Exploring the Wonders of China with Ellie Brown

Day one, we started with a visit to the Yu Gardens with our tour guides, Max and Jeff. Here, we admired the scenic views and ancient Chinese architecture while learning about the garden's history and how long it took to build!

Following this, we had some free time to explore Chinatown, where we tried some local tea and food. After lunch and trying some Chinese dishes, we headed to the Shanghai Museum, where we visited exhibitions of Chinese art and unique artefacts.

Later in the night, we boarded a night cruise along the Huangpu River, where we saw the city skyline lit up and admired the views from a different perspective.

On day 4, we had the fantastic opportunity to visit the UNESCO-registered vaults, which are home to the eighth wonder of the world, the terracotta warriors. Our tour guide guided us around all 3 pits where they stand and fed us all the information and history behind the 8,000 warriors we got to see. We then had some free time to explore independently.

After this, we had lunch, enjoyed some local cuisine, and did some tea tasting. On the night we went to a traditional Chinese banquet, we got to try various types of dumplings. We enjoyed a show featuring music and dancing.

WHO WOULD THIS TRIP BE SUITED TO?

This trip would suit adventurous customers who like something different. We were doing something new every day. It would be exciting for those interested in history and wanting to experience a new culture.

FAVOURITE HOTEL VISITED AND WHY?

My Favourite hotel that we stayed at was the Asia Hotel in Beijing. The staff were lovely and welcoming, helping us with our bags and were happy to help with anything we needed. The staff were attentive and pleasant to talk to, and the rooms were warm and cosy. The hotel was also in a great location, with shopping centres and restaurants within walking distance.

GENERAL COMMENTS AND TIPS:

One of the biggest things that made it easier to be there was Alipay. This is an app they use to pay for things with a card. A lot of shops and restaurants would scan the code on your Alipay, or they had QR codes you could scan yourself to pay that way with a card.

AIRLINE COMMENTS:

The airline we flew with was Cathay Pacific. The staff were amazing, happy to help with anything you needed, attentive throughout the whole flight, and the seats were comfy with a lot of options of movies and TV shows to watch on the long flight.

BEST EXPERIENCE FROM THE TRIP?

My favourite experience during the FAM was climbing the Great Wall of China. For me, it was a definite pinch-me moment and made me realise how lucky I was to have that opportunity. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It was a physically demanding day, but it was so worth it when we reached the top.