DISCOVER CHINA · the surrender of the empire of Japan in World War ii, the Communist Party defeated the nationalist Kuomintang in mainland China and established the People’s Republic

TRAVEL&TOURS

Tel: 0860 43 8292 • [email protected] • www.gatewaytours.co.za

DISCOVER CHINABeijing, Xian, Shanghai, Suzhou

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CONTENTS

ABOUT CHINA

China Information ............................................... 2Testimonials ...................................................... 3Terms & Conditions ............................................ 3Beijing, Great Wall .............................................. 4Beijing, Shanghai ............................................... 5Beijing, Xi’an, Shanghai ...................................... 6Beijing, Suzhou, Shanghai ................................. 7

Air China fly Non-stop Boeing 777 - 300ER flights between Johannesburg and Beijing. Gateway Travel, in conjunction with Air China, invite you to visit China on one of our selected tours.

CHINA OVERVIEWChina, officially the PeoPle’s RePubliC of China (PRC), is considered as a cradle of eastern civilization.

for millennia, China’s political system was based on he-reditary monarchies, known as dynasties, beginning with the semi-mythological Xia of the Yellow River basin (c. 2800 bCe). since 221 bC, when the Qin Dynasty first conquered several states to form a Chinese empire, the country has expanded, fractured and been reformed numerous times.

The Republic of China (RoC) overthrew the last dynasty in 1911, and ruled the Chinese mainland until 1949. after the surrender of the empire of Japan in World War ii, the Communist Party defeated the nationalist Kuomintang in mainland China and established the People’s Republic of China in beijing on 1 october 1949.

China is the world’s most populous country, with a population of over 1.35 billion – almost a fifth of the earths population. There are 21 cities with a population of over 5 million.

between 1949 and 1974, China was closed to all but selected visitors. in the 1970s, China started to develop its tourist industry. over 250 cities and counties were opened to foreign visitors by the mid-1980s.

China is a superpower with a massive economic engine. in 2014 it was the worlds second largest economy in terms of GDP. it is currently the worlds fastest growing economy.

buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism are the main religions of China and are an integral part of Chinese culture.

JADE BUDDHA TEMPLE

AIR CHINA BoEINg 777 - 300ER

FoRBIDDEN CITY

SUZHoU

CLIMATEChina is a vast country with a varying climate. in the north (beijing, Xi’an region) summer is from June to september. During this time it is typically hot and humid. Winter is from December to february and is cold with temperatures around 5 degrees, days are usually sunny with little rain.

in the south (shanghai, hong Kong region) summer is from april to september and is typically hot and humid. Winter is from november to february and is usually mild with a little rain.

CURRENCY AND CREDIT CARDSThe Chinese currency is known as the Remnimbi or RMb. The basic unit is the Yaun and smaller units are the Jiao and fen. Cash can be drawn at aTM’s with your credit card. You can also use your credit card for purchases in restaurants and major stores. You will need local currency for purchases in street markets and smaller establishments.

LANGUAGEMandarin is the official language. english isn’t widely spoken.

TIME DIFFERENCEChina should have five different time zones from east to West, but instead they use only one time zone - that of beijing. GMT + 8 (6 hours ahead of south africa).

TIPPING Tipping is a recognition of good service and is not mandatory.

PASSPORTS AND VISASsouth african passport holders will require a visa to enter China. Contact the China Consulate closest to your town for information on the procedures of applying for a visa.

it is the responsibility of each passenger to ensure that they are in possession of the correct travel documentation prior to departure. Gateway Travel & Tours cannot accept re-sponsibility for any consequences arising from passengers failing to comply with the necessary health, passport or visa requirements. Passports must be valid for a minimum of 6 months after your intended date of return and must have a least 2 blank pages for visa stamping purposes.

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TESTIMONIALS

TERMS & CONDITIONS

Lynn and I would like to thank you very much for organizing our week in Beijing. It was everything we had hoped for and more. Having cold, clear weather was the feature that made all the difference and we enjoyed the company of the rest of the group. We have used Gateway before and will keep our eye on your future offers. Others in the group were full of praise for your efforts. Well done.

Ken and Lynn

Thank you GATEWAY TRAVEL AND TOURS for a well organised tour in every aspect.We had an amazing, adventurous tour of China from start to finish and can highly recommend the tour.

Marlene

We arrived back from China on the 11th of January from a successful and enjoyable trip. The travel arrangements were seamless. China is such a vast country and there is so much to see and do. Overall a wonderful experience. My whole family shares the opinion. Thank you for making a wonderful experience possible and affordable.

Thami

We had the most amazing trip!! Thank you once again!! Highlights were definitely The Great Wall of China, Shopping in Shanghai, the Buddhist temple, viewing Shanghai from the 100th floor, walking around The Bund and the national museum in the Oriental Tower.

This is truly an amazing package!! I have already sent all the details to some of my friends that are interested!!

Caley

Tour prices are person sharing. Prices subject to availability, currency adjustments, airport tax variations at the time of booking. airfares subject to change due to seat class availabil-ity. all tours subject Gateway Travel terms and conditions as per our website.

Packages exclude: China visa fees, travel insurance, meals that are not specified, tips to guides and drivers, any cost not mentioned in the itinerary.

Return add on airfares on request: Cape Town, George, Port elizabeth, east london, Durban, bloemfontein, Kimberley.

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DAY 1 Johannesburg Depart O.R Tambo Airport on your overnight flight on Air China’s Boeing 777-300ER to Beijing.

DAY 2 Beijing Arrive Welcome to Beijing! The capital of the People’s Republic of China, the nation’s political, cultural and communication centre. Upon arrival, you will be met by your tour guide and transferred to the hotel for check-in.The remainder of the day will be free for you to rest.

DAY 3 Beijing This morning, you will be collected from the hotel by your guide. Today’s tour begins with the Forbidden City, where the 24 emperors of the Ming and the Qing Dynasties ruled for nearly 500 years. Experience the architectural splendour of the palaces, ceremonial courtyards and private quarters. Continue to explore - the Temple of Heaven (UNESCO), where ancient Chinese emperors would make sacrifices to Heaven and pray for bountiful harvests. This construction is the supreme achievement of Chinese traditional architecture. After a tasty traditional Chinese lunch, visit the Summer Palace (UNESCO), a masterpiece of Chinese landscape gardens. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch.

DAY 4 Beijing Day at leisure. Visit a Hutong (traditional Chinese Village) and explore the oldest part of Beijing for a real insight into the

traditional Chinese life style. Continue to the Yonghe Lamasery, which is the largest and best-preserved Tibetan Buddhist Lamasery in Beijing. Meals: Breakfast

DAY 5 Beijing Today you will be taken on a tour to the Great Wall of China. The Badaling section is the longest and best-preserved stretch of the Great Wall. This portion of the wall was built in 1504 during the Ming Dynasty, along with a military outpost, reflecting the location’s strategic importance. Then visit the Ming Tombs, the siting of the Ming dynasty Imperial Tombs was carefully chosen according to Feng Shui (geomancy) principles. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch.

DAY 6 Beijing Full day at leisure. Visit the Silk Market, which is famous for copy-branded goods and has become the inner city’s one-stop tourist shopping paradise. Afterwards, visit the Hongqiao Market, which is famous for pearls, and other art products. Meals: Breakfast.

DAY 7 Beijing Depart Breakfast in your hotel. Balance of the day free until your late afternoon transfer to Beijing International Airport, for your return flight on Air China. Meals: Breakfast.

DAY 8 Johannesburg This morning you arrive at O.R.Tambo after an enjoyable tour of China.

8 days from R13 990

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TOUR PRICE InClUdEs Return flights from Johannesburg • Airport taxes • All transfers • 5 nights Beijing 4 star hotel accommodation • 5 breakfasts, 2 lunches • 2 full days sightseeing in Beijing. Add on airfares from Cape Town or Durban on requestNB: Supplement Applicable should group size falls below 10 passengers.

gREAT WALL oF CHINA

Depart – return price per person

21 December - 28 December from R15 990 (L)

28 December - 04 January from R15 990 (L)

04 January - 11 January from R14 990 (L)


21 March - 28 March from R14 990 (S)

04 April - 11 April from R15 990 (H)


02 May - 09 May from R15 990 (H)

16 May - 23 May from R15 990 (H)

13 June - 20 June from R14 990 (S)

27 June - 04 July from R14 990 (S)

04 July - 11 July from R14 990 (S)

01 August - 08 August from R14 990 (S)

Single supplement: (L) R2 990, (S) R3 990, (H) R4 590

BEIJING, GREAT WALL

tour code: 1B

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23 March - 01 April from R20 990 (S)



04 May - 13 May from R21 990 (H)

18 May - 27 May from R21 990 (H)






TOUR PRICE InClUdEs Return flights from Johannesburg • Airport taxes • All transfers • 4 nights Beijing, 3 nights Shanghai 5/4 star hotel accommodation • 7 breakfasts, 3 lunches • 2 full days sightseeing in Beijing, 1 full day sightseeing in Shanghai. Add on airfares from Cape Town or Durban on request. NB: Supplement Applicable should group size falls below 10 passengers.

10 days from R17 990



DAY 3 Beijing Today’s tour begins with the Forbidden City, where the 24 emperors of the Ming and the Qing Dynasties ruled for nearly 500 years. Experience the architectural splendour of the palaces, ceremonial courtyards and private quarters. Continue to explore the Temple of Heaven, where ancient Chinese emperors would make sacrifices to Heaven and pray for bountiful harvests. This construction is the supreme achievement of Chinese traditional architecture. After a tasty traditional Chinese lunch, visit the Summer Palace, a masterpiece of Chinese landscape gardens. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch.



DAY 6 Beijing - Shanghai After breakfast, transfer to Beijing Airport for your flight to Shanghai, China’s largest and most dynamic city. On arrival, you will be met and transferred to your Hotel. Meals: Breakfast

DAY 7 Shanghai Your full day tour begins with the Yu Garden (UNESCO). Owing to its ingenious design in the Ming and Qing dynasties, it has become a real museum of Chinese ancient architecture. Walk around the Old Downtown with its maze of walkways, reflecting ponds, pavilions and stone bridges. Visit the Shanghai Museum, with its 120,000-piece collection of Chinese ancient treasures. Then head to Jade Buddha Temple, which is famous for two precious jade Buddhist statues brought from Burma, and are not only rare cultural relics but also exquisite artworks. Afterward, look for souvenirs at local gift shops. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch.

DAY 8 Shanghai Full day at leisure. Wander through the bustling Bund, featuring outstanding architecture, new skyscrapers and historical buildings. Head to Nanjing Road, a metropolitan destination attracting thousands of fashion-seeking shoppers from all over the world. Afterwards head to Xintiandi Street, this area highlights a harmonious merger of classic and modern Shanghai. Journey to the landmarks in the Shanghai skyline – the Oriental Pearl TV. Tower. Meals: Breakfast.

DAY 9 Shanghai Depart Breakfast in your hotel. Balance of the day free, until your late afternoon transfer to Shanghai International Airport for your return flight via Beijing on Air China. Meals: Breakfast.

DAY 10 Johannesburg This morning you arrive at O.R.Tambo after an enjoyable tour of China.

oRIENTAL PEARL ToWER

BEIJING, SHANGHAI

tour code: 3BS

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DAY 3 Beijing Today’s tour begins with the Forbidden City, where the 24 emperors of the Ming and the Qing Dynasties ruled for nearly 500 years. Continue to explore the Temple of Heaven, where ancient Chinese emperors would make sacrifices to Heaven and pray for bountiful harvests. After a tasty traditional Chinese lunch, visit the Summer Palace, a masterpiece of Chinese landscape gardens. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch.



DAY 6 Beijing - Xi’an Morning at leisure. Around midday you will be transferred to Beijing Airport for your flight to Xi’an. Xi’an was the ancient capital for 11 dynasties and the end of the famous Silk Road. This evening take a stroll along the Muslim Snack Street, filled with mouth-watering delicacies and snacks. Meals: Breakfast

DAY 7 Xi’an Today’s excursion will take you to the Museum of Terracotta Warriors and Horses, one of the greatest archaeological discoveries in

the world. More than 6000 life-sized terracotta warriors, horses and bronze chariots silently guarded the tomb of China’s First Emperor for over 2,200 years. Visit the Wild Goose Pagoda, a Tang Dynasty land mark. One of the pagoda’s many functions was to hold sutras and figurines of the Buddha that were brought to China from India by the Buddhist translator Xuanzang. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch.

DAY 8 Xian – Shanghai After breakfast, transfer to Xian Airport for your flight to Shanghai. On arrival you will be met and transferred to your hotel. Balance of the day free to explore Shanghai by your own, or join an optional guided tour to the Shanghai Museum and People Square. Meals: Breakfast.

DAY 9 Shanghai Your full day tour begins with the Yu Garden (UNESCO). Owing to its ingenious design in the Ming and Qing dynasties, it has become a real museum of Chinese ancient architecture. Walk around the Old Downtown with its maze of walkways, reflecting ponds, pavilions and stone bridges. Visit the Shanghai Museum, with its 120,000-piece collection of Chinese ancient treasures. Then head to Jade Buddha Temple, famous for two precious jade Buddhist statues brought from Burma. Afterward, look for souvenirs at local gift shops. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch.

DAY 10 Shanghai Full day at leisure. Wander through the bustling Bund, featuring outstanding architecture and historical buildings. Head to Nanjing Road, a metropolitan destination attracting thousands of fashion-seeking shoppers from all over the world. Afterwards head to Xintiandi Street, this area highlights a harmonious merger of classic and modern Shanghai. Journey to the landmarks in the Shanghai skyline – the Oriental Pearl TV. Tower. Meals: Breakfast.

DAY 11 Shanghai Depart Breakfast in your hotel. Balance of the day free, until your late afternoon transfer to Shanghai International Airport for your return flight via Beijing on Air China. Meals: Breakfast.

DAY 12 Johannesburg This morning you arrive at O.R. Tambo after an enjoyable tour of China.

TOUR PRICE InClUdEs Return flights from Johannesburg • Airport Taxes • All transfers • 4 nights Beijing, 2 nights Xian, 3 nights Shanghai 5/4 star Hotel accommodation • 9 breakfasts, 4 lunches • 2 full days sightseeing in Beijing, 1 full day sightseeing in Xian, 1 full day sightseeing in Shanghai. NB: Supplement Applicable should group size falls below 10 passengers.









02 May - 13 May from R25 990 (H)

16 May - 27 May from R25 990 (H)






TERRACoTTA SoLDIER

BEIJING, XI’AN, SHANGHAI

tour code: 4BXS

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DAY 1 Johannesburg Depart O.R Tambo Airport on your overnight flight to Beijing.

DAY 2 Beijing Arrive Welcome to Beijing! Upon arrival, you will be met by your tour guide and transferred to the hotel for check-in. The remainder of the day is free for you to explore.

DAY 3 Beijing Today you will visit the Great Wall of China. You will be able to walk the Great Wall and take in the panoramic views from the top. Then visit the Ming Tombs (UNESCO), the siting of the Ming dynasty Tombs was carefully chosen according to Feng Shui principles - bad spirits and evil winds descending from the North must be deflected, an arc-shaped valley at the foot of the Jundu Mountains, north of Beijing, was selected to become the necropolis of the Ming Dynasty tomb cluster. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

DAY 4 Beijing Full day at leisure. Visit the Silk Market, which is famous for copy-branded goods and has become the inner city’s one-stop tourist shopping paradise. Afterwards, visit the Hongqiao Market, famous for pearls, and other art products. Meals: Breakfast

DAY 5 Beijing Today, get to know Beijing. Begin at Tian’anmen Square. Tour the grounds and see Tian’anmen Tower, monument to the People’s Heroes, Great Hall of the People and Chairman Mao’s monument. Then it’s on to the legendary Forbidden City, known as the Imperial Palace Museum. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

DAY 6 Beijing - Shanghai - Suzhou After breakfast, transfer to Beijing Airport for your flight to Shanghai. On arrival, you will be met and transferred to your Hotel in Suzhou. Meals: Breakfast

DAY 7 Suzhou Full day at leisure. Suzhou is one of the oldest towns in the Yangtze basin, founded in about 600 BC. With its interconnected waterways and beautiful environment, the city is often referred to as “The Venice of the East.” Suzhou was one of the few cities in China to

escape the ravages of the cultural revolution and its famous gardens survived almost completely intact. Meals: Breakfast

DAY 8 Suzhou - Shanghai Today, visit the Net Master Garden (UNESCO), among the finest gardens in China and founded in 1180 - in the Southern Song Dynasty. Then visit the Ancient City Gate. Afterwards, visit the Grand Canal, the longest canal or artificial river in the world, from there visit Pingjiang Road, which is lined with bookshops and local opera theaters. There are also many teahouses, where people gather for performances of Suzhou Pingtan, an elegant performance of storytelling and ballad singing in Suzhou dialect. After lunch head to Shanghai. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

DAY 9 Shanghai Your full day tour begins with the City God Temple, then on to the Yu Garden (UNESCO). Owing to its ingenious design in the Ming and Qing dynasties, it becomes a real museum of Chinese ancient architecture. Wander through the bustling Bund, featuring outstanding European colonial architecture, new skyscrapers and historical buildings in Shanghai. Then visit the Old French Concession, Pudong New Financial Area, Shanghai 2010 Expo Park, and Old Residential Long Tang with a stop for lunch. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

DAY 10 Shanghai Full day at leisure. Head to Nanjing Road, a must-see metropolitan destination attracting thousands of fashion-seeking shoppers from all over the world. From there maybe head to Xintiandi Street, a boutique area highlights a harmonious merger of classic and modern Shanghai. Journey to the distinctive landmark in the Shanghai skyline - Oriental Pearl TV Tower. Meals: Breakfast

DAY 11 Shanghai Depart Breakfast in your hotel. Transfer to Shanghai International Airport for your return flight via Beijing. Meals: Breakfast

DAY 12 Johannesburg Arrive This morning you arrive at O.R. Tambo after an enjoyable tour of China.

TOUR PRICE InClUdEs Return flights from Johannesburg • Airport Taxes • All transfers • 4 nights Beijing, 2 nights Suzhou, 3 nights Shanghai Hotel accommodation • 9 breakfasts, 4 lunches • 2 full days ightseeing in Beijing, 1 full day sightseeing in Suzhou, 1 full day sightseeing in Shanghai. NB: Supplement Applicable should group size falls below 10 passengers.





02 May - 13 May from R25 990 (H)

16 May - 27 May from R25 990 (H)





Single supplement: (S) R6 890, (H) R8 290ANCIENT CITY gATE, SUZHoU

BEIJING, SUZHOU, SHANGHAI

tour code: 5BSS

[email protected]

www.gatewaytours.co.za

Tel: 0860 43 8292

TRAVEL&TOURS

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Documents

DISCOVER CHINA · the surrender of the empire of Japan in World War ii, the Communist Party defeated the nationalist Kuomintang in mainland China and established the People’s Republic