Classic China Foodie Tour

Welcome to Beijing! Beijing is a booming global metropolis with an enchanting history and a rich cultural heritage. Beijing’s cultural attractions are second to none, whether it’s the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace, or the Great Wall. Our guide will be holding your name sign and waiting for you at the airport, and then you will be transferred to your hotel and have a nice rest.

The perfect way to start your foodie tour is by taking a Cooking Class. You will spend some time this morning at a market like a local and learn how to shop like a chef. Your local chef will teach you how to find and select seasonal ingredients and then turn them into gorgeous menus. After that, we will go to the cooking venue. Under the guidance of your expert chef, you will learn to cook dumplings and more traditional Chinese food. It takes about 4-5 hours in total including lunchtime. The free flow of soft drinks and beer during the cooking class is included. So, what are you waiting for, come and taste your homemade lunch!

In the afternoon, we will visit the Great Wall which is known as the longest defensive project in the world. The section we will go to is the Mutianyu Great Wall. It is 75 kilometers away from the cooking class venue and takes about 2 hours. If you would like to escape the crowds at the Great Wall, visiting the Mutianyu section is the best choice in the afternoon. Accompanied by an English-speaking guide, you will listen to some stories behind the Great Wall. When you are standing on it, you will marvel at the spectacular natural sceneries. There are two easy ways to ascend the Mutianyu Great Wall-the cable car and the chairlift. For elder guests, we recommend taking the round-trip cable car. If you prefer a more exciting way, you could choose to take the chairlift up and toboggan down.

On the way back to the hotel, you will have a photo stop at the Bird’s Nest (National Stadium) and the Water Cube (National Aquatics Center). The opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games was held in the Bird’s Nest. With a distant memory of the Olympic Games, they have become a venue for sports and cultural events in China. Your knowledgeable tour guide will provide entertaining stories about the 2008 Olympics while you enjoy the fine view and take pictures. 

Today you will have dinner at Haidilao Hot Pot Restaurant. Haidilao is a very famous hot pot chain restaurant where you can see local people wait for a table in a long queue, even not the festival day. The most attractive feature of Haidilao is its service. The caring service of the waiters will satisfy you. The ramen show is also a major feature in the restaurant. Besides, Haidilao also provides a free manicure service!

Water Cube

Mutianyu Great Wall

Today you will first go to see the famous Tian’anmen Square which is located in the center of Beijing. It is the largest city square in the world which covers an area of 440,000 square meters. It is 880 meters long from north to south and 500 meters wide from east to west. Tian’anmen Square was a closed area during the Qing Dynasty. From 1914, Tian’anmen Square became an open space and many major historical events took place here, such as the founding ceremony of the new China.

After that, you will enter the “Palace Museum” known as the Forbidden City (Closed each Monday) where 24 emperors ruled China for about 600 years. Covering an area of 1004,300 square meters, the Forbidden City is the largest ancient imperial palace in the world and is equivalent to 13.8 White Palaces. More than a historical and cultural heritage, the Forbidden City is also an internet-famous site. Nowadays, many beautiful girls would like to take artistic photos in Han Chinese Clothing or Qing Dynasty costumes in the Forbidden City. If you’re lucky, you can take a picture with them as if you’ve traveled back in time.

The lunch will be at Meizhoudongpo Restaurant which is best known for its Sichuan cuisine. Here you can taste specialties such as Kung Pao Chicken and Shredded Pork with Garlic Sauce, which is popular among foreign friends. Don’t worry that you won’t be able to eat such delicious food after leaving China, there is also a branch of Meizhoudongpo in Los Angeles, USA.

After lunch, you will go to the Summer Palace where emperors spend their summer time. It is also the most beautiful and complete imperial garden in existence in China known as the “Royal Garden Museum”. One of the features of the Summer Palace is the Long Corridor which is about 728 meters long. It is the longest corridor in the world. There are more than 8,000 pictures painted on the corridor, all of which are traditional stories, flowers, birds, and fish. It is said that after the completion of the Summer Palace, Empress Dowager Cixi spent most of her time here. To be able to enjoy the scenery of the lake and mountain even on rainy or snowy days, Empress Dowager Cixi ordered the construction of the Long Corridor across the Summer Palace from east to west. Perhaps you happen to be standing in the same place where Empress Dowager Cixi used to stop to enjoy the scenery.

Tonight, we will have a Peking Roast Duck dinner at Chengjiabang Restaurant. Peking Roast Duck is an ancient delicacy that originated in the royal court. But now, the roast duck has become a home-style food that can be seen on every family’s table. There are many ways to eat roast duck. The most classic way is to use chopsticks to pick up a bit of sweet soybean paste, smear it on the lotus-leaf-like pancake, put a few slices of roast duck on top, then put a few strips of green onion, cucumber, or radish, and roll up the pancake. It is as delicious as you can imagine.

And after dinner, we will take you to the most prosperous street in Beijing-Wangfujing Street. You can go shopping or enjoy snacks and street food by yourself. Wangfujing Street has not only century-old stores but also modern luxury stores. It is a sister street to the Champs-Élysées in France. For most people, visiting Wangfujing Street is a must-see place like the Great Wall in Beijing.

Summer Palace

Wangfujing Street

This morning, after checking out from your hotel, we will visit the Temple of Heaven, where the ancient emperors worshipped the god of heaven and prayed for a good harvest. Nowadays, it is a very popular park for people to do morning exercise.  As a popular morning exercise park, you will see many Tai Chi enthusiasts doing Tai Chi and other locals dancing, singing, playing cards, playing traditional local instruments, etc., especially in the morning. Whether you want to study a little local dance or learn a few Tai Chi moves, this is the best place to go in Beijing. Some people even can teach you Tai Chi moves for free if you make friends very quickly.

Then your local guide will take you to the Hutongs and visit a local family there. The most classic way to explore the Hutongs is by rickshaw. As you walk through the century-old Hutongs, the mottled red walls and green tiles seem to take you back to the old days of Beijing. Nowadays, the Hutongs are more like a museum of folk customs. After the rickshaw tour, you will have a home-style lunch and taste the authentic local family food. You could take part in a cooking demo and learn to make dumplings. As you are enjoying these great tastes, our informed guide will provide insights into the common kitchenware used by the Chinese, the history and custom of dumplings, and the courtyard you are visiting.

After a wonderful lunch, you will be transferred to the train station and take the estimated train G349 15:13/19:45 to Xi’an. It is easy to take trains in China and your guide will help you get on the train safely. The next thing you need is a good rest on the train or to enjoy the beautiful scenery along the way. After arriving in Xi’an, your local guide will take you to the hotel.

Temple of Heaven

Hutongs

This morning we will drive for about 1 hour to visit the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum-the No.8 Wonder in the World. The Terracotta Warriors and the Horses stand silently to guard the tomb of China’s first emperor-Qin Shihuang for over 2000 years. After the excavation, many important cultural relics have been unearthed. Among them, the bronze sword excavated from Pit 2 shocked the world. Even after 2,000 years, the bronze sword is as clean as new, with no corrosion or rust. Moreover, the bronze sword is incredibly resilient and can be naturally restored even after being bent 45 degrees. In 1987, the Terracotta Warriors were approved by UNESCO for inclusion in the “World Heritage List”.

Today you will have lunch at Daqinxiaoyan Restaurant. Walking into the restaurant is like being in a museum of Qin culture. Daqinxiaoyan Restaurant is famous for its Qin Dynasty Imperial Cuisine. You will taste the delicacies enjoyed by the royal families. While tasting the cuisine, you can also experience the rich traditional Qin culture such as the ceremony for starting the meal in Qin style. When you finished, you could also take a photo in a Qin Dynasty costume.

Then your guide will take you to the Muslim Quarter. You could stroll around the famous snack street and taste some desserts and street food. You will get excited about savoring the flavor of these appealing snacks. Roujiamo (Chinese hamburger), Zenggao (rice and jujube cake), Mutton Shashlik, and Sour and Spicy Dumplings are all my recommendations for you.

Afterward, we will take you to the Tang Dynasty Xi’an to enjoy a Tang Dynasty Dance Show which is one of the top 10 things to do in Xi’an. The show is called the Empress of the Great Tang and tells the amazing life story of Empress Wu Zetian. The whole performance is 60 minutes long and every minute is eye-catching. After enjoying the wonderful performance, you will sample the intangible cultural heritage of Shaanxi Province-Xi’an Dumpling Feast. There are 238 varieties of dumplings in the feast, each with a unique taste and shape. Different combinations of dumplings make up different feasts. It is said that Empress Dowager Cixi liked to eat hot pot dumplings when she was in Xi’an in 1900.

Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum

Muslim Street

In the morning, you will depart to Chengdu by an estimated train D1917 09:00/12:17. Our local guide will transfer you to the hotel. At about 6 pm, your guide will take you to have dinner at Chenmapotofu Restaurant(Sichuan local spicy food) which is a “China time-honored brand” restaurant, established in 1862. The specialty of the restaurant is “Mapo Tofu” which is a kind of stewed beancurd with minced pork in pepper sauce. The main ingredient is tofu, but it has the flavor of numb, spicy, hot, crispy, and fragrant. A few bites of Mapo Tofu in winter will make you feel warm and blood flowing all over your body. After dinner, your guide will take you back to the hotel.

Chengdu

Mapodtofu

Today, we will first visit the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding which is located 10 kilometers northeast of the downtown Chengdu. The Giant Panda is a national treasure of China. They have traveled abroad many times and have made great contributions to the development of friendly relations with foreign countries. About 200 pandas live in the base. If you don’t have the chance to see a panda in your own country, then here you can see it all at once, even hug them.

Next, we will visit the famous Sichuan Cuisine Museum and have a cooking class there.  The tour guide will take you to see the ancient eating utensils first and show you the ingredients and processing tools of Sichuan cuisine. You can also experience the production process of Pixian bean paste, which has a history of three hundred years. Then you will follow the chef to learn Sichuan cuisine. The chef will guide you in making several courses of classic Sichuan food, such as Kung Pao Chicken, Panda-Shaped Steamed Dumplings, and Mapo Tofu.

After that, you could stroll around the Kuan Zhai Alley and you can try local snacks and street food there by yourself.

And you will have dinner at Xiaolongfandajiang Restaurant (Sichuan hot pot). Sichuan hot pot is famous for dozens of different sauces, fresh vegetables and tender meat and you could choose your own favorite tastes.

Sichuan Cuisine Museum

Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding

After breakfast, you will be transferred to the airport and fly to Shanghai by an estimated flight MU5408 12:35/15:11. Upon your arrival at Shanghai airport, our tour guide will be holding your name sign and waiting for you at the airport, and then transfer you to the Bund which is regarded as the symbol of Shanghai for hundreds of years. When visiting the Bund, everyone chooses to use their cameras to keep the beautiful moments. Don’t worry, no matter which angle you shoot from, your photos will be perfect.

Next, your guide will take you to Nanjing Road which is one of the most famous and prosperous commercial streets in the world. Nanjing Road is not only a shopping paradise but also a fantastic destination for foodies. Here you can taste the special snacks from all over China and the taste is authentic.

In the evening, you will have dinner at Jardin de Jade Restaurant (Shanghai local food). Shanghai cuisine combines the flavors of 16 cities and the taste is lighter than Beijing cuisine.

the Bund

Nanjing Road

This morning, you will first learn how to make Xiaolongbao (Shanghai Steamed Buns) in a cooking class. Xiaolongbao is one of the classic Dim Sum in Shanghai, so you can see Xiaolongbao from small dim sum stores on the streets to high-end restaurants.

Afterward, we will go to Yu Garden (Closed each Monday). It is a classical garden that a government officer of the Ming Dynasty specially built for his parents. Yu Garden was opened to the public in 1961 and has become a popular tourist attraction for domestic and foreign tourists to Shanghai. During the Lantern Festival, Yu Garden will be bustling. You could taste sweet dumplings, enjoy beautiful lanterns and guess lantern riddles.

Then we will visit the Shanghai Tower. It has the highest indoor observation deck in the world. From here, you can have a panoramic view of the other skyscrapers like Jinmao Tower, the Shanghai World Financial Center, and also the Huangpu River and the Bund. 

At nightfall, you will take a Huangpu River Cruise for about 1 hour’s cruise along the Huangpu River and enjoy the stunning night view of the most prosperous area in Shanghai. Huangpu River Cruise is one of the best ways to have a look at both traditional and modern Shanghai.

Tonight, you will enjoy a unique dinner at a high-end Yunnan Cuisine Restaurant called Lost Heaven Restaurant. The restaurant specializes in Yunnan cuisine. Once you walk into the restaurant, it is full of an exotic atmosphere. The restaurant has a bar and a beautiful terrace, and you could order a glass of wine and enjoy the last night in China with your friends after dinner.

Shanghai Tower

Huangpu River

Your delicious foodie tour will end after breakfast. You will be transferred to the airport according to your flight and the guide will help you check-in. Have a pleasant journey!