Firstly I’d like to commend our National Tour Guide Sophie Jin who was outstanding and couldn’t have been more helpful with our group of 27 travellers from Australia, New Zealand, England and Ireland. Nothing was too much bother for her and she even insisted on getting up to meet us in the hotel lobby at 6.15 on our departure day, even though we told her not to! Sophie really is an asset to Wendy Wu Tours and her dedication is second to none.

Now for the tour itself: SOOOO much is packed in that we (and others in our group) found it quite exhausting. There is little to no down time with early morning starts, and late returns to the hotels meant we often went straight to bed. Our group was mainly people in their 70s, with 7 or 8 of us in our 60s and a couple in their late 50s. Age is not taken into consideration - you book, you do it. And boy do you need stamina!
Also be prepared to do trips in all weathers. There is no contingency plan for bad weather - we were up Tianmen Mountain despite a Gale warning and driving rain. We all ended up freezing and soaking wet. Because of this we (and a few others) decided to opt out of the Old Town and Yu Gardens trip in Shanghai next day, only to find we had to write a letter explaining why.
We also felt the ‘Optional Tours weren’t very optional. The bus is geared towards those paying for these trips and those who choose not to go must find their own way back to the hotel.
There was also a problem with my food. I’m vegetarian and told Wendy Wu this before booking. Unfortunately the Chinese seem to have no concept of vegetarianism and assumed all that I ate was boiled vegetables. Meat eaters had Kung Po Chicken, Sweet and Sour Pork etc while I was given boiled cabbage, aubergine and Pak Choi. Basically I had side dishes. I did speak to Sophie about getting dishes without the chicken or pork (Sweet and Sour Veg for example) but she said a lot of restaurants wouldn’t do this. I did have a bowl of Sweet and Sour sauce one night, which was lovely, but the boiled tomatoes and ketchup was not appetising with rice and vegetables! I have been in touch with Wendy Wu about this and am awaiting a response.

All in all it was a fantastic trip, hotels were great, everything was well organised and it is a beautiful, clean and safe country. Maybe fewer things to do and a wee bit of downtime would make it more appealing Wendy Wu!

Our motive for going to China was to visit family, but we also wanted to see the country. Not having visited before, making our own travel arrangements was daunting, and we decided to go on an organised tour.

We chose Wendy Wu’s Gems of China tour as it gave us the opportunity to visit areas such as the Zhangjiajie National Park which weren’t covered by other tours, and we were very happy with our choice.

From the first moment of booking we were very satisfied with the attention to detail and level of support we received from the company. When it was decided (the day after we applied) that British visitors no longer needed a visa, the staff were very helpful, and processed our refund quickly. The information we received before the tour was very comprehensive and answered all our questions.

The quality of the hotels where we stayed, and the transport (including coaches, trains and internal flights) were all excellent.

In an unfamiliar country such as China the quality of the local guides is extremely important, and our main guide, Sophie Jin was fantastic! Her English was great, she was very knowledgeable and friendly, and managed the conflicting demands of a diverse group with tact and kindness. We were very well looked after, and I can’t praise her highly enough. Different guides with more local knowledge were employed in the different places we visited, and they were all excellent.

The tour covered all the main areas of tourist interest, such as Beijing, the Great Wall, Terracotta warriors etc, and included a relaxing Yangtze cruise. We had many opportunities to go on voluntary evening entertainments, and I can honestly say that these were some of the highlights of the tour, and gave us experiences we would never have had elsewhere.

My only (minor) criticism would be that the tour was very fast-paced; it would have been nice to have longer stays in the places visited, and more free time, but this would have added to the cost, which was quite high. All in all the tour was a brilliant introduction to a country little visited by western tourists, and one which challenged previously held ideas. We thoroughly enjoyed it, and would recommend Wendy Wu tours highly.

The holiday was amazing from start to finish. All sightseeing trips were fantastic.
Food was great in every location.
Hotels were lovely all had comfortable beds plus everything was very clean.
We had a magnificent guide called Andy who went above and beyond to make sure everything went according to plan .
I would highly recommend this tour as it gives a fantastic insight to China .

Japan Uncovered was an excellent and well organised tour and Akiko our guide was superb. Only comments would be for more evening entertainment and a few more Western food options for those who do not like fish or tofu.
Gems of China was again an excellent and well organised tour and the options for evening shows gave a the trip a fuller program. CiCi our guide was fabulous and the local guides also added to the whole experience, will recommend both tours to family and friends.
Thankyou Wendy Wu for anther fabulous experience and interesting trip and your Office staff were excellent with sorting out all the questions we had prior to arrival in Japan & China.

Holiday of a lifetime. Saw everything we wanted to see.

Great organisation from Wendy Wu, packed a lot in. Great hotels, clean with large comfy beds. Great food.

Best of all was our tour guide Jacky Zhang who looked after us so well and made sure everything was perfect.

Tour was very well organised and we were very well looked after .Be prepared for all day on your feet with only a break for lunch most days,so can be quite tiring.
Additional cost shows are very unique and enjoying so well worth attending.
Jack our guide was fabulous and went above and beyond to help everyone in the group .

Chose this tour as an introduction to China, with recommendation from another and wasn't disappointed. A full on 2 week tour of best sights in China. From beginning to end we were looked after to make sure we had a great experience. Our overall tour guide Ivan gave us insight into the country and made sure we were happy, local guides stepped in to show us the sights, coach drivers were great and there was no hanging around. Hotels were good with breakfast followed by authentic Chinese restaurant lunch and dinner, we didn't go hungry. From previous holiday experience I was sceptical of the optional events but they were great and glad I went. There were to many attractions to list here, have a look at the brochures for more detail.

Thank you Eddie, for being such an amazing guide. You didn’t just show us the sights — you shared the stories, the culture, and your genuine love for all the places we visited. You kept us safe, on time, and smiling the whole way. We’re leaving with great memories, thanks to you.
Thank you also for your patience, knowledge, and great energy. This trip wouldn’t have been the same without you. We really appreciate everything you did for us.
We’d like to express our sincere thanks to you for your excellent leadership throughout this tour. Your expertise, organization, and attention to detail in made this experience smooth and enjoyable. Thank you for going above and beyond, for not losing anyone, for answering a million questions, and for making history actually interesting! We couldn’t have asked for a better guide.

Jason, the National guide, was an absolute gem himself. Wendy Wu are so fortunate to have him as part of the team.
The tour was everything I hoped it would be and more. The Forbidden Palace was a delight, especially with so many in national costumes. The Terracotta Warriors were a dream come true and my main reason for travelling to China. However, the pandas of Chengdu were a very close second and hold a special place in my heart. There were so many memorable experiences that I will treasure and I am so very happy that I chose Wendy Wu as my tour operator.
My only constructive feedback is that the trip should have been rated as a 3 level difficulty. It was very full on and quite exhausting. Also it would be good to have more detail about the additional shows and excursions, as I felt 'all showed out' before the end of the trip and unsure whether I had seen the best on offer. The inability to switch off the announcements on the cruise was an annoyance as I had specifically booked this trip to have 3 days of rest and this was not made possible by such early and repeated announcements.
Thank you

Excellent, extremely well organised tour with an exciting varied itinerary that covered many of China's iconic sights. Lovely group of people of varying ages, delicious meals and comfortable hotels. Jason, our national guide, was wonderful. He had a great sense of humour, was very knowledgeable and took great care of the group every step of the way. This was my first organised tour and I would thoroughly recommend Wendy Wu to anyone thinking of booking an adventure.

The itinerary was perfect. The National Guide Jason was fantastic and incredibly helpful. The Local Guides very knowledgeable.
You need to be pretty fit as there is a lot of walking and stairs/steps involved.
Apparently there were some moans about lack of free time....the itinerary is very clear in my view that this is a very full on tour and if free time for shopping etc is required this is not the holiday for you.

This tour has completely changed my perception of China. The terracotta warriors and the Great Wall were what I wanted to see, however there was much, much more to this trip. We were extremely tired because of the variety of opportunities provided. There was a lot crammed into one day but if the itinerary was altered to cut some sights it wouldn't be value for money. One could have left off the optional extras but if you wish to experience everything that China has to offer, just go for everything! It adds so much to your cultural learning.
Our guide Hoffmann was brilliant. His humour, patience, respect, dedication and knowledge allowed us to participate with confidence while absorbing all that China had to offer. The Chinese people were overwhelming with their welcome, friendliness and hospitality. Highlights were the pandas, the glass bridge, Zhanjiajie Mountains, Tianmen Mountain cable car, and the many local shows with a riot of colour, skills, performed on a grand scale. You have to go and you won't regret it.

This tour was a brilliant introduction to China, including so many fabulous sites and activities. Jason, our national guide, was wonderful, attentive, informative, amusing and so hard working. The local guides were also excellent. The trip was very slick and exceptionally well planned. This is a full on tour, with early starts and not much downtime which suited us very well as we wanted to pack in as much as we could. Highlights were the Great Wall, Terracotta Army, Pandas and mountains even though the weather was not great. Some people found the walking and steps a challenge but if you are an active person this won’t be an issue. The accommodation was all very good, as was the food, with plenty of choice. Highly recommended.

Very well organised with a superb guide”Hoffman”.
Only criticism was that two days were too busy and long.
The food at one hotel was poor.