On a geography school trip to Beijing and Shanghai your students will explore the ancient and modern sides of the world’s most populous country!
By visiting both Beijing and Shanghai, your students will be able to compare two very different cities. They’ll experience the old China, which developed from one of the world’s earliest civilisations to a powerful empire with its influence stretching as far as Europe and Africa along the Silk Road. And they’ll also experience modern China, which is home to one of the world’s fastest-growing economies.
There will be plenty of opportunities to see how the Chinese have exploited natural features for human use. And you’ll see how Old China’s reliance on agriculture led to the power being centred inland, around the fertile northern plains. And how economic power has since shifted to ports such as Shanghai, as exports have become increasingly more important.
Suggested Itinerary (8 days, 6 nights)
| Day | Morning Summary | Afternoon Summary | Evening Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Flight to Beijing |
||
| 2 |
Arrive in Beijing Meet guide and transfer to accommodation |
Visit the Summer Palace with optional boat ride on the lake |
Free evening |
| 3 |
Visit the Temple of Heaven and Tiananmen Square |
Visit the Forbidden City |
Free evening |
| 4 |
Full-day tour starting with a photo stop at the Beijing Olympic Stadium |
Continue on to the Great Wall of China and the Ming Tombs |
Free evening |
| 5 |
Visit Beijing Zoo to see the Panda House |
Visit the Lama Temple and take a ride through the Hutongs of Beijing |
Overnight train to Shanghai |
| 6 |
Arrive Shanghai Meet guide and transfer to visits |
Visit the Yuyan Garden and Jade Buddha Temple |
Visit the Bund |
| 7 |
Visit the Oriental Pearl TV Tower and the Shanghai Museum |
Visit the People Square and Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall |
Free evening with optional river cruise on your last night in China |
| 8 |
Return flight to the UK |
Arrive back in the UK |
|
- 6 nights' half-board accommodation (breakfast and lunch daily)
- Airport taxes and passenger duty at current rates
- Airport transfers in resort
- ATOL protected return flights from the UK
- Comprehensive travel and medical insurance
- Detailed information pack
- English-speaking guide
- Free staff place ratio 1:10
- Itinerary planning service
- Overnight train between Beijing and Shanghai
- Vamoos travel app - giving you access to all your trip documents on your phone or tablet
- VAT at current rates to tour operators
- Visits and entrance fees as per the sample itinerary
Curriculum Links
A-Level
- Urban growth and change
- Environmental and social challenges
- Sustainable urban development
- World trade and access to markets (TNCs)
GCSE
- Urban growth and change
- Management of urban resources
- Gaps in global development
- Emergence of megacities
- Sustainable tourism
Accommodation
Tour Highlights
Visit Tiananmen Square
Tiananmen Square is named after the Gate of Heavenly Peace (Tiananmen in Chinese) which links the square to the Forbidden City, and which is famous for displaying a portrait of Chairman Mao.
Despite its name, the square has seen turbulent times, making it a key site in Chinese history, particularly during the 20th century.
As well as the Tiananmen itself, the square contains a number of other important sights, including the Monument to the People’s Heroes, the Great Hall of the People, the National Museum of China and the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong.
Did you know?
Every day at sunrise a flag-raising ceremony takes place. Soldiers from the People’s Liberation Army march through the Gate of Heavenly Peace across Dong Chang An Jie at approximately 108 paces per minute, with each pace measuring around 75cm!
Explore the Forbidden City
This spectacular palace complex lies at the heart of Beijing and consists of 980 surviving buildings.
The largest building in the complex is the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Once the tallest building in the city, it was used for state occasions, such as the emperor’s birthday. The focal point of the building is the impressive Dragon Throne, which sits on a 2m high white jade dais and is backed by carved gilt screens.
The world’s largest collection of well-preserved medieval wooden structures, the Forbidden City is a magnificent example of traditional Chinese architecture and is rich in symbolism, with plenty of dragons, phoenixes and lions on roofs of the most important buildings for prosperity and good fortune.
Did you know?
The Forbidden City is the largest palace complex in the world and is three times the size of the Louvre!
Visit the Summer Palace
One of the most beautiful royal parks in the world, Beijing’s Summer Palace is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is home to 3,000 man-made structures.
The tallest building in the complex, the Tower of Buddhist Incense stands atop Longevity Hill, looking out over Kunming Lake.
Other well-known attractions include the impressive Marble Boat, a lakeside pavilion in the shape of a European-style paddle steamer, and the colourful Long Corridor, constructed to provide the Emperor’s mother with a covered walkway to ensure she could enjoy a walk in the gardens while protected by the elements.
Did you know?
The Four Great Regions, a series of temples that are architecturally quite different to the rest of the park, were modelled on the Samye Monastery in Tibet, the first gompa (Buddhist monastery) built in the country.
