Overview
Drawing on several millennia of culinary history, Chinese cuisine is great part of Chinese cultures. The Chinese food styles and tastes are highly diverse from region to region. This led to an unparalleled range of the eight culinary as well as other minor styles. These styles are distinctive from one another due to factors such as availability of resources, climate, geography, history, cooking techniques and lifestyle. This yummy and cooking tour is the combination of the classic sites of China while savoring the culinary specialties the country. From imperial capital of Beijing, to Giant Panda’s home Sichuan, from water town of Suzhou to towering skyscrapers metropolis of Shanghai, we select the China’s best known and most influential culinary, the Cantonese cuisine, Jiangsu cuisine and Szechuan cuisine, for savoring and learn to cook, either through a course from chef or just in a private kitchen. Beijing Roasted duck, spicy Sichuan hot pot, vegetarian food and dim-sum could be an eating through the tour.
Outline Itinerary
Day 01 Arrival Beijing
Day 02 Beijing Sightseeing & Dumpling Cooking (B / SL / D)
Day 03 Beijing Sightseeing & Roasted Duck Learning (B / L / SD)
Day 04 Beijing – Chengdu (B / SL / SD)
Day 05 Sichuan Cuisine Learning & Spicy Hot Pot Dinner (B / L / SD)
Day 06 Drive to Mt. Qingcheng & enjoy Taoism Cultures and Food (B / SL / SD)
Day 07 Drive back to Chengdu & Sichuan Cuisine Learning (B / SL / D)
Day 08 Giant Panda Visit & Flying to Guangzhou (B / SL / D)
Day 09 Guangzhou Sightseeing & Cantonese Food Learning (B / L / SD)
Day 10 Fly to Hangzhou & Hangzhou Sightseeing (B / SL / D)
Day 11 Hangzhou Tea Cultures & Train to Suzhou (B / SL / D)
Day 12 Suzhou Sightseeing (B / L / SD)
Day 13 Jiangsu Cuisine Learning in Suzhou and Train to Shanghai (B / L / D)
Day 14 Shanghai Sightseeing and Shanghai Food (B / SL / D)
Day 15 Shanghai Departure (B)
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Detail Itinerary
Day 01: Arrival Beijing
Upon arrive at Beijing, the capital of China, you will be met by the local guide and driver and then transfer to the hotel. Rest time is free leisure or rest in the hotel for jet leg.
Day 02: Beijing Sightseeing & Dumpling Cooking (B / SL / D)
A full day sightseeing tour in Beijing, covering the history, culture and contemporary lifestyles. Visit Tian'anmen Square, the world’s largest city square near the centre of Beijing. Then visit the Forbidden City, located heart of Beijing, it was once the Chinese imperial palace for almost 500 years from Ming dynasty till Qing dynasty, served as the home of emperors and their households, as well as the ceremonial and political center of Chinese government. Later take the pedicab to tour of Beijing's Hutong, a labyrinth of old narrow alleyways lined with authentic courtyard residential houses. Wander around Houhai Lake, stop for some lovely Chinese tea. Climb to the local bell tower, have a birds view of the old Beijing area. Visit a local family in Hutong, learn how to make traditional food of dumplings with the hostess. Have dumpling lunch with the Beijing family and taste the dumpling made by yourself.
Day 03: Beijing Sightseeing & Roasted Duck Learning (B / L / SD)
Morning we drive the vicinity of Beijing to visit Mutianyu section of the Great Wall, where is lesser crowded and has magnificent scenery set amidst the emerald green hills dominated with fragrance orchards and stunning hamlets offering the amazing views especially in spring and autumn. Today’s lunch will be arranged in nearby local villager’s house to have organic food includes flavor of BBQ fish. In the afternoon return to Beijing downtown, and then visit a cooking training school and learn how to make a famous Beijing Roasted Duck with a local cooking master. Dinner will be your own made Roasted Duck plus some plain food in this school.
Day 04: Beijing – Chengdu (B / SL / SD)
Morning visit Summer Palace. Later on, transfer to the airport and take the flight to Chengdu, which is the capital town of Sichuan province and is a historical and cultural city with its well-known Sichuan Cuisine. Upon arrival, you will be met by the local guide and driver, and then drive to your hotel located in downtown area. Dinner will be the famous Sichuan food. After dinner, you can free stroll in ancient street of Jinli and appreciate the fantastic Sichuan Opera and Face Changing Show.
Day 05: Sichuan Cuisine Learning & Spicy Hot Pot Dinner (B / L / SD)
After breakfast in the hotel, transfer to Sichuan Cuisine College, which is only one cuisine college to teach cooking courses in China. Visit the college; learn the introductions about China food cultures and history. Learn some typical Sichuan dishes with the local cooking master in the school. Dinner will be the famous Sichuan spicy hot pot.
Day 06: Drive to Mt. Qingcheng & enjoy Taoism Cultures and Food (B / SL / SD)
After breakfast in the hotel, drive out of Chengdu about 65KM to World Heritage Mt. Qingcheng, where is one of the birthplaces of the Taoist religion. With over 20 temples and religious sites for Taoism, it exudes a strong flavor of Taoist culture and the buildings demonstrate the Sichuan style of architecture. Here is also for the particular Taoism Regimens. During the lunch in the mountain, you could have some organic food or the local flavor food, such as vegetable pickles, preserved ham ect. In the evening time, you will get back to the foot of mountain and overnight in a resort, where is also a base for researching and promoting Taoism cultures and regimens. You will have Taoism wellness dinner here, which is called “Longevity Banquet”, and you will learn more about Taoism cultures presented by the experts in this base. After dinner, you could try to have a Chinese traditional medicine foot massage, acupoints Tuina or steamed treatment for relax.
Day 07: Drive back to Chengdu & Sichuan Cuisine Learning (B / SL / D)
In the morning, wake up early to watch the morning Thachi courses hold in the resort. You can try to learn and practice Thaichi, Thaichi Pushing Hands, Thaichi Broadsword and Thaichi Sword. After breakfast, drive back to Chengdu. You can visit Wenshu Temple and Wenshu Lanes where has many interesting traditional local streets and stores surrounded, also have many traditional snack or cake stores you will find in this block. Wenshu Temple, situated in Wenshu Lanes, is a best-preserved Buddhist temple in Chengdu. The temple’s history can date back to Tang and Song dynasties, and now there are over 500 pieces of painting and calligraphy by celebrities have been stored here. Visit this temple. In the lunch time, have the vegetarian food in the restaurant located within the temple, which is very interesting that the vegetables are made into the shape of fish, shrimp and meat ect. Afternoon is the Sichuan Cuisine learning time. It won’t learn the cooking in the school, but will learn with a local hostess (or the host). This is the great time you could see how the homely food make and get to know more about local lifestyles. You will enjoy the dinner with the dishes made by your own, and have dinner with the host/hostess family.
Day 08: Giant Panda Visit & Flying to Guangzhou (B / SL / D)
After breakfast, drive to Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding and Research Center in the suburb area. Morning is the best time to view Giant Pandas, because they will very lively and show out many cute and lovely postures. Lunch will have the famous Chengdu snacks. After lunch, drive to airport and take the flight to Guangzhou, where is the capital town of Guangdong Province and you will experience Cantonese Cuisine here, which is one of the eight regional cuisines in China. When you arrive at Guangzhou airport, our local guide and driver will pick you up there and transfer you to rest in your hotel. You will spend an amazing night in Guangzhou by cruise on Zhujiang River, enjoy the night sceneries and the Cantonese style buffet dinner on the cruiser. Overnight in the hotel.
Day 09: Guangzhou Sightseeing & Cantonese Food Learning (B / L / SD)
Morning you will have the breakfast outside the hotel, and you will have the typical Cantonese breakfast of Yum Cha (or Dim Sum) in a local traditional restaurant. Yum Cha is a term in Cantonese which literally means "drink tea", but actually it is the custom of eating small servings of different foods while sipping Chinese tea in Cantonese speaking areas in southern part of China. It is an integral part of the culinary culture of Guangdong Province, Hong Kong and Macau. After Yum Cha time, drive to visit an old architecture of Chen Clan Academy. It was initially an ancestor temple for the Chen’s and later used for a family school for Chen’s children. It was built around 1890 and spent seven years to be completed, and it is famous for the delicate and extraordinary decorations, especially the wood carvings. Afternoon will be cooking learning time to learn some typical Cantonese Cuisines with a local Cantonese cook master. Dinner will be the Cantonese food.
Day 10: Fly to Hangzhou & Hangzhou Sightseeing (B / SL / D)
After breakfast, leave Guangzhou and fly to Hangzhou, which is the capital town of Zhejiang Province, a seat of Zhejiang Cuisine. After refreshment in the hotel, drive to have Hangzhou Snacks. After lunch, transfer to visit West Lake by boat, Lingyin Temple and Feilai Peak. Dinner will be served as the local Zhejiang food. Evening time, you can free stroll in Qinghe Fang. In more than 1,000 years history, Qinghe Fang is the hub of Hangzhou for cultures, business and folks. You could find many very old stores in 460m long street, and you can enjoy the tea cultures, Chinese traditional cultures, food and local lifestyle here.
Day 11: Hangzhou Tea Cultures & Train to Suzhou (B / SL / D)
After breakfast, you will visit the Leifeng Pagoda, where you can get a full view of beautiful West Lake. After visiting, transfer to Dragon Well Tea Plantation. Hangzhou is famous for Dragon Well Tea (“Longjing” in Chinese) and it is one of the highest quality green teas prized for drinking and cooking in China. This trip will let you have a leisure time in a half hill tea garden, where you could enjoy the peaceful time in the village, drink the world-renowned Longjing tea, have the food making with the tea (such as Saute Shrimp with Longjing Tea), easy hiking in the tea plantation, plucking tea if season permits, learn about tea cultures and tea making method ect. In the evening time, drive to Hangzhou Train Station and take the train to Suzhou. When you arrive at Suzhou, you will be met by the local guide and transferred to your hotel.
Day 12: Suzhou Sightseeing (B / L / SD)
Full day sightseeing in Suzhou. Visit the quiet Lingering Garden and the Pan Gate. Lingering Garden is one of the four most famous classical gardens in China. Constructed during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), it is famous for the way it artistically dealt with space, and seamlessly combined various pavilions into the picturesque landscape. Pan Gate is an ancient city gate with land and water entrances. One gate with land and water entrances was quite typical in ancient China. Pan Gate is only left. Later on, visit Shantang Street, where has around 1,100 history and the streets and watercourses there are the typical water village style. Boating on those narrow river ways, have the traditional but special dinner on the boat, appreciate the night scenery of ancient Suzhou and enjoy the local folks and lifestyles.
Day 13: Jiangsu Cuisine Learning in Suzhou and Train to Shanghai (B / L / D)
After breakfast, transfer to visit Hanshan Temple which was used to be one of ten most famous temples in China where there are a lot of cultural relics. Afternoon will learn Jiangsu Cuisine with some typical Jiangsu dishes. In the evening time, transfer to the train station and take the train to Shanghai. Upon arrival at Shanghai, you will be met by the local guide and then will be sent to your hotel.
Day 14: Shanghai Sightseeing and Shanghai Food (B / SL / D)
After breakfast, transfer to visit Jade Buddha Temple, Yuyuan Garden, have the Shanghai flavor lunch at Yuyuan, then visit Oriental Pearl TV Tower, the night scenery of the Bund.
Day 15: Shanghai Departure (B)
Airport transfer according to your flight schedule. End the wonderful journey.
