Private Solo 35 day Tour of China from Beijing to Shanghai Stopping in Sites – Some Well-Known and Many Rare Places

This 35 day private tour through China was set up by Martha Fu and her team. The trip was more than unbelievably fantastic and if I could rate it a 10 I would! I had some very specific places I wanted to see that were the typical tourist attractions, but several that I read about that were off the tourist radar and amazing to go to. Martha spent about a year with me to customize every detail of this trip, which I kept adding and deleting. Originally it was set for 58 days so I ended up having to split it in two trips. In fact, I have already setup Part 2 for 2020 to finish what I have started.

Martha was incredible! I have traveled the world and this trip was tops!!! Martha and I discussed the best time to go and obviously avoiding the 70th Anniversary of the Republic of China Holiday week was a great idea due to the crowds, but yet, coming in at the end of this holiday, I was still able to see lots of celebratory flower displays everywhere, which was amazing. Martha helped me with everything so that this trip was smooth and memorable. She responded to my emails within 24 hours and if she was not available Lori or another teammate stepped in to answer all of my questions. This company is unbelievable!

Travelling solo was a concern, but not with this tour company. I felt very safe at all times. Every city I went to – from arriving by train or plane, I was met with an English speaking tour guide and a driver. All my guides (10 in total) spoke English well and were very attentive to my needs.

To give you an idea of the complexity of this tour, which included trains and flights, I thought I would list some of my trip highlights:
* Beijing (Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Summer Place, Mutianyu Great Wall, Hutong Tour, Temple of Heaven)
* Datong (Yungang Grottoes, Shanhua Monastery)
* Pingyao (Hanging Temple of Mount Hengshan, Wooden Pagoda in Ying County, Pingyao Ancient City Wall, Rishengchang Draft Bank, Qiao Family Compound, Shuanglin Monastery)
* Xi’an (Terra-Cotta Warriors, Museum, Small Wild Goose Pagoda, City Wall, Great Mosque)
* Dunhuang (Echoing-Sand Dunes, Crescent Lake, Magao Grottoes)
* Jiayuguan (City Gate, Overhanging Great Wall, Museum (Beginning of the Silk Road))
* Zhangye (Giant Buddha Temple, Danxia Landform (Rainbow Mountains))
* Wuwei (Leitai Tomb of Han Dynasty)
* Lanzhou (Binglingsi Grottoes)
* Chengdu (Wenshu Monastery, Giant Pandas, Wangjang Pavillion Park, Jinli Street)
* Leshan (Giant Buddha)
* Emei Mountain (Wannian Monastery, Baoguo Temple)
* Dazu (Rock Carvings)
* Yangtze River Cruise (Shibaozhai, Qutang Gorge, Wu Gorge, Shennong Stream, Three Gorges Dam)
* Zhangjiajie (Tianmen Mountain, Grand Canyon, Glass Bridge, Hallelujah Mountains (Avatar), Tianzi Mountain, Ten-mile Natural Gallery, Golden Whip Stream)
* Fenghuang (Stilt Houses on Tuojiang River)
* Hangzhou (Feilai Park, West Lake, Tea Plantation)
* Wuzhen Water Town
* Shanghai (Tongli Water Town, Master of the Nests Garden)

I highly recommend China Tours. I’m now very excited to go back to China and finish the rest of my planned trip in 2020! Thanks again for an outstanding tour!

About the author

ChinaTours.com

The ChinaTours.com blogger team brings you the best and most interesting information and China tour news gathered by our travel consultants, local travel guides, and partner providers. With our mission to create beautiful travel memories on your China tour, our travel guide provides ideas, tips, and insights to help bring your holiday alive.

Sumaiya S
1 contribution
First Time Traveller 10/10

Oct 2025 • Solo • Couples

My entire experience was a 10/10 - the hotels, schedules, timeliness and even the tour guides - on par, they spoke English and gave a lot of insights into historical events and cultural significance as we went on various tours. I would highly recommend! My entire two weeks was absolutely exciting, little packed but worth it. Definitely using China Tours for my next trip!
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Resort12472330819
1 contribution
Great experience!

Oct 2025 • Couples • Couples

Fabulous 13 day no shopping, small group China trip. (4 of us in Beijing and Xi’an and just 2 for remainder). Itinerary included Beijing, Xi’an, Chonqing, Yangtze cruise, Zhangjiajie and Shanghai. Great guides and drivers, accommodation was excellent and we were lucky enough to get 2 upgrades! Guides were all knowledgeable, professional, punctual and very helpful. Right from planning and booking stage, Dora from China Tours delivered a great experience. Guides included, Lee (Beijing), Helen (Xi’an), Jasmine (Chongqing), Amber (Yichang), Fiona (Zhangjaijie) and John (Shanghai). Thanks China Tours!
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Scott G
1 contribution
Once in a life time. Don’t miss it!

Oct 2025 • Friends • Couples

We love China Tours, and glad we chose them.

So far, we’re having a wonderful experience with our tour guide, Helena, in Hong Kong. She is incredibly knowledgeable, speaks excellent English, and shared so much fascinating information about every place we visited. She took us to many interesting and beautiful locations that we might never have discovered on our own. Throughout the day, she was patient, kind, and always ready to help with anything we needed. Her professionalism and friendly personality made the tour both enjoyable and memorable. We are very grateful for her guidance and would highly recommend her to anyone visiting Hong Kong, and we can’t wait to visit China too!
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Emmanuel B
1 contribution
An unforgettable experience in Xi’an!

Oct 2025 • Couples • Couples

This is the fourth time I write this review because tripadvisor keeps saying it was made using AI. As a non-native English speaker, I used AI to give Cathy the highest praise I could for taking care of us during our trip to Xi'an. She's the best and takes care of every single detail. To Cathy my biggest thanks and to tripadvisor and its insipid AI I hope you detect a drop in content creation due to this.
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Donna B
1 contribution
White Glove Treatment

Sept 2025 • Solo • Couples

I was a little nervous- never been to Asia, never used this company etc but WOW. I was completely blown away by the service. I booked the two week tour that included Beijing- Xi-an Yangtze cruise- Zhangjiajie and Shanghai. The hotels were fabulous. The transportation included two high speed trains, plane, and private driving service. The guides were top notch and stayed with us until we were on the train and another met us at the other end when we stepped off. Our group was small so we were mobile and able to navigate easily. There wasn’t any shopping stops.
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Tripadvisor Tripadvisor

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