Not sure about Yangtze Cruise- what do you think?
 

Late to plan this vk ( long story). Have RT tickets to from Beijing end of July with 14 days on ground and visas for 4- 2 adults and 2 college age daughters.. So far have this planned
Beijing 3 nights - Red Garden Hotel
Night train to Xi'an one night
Xi'an 2 nights -Sheraton North
Fly to Guilin and 4 nights Yangshuo- Yangshuo Li River retreat

This leaves 3 nights for Yangtze cruise and then one back to Beijing before flight or??????

Really liked to hike- have done Inca Trail, Rota Vicentina in Portugal and Samaria Gorge on Crete. Is Tiger Leaping Gorge possible this time of year with rains?

Thank you!!!!!

Let me start with the issue of the TLG. It's an interesting hike but out of the way.
I don't see the point of doing the cruise unless you aver quite old or have seen everything else in China. I was in Yichang earlier this year and took a boat cruise to the Three Gorges. We also visited some cruise boats but did not travel on them. The area is only midly interesting. Now is 10 years to late to do this. It was certainly better at one point but since they increased the water level by 100meters, most villages along the river have been flooded and the gorges are much wider. Nice nut certainly not spectacular.
And I am not sure that your kids will enjoy it.
Instead spend a bit more time in Beijing and stop in Pingyao for a day on the way to Xi'An. You can do this via fast trains or overnight trains.

We did the Yangtze cruise nine years ago and it was already too late to see anything interesting. Strong recommendation to skip it.

Thank both of you - so helpful and I will look at Pingyao. Keep having a yankering for Yunnan province but realize it is quite out of the way.

Semi-highspeed line between Taiyuan and Xian, with stop in Pingyao East, is opening/has opened this week. No need to take slow overnight train anymore. And the scenery should be at least somewhat interesting.

More time is needed in Beijing with so much to see there. I don't know where you're flying to China from but most likely you'll be dealing with jet lag in Beijing. (Ex, US eastern time zone, 12 hour difference, Pacific Time Zone, 15 hr time difference)
We did the Yangtze cruise pre-flooding, pre-dam completion, and much of what we saw is now gone, vibrant cities and towns, historic sites.