QUICK QUESTION

ITINERARY IN DETAILS
This six-day journey traces the footsteps of modern Chinese history: from the imperial grandeur of Beijing’s Forbidden City to the birth of the Communist Party in Shanghai, then onward to the revolutionary red bases of Jinggangshan, Yan’an and Xibaipo. Bullet trains, domestic flights and overnight trains knit the route together, while each day is triple-split into Morning, Afternoon, Evening for clear, clock-driven guidance. Expect palace rooftops, riverside skylines, mountain-top pagodas, cave-dwelling headquarters and lantern-lit snack streets—no hotel details, just pure time-of-day instructions.

Day 1 Beijing – Imperial Squares & Night Bites
Morning – Stand on the vast flagstones of Tiananmen Square for the flag-raising ceremony, then climb the Tiananmen Gate Tower for a sweeping view over Chang’an Avenue’s sea of bicycles and taxis.
Afternoon – Walk north beneath the portrait of Chairman Mao and into the Forbidden City; drift from the Hall of Supreme Harmony to the Palace of Earthly Tranquility, pausing to trace dragon motifs on bronze cauldrons and watch koi glide beneath red bridges.
Evening – Slip into Wangfujing Snack Street where neon skewers of scorpions and candied hawthorn compete with the aroma of roast lamb; sample Beijing-style yogurt in clay jars while stilt-walkers and opera buskers animate the night.

Day 2 Beijing to Shanghai – Rails, Revolution & Riverside Glamour
Morning – Board the high-speed train at Beijing South; watch wheat fields and canal towns blur past the window at 300 km/h while you sip jasmine tea and watch the landscape shift from north-China plains to Yangtze delta waterways.
Afternoon – Arrive at Shanghai Hongqiao, metro to the CPC First National Congress Memorial Hall; wander the shikumen rooms where 13 delegates secretly laid the foundations of the Party, then trace calligraphy drafts under glass cases.
Evening – Stroll the Bund’s flood-lit promenade—Art-Deco banks opposite the laser-lit skyscrapers of Lujiazui—then duck into Xintiandi’s stone-gate lanes for craft cocktails and xiaolongbao beneath lantern-lit plane trees.

Day 3 Shanghai to Jinggangshan – Sky Trails & Red Lanterns
Morning – Fly west over rice paddies and misty hills to Ji’an Jinggangshan Airport; descend into a landscape of terraced tea gardens and red-brick villages nestled among bamboo-clad peaks.
Afternoon – Enter the Jinggangshan Revolution Museum; walk interactive displays of guerrilla warfare, climb a replica watchtower and listen to audio diaries of Zhu De and Mao Zedong strategizing in mountain caves.
Evening – Optional night tour of Jinggangshan’s central square where red lanterns glow against the silhouette of Five-Finger Peak, or simply sip local green tea on a guesthouse terrace while cicadas hum in the warm mountain air.

Day 4 Jinggangshan to Yan’an – Flight & Pagoda Vista
Morning – Take a short connecting flight (or return to Nanchang) and lift off over emerald ridges; watch terraced fields shrink to patchwork quilts before landing on the loess plateau of Yan’an.
Afternoon – Climb Pagoda Mountain for a sweeping view over the Yan River bending through yellow hills and cave dwellings; ring the ancient bell and feel the breeze carry echoes of revolutionary songs across the valley.
Evening – Stroll the riverside night market for hand-pulled noodles and jujube cakes while locals practice square-dancing beneath strings of red stars.

Day 5 Yan’an – Cave Headquarters & Midnight Train
Morning – Wander the cave dwellings of Zaoyuan where Mao Zedong once drafted strategy under kerosene lamps; sit at the original wooden desk and trace ink stains left by half-century-old pens.
Afternoon – Continue to Yangjialing to stand inside the simple hall where the Seventh National Congress of the CPC convened; study the faded slogans on the walls and imagine the thunderous applause of delegates in 1945.
Evening – Board the overnight train from Yan’an to Shijiazhuang; watch the loess plateau slip into darkness while the rhythmic clatter lulls you toward the final red base of the journey.

Day 6 Xibaipo & Return
Morning – Arrive at dawn and transfer by bus to Xibaipo; walk the former headquarters where the Central Committee planned the final campaigns of the Liberation War, entering command caves still lined with straw mats and oil lamps.
Afternoon – Stand on the parade ground where the march toward Beijing was launched, then visit the exhibition hall’s maps and radio sets before boarding your onward train or flight, carrying the long echo of history home.