Day 5 Guilin – Yangshuo – Guilin

"The river is like a green silk belt, and the hills are like turquoise jade hairpins." (source unknown) This morning you take a boat excursion on the clear, picture-perfect Li Jiang River from Guilin to the ancient village of Yangshuo, 40 miles to the south. The Li River wanders around hundreds of majestic limestone peaks (some are rounded, others have sharp peaks) that rise sharply beside the glassy surface of the river. Poets have referred to some of these cliffs with such names as "Mighty Lion Riding a Carp", "Magic Writing Brush", "Camel Crossing a River", and "Mitten Mountain".

Your return to Guilin is by car; enroute, you stop at Fubo Hill, named after a Han dynasty general who saved Guilin from a rebel army and see a two-ton bronze bell. You learn of the legend about the dragon in the Returned Pearl Cave. After dinner in Guilin, explore the night markets for souvenirs. (B,L,D)

After a leisurely morning, you fly to Shanghai; at various times this city has been called "Paris of China" and "Queen of the Orient". It has a very colorful past; today it is being groomed to be the "new Hong Kong". This afternoon, you visit the new and impressive Shanghai Museum; there are numerous fascinating exhibits of paintings, sculpture, ceramics, jade, furniture, and coins. The bronze collection here is considered by experts to be the best in the world.

You check into the Garden Hotel Shanghai, one of the most refined hotels in Shanghai. The lobby is decorated in pale shades of rose and cream marble; the adjacent atrium looks out on the multi-level fountain. The attention provided by the staff and the à la carte menus at the hotel’s restaurants are truly world class. (B,L,D)

Distinctly a city of commerce, the region was already a trading center in 960 AD, flourishing and becoming an important trading port – gateway to the mighty Yangtze River (also known as the Huangpu Jiang). Today, your city sightseeing includes the Bund – the road running parallel to the western bank of the Yangtze. The Europeans, Americans, and Japanese had banks, trading houses, clubs, consulates, and hotels here. The Communist Party subsequently took over these buildings; but now the government has renovated these lovely 1930’s neo-classical buildings.

In the center of the Old City, you visit the Yuyuan Gardens, which took 18 years to create in the mid-16^th century. At the adjoining Bazaar, you see more than 100 specialty shops and restaurants set along narrow lanes.

Shanghai is home to China’s best acrobatic troupe; and tonight, you attend one of their astonishing performances at the Shanghai Center Theater. (B,L,D)

You board a train this morning for a short ride westward from the city to visit quaint Suzhou, known as the town of gardens and canals. Tucked behind houses and hidden along narrow streets are charming little gardens. Small islands are connected by canals and zigzag bridges; winding paths lead to tiny spaces with fountains, manicured plants, and fish ponds.

There are records as early as 484 BC that mention Suzhou; it was capital of the state of Wu for a short time. In the early 6^th century, it flourished as a trading and silk-manufacturing center. Many officials, scholars, and artists settled here; and local traders became wealthy. The more than 150 gardens date from this period of great prosperity. You visit the silk embroidery institute before returning to Shanghai. (B,L,D)

You fly to the town of Yichang and board the cruise ship "East King" (or "East Queen"); commissioned in 1995, it is one of the newest vessels sailing the Yangtze River. Beginning in the glaciers of Tibet and joined by numerous tributaries, the Yangtze ("Long River") flows almost 4,000 miles through the heart of the country eastward to Shanghai and empties into the East China Sea. It has been an important trade and transportation route since ancient times. Sailing on this river compares to cruising the Nile River, through landscape similar to the Grand Canyon; the towering peaks along the Yangtze rise as high as 930 feet.

Progress can be a double-edged sword. While there will be benefits to the interior provinces that have lagged behind the economic growth seen on the coast, over one million people must relocate their homes. Thirteen cities, 140 towns, 1,352 villages, 657 factories, 66,000 acres of cultivated land, as well as many historical relics and archaeological sites, will be submerged under water when the new dam is completed. It will be more than one mile wide and 600 feet high; upon its completion in 2009, a reservoir over 350 miles long will be created.

Settle into your private cabin before joining your fellow travelers in the lounge. In the evening, your ship enters the enormous lock at Gezhou Ba Dam (currently one of China’s largest dams) as you begin your journey upriver toward Chongqing. (B,L,D)

This morning, you pass Sandouping, where work on the new hydroelectric dam has already begun; when completed, it will be the world’s largest. The majesty of the renowned Three Gorges – 75 miles in length – is unique; however, it will be lost forever with the completion of the Three Gorges Dam.

The first of the gorges (and longest at 41 miles) is Xiling; it is known for its swift currents and whirlpools. It actually consists of several smaller gorges. You see the Yellow Hill Temple overlooking the southern riverbank. You pass the Fragrant River, clearly visible by its green waters in contrast to the brown Yangtze. (B,L,D)

You continue cruising up the Yangtze, you pass the city of the White Emperor (Baidi Cheng) and the town of Fengjie, both areas are famous for their succulent green oranges. You pass the town of Wanxian with its steep staircase leading upward from the river edge – all these will be submerged with the completion of the dam.

Later in the day, you come to Shibaozhai (Stone Treasure Stronghold). There is a legend about the 18^th-century stone temple here – rice trickled through a small hole in the temple wall and fed the resident monks. However, when the monks enlarged the hole in an attempt to obtain more rice, the "treasure" dried up. (B,L,D)