Love China? Been to Beijing, Shanghai, Xian, Chengdu? Yes, me too. If you are looking to get even closer to the Chinese history, then a long cruise from the cosmopolitan Shanghai to China’s secret metropolis Chongqing might be just the right choice for you!
This is a unique opportunity to explore China at leisure pace at the best time to cruise on the Yangtze River.

28th Oct 18
Set sail from magnificent Shanghai. Do not miss an opportunity to visit the iconic Shanghai’s Bund, renowned waterfront which arguably best represents the city.

9th Oct 18
The first stop on this memorable cruise is Yangzhou where you can visit the Ge Garden,
created for a wealthy salt merchant in the Qing Dynasty, and a beautiful example of the
harmony of Jing and Jang. Walk through Yangzhou’s rich heritage by visiting Dongguan
Street, once the main transport artery through the town and today a commercial and cultural centre.

30th Oct 18
Further downstream you will meet a small ancient town, Xinghuacun, which is a symbol of traditional Chinese poetry. From AD 844 to 846 the great poet Du Mu who served as the governor of Chizhou wrote a poem named “Qingming” after he travelled to Xinghuacun. The charming blossoms, mild rain and attractive liquor are all described in the poem. Thanks to the poem, Xinghuacun enjoys an immortal and world-wide fame and one of so many stops during the cruise from Chongqing to Shanghai.

31st Oct 18
Visit Jingdezhen, the “Porcelain Capital” because it has been producing pottery for 1,700 years. Jingdezhen’s natural resources include kaolin, coal, manganese, and lime, but it is the kaolin that has made the city famous in China and the world. For over a millennium, its unique kaolin has enabled Jingdezhen to make high-quality porcelain known “as thin as paper, as white as jade, as bright as a mirror, and as sound as a bell”

1st Nov 18
Explore Wuhan, the capital city of Hubei Province and home to the one of the top ten
museums in China – the magnificent Provincial Museum. Here you will find the world-
famous set of musical bronze bells of different sizes covered in ancient Chinese characters describing the music and the owner of the bells. The bells were discovered in the tomb of Yi (the king of the Zeng Sate in the Warring States Period (476 BC – 221 BC).

An afternoon concert on the replica bells is one of the outstanding experiences which can not be missed. Afterwards enjoy a walk around East Lake which is 6 times larger than the most famous lake in China – the West Lake in Hangzhou.

Did you know that Wuhan is known for its plum blossom? You can find this flower very often in Chinese paintings and it represents courage, hope and a strong head. Wuhan is very proud of its flower and as a result it has a plum blossom festival. The plum is associated with the start of spring and Wuhan would be an excellent place to celebrate the arrival of spring and adore the first plum blossom.

2nd Nov 18
Continue sailing to the land of “fish and rice” and one of the richest area of China –
Jingzhou, also known as Jiangling. The port has been a transportation hub since ancient
times. The city was originally one of the birth places of the culture of the Chu State which
left extremely valuable cultural relics, one of them being a well-preserved city wall built with military precision.

3rd Nov 18
Visit the Three Gorges Dam Site which was completed in May 2006 after 50 years of
research and nearly 13 years of construction. Alternatively, you could take the optional tour “Three Gorges Tribe” and enjoy less commercialised part and the most beautiful tributary out of 7000 of the Yangtze River.

4th Nov 18
On the southern bank of Wu Gorge you will have a visit to the famousShennv Stream a
newly-opened scenic area on the Yangtze River which is still uncommercialised. A small
motor boat will take you to the mysterious and unspoiled region to explore one of the four peaks which towers over the clean water of Shennv Stream. You will have an opportunity to visit the Qingshi Village where locals are fighting back to preserve their way of life which is in clear contrast to the metropolitan Shanghai and buzzing, shiny Chongqing. You will continue to sail through Qutang and Wu Gorges.

Qutang Gorge is 5 miles long, the shortest but also the most scenic section. At its narrowest points, sometimes no more than 165 feet wide, the perpendicular cliffs force the river to rush through, making it fast flowing and dangerous.

Wu (Witches’) Gorge is 28 miles long, a seemingly endless number of cloud-draped canyons so high that the sun is hardly visible, giving the strange peaks a fairytale aspect -legend has it that a goddess and her 11 handmaidens were transformed into the mountains and help sailors navigate the treacherous waters below.

5th Nov 18
Admire the famous red Shibaozhai Pagoda which is small hill 660 feet (200 meters) tall on the banks of the Yangtze River and consists of a gate, a pavilion and a temple. The gate is very colourful and very exquisite. It’s stands out in its bright yellow colour. The shape of the Pavilion is unusual, resembling the shape of pyramids and it’s painted in the red colour which stands out against greenery which surrounds the hill. The temple at the top is a Taoist Temple dedicated to the god Mansjuri.

6th Nov 18
Chongqing, our finishing port, is not just China’s secret metropolis but also the world’s
fastest-growing tourism city, recording a whopping 14% growth in its tourism sector last year. From here you can either fly internationally to any part of the world, take a high-speed train to different parts of China or simply make a day tour to one of the 52 UNESCO World Heritages sites in China, Dazu Rock Carvings. Whatever you do, we hope you enjoyed the cruise on board our Century Sky ship and that you had a memorable experience while cruising on the Yangtze River.

Set sail on the long cruise along the Yangtze River on the 28th October from Shanghai.
Alternatively, you could cruise from Chongqing Shanghai on the 20th November 2018.
Durations of both cruises are 10 days / 9 nights.
We have limited availability and for more information please
emailsales@centuryrivercruises.com or visit www.centuryrivercruises.com

*The cruising itinerary onboard Century Fleet is subject to change due to weather conditions, water level, navigation and seasonal conditions.