Martin Gray is a National Geographic photographer and anthropologist specializing in the photographic documentation of holy places around the world. During two decades of travel he photographed nearly one thousand sacred sites in a hundred countries. His photographs and writings are shown on the Places of Peace and Power web site at SacredSites.com. This web site explores subjects such as sacred geography, earth mysteries, archaeoastronomy, ecopsychology and the evolution of eco-spiritual consciousness in increasing numbers of humans around the globe. Martin’s latest book, Sacred Earth, is a collection of beautiful color photographs of sacred sites all across the planet.

Next year, from April 5 to 26, 2009, Martin will be leading a group tour to numerous sacred places and cultural landmarks around China. Some of the sites we will visit are the White Cloud Temple and Forbidden City in Beijing, the Great Wall, the Yungang Grottoes, the 3rd century BC Terracotta warriors and the sacred mountains of Wu Tai and Putuo. The size of the group will be limited to 40 people. Throughout the tour Martin will give numerous talks about the history and pilgrimage traditions of Taoism and Buddhism.

The complete itinerary and tour details are below. If you have any additional questions please email us at jia@jiasdreamtours or call us at 408-438-6840.

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Day 1 DEPART U.S.

Day 2 ARRIVE BEIJING

Arrive in Beijing where you will be met upon arrival and transferred to Grand Mercure Hotel, a 4* hotel with great downtown location.

Group Orientation in the hotel that day after all the group members have arrived.

Welcome to Beijing. You can learn some interesting facts about Beijing from the Beijing page on our website.

Day 3 BEIJING (B, L, SD)

This morning you are going to wake up in the magnificent 800 year old Capital city of Beijing. When you arrive at Tiananmen Square and are standing in the middle of the largest square in the world, you will really want to pinch yourself. That’s right, you are in China.

You will then follow the meridian line of this ancient city and enter the majestic Forbidden City, which has been a monument to classic Chinese architecture for over 500 years.

You will then take a rickshaw tour through old downtown Beijing. These historic narrow alleyways are called Hutongs. You will really be amazed by this peek into the everyday life of the real Beijingers. You are going to enjoy a face-to-face visit with a local family there. So prepare your list of questions that you want to ask, and anticipate a genuine warm welcome from your hosts.

Tonight you will savor the most authentic Peking Duck Dinner in Beijing; a great way to finish an unforgettable day.

Day 4 BEIJING (B, L, D)

In the morning, you are going to visit the White Cloud Temple (Baiyunguan in Chinese). It is the headquarters of the Chinese Taoism Association with about 1,200 years of history. Master Qiu, a very famous immortal in Chinese history and founder of the Dragon Gate Sect, once stayed in the temples. It has very imposing temples of various styles.

Then you will go forty miles north of Beijing to the Badaling Great Wall. This wonder of the world was built more than 2,600 years ago. The Wall was an extraordinary 4,000-mile-long fortification built to thwart barbarian invasions. A walk along a section of this enormous edifice is definitely a not-to-be-missed experience. You will go all the way to the top and have a fantastic bird’s eye view of this ancient wonder.

After dinner you will enjoy the fantastic Legend of Kung Fu Show.

Day 5 BEIJING (B, L,)

In the morning you will explore an authentic Chinese Imperial garden – the Summer Palace. It is a summer resort built exclusively for the Emperor and Empress. You are going to enjoy the legendary scenery originally reserved only for the Imperial family.

You are also going to visit the biggest Lama Buddhist Temple in Beijing, which is the second biggest temple in China after the Potala Palace in Tibet. The Lama Temple (Lamasery of Harmony and Peace), one of the best preserved temples in Beijing, is one of the most important attractions of the city. This complex dating back to 1694 was the palace in which the son and successor of the Qing Emperor Kangxi lived. It was converted into a lamasery in 1744. The Lama Temple, built on a north-south axis, has been preserved until today. The temple still houses a small group of Lama Buddhist monks, young and old, who also manage the complex.

Rest of the day is free at leisure.

Day 6 BEIJING / DATONG (B,)

Free at leisure during the day.

Take the overnight train Beijing—Datong (hard sleeper) K605 (2336/0621+1)

Day 7 DATONG (B, L)

You arrive at Datong in the morning and after breakfast will visit the Yungang Grottoes. There are 252 caves and 51,000 statues, representing the outstanding achievement of Buddhist cave art in China from the 5th and 6th centuries. The Five Caves with their strict unity of layout and design constitute a classical masterpiece of the first peak of Chinese Buddhist art. Located at the southern foot of Wuzhou Mountain about 16 km west of Datong City, Yungang Grottoes were built against the mountain and extend about 1 km (0.62 miles) from east to west. The construction of the caves was started under the auspices of the noted monk Tan Yao in 453 and took 50 years to complete. Some 40,000 people, including Buddhists from what is present-day Sri Lanka, contributed to the huge project.

The 53 grottoes in Yungang Grottos include some 1,000 niches with about 51,000 statues – a treasure-trove of cave art that combines traditional Chinese art forms with foreign influence, particularly Greek and Indian. Sculptures here are noted for their vigorous features and rich variety that range from the smallest, only 2 centimeters high, to the tallest, a Buddha 17-meter high.

Then you will visit the Huayan Monastery complex that is located on the south western side of Datong. There are two separate sections to the monastery, the upper one referred to as the Grand Hall housing five large Ming Dynasty Buddhas, and the lower section referred to as the Sutra Temple containing a library of some 18,000 volumes of Buddhist writings. Built during the Liao Dynasty (907 - 1125), the Huayan Monastery is the largest and best preserved monastery of the Liao Dynasty in existence in China. This monastery was built according to the Huayan Sutra Sect of the Huayan School and is unique in that it faces east instead of south.

Afterwards, you will see the famous Datong Nine Dragon Screen. Built over 600 years ago, it is the oldest and largest glazed screen in China today. It is three times larger than the one in Beijing.

The screen, built for the thirteenth son of Zhu Yuanzhang, the first Emperor of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), has been well preserved and remains intact to this day. It is made up of 426 specially-fired glazed bricks, with a height of 8 meters (about 26 feet), 2.02 meters (6.6 feet) thick and 45.5 meters (149 feet) long. The Screen can be divided into three parts, the pedestal, body and roof.

Overnight at a nice 4* hotel, Datong Hotel, located in the heart of Datong.

Day 8 DATONG /WUTAISHAN (B, L)

Today you will first visit the famous Hanging Temple (about 1.5 hours drive from Datong). The Hanging Monastery stands at the foot of Mt. Hengshan, 65 kilometers (40 miles) from downtown Datong. Since it hangs on the west cliff of Jinxia Gorge more than 50 meters above the ground, it is called Hanging Monastery.

Hanging Monastery, built in 491, has survived more than 1500 years. The extant monastery was largely rebuilt and maintained in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). The unique attraction of Hanging Monastery is that it includes Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. Inside the monastery, the sculptures of Sakyamuni, Confucius and Laozi appear together, which is unusual. There are 40 halls and cabinets, which contain about 80 sculptures made of copper, iron, terracotta, and stone.

Why build a monastery like this? Location is the first reason; building a monastery on the cliff could shield it from floods. In addition, the mountain peak protects it from rain and snow; and the mountain it sits on also diminishes damage from long-time sunshine. The second reason is that the builders followed a principle in Taoism: no noises, including those from roosters and dogs; so from the upper perch, you won’t be interrupted by outside noise.

Then you will continue the drive to Mt. Wutaishan (about 2.5 hours).

Overnight at Yin Hai Hotel. Built in the Qing style, this four-story complex, with its gray buildings, red trim, and bright green and gold roofs with upturned eaves, looks almost like another mountain temple. This 4* hotel located right in Mt.Wutai, is considered the best hotel there.

Day 9 WUTAISHAN (B, L)

Tour day at Mt. Wutai: The most holy land of Chinese Buddhism, Mt. Wutai lies in Wutai County, Shanxi Province. It is rated on the list of the national scenic places designated by the State Council. It is as famous as Mt.Emei in Sichuan Province, Mt.Putuo in Zhejiang Province, and Mt.Jiuhua in Anhui Province, all of which are renowned as the four sacred Buddhist Mountains in China.

Mt. Wutai covers an area of 2,837 square kilometers (1,095.4 square miles), and its five main peaks, positioned east, south, west, north, and in the middle, embrace one another with broad terraces rather than forests on their tops. That is why it bears the name "Wutaishan" (Mountain of Five Terraces). With the average altitude over 1,000 meters (over 3,281 feet), the summit of the northern peak which is famed as being the "Roof of Northern China", reaches 3061.1 meters (10,043 feet). Besides the religious aspect, the beauty of rising and falling ridges of mountains, exotic rocks, crisscrossed gullies, crystalline waters and towering green forests also give Mt. Wutai its reputation as a colorful and notable tourist resort.

Day 10 WUTAISHAN (B, L)

You will still have a half day tour of Mt. Wutai in the morning, and in the afternoon you will be free on your own. You can meditate, or just leisurely wander around and take in the surroundings.

Day 11 WUTAISHAN /TAIYUAN/XIAN (B, L,)

Drive from Mt. Wutai to Taiyuan, the capital city of Shanxi Province (about 5 hours). Then you will take a flight to Xian.

Xi’an is the cradle of Chinese civilization. Xi’an was the state capital for 73 emperors, spanning 11 dynasties lasting over 2,000 years. Get a feeling for this medieval metropolis as you stand on top of the old City Wall, enjoying the fabulous bird’s-eye view. One of China’s most prosperous times in history was during the spectacular Tang Dynasty (619 – 907 AD), during which Xi’an was the capital. As the eastern terminus of the Ancient Silk Road, Xi’an was the most important international metropolis in middle Asia; attracting businessmen, traders, scholars and students from all over the world.

You can learn more about Xi’an from the Xi’an page in our website.

Overnight at New World Hotel in Xian. This nice 4* hotel is located in central Xi'an, near to the West Gate, ten minutes walk to Xi'an ancient city wall, Grand Mosque and the local market.

Day 12 XIAN (B, L, SD)

This morning you are going to visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda; still an active temple and the symbol of Xi’an. Then you will visit the Banpo Museum, a typical Neolithic matriarchal community of the Yangshao Culture dating back about 6,000 years, with its exceptional excavations of the Banpo site.

In the afternoon you are going to visit one of the most stunning sites in the world, the life-sized Terra-Cotta Warrior Army. An underground terra-cotta army buried to protect the legendary first Emperor of China, Qin Shihuang during his afterlife. While in awe of those eight thousand life-sized soldiers, officers, horses and wagons dating from the third century BC, it will be hard to believe that this wonder was accidentally discovered by a farmer while he was digging out a well in the early 1970’s. If you are lucky, you will also see some archaeologists still working the site to uncover another part of the vast tomb complex built by first emperor in Chinese history.

Tonight, you are going to have a feast while enjoying the dazzling Tang Dynasty Cultural Show featuring music, dance, and colorful traditional Tang costumes.

Day 13 XIAN / GUILIN (B, L)

This morning your first stop will be the famous Shaanxi Provincial Museum. Xi'an's well-presented Shaaxi Provincial Museum houses exceptional collections; tracing back from the matriarchal societies of the third millennium BC to the glorious Tang dynasty in the tenth century.
And you will really get an exclusive white glove experience: handling relics with thousands of years history.

Then you will visit the Great Mosque. Xi’an is also famous for its Muslim population and influence. Your next stop will be at Xi'an's famous Great Mosque, which is still active and always impresses people with its authentic religious architecture. The bazaar that you walk through to get to the Great Mosque is full of Muslim venders selling their arts and crafts.

You will take a late afternoon flight to Guilin, and stay over night at Park Hotel Guilin, a centrally located 4* hotel with the most beautiful views in Guilin.

Guilin is the most picturesque city in China, famous for its splendid natural scenery. Its romantic countryside is very soothing. Enjoy water buffalos strolling in the lush green rice paddies combined with the craggy limestone background; you will really get lost in this living picture.

You can learn more about Guilin from the Guilin page in our website.

Day 14 GUILIN /YANGSHUO (B, L)

Early in the morning you will enjoy a relaxing boat-ride along the highlight of Guilin, the meandering Li River. Clumps of phoenix tail bamboo trees line the shores, little bamboo rafts floating on the water with the cormorants resting on them, every once in a while awakened by the swimming boys. The cruise will take you to Yangshuo, which is more famous for its beauty than even Guilin. The open market in Yangshuo is a wonderful example of a country-style free market.

You will arrive in Yangshuo after lunch on the boat. You will be amazed at the large Caucasian population here. Many of them settled here to open a small business like a coffee shop, or simply because of the beautiful scenery and peaceful country. All of these foreign residents make a very unique atmosphere for Yangshuo.

You can wander around the West Street – the main street in Yangshuo. Tonight you can dine at your leisure at any of the local restaurants. Yangshuo is a very intimate little town with many English speakers so you will have great fun picking your place for dinner.

Tonight the highlight will be the “Impression of Sanjie Liu” show. It’s an open air show on the largest nature stage with the beautiful Li River as the background for the stage.

You will stay over night at Yangshuo Paradesa Hotel: the only international resort and the largest hotel in the scenic town of Yangshuo.

Day 15 YANGSHUO / GUILIN (B, L)

You will drive back from Yangshuo to Guilin, and have some sightseeing in Guilin. Elephant Trunk Hill will vividly demonstrate the miracle of nature: An elephant enjoying his moment by the Li River. Don’t miss the well lit up image of this elephant at night. That will be the highlight of your dream.

You will then visit the Reed Flute Cave, also known by another beautiful name, "The Art Palace of Nature", features fantastic natural stalactite and stalagmite formations, artfully illuminated by multicolored lights.

Stay over night at Park Hotel Guilin.

Day 16 GUILIN /HANGZHOU (B)

You will be free at leisure in the morning, then you are flying to Hangzhou, a city whose beauty is encapsulated by a famous Chinese couplet: "In heaven there is paradise, on earth there is Hangzhou and Suzhou." It was Hangzhou whose wealth and splendor astonished Marco Polo.

You will visit the famous Six Harmonies Pagoda. The Pagoda of Six Harmonies lies on Yuelun Mountain beside the Qiantang River, which is on the south tip of Hangzhou City. "Six Harmonies" originated from the Buddhist "Six Harmonious Rules", which are six kinds of rules. It's also called "Pagoda of Six Harmonious", which means the harmony with the six elements, i.e., all the things in heaven, on earth, in the east, west, south and north are contained in the pagoda. The Pagoda of Six Harmonies was originally built in the Northern Song Dynasty (997A.D.). At that time, Hangzhou was the capital of Kingdom Wuyue. In order to guard the territory and reassure the masses, Qian Hongjiao, the Emperor of Wuyue, built the pagoda in order to calm the violent tide in the Qiantang River.

You will stay at Ramada Plaza Hotel, a grand 4* hotel by the West Lake.

You can learn more about Hangzhou from our website:

Day 17 HANGZHOU (B, L)

Your visit begins exactly as Marco Polo recommended, with a tour by gondola of the West Lake's elegant causeways and landscaped islands.

You will also visit famous Buddhism temple: Linyin Temple. Lingyin Temple, or the Temple of Inspired Seclusion, was founded in 326 AD by the Indian monk, Hui Li. It quickly became a center of worship for the Chan (Zen) Buddhist sect, and once served as home to more than three thousand monks. During its turbulent history the temple has been destroyed and then restored no less than sixteen times with the current structures dating to the late Qing dynasty (1644-1911).

You will be free at leisure for the rest of the day.

Day 18 HANGZHOU/ PUTUOSHAN (B, L)

You will have a free morning to explore Hangzhou.

At noon, you will transfer from Hangzhou to Ningbo pier (about 2 hours drive) and take the boat to Mt. Putuoshan (about 1.5 hours).

Overnight at 4* Putuoshan Hotel. The hotel is situated in the center part of Mount Putuo, which is famous as Buddhist country, and behind Xishan Scenic Spot and near Puji Temple.

Day 19 PUTUOSHAN (B, L)

Mt. Putuo lies to the east of Zhoushan City. Zhoushan is situated on Zhoushan Island that in turn gives its name to a group of some four hundred small islands off the east coast of China in Zhejiang Province. These islands are in fact the peaks of submerged mountains and so rise steeply from the sea. Mt. Putuo dominates the small land mass with its total area of about 12.5 square kilometers (4.8 square miles). The mountain is one of four in the country that are held sacred by Buddhists and it was here that over the centuries a once large Buddhist community was to evolve.

The island's scenic beauty meant it was the perfect setting for temples and other religious buildings. In due course, it became known as the "Heaven of the Sea and Kingdom of the Buddhists". In its heyday, the island had eighty-two temples and nunneries together with some one hundred and twenty-eight shelters that between them housed 4,000 Buddhist monks and nuns. Even today visitors to the island will encounter monks in their traditional robes as they walk along the many paths that crisscross the picturesque landscape.

Day 20 PUTUOSHAN / SHANGHAI (B, L)

You will be free at leisure in the morning.

After lunch you will take a speedboat from Mt. Putuo to Shanghai (about 2.5 hours). Upon arrival transfer from Luchao pier to the 4* Central Hotel Shanghai, conveniently located in the shopping and business district and adjacent to the Nanjing Road – the No 1 shopping street in Shanghai.

Welcome to Shanghai. Cosmopolitan Shanghai is considered to be the most Western-styled Chinese city. Established early in the last century, it is the financial and commercial center of China today. You will be impressed by the skyline of this stunning metropolis.

You can learn more about Shanghai from our website:

Day 21 SHANGHAI (B, L, SD)

This morning, you are going to see the Yu Garden deep in the old section of this prosperous city. Yu Garden is a finely designed maze of elegant pavilions and ponds, which is a great example of a very traditional Chinese style garden. Most of the gardens in the South are located in the middle of the city, but with their designs and the use of natural decorations, you feel like you are back to nature.

You will then stroll along the signature area of Shanghai, the Bund. While standing on the Bund, China’s most famous waterfront stretching about a mile along the Huangpu River, you will see the contrast of both the old and the new world. The older buildings finished at the beginning of last century, contrasted with the modern Oriental Pearl Tower; the tallest TV tower in Asia.

This afternoon you will visit the best museum in China: Shanghai Museum. Shanghai Museum is a very modern design, and has an extensive collection of all aspects of Chinese art from ceramics to jades, furniture, costumes to paintings, and more.

You will enjoy a farewell Dim Sum Dinner for your China Spiritual Tour and say good-bye to the group.

Day 22 SHANGHAI/US (B,)

You will depart Shanghai for home.

B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner and SD = Special Dinner (e.g. Peking Duck Dinner, Tang Dynasty Dinner Show, etc.).

Tour Price: $4,288 (double occupancy)
$5,468 (single occupancy)
Minimum number of participants required is 20

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Tour Price Includes:

• 4 star Hotel accommodations with daily breakfast
• Beijing: Grand Mercure Hotel
• Datong: Datong Hotel
• Wutaishan: Yin Hai Hotel
• Xi’an: New World Hotel
• Guilin: Park Hotel Guilin
• Yangshuo: Yangshuo Paradesa Hotel
• Hangzhou: Ramada Plaza Hotel
• Putuoshan: Putuoshan Hotel
• Shanghai: Central Hotel Shanghai
• Professional English Speaking National guide escort for the entire trip
• Private English Speaking Local Guide in each city
• Private air-conditioned bus for transportation in each city
• All sightseeing listed including entrance fees
• Meals as outlined in itinerary; daily American buffet breakfast in the hotel (except Wutaishan and Putuoshan, which will be Chinese style buffet), lunch and dinner as outlined in the itinerary,
• Domestic airfare:
  • Taiyuan to Xi’an
  • Xi’an to Guilin
  • Guilin to Hangzhou with airport tax and fuel surcharge included
• Airport transfer service in each city, including arrival and departure tranfers
• Overnight train ticket Beijing-Datong based on hard sleeper (six people share one semi-open cabin, 2 uppers, 2 middles and 2 lowers)
• Boat tickets from Ningbo to Mt. Putuoshan to Shanghai

Tour Does Not Include:

• Gratuities to the tour guides and drivers.
• International Air

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TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Reservation and Payment
Reservations can be made by letter, email or fax.

DEPOSIT: $800 per person required to confirm booking.

FINAL PAYMENT: Final payment is due 90 days prior to departure. When a reservation is made less than 90 days prior to departure, full payment will be due upon confirmation of the reservation.

Responsibility
1. JIA’s Dream Tours acts only in the capacity of an agent for purveyors of transportation, sightseeing and hotel accommodation.  All coupons, receipts and tickets issued by JIA’s Dream Tours are subject to the terms and conditions stipulated by the suppliers.  JIA’s Dream Tours shall be exempt from any liability for loss or damage to property, injury of person, accidents, delays, irregularities or other occurrences beyond its control.  Neither will it be responsible for any change in itinerary, hotels or transport station schedule and losses incurred due to unforeseen circumstances.

2. Tour prices are subject to change.  JIA’s Dream Tours reserves the right to adjust the listed price at any time for any reason.  However we will not adjust prices once the tour has been confirmed and payment has been made.

3. Should political upheaval, bad weather conditions or like arise, local agents conducting the tour reserve the right to alter the itinerary, as necessary.  Any additional expenses incurred shall be charged to the participants.

4. Participants should strictly abide by the laws and regulations promulgated by the government of the People's Republic of China, including but not limited to Immigration and Customs Laws and Regulations.  JIA’s Dream Tours will not be responsible for any and all penalties due to any participant's violation of laws or regulations of the government of the People's Republic of China.

5. Participant is not allowed to change the confirmed itinerary, including transportation, hotel, meals and sightseeing.  Any extra charge or loss incurred due to such change should be borne by the participant.

Claims and Refunds
If you have any complaints during your holiday, please inform your local guide or our specified local representative or the suppliers immediately of the situation so that we may promptly attend to the matter.  Failure to promptly notify us of your complaint may reduce or eliminate any compensation that may be payable.  In case where a satisfactory remedy is not achieved, you must submit a written complaint to JIA’s Dream Tours within fourteen days from the end of your tour.  Complaints received by JIA’s Dream Tours will be acted upon promptly and fairly within the terms of these conditions.  Except for verifiable extenuating circumstances refunds are not made for any missed tour services. Any adjustment considered will be based on the actual cost of the services involved and not on a per diem basis. Adjustments will not be made for unused sightseeing trips or meals. JIA’s Dream Tours will not accept liability for any claims that are not received within14 days of the termination of your tour.

Cancellation and Refund Policy
JIA’s Dream Tours reserves the right to cancel any tour prior to its departure for any reason.  In the event of cancellation, JIA’s Dream Tours will refund any deposits and /or payments prior to such cancellation.

In the event of cancellation by consumer or agent after confirmation of the booking after payment is made, the cancellation fees are as follows:

International Airfare is non-refundable.

If cancellation is made
90 or more days before departure - forfeit deposit
Less than 90 days before departure - no refund.

All cancellations must be in writing and will be effective upon receipt by JIA’s Dream Tours. 
 
No refund will be made to those participants who leave while the tour is in progress, regardless of the portions of the package unused.  If the participant withdraws from the tour owing to serious illness or injury, a refund will be given subject to the consent of the local travel agent.