This was my fifth smarTours trip but over the past twenty five years I have been fortunate to take over fifty land tours and for quality and value smarTours rates number one for me. This China trip was exceptional. Great itinerary and Sun (Harry) was an exceptional Tour Director in every respect. Hotels were first class and well located. This is a demanding tour - lots of walking and many many steps to climb if you want to get the most from the tour. China in summer is very very hot so bear that in mind. Also , you will eat Chinese cuisine for most lunches and dinners. Hotels offer American food at breakfast. China is an experience not to miss. The cities cannot be beaten anywhere in the world. Beautiful stunning architecture spectacular at night. Trains that are super fast and run on time. Airports that are modern -and beautiful and where we had of our best meals while waiting for our flight! The whole country was super clean with never any graffiti. All of the Chinese people we met were friendly and helpful. Of course there is a language problem but many of the most young people speak some English. Yes, this is still a Communist country but paradoxically one that seems able to be at the same time very Capitalist and entrepreneurial. Without being a regime booster one can still look objectively particularly at our decrepit crumbling infrastructure in particular and ask ‘ where did we go wrong’? It was my first visit for twenty six years and the new China took my breath away. The old China of the Middle Kingdom also still offers incredible experiences such as the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, the Terra-cotta Warriors and the exquisite River LI and theYangtse River