Artisans of Leisure travelers recently returned from an incredible private family tour of China with their family and have shared photos of the highlights, including favorite destinations such as Beijing, the Great Wall, Shanghai and Guilin.

The family began their tour in Beijing:

“Our family in Tiananmen Square outside the famous Gate of Heavenly Peace. ”

“The side gates inside the Forbidden City were beautiful.”

“Kunming Lake at the Summer Palace in April.”

“A photo of our daughters and one of the beautiful pavilions inside the Summer Palace.”

“Paul as the Emperor. The Summer Palace has a fun photo studio near the Marble Boat.”

“Our family on the Great Wall of China at Mutianyu. This was a highlight for all of us.”

“The Wall was so fun to climb! Our girls will remember this for the rest of their lives.”

“We were surprised by the number of stairs. Some were very steep.”

“Another highlight—tobogganing down from the Great Wall of China!”

“The toboggans were easy to steer and control. We laughed the whole way down.”

“Watching the Segways inside the Bird’s Nest where some of the 2008 Olympic Games were held.”

“Riding them was more fun than watching! Another great one for the memory books…”

Next, the family traveled to Guilin and enjoyed a cruise on the Li River to Yangshuo.

“The famous Li River in Guangxi Province. We loved seeing different parts of China. This beautiful river is shown on the 20-yuan note.”

“We cruised the river on a beautiful, modern boat. There were many ‘photo moments’.”

“The girls had an opportunity to get close to a Chinese fisherman and his cormorant fishing birds.”

“We loved the English translation on this street sign in Yangshuo.”

“The girls learned about how silk was made—from the silkworm cocoon to the bed comforter.”

“Allison enjoyed modeling the silk dresses.”

“As we were leaving Guilin, we flew over flooded rice fields. Most of the farming is done by hardworking farmers using wooden plows or water buffaloes, not modern machinery.”

The private family tour of China concluded in Shanghai.

“The Tea House near the Yu Yuan Garden in Shanghai.”

“A man dries tea leaves outside the Tea House.”

“Our family enjoyed a traditional tea ceremony and learned about the different kinds of teas.”

“The spectacular Yu Yuan Garden in Shanghai. We really enjoyed touring this 16th-century landmark.”

“Yu Yuan is referred to as The Garden of Leisurely Repose.”

“We bought turtles for the girls to release inside the gardens to symbolize good karma. Turtle races quickly became the fun activity.”

“Allison and her turtle were very popular with other tourists.”

“The girls released the turtles into the pond. It was a bittersweet moment because while they wanted them to be free, they also wanted to bring them home. (Luckily, Customs doesn’t allow turtle trafficking.)”

“Rachel with The Peninsula Shanghai’s bellhop in classic attire.”

“The view from our hotel room at the Peninsula in Shanghai. Absolutely spectacular!”

“Rachel and Allison enjoy the pool at The Peninsula Shanghai.”

“Walking the Bund at night and enjoying the beautiful architecture.”

“Below, Paul and Emily went for an early morning jog along the Bund.”

“Old and new in the French Concession area of Shanghai.”

“After visiting the tallest observation deck in the world, we took a picture in front of the space age skyline of the Pudong area of Shanghai. This area was rice fields 20 years ago.”

“The Urban Planning Exhibit has a scale model of every building, road, park, etc. in Shanghai. It is updated every few years.”

“The Jade Buddha Temple had some really beautiful symbolic statues.”

“Rachel threw a coin into the urn for good luck at the Jade Buddha Temple.”

“We took the MagLev train to the Shanghai Pudong International Airport, traveling at 258 mph!”

Contact Artisans of Leisure to begin planning a customized private tour of China.