_ DAIRY INDUSTRY STUDY TOUR TO CHINA 24 Days

Objectives
To gain an understanding of the Chinese market for dairy products.
To learn about the dairy industry in China - the present state of the industry and where it is heading.
To evaluate the dairy industry in China from a technological point of view and for investment opportunities.
To experience the culture and history of China.

Day01 Your Country/Hong Kong
Depart your country arriving in Hong Kong. Short walk to hotel.
Overnight Hong Kong

Day02 Hong Kong-Beijing
This morning we fly to Beijing departing Hong Kong at 8.00am on Dragon Air KA900, arriving Beijing at 11.15am. Enjoy many of the famous sights of Beijing such Tian'anmen Square - the world largest square and discussion this afternoon with representatives of New Zealand Milk known in China as Archie or a discussion on the Chinese dairy industry with Chinese agricultural officials. This evening a Peking Duck banquet. After dinner, explore the night food markets where you can buy just about anything you can think of to eat.
Jianguo Hotel****

Day03 Beijing/Hohhot
No visit to China would be complete without seeing the Great Wall. The original wall was built over 2000 years ago and stretched over 6000km. Its main objective was to keep out Genghis Khan and the Mongolian hordes. This proved only partially successful. Today it represents one of the wonders of the world. Visit the Forbidden City, home of the Ming and Qing dynasty emperors. Sited on 72 hectares of land with 9000 rooms covering a floor space of 150,000 square metres. For those who have seen these magnificent sights before and wish to do something else the day is free for shopping or visiting other sights. This evening depart by train No.K89 for overnight journey to Hohhot.
Overnight Softsleeper

Day04 Hohhot
Arrive Hohhot this morning and visit a big Dairy Farm (700 cows). See the milking, and discuss distribution and marketing with management and staff. The average milk production is 5000kg to 8000kg/per cow/per year for this farm. Then visit Wang Zhaojun's Tomb. Wang was the one of the four famous beauties in Chinese history. This afternoon visit the company which processes milk from the Dairy Farm we visited this morning, and produces dairy products like ice cream, milk powder, cheese, yoghurt etc. Talk with company management and staff. Then a city tour and visit Inner Mongolia Museum.
Air China Mansion Huhhot****

Day05 Hohhot
This morning visit the Inner Mongolia Academy of Animal Sciences and its experimental farm. This Academy undertakes research work in various fields of animal breeding. It is the biggest Animal Scienceacademy in Inner Mongolia and was established during the 1950's. Meet with scientists from this academy. In the afternoon, visit the Five Pagodas followed by a visit to Shorgan Biotech Co. Ltd This was established in 1997 and produced the first test-tube goat in the world. This corporation focuses on the industrialization of biotechnology, especially reproductive biotechnology, such as MOET, IVF, cloning and transgenic animals and has used these technologies to improve both the breed and productivity of farm animals.
Air China Mansion Huhhot****

Day06 Hohhot - Xian
The Inner Mongolia Livestock Breeding & Improving Centre was established in 1958 with the aim of; importing livestock from other countries and keeping them to produce semen; developing and improving the characteristics of the local breeds; and increasing the number of well bred farm animals using breeding technologies, such as AI and ET. After this visit fly from Hohhot to Xian arriving early afternoon. On the way from the airport visit Wei Wei milk processing factory. Fresh milk production is 40 tons a day.
Purple Mountain Hotel**** Xian

Day07 Xian
Today the incredible sight of the Terra-Cotta Army will still amaze you even if you have seen it before. Other sights include the Ban-Po Primitive Society Museum. Visit some local peasant families followed by a city tour to see the old well preserved city wall which was built from 1370 -1387.Alternatively you can explore the city on your own. This evening enjoy the spectacular Tang Dynasty show with dinner.
Purple Mountain Hotel**** Xian

Day08 Xian/Lanzhou
Morning visit famous old Wall, then free time. Early evening we depart on train No.KI19 for Lanzhou.
Overnight Softsleeper

Day09 Lanzhou
We arrive in Lanzhou early in the morning. Lanzhou is on the upper reaches of the Yellow River and has a population of 1.2 million people consisting of many nationalities including Han, Hui, Manchu, Dongxiang, Tibetan and Mongolian. It is the capital city of Gansu province, is one of the most important industrial cities in North West China and was an important communication link in the old Silk Road. First check in to the hotel. After breakfast we will visit The Union Corporation of Animal Husbandry, Industry and Commerce. It processes milk and provides milk and eggs, to Lanzhou. The Union has 9 enterprises including milk processing, cow breeding, milk trading companies and one chicken farm. Between 1998 - 2001, the company developed a policy of " Company plus peasants" to set up milk supply from three townships with 2000 cows providing 20 tons of milk per day from three peasants' milk stations.
Overnight Lanzhou

Day10 Lanzhou-Labrang
Drive 280km (6 hours) along the tributary of the Yellow River to Tibetan area visiting Labrang Monastery (Alt: 2900m). The driving is beautiful; we pass many Chinese, Moslem and Tibetan villages on the way. We can stop to make visits of their schools, private peasant’s families and field for different crops along the roadsides. Lunch is in Linxia Hui Autonomous City, which is horned as "Small Hong Kong" by local people as you can buy anything you want in this Moslem city. There is one street specially selling Tibetan antiques and souvenirs, which is worth seeing for half an hour as the prices may cheaper than Labrang. At last part of the road wherever you see the white pagoda, which will make you felling you are in Tibetan area and landscape is much more beautiful.
Overseas hotel. Good condition and clean like 3 star.

Day11 Labrang-Lanzhou
In the morning we visit Labrang monastery built in 1709, now it has 1000monks. It is one of the six important Gelukpa (the Yellow Sect) monasteries in whole Tibet and a center of Tibetan learning in eastern Tibet. We can find many Tibetan nomads who come here for pilgrimage and to buy textiles for their clothing and jewellery along numerous Tibetan shops. After lunch we drive back to Lanzhou.
Overnight Lanzhou

Day12 Lanzhou - Jiayuguan
Local sights this morning (white pagoda, Five spring Park and so on) This afternoon fly to Jiayuguan.
Overnight Jiayuguan

Day13 Jiayuguan - Dunhuang
Visit the western end of the Great Wall.After lunch travel by coach to Dunhuang city on the edge of the Gobi desert which Marco Polo described as Ôso long that it would take a year to go from end to end.
Overnight Dunhuang

Day14 Dunhuang/Turpan
Visit the Mogao Grottoes, the most famous attraction on the Silk Road. There are 492 of these Thousand Buddah Caves left (1000 were originally excavated) with 45,000 square meters of murals and 2,000 coloured statues. The first of these caves was built in 366AD. In the afternoon, visit the Crescent Moon Spring and Dune Hill. This evening depart on train No K889 for overnight journey to Turpan which means 'low land' in the Uygur language. Turpan was an important link in the Silk Road and the majority of its population are Uygurs.
Overnight Softsleeper

Day15 Turpan
Arrive at Turpan early in the morning (5.53am). Visit the Baizeklik Buddha Cave and the ruins of the ancient Silk Road cities of Jiahoe and Gaochang. Visit the Flaming Mountain where it is so hot you can fry an egg on the rocks. Other visits include Grape Valley, the Karrez Well (underground irrigation) system and Ermin Mineret.
Overnight Turpan

Day16 Turpan - Urumqi
We travel on the expressway to Urumqi. Dairy farm or other agricultural enterprise visits today.
Overnight Urumqi.

Day17 Urumqi - Kashgar
All day excursion to Heavenly Mountain and Heavenly Lake on the slope of Mt Bogda the 5,445m principal peak of the Tian mountains. We then fly to Kashgar the border oasis town, said to be further from the sea than any other town on earth.
Overnight Kashgar

Day18 Kashgar
All day excursion.
Overnight Kashgar

Day19 Kashgar - Urumqi
Local sights today including Id Kah Mosque and Abakh Hoja Tomb, a major burial spot for the Moslem aristocracy of the region. This evening fly back to Urumqi.
Overnight Urumqi

Day20 Urumqi - Chongqing
This morning we fly to Chongqing. Chongqing is also called Mountain City (like San Francisco) and has the biggest population of any city in China (16,000,000). Boat on the Yangtze River.
Overnight On Board

Day21 Yangtze Cruise
In the morning the boat sets off for Fengdu as we begin our exciting trip on the Yangtze River. The steep mountains are very changeable and we see villages with different crops on the slopes on each side of the river. In the afternoon, we arrive at Fengdu, the city of ghosts. We take a cable car ride to visit a Taoist temple and a Buddhist temple.
Overnight On Board

Day22 Yangtze Cruise
The boat passes White Emperor Temple which was built in the 4th century on the north bank. Then the boat approaches the magnificent Qutang Gorge. After more than one hour, we arrive in Badong County at the east mouth of the Wu Gorge. Here we take several small boats which were pulled by local peasants men in a very traditional way spending one and half hours up to a tributary of the Yangtze, the Shennong stream.
During the journey, on both sides of the steep cliffs, the ruins of the ancient plank road and suspended coffins are visible. This is still a mystery. No one knows how the ancient people hung those coffins on such high steep cliffs. After a round trip for three hours on the Shennong Stream, we return to the main boat and then we go through the beautiful Xiling Gorge, extending 66km, the longest and historically most dangerous of the Three Gorges and the site of the new Three Gorges Dam project.
Overnight On Board

Day23 Yangtze Cruise--Wuhan
In the morning at 8:30, we finish the cruise on the Yangtze and then take bus to visit the big Three Gorges Dam project. After lunch we take bus driving 4 hours to Wuhan, one of the biggest cities in China.
Overnight in Qingchuan Hotel 4 stars

Day24 Wuhan-Hong Kong
Exit.