Dates: August 28 - September 12, 2012
Tour Limit: 6 minimum, 10 maximum
Cost: $4,700 per person (single supplement, $800)
Registration: 703.473.4618 or corey@coreyhilz.com

View China Gallery 1: People

View China Gallery 2: Scenes & Details

Explore the culture, history and landscape of China on this two-week photo tour. We’ll explore urban and rural areas – from Beijing and Shanghai to small villages; visit iconic locations such as the Great Wall and the Terracotta Warriors, plus go to many locations less visited by tourists. Join us to experience and capture moments of the daily lives of the Chinese people as we wander everywhere from side streets and markets to farmland and rice terraces. The photo tour is kept to a small group size (max of 10), which allows us to stay mobile and flexible when choosing our shooting opportunities. We’ll eat in local restaurants to give you the opportunity to sample the local style of food at each stop along the tour. Besides having the opportunity to capture great images, you’ll also enjoy a rewarding cultural experience.

Corey Hilz is teaming up again with Yulan Guo to lead a photography tour focusing on the culture, landscape and history of China. Corey and Yulan previously led a photo tour to China in 2010. Now they’re heading back for another adventure in 2012, looking forward to another enriching photographic experience. They can’t wait to share the wonders of China with more photographers who are eager to explore a different culture and discover many incredible photo opportunities.

More about Yulan….
Yulan was born and raised in China; she came to the United States for graduate study at George Washington University in 1986 (she has a Masters in American Studies). Yulan runs the Joy Travel Group through which she has led numerous groups and private tours to China and South Asia over the past seven years. As a result of her personal cross-cultural experiences and study of comparative cultures, Yulan enjoys travel and loves to promote cross-cultural interaction. She has a passion to bridge the West and the East. Her vision is that tour groups are more than just travelers or tourists, they are cultural ambassadors. In addition to organizing photography tours with Corey Hilz, she has arranged and led tours focused on other special interests such as crafts, art, and history. Yulan is an amateur photographer herself, and an active member of multiple photography clubs in the Northern Virginia area.

Feel free to contact us should you have any questions regarding to the photo tour.

Itinerary

August 28-29
Travel to Beijing
Overnight flight, arrive in the afternoon of the 29th.

August 30-31
Beijing
The capital of China is both ancient and modern. It is also packed with UNESCO World Cultural Heritage sites such as the Great Wall, Imperial Palace, also known as the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven and Tiananmen Square. We will spend time photographing the ancient Chinese styles of architecture, as well as explore hutongs, which are ancient alleyways of Beijing where many local residents still live. We’ll also visit Tiananmen Square and Jin Shan Park which offers a birds-eye view of the Forbidden City. One of the highlights in Beijing is to visit the Great Wall. We’ll visit the Great Wall first thing in the morning to avoid the crowds. The Great Wall is an impressive sight, cutting across the mountainous landscape of the north, it served as an elevated highway in ancient China. When we leave Beijing we’ll travel overnight by train to our next stop: Xian.

September 1-4
Xian and the Yellow River Area
Xian is the home of the Terra Cotta Warriors. We will visit these famed archaeological treasures, including the life-size Terra Cotta Warriors and horses guarding the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang. He was the first emperor to unite China and also the one responsible for the construction of the Great Wall. While in Xian, we’ll photograph around the Big Goose Pagoda, where there is a dancing fountain display and in the morning locals performing their daily exercises. The pagoda is a well-preserved ancient building and a holy place for Buddhists, whose purpose is to collect Buddhist materials that were taken from India by the hierarch Xuanzang. Xian also has colorful nighttime photo opportunities and a city wall to explore. While in Xian, we will take a 2-day bus trip to explore the Yellow River area, and the Hukou Waterfalls for its unique landscape and cultural scenes. The Yellow River is believed by the Chinese as "the cradle of Chinese civilization." It’s the second longest river in China next to the Yangtze River, while the Hukou Water falls is the largest waterfall on the Yellow river with a powerful view. Depending on the season and weather, the waterfalls can run from 40 ft up to 69 ft.

September 5-6
Guilin and Longji
An early afternoon flight will take us from Xian to Guilin. From Guilin we’ll travel by bus to Longji where we’ll have the opportunity to photograph picturesque rice fields the next morning. We’ll be in an area of farmland called the “Dragon's Back” that can be traced back to the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). Here we’ll have the opportunity to observe ancient farming methods and tools. In the afternoon we will visit a village of one of China’s ethnic minority groups to see how they live as well as try their food. These groups, the Yao, Zhuang, and Miao, each have their own distinctive colors, hair pieces and earrings. For example, the Yao women wear bright pink embroidered clothing with heavy silver earrings. They are famous for their extremely long hair. The Zhuang women wear white shirts, black pants, and brightly colored cloth on their heads. The Miao women wear colorful short jackets with short pleated skirts, and on special occasions wear large amounts of silver jewelry and adornments. In the evening we’ll go by bus from Longji to our next destination: Yangshuo and the Li River.

September 7-8
Yangshuo
We will have two days to photograph and explore Yangshuo and the Li River. You’ll discover a breathtaking landscape in a maze of limestone karst mountains which rise out of the rice fields along the beautiful Li River. Add a little fog and it’s transformed into a mysterious landscape. We’ll have the opportunity to see the area by floating on bamboo boats down the Li River, biking the paths between rice fields, or walking through the town. In addition to landscapes you’ll be able to capture photos of buffalo, rice fields, farmers, fishermen (and the cormorants they use to catch fish), farmer’s markets and other vignettes of daily life. We will take a late afternoon flight to Shanghai, then bus to Suzhou.

September 9-10
Suzhou
Suzhou, another ancient city, is famous for its silk production and crafts such as embroidery, wood carving, mahogany furniture and wood block printing. It is also world famous for its private gardens of various styles. We’ll visit one of these private gardens in the afternoon. In the morning we will photograph scenes and architecture in a river town. Midday we’ll take a tour of a silk factory, where there may also be time to do some shopping. We will spend the morning of Sept. 10th focusing on street photography.

September 10-11
Shanghai
After lunch on Sept. 10th, we will take a bus ride to Shanghai. Shanghai is the ultimate city of contrast, East and West, old and new, modern and historic, shining and dark, glamour and dull, all offering exciting photo opportunities. After settling in at our hotel we’ll photograph in the late afternoon and evening on the Bund. There are great opportunities for night photography, lots of high rising buildings, neon lights, along with people and boats on the Huang Pu River. You will see similarities to New York - modern skyscrapers of glass and steel - and a glimpse of London along the Bund. All day of Sept. 11th will be spent in Shanghai, we’ll photograph city scenes as well as the Yuyuan Gardens. We’ll also have some free time to explore the shopping Shanghai offers – a great opportunity to pick up something to take home in addition to your photos and memories.

September 12
Depart Shanghai
Due to the time change we arrive back in the United States on the same day.

Tour Package Includes

• Domestic air and train transportation in China
• Land transportation between airports, hotels and field locations
• Hotel accommodations
• Meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner)
• Sightseeing entrance fees
• Chinese speaking co-tour leader and local guides
• Photography instruction
• Guiding to photo locations

Not Included in Tour Package

• Airfare to/from China
• Tips
• Visa fees
• Porter fees (to carry bags if desired)
• Alcohol

Payment
$500 deposit at time of registration. Remaining balance due in 2 payments.

Travel Insurance
Travel Insurance available through Travel Guard (877.653.2516 or travelguard.com). The Joy Travel Group code is 193130. Comprehensive travel insurance is strongly recommended to protect your investment.