Chengdu Delicacy and Cuisine Family Tour

Welcome to Chengdu, a city that is located in the southwest of China and the provincial capital of Sichuan Province. Crisscrossed by a network of rivers, it is known as “the Land of Plenty” due to its moderate climate, flat terrain, abundant natural resources, and developed agriculture. Besides this reputation, Chengdu is also called the leisure center and gets the glory of being a livable city. The pace of life here is slow and the locals are enthusiastic and cheerful. Some low-pressure activities, such as making a cup of tea, reading a good book, and enjoying a lively hot pot, have been carrying throughout the life of Chengdu people for generations. Their pursuit of fine food and recreation enables you to find something good and fun within a 10-minute walk from anywhere. In addition, the cuisine here also forms a system of itself——Sichuan cuisine. As one of China’s eight major cuisines, it is famous for its spicy taste. Here, you can taste the authentic Sichuan cuisine, such as stewed bean curd with minced pork in pepper sauce, Kung Pao Chicken, shredded pork with garlic sauce, and so on. Does the name of the dish make your mouth water? Selected as the most well-being city, Chengdu is a city where you do not want to leave when you’ve ever come.

After arriving, your local guide will meet you at the airport and take you to the hotel for a good rest.

After breakfast, you will go to Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding Center to start your panda family tour. Situated in northern suburbs of Chengdu, the center is 15KM away from downtown. Invested by the local government in 1987, it is a research institution for the protection of rare and endangered wild animals and is based primarily on giant panda breeding. It also integrates education, tourism, and panda cultural construction. Embraced between mountains, the center is an exact simulation of the living environment of giant pandas in the wild. There are not only lakes, streams, bamboo forests, and lawns, but also a fully-fitted kitchen for keepers to prepare food, a panda museum, a panda hospital, and so on. The giant panda is China’s national treasure and has a mild temperament, and it even can be said that almost no one can resist its cuteness, especially children. More than 100 giant pandas live in this center. Here, you can take a close look at them and have a chance to hug these cute animals! In addition, the center is also home to rare animals such as peacocks and swans and is known as “the Best Tourist Destination for Close Contact with National Treasure. Your guide will give you additional things to visit.

After lunch, you will visit Wenshu Temple. Built in the Sui Dynasty (518-618), the temple has a history of more than 1,000 years. It is now one of the key temples in China and the most complete Buddhist temple in Chengdu. Covering an area of more than 50,000 square meters, it has more than 190 rooms, which are decorated with various window grilles, making it one of the most unique temples in China. Here include over 200 Buddha statues made of different crafts, such as iron casting, bronze casts, stone carvings, and jade carving, which have been well preserved after years of war. There are also many precious cultural relics and tens of thousands of Buddhist scriptures. An endless stream of pilgrims will come here to worship every day and you can also receive incense for free to pay respect for buddha. What’s more, you can go to touch the Kylin (mascot in ancient Chinese legend). It is said that if you feel uncomfortable in any part of your body, you can touch the corresponding position of the Kylin, so that your pain will be relieved.

Your next stop is Renmin Park, which was built in 1911 and covered an area of 112,639 square meters. It is not only the largest open park in Chengdu, but also a comprehensive one integrating gardening, culture, preservation of cultural relics, education in patriotism, and leisure. Today, this park is called “the International Lounge”. Internet celebrities from all over the world like to record a video of ear cleaning in the park or take a vlog of drinking a covered-bowl tea. As time goes by, the status of the park is improved rapidly in the hearts of foreigners. More and more foreigners come here to have an ear treatment and shoot more videos to attract more people. You can also try it here!

Next, your tour guide will lead you to visit Jinli Old Street. As a famous commercial street in Chengdu, Jinli covers an area of more than 30,000 square meters and has a total length of 550 meters. There is a bar entertainment area, local snacks area, hotel area and so on, and the buildings here are similar to those of the late Qing Dynasty (1636—1912). Moreover, it is also a good place to experience Sichuan folk customs, such as sugar-figure blowing, sugar paintings, magic, and so on. Now let me tell you the process of making sugar paintings. First, place brown sugar, white sugar and a small amount of maltose on the stove and heat over a warm fire. When it melts, the artist will scoop up the melted sugar with a small spoon and quickly draw the shape on the slate. When the shape is finished, he uses a small knife to scoop up the sugar painting and then glued it to a stick. Although it takes less than a few minutes, the drawing is really lifelike and you will be amazed at the artistes’ skills. Your guide will introduce you to other folk customs in detail.

Renmin Park

Wenshu Temple

After breakfast, you will go to visit Leshan Giant Buddha, which is located in the southwest of downtown Chengdu and it will take you one hour and fifty minutes (147KM) to get there. Built in 713 (the period of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty), the statue is 71 meters high and it took about 90 years to complete. It is China’s largest cliff stone sculpture with great momentum. According to legend, in the past, the water at the joint of Minjiang River, Dadu River and Qingyi River was quite fierce, so the boats were often overturned. During summer flood reasons, rivers often destroyed boats. A Zen master, unable to bear to see these tragedies, decided to build a Statue of Maitreya at the joint of the three rivers to suppress the water. Tang Dynasty (618-907) worshipped Maitreya and Buddhist texts said that Maitreya would bring peace to the world. After presenting the idea to the emperor and getting his permission, the Zen master began to build. Although the work was stopped many times during the construction process, the master and the imperial court never gave up on the building of the Buddha Statue. After 90 years of painstaking efforts, the statue was finally completed. Since then, there has never been a tragedy of ship’s destruction here. I’m sure that you will be astounded by the figure of Buddha.

After lunch, you will visit Bao Guo Temple, which was built in the period of the emperor Wanli. It has a history of more than 4 hundred years. As the first temple on Mount Emei, it is the starting point for pilgrimages to worship Buddha. The center of Buddhist activities and many large-scale Buddhist activities are also held here. Moreover, many foreign leaders and Buddhist groups were received here. With shady trees and red walls, the temple is glorious, making it a perfect place to practice Buddhist devotions.

After today’s visit, you will be transferred to the hotel near Mount Emei.

Leshan Giant Buddha

Bao Guo Temple

Today, you will visit Mount Emei. As one of the four famous Buddhist mountains in China, Mount Emei is known for its steep terrain and beautiful scenery. Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, one of the four great Bodhisattvas in China, was enshrined and worshipped here. Religious culture, especially Buddhist culture, constitutes the main part of Mount Emei’s history and culture. All the buildings, Buddha statues, ritual utensils, music and paintings here give off the strong smell of religious culture. A continuous stream of believers come here to express their devotion.

After driving here, you will take the bus to Leidongping to take a cable car to Golden Summit. At an altitude of 3,077 meters, you can see the sea of clouds here, which is so fantastic that it seems as if you are in a fairyland. The golden statue (48m) of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva is the symbol of the Golden Summit. With a height of 48 meters and a weight of 600 tons, it is the largest and highest statue of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva in the world. With ten heads, it holds a “Ruyi” (a Buddhist appliance) and rides a holy elephant with four heads and eight teeth, shining in the sun. The ten heads of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva are divided into three layers, each with a different face and expression, representing the ten states of mind of the world. The Bodhisattva possesses a mild and benevolent countenance, glittering the light of wisdom. Looking at the Buddha, you feel a sense of awe and loyalty.

In fact, Golden Summit is also known as Huazang Temple. The gold statue of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva is directly opposite the Golden hall of the temple. Covering an area of 274 square meters, the hall is currently the largest golden hall in the country built with gold tiles. Another one is the bronze hall, which has a total area of 1,340 square meters and built with copper tiles. In addition, its doors, windows, and brackets are cast in copper. The golden and bronze halls reflect each other, highlighting the historical and cultural status of Buddhism in Golden Summit.

After the tour, you will take the cable car down the mountain and then change the shuttle bus to the gate.

Then, we will drive northeast about 3 hours (218KM) to the hotel in Chengdu.

Mount Emei

Golden Summit

Today, we will send you to the airport for your returning flight.

Author：Yan Ran

Proofreader: Lexie