Explore-A-Province Tour: Shaanxi
EAP 2 June 6-22, 2008
Route: Guangzhou-Guilin-Shaanxi Province w/Huashan Mtn.-Beijing
Itinerary
Day 1
Depart USA (first date listed for the tour)
Day 2
Arrive in Guangzhou, met at the airport by OCDF and transfer to the White Swan Hotel (5-star)
Dinner on your own
Day 3
Breakfast in the hotel
Transfer to airport for flight to Guilin with OCDF staff
Met and transfer to Guilin Bravo Hotel (4-star)
Lunch included at the hotel
Afternoon visit Reed Flute Cave and Elephant Trunk Hill,
Dinner included in hotel
Day 4
Breakfast in the hotel
Morning drive to Zhujiang pier for the Li River Cruise with lunch included on boat
Arrive in Yangshuo after lunch ( approx 2pm), shopping in Yangshuo Drive back to Guilin
Dinner included at hotel
Day 5
Breakfast in the hotel
Transfer to airport for flight to Xian with OCDF staff
Met at the airport and transfer to International Aurun Hotel (4-star)
Provincial delicacies luncheon with "Food of the Region" program
Afternoon tour of provincial government with official greeting
Dinner included at hotel
Day 6
Morning visit the Jade Carving Demonstration then on to the museum of the Qin Emperor's Terra Cotta Army including Imax movie and visit the unearthed warriors Lunch included at the museum restaurant
Return to Xian for free time
Dinner: Tang Dynasty Dinner Show (each family has a chance to take a picture on the stage with the performers)
Day 7
Breakfast in the hotel
Morning travel to your child's orphanage city /visit to your child's Social Welfare Institute /Orphanage with a local bilingual guide as your interpreter
Lunch included with your orphanage director and appropriate staff
Afternoon visit any locations your family needs (foster family, finding site, activity at orphanage, etc)
Dinner at the home of a local family
Stay at best available hotel if not in Xian
Day 8
Breakfast in the hotel
Morning travel back to Xian from the orphanage city or free time for families with kids from Xian
Lunch included in local restaurant
Afternoon cooking lessons of main food in Shaanxi Province-noodles and dumplings making
Dinner included
Day 9
Breakfast in the hotel
Morning visit the Jade Carving Demonstration, Muslim Mosque and Market
Lunch included at Xian Jiaozi Dumpling Restaurant
Afternoon visit to Big Wild Goose Pagoda, and Tang Dynasty Museum with hands-on calligraphy and painting lesson
Dinner included at local restaurant
Day 10
Breakfast in the hotel
Morning visit Huxian farmer's painting village, kids have hands-on program to learn local folk painting and crafts making
Lunch at farmer's house
Afternoon visit local school
Drive back to the city
Dinner included in the hotel
Day 11
Breakfast in the hotel
Day trip to Huashan, cable car round trip to the mountain
Lunch included
Afternoon drive back to Xian
Dinner included at local restaurant
Day 12
Breakfast in the hotel
Fly to Beijing in the morning with OCDF staff
Met at the airport and transfer to Holiday Inn Central Plaza Hotel (4-star)
Buffet lunch at hotel
Afternoon visit Temple of Heaven and Hong Qiao Market
Dinner at Old Beijing Noodle Shop
Evening: The Legends of Kung Fu
Day 13
Breakfast in the hotel
Morning visit Great Hall of the People with Shaanxi Provincial Meeting Room and then Tiananmen Square
Lunch at Sun Yat Sen Park with fly kites
Afternoon visit Forbidden City
Dinner included at Tian Wai Tian Restaurant
Evening Beijing Acrobatic Show
Day 14
Breakfast in the hotel
Morning the Summer Palace with boat ride on Kunming Lake
Lunch on your own at McDonalds in Huairou
Afternoon to Great Wall at Mutianyu
Dinner included at Agrilandia
Day 1 5
Breakfast in the hotel
Morning Hutong Tour by pedicab including visit to Drum and Bell Tower with a Tea Ceremony at Prince Gong's Palace
Visit to Shichahai Sports Training Institute where Olympic gymnastics, Wushu and Ping Pong athletes are trained
Lunch at local family home to make dumplings
Afternoon visit to sports venues for the Beijing 2008 Olympics: The Bird's Nest, The National Swim Stadium (Bubble), and the Gymnastic Stadium
Peking Duck Dinner included
Day 16
Breakfast in the hotel
Morning to Panjiayuan Market and Silk Alley for last chance shopping
Lunch on your own
Afternoon free time on own
Dinner on your own
Day 17
Breakfast in the hotel
Transfer to airport for flight back to USA
Options for Pre-trip & Post-trip Activities
- Pretrip Hong Kong Sightseeing Email jenny@ocdf.org
- Pretrip additional time in Guangzhou Email jenny@ocdf.org
- Post-trip OCDF Beijing tours - see the pre-trip options for Beijing (PDF flyer here and here), as these can be scheduled as post-trip options following Explore-A-Province. Email jane@ocdf.org to arrange.
Shaanxi Explore-a-Province Tour Includes:
- Guangzhou as entry city, 5-7 days in Shaanxi Province (capital, SWI visit, local visits), 2-days in Xian, 5-days in Beijing with a 2008 Olympic Venue Program
- Guangzhou stay at the White Swan Hotel
- Provincial Capital - we will select best available hotel where adoptive families typically stay Orphanage City or Town - you will stay at the best available hotel in this location if it's not a Provincial capital
- Xian stay at a superior 4-star hotel such as Aurun International Hotel.
- Beijing stay at a premium 4-star level hotel such as Holiday Inn Central Plaza.
- Meals included as per itinerary with daily buffet western breakfast and special meals provided in each city in keeping with the local experience. See B (breakfast), L (lunch), D (dinner) for included meals.
- Evening and special entertainment included as per itinerary with Tang Dynasty Dinner Show, Xian Jiaozi Dumpling lunch, Peking Acrobats, and The Legends of Kung Fu included.
- Airport transfers, domestic transportation (train, air, bus, van), bilingual OCDF escort and local guides, sightseeing entrance fees as per itinerary, evening entertainment as per itinerary, domestic travel insurance, luggage handling, tips and gratuities for guides/drivers/luggage handling service providers.
- Cultural heritage sites and special visits included in the itinerary - Xian Terracotta warriors and museum, Muslim Mosque and Market, Great Wall at Mutianyu, Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven, Tiananmen Square with kite flying, Forbidden City, Hutong Tour with Drum and Bell Tower and Tea Ceremony at Prince Gong's Palace, Beijing Markets (Hong Qiao, Panjiayuan, Silk Alley), Stadiums of the 2008 Olympic Games, sports training facilities such as gymnastics, and more - see itineraries!
Activities in Shaanxi Province:
- School visit in the Province to see local children's classrooms and experience their school environment.
- Orphanage visit including lunch with the orphanage director and caregivers and visit to any local sights desired - finding site, foster family, etc.
- Local home visit - share lunch and spend time with a family in the Province.
- Hands-on craft activities for children related to the key crafts of the Province.
- Foods of the region orientation program to learn about how to appreciate and understand local foods.
- Workbook keyed to the Province and overall itinerary along with special gift items keyed to the itinerary.
- Local scenic spots and historical sights will be visited to learn about the unique aspects of the Province - it's famous
- people, special relics and eras, etc.
- Local entertainment related to the Province included.
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Welcome to Shaanxi Province!
Location:
Shaanxi, in the middle reaches of the Yellow River and the eastern part of northwest China, has an area of more than 205,600 square kilometers. It is situated 105'29"-111'15" east longitude and 31'42"-39'35" north latitude, neighboring Shanxi, Henan provinces in the east, Hubei, Sichuan provinces in the south, Gansu in the west, and Ningxia, Inner Mongolia in the northwest. Shaanxi has a varied terrain. In the north are plateaus, in the middle, plains and in the south, mountainous areas.
Climate:
From north to south, the climate belongs to semi-dry monsoon temperate zone, semi-wet and semi-dry monsoon warm temperate zone and moist monsoon sub-tropical zone respectively. Annual temperature and precipitation varies greatly with regions.
Administrative Division and Population:
It is divided into 10 prefecture-level cities, 4 county-level cities and 83 counties, with a population of 36.05 million as of 2000, mainly including ethnic groups of Han, Manchu, Hui, Mongolian, and Tibetan.
Food:
Yangrou Paomo (shredded cake in beef and mutton soup), Yulin Bean Curd, etc. Noodles!
Culture:
Qinqiang (Shaanxi Opera), Han Opera, Xintianyou (a kind of Shanxi local melody), and Yangge (popular rural folk dance), etc.
Brief Introduction:
Shaanxi Province is called Shaan for short, with Xi'an as the provincial capital. In the middle reaches of the Yellow River and the eastern part of northwest China, Shaanxi is one of the cradles of the Chinese nation. Lantian Man of 800,000 years ago and Dali Man of 200,000 years ago all lived in this area. Xi'an was also the capital of 13 dynasties from the Western Zhou Dynasty (11th century -771BC) to the Tang Dynasty (618-907). During the Tang period, Chang'an (present-day Xi'an) was an international metropolis, attracting many scholars from Japan, western Asian and Europe. It was officially named as Shaanxi in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
Shaanxi has well developed agriculture and stockbreeding. In agriculture, the main products are wheat, cotton, silk cocoon, and tobacco, while flax is the important cash crop. The main industries include coal, machinery, textile, electronics and chemistry, etc. The coal reserve here is among the top in the country.
Shaanxi Province is one of the central areas of ancient civilization of China. It abounds in places of historic interest and scenic beauty, including The Mausoleum of the Yellow Emperor in ancient times, the Mausoleum of the First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty (221-206BC), tomb figures of terra-cotta warriors and horses, the Great Wall, Xi'an City Wall, Forest of Steles, the Tower of Big Goose, the Banpo Museum, Huashan Mountain, Zhongnan Mountain, Taibai Mountain, and the Hukou Waterfall, etc.
Yan'an with some other places in northern Shaanxi was the seat of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party from October 1935 to 1948.
12 Key Steps For OCDF Travelers:
- Look at the various itineraries and decide what time of year you wish to travel and which tour fits your family's needs. Download the article: Returning to China with Your Adopted Child (pdf), and begin preparing for your trip.
- Download the pdf file for that tour or print off the itinerary. Full color brochures can be obtained from OCDF by calling 309-829-8202 or email: lynn@ocdf.org .
- If your family desires a customized trip - please download our Customized Travel Planning Booklet and contact Jenny Peng (jenny@ocdf.org) to assist you with your quotation. Any regular OCDF China Tour can be scheduled for custom groups, or new tour itineraries created just for your family and friends!
- See the tour costs. A $500 per person non-refundable deposit is due at the time of registration. Any gift certificates must be presented at the time of registration. Only one gift certificate can be used per family. Payments can be made by check, money order, bank check and Visa or Mastercard. Questions? Ask jane@ocdf.org .
- Check your passports to be sure they will be valid for at least 6 months AFTER the dates of your travel. If you do not have passports, or your passports will expire during that time-frame PLEASE make getting new passports a HIGH PRIORITY for your family as passport application and processing takes much much longer now than in the past.
- If you wish to visit a child's orphanage as part of your tour or as an add-on, please complete the file called the Orphanage Request Form and return it to jenny@ocdf.org. Jenny Peng, our travel planner, will assist you by gaining the approval for your orphanage visit, arrange for interpreters and guides, and arrange travel. She will provide you with a quotation for add-on costs for the orphanage visit should it not be included in your tour itinerary.
- Download the registration form or obtain a printed copy from OCDF by calling 309-829-8202 or email: lynn@ocdf.org. For international air fare: contact Marta LaCour (marta.lacour@travnet.net) at www.travnet.net to assist you with your international airline reservations. Call Marta at: 1-800-359-6388. For insurance: contact Medex for your trip cancellation and travel medical insurance.
- Submit your registration form (as complete as it can be at the time - you may need to add new passport numbers later) either online or to OCDF at PO Box 1243, Bloomington, IL 61702-1243. Be sure to include a photocopy of each person's passport who is traveling with your family AND your $500 per person non-refundable tour deposit (See Important Information about Tours if you have questions about cancellation policies). Please check that your passports are signed (parents should sign for children) prior to making the photocopies.
- Check the Travel Information Fact Sheet (Word file) for travel medical preparations and obtain any vaccinations and medications needed for your tour such as Hepatitis A & B series (takes 6 months to get all shots in the series), a Tetanus booster (if needed), blood typing, and prescription for antibiotics.
- Receive from OCDF three things:
- Invoice by email showing tour payment and balance due
- Email Welcome to OCDF China Tours from Jane
- A package from OCDF Office in the USA with t-shirts, travel planning booklet, luggage tags, and passport holder. Please READ your travel planning guide. Join the egroup for your tour program!
- Pay your balance of tour costs by the deadline - 3 months prior to your tour. Update your tour registration with new passport information. Questions about your invoice should be addressed to steven@ocdf.org or jenny@ocdf.org . Our USA office can tell you if your check/payment was received (309-829-8202), but they will not know the details of your travel plans - the Beijing Office will handle this. Thus emailing Steven or Jenny may be best.
- Apply for your Visa through the Chinese consulate near your home, or use our recommended courier services www.mychinadocs.com . They will assist you with your visa application. Do not apply for your visa more than 90 days (3 months) prior to your trip or the visa will expire before you travel. About 4-6 weeks before your tour is enough time to apply for your visa. Once you have your visa, please email sunny@ocdf.org with your visa numbers, expiration and issue dates.
Thank you!
Questions? Please Email the OCDF Staff:
Jane Liedtke, jane@ocdf.org OCDF China Tours
Jenny Peng, jenny@ocdf.org Orphanage contacts and additional travel in China
Contact by Telephone:
Jane Liedtke at OCDF Office in China - 011-8610-8403-4979 (answering machine available)
OCDF Office in USA - 309-829-8202 ask for Lynn Warren (answering machine available)
Jenny Peng, Travel Planner in China - 011-86-13011086069
Contact by Mail in USA:
Our Chinese Daughters Foundation
109 West Monroe
Bloomington, IL 61701
Mailing Address in USA:
OCDF
PO Box 1243
Bloomington, IL 61702-1243 USA
Contact by Mail in Beijing:
OCDF China Tours
199 Chaoyangmennei
Richland Court Room 105
Dongcheng District
Beijing 100010 China
Brief Background on OCDF China Tours
OCDF China Tours has its own trained staff and guides and also contracts with CITS in China for in-China travel services. To assure you a quality tour program, OCDF directs all tour programs and selects all staff members who work with our groups. Dr. Jane Liedtke, CEO and Founder of Our Chinese Daughters Foundation, lives and works from the Beijing and Bloomington Offices of OCDF. Her daughter Emily was adopted from Jiangmen Social Welfare Institute in 1994 and is 14 years old (will be 15 in April 2008). Jane has organized tour groups to China for adoptive families, educators and professional groups with experience in China since 1987. OCDF began Chinese Culture Camps for adoptive families in 1996 and extended them to China in 1998. OCDF was the first organization to offer Chinese Culture programs to adoptive families via tour programs to China. We work extensively with adoptive families and orphanages throughout China to insure your family has the best experience possible upon your return to your adopted child's birth-country.
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