My 16-day trip began and ended in Beijing. It began on December 28, 2013 and ended on January 13, 2014. I hooked up with various tour groups along the way. Here's a quick overview of my itinerary.

I spent the first 3 days in Beijing, Of course, the first day didn't really count because it was my arrival day. However, on days 2 and 3, I visited Qian Men Street, Tian'anmen Square, Bei Hei Park, a hutong, the Great Wall at Badaling, 2 Ming Emperor Tombs (Changling and Dingling), and a New Year's Eve concert by the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra at the Beijing Concert Hall.

From Beijing, I flew to Xi'an, where I spent 3 days visiting the Terracotta Army Museum, the Banpo Neolithic Village Museum, the Shaanxi History Museum,, and various city sites such as the Great Wild Goose Pagoda, the Old City Wall, the Bell & Drum Towers, the Great Mosque, the Muslim Quarter, and the Tang Dynasty Paradise Park.

On day 7, I took a morning train to Luoyang. For the next 2 days, in addition to walking and exploring the city, I visited the White Horse Temple, the Longmen Caves, and Songshan Mountain & the Shaolin Temple.

Day 9 was a travel day, flying to Hangzhou. The late afternoon and early evening was spent walking the pedestrian market area and visiting the scenic West Lake.

Day 10 was a day trip to neighboring Suzhou. Sites visited include the Panmen Scenic Area, Hanshan Temple, the Lion Forest Garden, the North Pagoda Garden, and a boat ride through the picturesque canals.

Day 11 was a day off for rest and a high-speed train ride to Shanghai.

Days 12 & 13 were a whirlwind tour of Shanghai, which included the City God Temple, the Shanghai Bazaar, Yuyuan Gardens, the Tea Museum, Xintiandi in the Old French Concession, the Bund, Pudong New Financial District, the Memorial House of the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the 2010 Exposition Park, a Silk Museum, and Nanjing Road. The flight back to Beijing was late in the day on day 13.

Days 14 & 15 were my last 2 days in Beijing. Visited the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace, Jing Shan Park, the Lama Temple, the Confucius Temple, and South Luogu Lane Hutong. Also saw a performance of "The Legend of Kung Fu" at the Red Theater and had an authentic, traditional Peking Duck dinner.

On the last day of my trip, I flew to San Francisco and had lunch with an old friend whose birthday was on that very day. After lunch, we visited the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption before I boarded my plane back home.