Beyond the Wall

You enter China through Shanghai, a city where centuries converge. Between the Western architecture of the former French Concession and ancient Chinese traditions, you discover a city shaped by influences from across the world.

An imperial-inspired banquet introduces you to the grandeur of China’s past, followed by a visit to one of the country’s oldest tea houses. Away from the rhythm of the metropolis, you then journey to the ancient waterways of Zhujiajiao, where traditional China unfolds along the canals.

Shanghai becomes your first immersion into a China that is at once ancient, cosmopolitan, and deeply alive.

Between Shanghai and Beijing, the journey pauses in Xi’an — once the eastern terminus of the Silk Road and one of the great crossroads of the ancient world.

Here you come face to face with the Terracotta Army, an entire buried legion standing guard over an emperor’s ambition to carry his world beyond his lifetime. Beyond the warriors, the ancient city walls and ancient quarters reveal a city shaped by centuries of travellers, traders and empires passing through.

Xi’an becomes a quiet reflection on time itself — a reminder that this journey through China is also a journey through the centuries.

In Beijing, the journey continues into the heart of imperial China. Wander through the gardens of the Summer Palace, cross the gates of the Forbidden City, and explore the historic hutongs where another side of the capital’s story still lives.

Then, the city slowly disappears behind you.

You make your way to the Great Wall of China, experiencing it away from the crowds. As daylight fades, you discover its ancient watchtowers in the silence of the mountains before spending the night upon the Wall.

At sunrise, breakfast awaits from a historic watchtower, with the mountains unfolding endlessly before you.