Depart for your overnight flight to Beijing, China

Upon arrival to the Beijing Airport our Perillo Tours representative will help us transfer to our hotel. The rest of the day is at leisure. Pending flight schedule we check into our hotel. The rest of the day is at leisure to help adjust to our new time zone. Dinner is included at our hotel this evening.  (D.)

Breakfast we head to Tiananmen Square, the site of centuries of protest, the square is one of the world's largest public plazas, site of numerous key events in Chinese history. We visit the Forbidden City, the Imperial Palace of 24 emperors, from the Ming and Qing dynasties. The Forbidden City has served as the physical, ceremonial and political center of the Chinese government for more than half a millennia. Today, called the Palace Museum, its grounds are one of the largest royal palaces in the world. It’s surrounded by a 30-foot wall and a 150-foot wide moat. We stop for lunch (on own) Deepen your as you wind your way along the hutong (narrow alleyway) neighborhood. Spend time with, and visit the home of a local family, learning from them the ancient art of paper-cutting. Return to the hotel. Culture and Cuisine: Dinner, followed by a performance of the Golden Mask Dynasty, a fairytale-like story of war, royal banquets and romance. Overnight: Beijing.                                                                                                                                       (B.D.)

After breakfast at our hotel we visit the Badaling Great Wall, the most visited section of the Great Wall of China. Originally created to defend China from the invading Mongul armies, this part of the Wall was built in the beginning of the 16th century, during the Ming Dynasty. Ascend the Wall by cable car to enjoy a great view of the surroundings to better understand its strategic location. The Great Wall of China is the largest human-made structure in the world, disputed to also be the only such structure visible from space. Lunch (on own). Walk along the Sacred Way, adorned on either side with statues of human and animal figures, mythical and real, leading towards the imperial necropolis. The stone memorial arch, known as the Great Red Gate, allows us to enter this seven kilometer walkway along which even the emperor himself would not have been allowed to travel on horseback. The path and those who walk along it, is protected by the embracing shade of the powerful Willow tree. Drive by some of the iconic sites from the 2008 Olympics, including the National Aquatics Center and the National Stadium, which hosted the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Summer Olympics and Para Olympics. Visit the Wangfujing (Prince's Mansion Well) night market, located on one of China's most famous shopping streets on which one might find traditional Chinese art, upscale boutiques, Peking Duck, western fast foods and everything in between. Overnight in Beijing.                             (B.D.)

After breakfast at the hotel, visit the Temple of Heaven in Southern Beijing. Originally constructed in 1420, this Temple was frequented by the emperor, considered to be the Son of Heaven, according to Chinese tradition. Twice a year the emperor would lead ceremonies, conducted to pray for good harvest. While we will be admitted, the apex of these events took place on the Winter Solstice and only the emperor would have been present. Finding inner calm and centering ourselves is always a good thing to do. The ability to do this, protect and even heal ourselves can be achieved through the practice of the ancient Chinese martial art of Tai Chi. Attend a lesson in Tai Chi, and partake in such a foundational element of Chinese culture while being given the opportunity to challenge yourself and have fun too. we stop for lunch (on own), after we visit the "Summer Palace", a UNESCO World Heritage site made up of a combination of hills, pavilions, halls, palaces, temples and bridges. The Summer Palace is dominated by Longevity Hill and the man-made Kunming Lake and is an excellent example of Chinese landscape garden ingenuity, ability and designs. Return to the hotel, with free time to prepare for Shabbat. Da'at Encounter Kabbalat Shabbat services and dinner with members of Kehilat Beijing, a Liberal congregation in Beijing. Overnight in Beijing.                                                                                                                                                                                                         (B.D.)

Breakfast at the hotel, the day will be at leisure to explore the city on your own, with the opportunity to: Stroll along Beihai Park, one of Beijing's best classical gardens with artificial hills, pavilions, halls, temples, and the largest lake in the city. Perhgaps climb the winding stone staircase up Coal Hill in Jingshan Park, for the unparalleled view over the Forbidden City. You can visit the Beijing Zoo, to see the giant pandas or visit The National Museum of China, which showcases 5,ooo years of history. Try to include the Lama Temple, one of the most important Tibetan Buddhist Temple in the city. Consider visiting 798 Art District, once the site of several state owned factories, now home to art galleries, and cultural organizations. Enjoy the many local and international art, sculpture, and photography. Dinner and overnight accommodations at your hotel.                                                                             (B.D.)

After breakfast at the hotel, we proceed to check out of the hotel and transfer to the airport to board the flight to Xi'an in Western China. Arrive in the city of Xi'an, one of China's oldest cities and the beginning of the ancient Silk Road, one of China's oldest routes to the west. We stop for lunch (on own) After we begin our tour with pour first visit to the famous Muslim Quarter, located behind the Drum Tower, home to Chinese Muslims for over 1,000 years. Visit the Great Mosque of Xi'an, which was founded in 742 and is the oldest and one of the most famous mosques in the country. You will encounter a beautiful edifice, with Arabic writing as part of the design. You will also encounter a Moslem house of worship that is different from most mosques around the world. It is built entirely along traditional Chinese architectural guidelines, lacking more traditional Middle Eastern domes and minarets. Climb an ancient gate of the Xi'an City Walls, one of the few city walls remaining in China and the oldest such fortifications. At 40-feet tall, and 50-feet wide at its base, this 8-mile long defensive ring, surrounded by a wide moat was a formidable deterrent to would be attackers and a great place from where to view the surroundings. Check into the hotel for dinner and overnight accommodations in Xi'an.                                                            (B.D.)

Breakfast, then we depart and visit the Terra Cotta Warriors, thousands of life-size ceramic soldiers and horses “guarding” the tomb of China's first emperor. The ancient burial site was discovered when Chinese peasants dug a well in 1974. Each soldier has a unique face, and there are more than 8,000 of them spread throughout the site. After we stop for lunch (on own). After try your hand at ancient Chinese crafts in a calligraphy and painting workshop this fun time will help you understand the Chinese culture and tradition. We see the Buddhist Giant Wild Goose Pagoda. Originally built in 652 with five stories, and rebuilt in 704, one of its main purposes was to hold sutras and figurines of the Buddha that were brought to China from India by the Buddhist translator and traveler Xuanzang. Upon arrival to Xi'an we will have the opertunity to attend a performance of Tang Dynasty Music and Dance, followed by a dumpling dinner. After we return to our hotel for our overnight accommodations.                                                                                    (B.D.)

After breakfast we will check out of our hotel and transfer to the airport for our flight to Shanghai, China's most populous city, situated on the south edge of the mouth of the Yangtze River in the middle of China's eastern coast. Named for its proximity to the sea, Shang- Hai means 'on the sea'. We stop for lunch en route (on your own). After walk along the Bund, Shanghai's famous water front walkway. Once a muddy path along the river, the ‘outer bank', located along the west bank of the Huangpu River with its 26 various buildings of different western architectural styles including Gothic, Baroque, Romanesque, Classicism and the Renaissance. We will stroll down Nanjing Road, Shanghai's main pedestrian all-purpose shopping mall. 3.5 miles long, the street runs east west from the Bund and is a mesh of eastern and western cultures. Opposite the Bund, view the Oriental Pearl Radio & TV Tower, a distinct landmark in the area. We visit the Bund Sightseeing Tunnel, one of the top five tourist attractions in Shanghai. A short, trip, altered reality experience, you will have the opportunity to travel from space to the core of the earth and back again, in an automated car under the Huangpu River after we  visit the Shanghai Ocean Aquarium. We follow by checking into our hotel for dinner and overnight accommodations.                         (B.D.)

Breakfast at the hotel we discover the Jewish heritage of Shanghai on a tour of the city we visit the Fairmont Peace Hotel built by the Sassoon Family. Walk through Shanghai's Hongkou District for a guided tour of Jewish life that was its role as a part of Shanghai and those times that it was very much apart from Shanghai. The sleepy river town was catapulted into the forefront of business and economy in the middle of the 19th century by Jewish Iraqi immigrants. At the beginning of the 20th century, Russian Jews began to arrive, fleeing anti-Semitism and by World War II, thousands of Jews had arrived, seeking asylum from the horrors of Europe. Under Japanese pressure, thousands interned in what had once been known as ‘Little Vienna', which became a Jewish ghetto during the War.  Visit the Ohel Moshe Synagogue, a sacred space, now serving as a museum devoted to the history of the Jews in Shanghai. Our sacred memories will have us visit the Holocaust Memorial in Huoshan Park. After we stop lunch (on your own) in Xiantiandi, an arts and crafts enclave in the French concession of Shanghai. After we walk through the streets of the Old Town and visit the Yu Yuan Garden, adorned with pavilions and punctuated by streams and pools. returnh to our hotel for dinner and overnight accommodations                                    (B.D.)

Breakfast then continue and visit the Jade Buddha Temple, originally built in 1882 and influenced by several traditions. Housing two very special Jade Buddahs, the original building was destroyed in the revolution that overthrew the Qing Dynasty, the Buddahs survived and are now in this structure, built in 1928. we also visit the Shanghai Museum of ancient Chinese art, situated on the People's Square. We stop for lunch (on your own) in Tianzifang, an arts and crafts enclave that has developed from a renovated residential area in the French Concession area. Afternoon free time for last-minute shopping, packing, or to explore the city on your own. Our farewell dinner will include an acrobatic show at a local venue. Return to our hotel for overnight accommodations.                                                                                                                                                                                             (B.D.)

After breakfast we check out of our hotel and transfer to teh airport for our return flight home, arriving the same day.           (B.)