Six-day Yangtze Downstream Cruise

    You will meet your guide and driver at Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport or Chongqing North Railway Station, and be taken to your hotel in Downtown Chongqing. After you check in at your hotel, you may go to Jiefangbei Pedestrian Street for a stroll in your free time.

    As a hub of communications in Southwestern China, Chongqing is an easily accessible city. Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport operates flights to 61 overseas terminals and 142 cities within Mainland China. The overseas terminals include New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Paris, Amsterdam, Bangkok, Singapore, Tokyo, etc. Tourists can also take a bullet train to Chongqing from some major cities within Mainland China, such as Chengdu, Xi’an, Shanghai and Guiyang.

    After breakfast, you will check out of your rooms, and then, be guided to visit some scenic areas in Chongqing, including Chongqing Grand Auditorium, Liziba Monorail Station, Ciqikou Ancient Town and Hongyadong Old Street. You may have a try for the local Hot Pot at Ciqikou Street. In the evening, your guide and driver will escort you to Chaotianmen Pier where the luxury cruise ships are berthed. The embarkation is scheduled between 4:30 P.M. and 8:00 P.M.. The crews usually weigh anchor at 9:30 P.M.. The luxury cruise ship highly recommended to you are the Century Glory and the Century Legend. Both have been given a five-star rating. We will book a comfortable room for you for three nights on the ship.

    Chongqing Grand Auditorium is one of the landmarks of Chongqing. It is also called Chongqing People’s Great Hall. The construction of the hall was begun in 1951 and completed in 1954. The building combines the regal splendor of the ancient Chinese palaces and Western architecture. The hall is 65 meters(213 feet) in height and covers an area of 1.85 hectares(4.57 acres). It has seating capacity of over 3,400.

    Liziba Monorail Station is located by the Jialing River. It is one of the hottest tourist attractions in Chongqing. Visitors like to stand on a nearby viewing platform, watching trains which draw into the station. Since the monorail trains move high above the ground, the difference in height between the viewing platform and the monorails gives an illusion of space. People can be photographed with a special composition that the trains are running into their mouths.

    Ciqikou Ancient Town used to be a river port in ancient times. It shows what Chongqing was like in the past. Because the street has not become as modernized as the rest part of Chongqing, Ciqikou is known as the so-called Chongqing in Miniature or Small Chongqing.

    Hongyadong is a traditional Chinese styled shopping mall. The building shows the feature of Diaojiaolou architecture. Diaojiaolou is a traditional building supported by piles, which is popular among some Chinese minorities, such as, the Miao Nationality and the Tujia Nationality. It was built in 2006. The building has become one of the most ideal places for photographers to get the gorgeous Chongqing night view.

    In the morning, the crews will anchor the ship at the pier near Fengdu Ghost City. You may make a trip to the City of Ghost. As an optional excursion, you can spend about two hours for the trip. The ship will leave for Shibaozhai Fortress at 10:30 A.M.. It will make a two-hour stopover at the fortress at 3:00 P.M.. The entrance fee for Shibaozhai Fortress is included. A live dance performance will start at 8:30 P.M..

    Fengdu Ghost City has a long history of nearly 2,000 years. It was founded in the late first century. According to Chinese religious beliefs, Fengdu is commonly considered as the destination of souls. It shows what the haven of the deceased would be like.

    Shibaozhai Fortress is situated on the north bank of the Yangtze River. It was constructed by Tan Hong during the reign of Emperor Shenzong(1572-1619), the Ming Dynasty(1368-1644). Tan Hong was the leader of rebel forces. He built his fortress on a cliff which is called Shibao or the Jade-Stamp. The main building looks like a pagoda. It is a twelve-storey building with a height of 56 meters(184 feet). The fortress has been highly praised by the US Discovery Channel as One of China’s Top Seven Architectural Wonders and One of the World’s Top Eight Odd-looking Buildings.

    The ship will arrive at the White-Emperor Town at 8:00 A.M.. An optional excursion to the White-Emperor Town is recommended. You need to get on the ship before 10:30 A.M.. The ship will enter the Three Gorges at 11:00 A.M. It will reach the confluence of the Yangtze and the Shennv Stream at 2:00 P.M.. Then, you will be transferred to visit the gorgeous stream by some boatmen. You will board the ship before 4:30 P.M.. In the evening, you may watch another show performed by the crews.

    The White-Emperor Town is located at the west mouth of the Three Gorges. The Whit-Emperor refers to Gongsun Shu who was a warlord of Sichuan during the civil war which broke out in the early first century. Local people built a shrine to worship the warlord, and named it as the White-Emperor Temple. However, the town’s only claim to fame has nothing to do with Gongsun Shu. It is the place where Emperor Liu Bei(161-223) passed away and entrusted the Prime Minster Zhuge Liang(181-234) with his cause and his young successor. In order to commemorate the event, the temple was rebuilt in the year of 1513. The images of Liu Bei and his followers are placed in the temple for worship.

    The west mouth of the Three Gorges is called Kuimen or Qutangguan. It is the entrance to Qutang Gorge which is well-known for the magnificence of the scenery. Qutang Gorge is the shortest one of the three gorges with a length of 8 kilometers(5 miles). Wu Gorge is the middle section of the Three Gorges. It is 46 kilometers(29 miles) in length, is the most gorgeous one among the Three Gorges. Xiling Gorge is the east section of the Three Gorges, is 66 kilometers(41 miles) in length. It is the longest and most perilous one among the Three Gorges.

    The Shennv Stream lies at the south of Wu Gorge. It is named after Shennv Peak of Wu Mountain. Shennv means fairy maiden in English. The stream is a tributary of the Yangtze River, is 15 kilometers(9 miles) in length. Visitors are enchanted by the natural beauty of the stream.

    After breakfast, you will go ashore at Maoping Pier, and pay a visit to the Three-Gorge Dam. Then, you will be transferred to the No.9 Pier of Yichang Port to check out of your room on board ship by 12:30 P.M. An optional trip is to take a pleasure boat to pass through ship-locks of the dam. It is the best way to see how the ship lift works. If you want to take the optional trip, you need to check out of your room before 7:45 A.M.. Then you will be taken to the pleasure boat. After visiting the dam, you will be transferred to the Visitor Centre of the Three-Gorge Dam where you can take back your luggage and meet your local guide in Yichang. After having lunch, you will be guided to visit Sanxiarenjia Fishing Village. You will spend the night in a hotel in downtown Yichang.

    The Three-Gores Dam lies at the east of the Three Gorges. It is the largest hydro power station in the world, is the main component of the Three-Gorge Water Conservancy Project. The dam is 2,308 meters(7,572 feet) in length and 185 meters(607 feet) in height. A huge reservoir has been formed by damming the Yangtze River. It measures 1,084 square kilometers(419 sq.mi). The project was begun in 1994 and completed in 2006. It has brought many changes to the Yangtze River, such as the flood control, the hydro power generation, the shipping industry, aquaculture, water supply and irrigation.

    Sanxiarenjia Fishing Village is located by the Yangtze River, about 35 kilometers(22 miles) to the northwest of downtown Yichang. It is a picturesque fishing village, is a national five-star scenic area. The locals lead a tranquil life in the village. They belong to Tujia Ethnic Group. The village shows the authentic Tujia’s traditional culture.

    You will be transferred to Yichang Sanxia Airport according to your flight timings. The airport is situated 32 kilometers(20 miles) to the south of downtown Yichang. It takes about 50 minutes to drive from the city to the airport. Currently, Yichang Sanxia Airport operates flights to 17 domestic cities, such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Xi’an, Shenzhen and Xiamen.