Start your adventure in Shanghai with a transfer from the airport to the hotel. Meet the group at 6pm, before heading to a restaurant in a French Concession-era mansion. Get your first taste of the incredible food scene here, chomping through dishes such as fried dumplings, braised pork and crystal shrimp.

Get to know the area with a guided walking tour of Shanghai. Visit old residential neighbourhoods (called nongtang) before walking the tree-lined Wukang Road to see the protected historic buildings. Next, visit a market, then jump on the metro to the People's Park. Here you’ll see Blind Date Corner, where parents of single folk meet to find their kids a partner. After, venture to the Bund, a promenade on the Huangpu River. The rest of the day is yours to enjoy at leisure.

Say goodbye to Shanghai and hop on a high-speed train to Huizhou, where beautiful villages are built in a distinctive Hui style. Upon arrival, visit a local family for a special home-cooked Hui lunch and to learn more about their culture. In the afternoon, tour the ancient village of Tangmo and visit a bamboo-weaving family, before heading to the ancestral temple to speak to an artisan known for his stone inscription printing skills. Spend the evening at the hotel.

In the morning, enjoy free time to explore the narrow lanes and pretty gardens of Huizhou. Later, head back to Shanghai on a high-speed train. Cap the day at a rooftop bar, sipping a drink and gazing over skyscrapers and neon lights.

Spend your final morning in Shanghai before a midday flight to Guilin and a transfer to Yangshuo. Upon arrival, check into your hotel, a glorious property among karst hills and rivers with a large swimming pool and mountain views. In the evening, either relax by the pool or spend time exploring your glorious surroundings.

Fuel up on breakfast, today we head to one of the largest tea plantations in Yangshuo to learn more about the nation’s favourite drink. Try green tea before ascending Xianggong Hill for views over the Li River and karst landscape. Then wander through villages; you may be welcomed into old houses for a chance to look at countryside life here. After, head into town for a guided tour and to scrub up on the local history. Then return to the countryside for a cooking lesson – enjoy the fruits of your labour for dinner.

Cach a midday flight to Xi’an, the imperial centre of China for more than 2,000 years. Settle into the hotel and embark on a walking tour, in which your leader will show you the city highlights and explain more about the local history. In the evening, sample the regional cuisine at a local restaurant; specialities including delightful dumplings and liangpi (cold noodles in a sesame sauce).

The Terracotta Warriors. A must-visit for many travellers in China. Today you’ll head into the countryside to visit this astounding archaeological discovery with a local providing valuable context. Refuel with lunch at a family-run restaurant where you’ll eat delicious food and hear stories about the impact of the discovery. After returning to Xi’an, you’ll have the afternoon to explore solo.

Jump on a high-speed train to Beijing, the capital of China. After settling into the hotel, visit Jingshan Park where you’ll see the Forbidden City for the first time. The rest of the day is yours to explore as you wish.

Today you’ll visit the highlights of Beijing. Start at Tiananmen Square, where you’ll also find the Gate of Heavenly Peace, Mao's Mausoleum, the Great Hall of the People and the National Museum. Then enter the Forbidden City, a grand palace complex built in the early 1400s but only opened to the public in 1925. Then visit the home of a retired chef who worked in a prestigious Beijing restaurant for a home-cooked lunch. After, join a guided tour of the residential alleyways known as hutong. Stop in a household to learn about the ingenious techniques used to build it.

Today we visit one of the Seven Man-Made Wonders of the World, the Great Wall of China. Tour the Huanghuacheng section (one of the best preserved) and take time to walk along the hill. In the afternoon, return to the capital before a dinner duck feast in a traditional courtyard restaurant.

After breakfast, the tour comes to an end. Say a fond farewell to the group, before either catching your return flight or extending your trip in China.