evening of good food and entertainment introducing you to the Tang Dynasty!

April 15 After breakfast we enjoy a visit to the Xi’an City Wall. It's the most complete city wall that has survived in China, as well being one of the largest ancient military defensive systems in the world. A very thick wall wonderful for strolling and seeing the city in all its glory. We can see the Big Goose Pagoda in the distance where we shall also visit, full of beautiful gardens hidden within the walls filled with peonies and stunning architecture. Then we board our high speed train to Luoyang.

April 16 Full day tour including…
Longmen Grottos - started around the year 493 after the Northern Wei Dynasty moved the capital to Luoyang. Thousands of Buddhas were carved into the rock slopes and cliffs aside the Yi River, and were carved for 400 years until The Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127). Stretching 1094 meters along the river, there are over 2,300 small caves and niches, with 100,000 statues of all sizes. A UNESCO site.

We end this delightful day with Shui Xi, or water banquet, a Chinese meal comprised of eight cold and 16 warm dishes cooked in various broths, gravies or juices. They are brought to the table one after the other like flowing water and this custom dates back over 1000 years!

April 17 Famous Luoyang Peony Festival

First we visit the White Horse Temple, an ancient Buddhist Temple founded in 68 and then rebuilt in 1500 and still considered to be the very first and one of the most famous in China. It got its name from the two white horses that brought the first Buddhist relics to China. It is a beautiful place to visit, lively and full of things to see including gardens and of course the two white horses guarding the entrance. Then we cross the road to the

Famous Luoyang Peony Festival - where you will enjoy seeing thousands of peonies in all their glorious colour and depending on the weather prior to our arrival, we may just get to glimpse the late season Green Peony just opening or in full bloom. Keep those fingers crossed! The Peony of Luoyang is the most beautiful under heaven. The Peony, the emblem flower of Luoyang, is lauded as “Queen of flowers with ethereal colour and celestial fragrance”. Since the Tang Dynasty no Chinese city has been able to rival Luoyang in growing peonies boasting nearly 10 million peony trees with more than 700 species - all thanks to improvements in technology of peony cultivation. The yaohuang (Yao’s yellow peony) and weizi (Wei’s purple peony) are the “King” & “Queen” of all peonies.

April 18 we are in transit this day and can sit back and enjoy the breathtaking scenery as we take a coach to Zhengzhou for our flight to Shanghai, then coach to Suzhou. You can also use this time to go through all your digital photos to relive the past few days and your memories of it and look forward to our further adventure.

April 19 Full day city tour including

Huqiu Garden - The famous Tiger Hill Garden. The 48 meter tall ‘Symbol of Suzhou’ pagoda was built in 961 and yes it is slanted a bit more than two meters off its vertical axis. The gardens are for leisurely strolling and there is much to see. Tucked into nooks and crannies are many flowers as well as a beautiful Bonsai area.

Humble Administrator's Garden - the largest garden in Suzhou, and has been proclaimed a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We will have the delight of being here during the Azalea Festival to enjoy its beauty and historic significance.

I.M. Pei Suzhou Museum - Suzhou Museum, a garden style museum designed by famous artist I. M. Pei. In the modern architectural field, I. M. Pei earns a high reputation and is a well-known architect. He is the only world class Chinese architect as well as one of the most important architectural artists in the 20th century. His striking designs include the Pyramid at the Louvre, the Bank of China building in Hong Kong, Boston's JFK Library. New Suzhou Museum is the last design of Mr. I. M. Pei in his career. It is not only a public construction symbol in Suzhou, but also an innovative mark bridging Chinese architectural culture from the tradition to the future. Prompting the protection of Suzhou cultural heritage, the new museum also has turned a new page for Suzhou Museum. Houses over 30,000 cultural relics including Ming and Qing Dynasty paintings and calligraphy, and ancient arts and crafts. Beautiful Celadon here as well.

April 20 We visit a Silk Factory to learn how it is made and to perhaps make some purchases…this city is THE place to buy silk!

Garden of the Master of Nets - a garden designed for harmony and tranquility during the Song Dynasty. This garden is reputed to be the most well-preserved in Suzhou and should not be missed. It has three distinct sections. The buildings afford you access to any part of the garden from each of their rooms. This type of garden was built for relaxation and to entertain guests. Today the Master-of-Nets Garden has 22 buildings, 2 doors with richly carved earthen ornamentation,15 plateaux, 9 parallel couplets,15 brick and stone carvings, 32 stelae, and 8 rare species of old trees.

Lion Forest (Grove) Garden – Built in 1342. Richly ornamented and ancient classical style with a very unique and rare Labyrinthine Rockery. Valuable old trees such as ginkgo biloba. Pavilion for Greeting the Plum Blossoms (Wenmei ge) was a place where painters and poets were invited. In addition to the plum trees around the pavilion, all the furniture and utensils inside are decorated or carved with beautiful plum blossom designs. The garden occupies a very important place in history, representing the diversity of cultural and architectural development in Suzhou over the years. A UNESCO site.

And finish off the day with a Suzhou grand canal ride the world's oldest and longest waterway, to see the local people's life in classical South-China style.

April 21 Today we leave Suzhou for a short coach ride to Shanghai. Once there we visit the incredible Shanghai Museum to put your trip to China into perspective. On this day we’ll visit Shanghai’s world class museum of Chinese art and culture. The new Shanghai Museum has ten special galleries of bronze, calligraphy, ceramics, furniture, jades, minority art, paintings, sculpture, seal carvings, coins and arts and crafts, together with a special gallery of donated relics and three temporary exhibition halls. It also contains an excellent gift shop with many attractive and fascinating books about Chinese culture and art, available in English. A great place to pick up quality souvenirs and mementos of your holiday.

After this we have Afternoon Tea at M on the Bund – the quintessential place to be and see the panorama of Shanghai and conclude our day by taking in an evening show of the Shanghai Acrobats, a show that will leave you breathless!

April 22 Our final tour day and a visit to Shanghai would not be complete without visiting the Classical Chinese Yu Yuan Garden also called ‘the garden of peace and comfort’, one of China’s most famous scholar gardens in Shanghai’s old city. Built in 1559, Pan Yunduan spent twenty years and all his savings building it to please his parents in their old age. Zigzagging bridges separate the various garden areas and pavilions.

Afterwards enjoy a Dim Sum Lunch before some serious shopping in the same area, known for its great shopping. Then rest of afternoon is at leisure.

April 23 Our Day of Departure and transfer to Shanghai Airport.

***Arrive Beijing and Depart Shanghai

Beijing (3 nights) The Capital Hotel 5* Deluxe Rooms

Xi’an (2 night) Days Hotel & Suites 5*

Luoyang (3 nights) Yaxiang Jinling Hotel 5*

Suzhou (3 nights) Pan Pacific Suzhou 5*

Shanghai (2 nights) Renaissance Shanghai Yuyuan Hotel 5*
 

click on the above buttons for the compete tour day by day itinerary or the registration forms

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China Peony Festival Tour 2013

April 10th – 23rd, 2013

LAND only 3595.00 Cdn p/p sharing
SINGLE Supplement 1078.00 Cdn

See Highlights Box for all inclusions on this tour.

Carlson Wagonlit Travel | Journeys of Discovery Exclusive Travel Agent on this Tour

Do not book air until you have been advised that the tour is a go. If Carlson Wagonlit Travel is booking you as an air/land package then they will look after this for you.

Email: donna@icangarden.com
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