Chengdu Panda Tour with City Top Sights

Welcome to Chengdu, the provincial capital of Sichuan, and home to giant pandas! Chengdu is called “the Land of Abundance” for its fertile land. Owing to its pleasant weather and cute pandas, this city has been one of the most popular places for tourists in China.

During the first day of your great three-day tour, you will enjoy a day trip as a panda volunteer in Dujiangyan Panda Base. Here you will become an honorary panda keeper and experience clearing bamboo and cleaning the pandas’ enclosures, which enable animal lovers to observe and know the living environment of pandas. Also, the base staff will lead you on an excellent tour of the various parks. You will have the chance to see these cute pandas up close and learn about their habits. In addition, if you are lucky, you can see pandas’ rare and adorable behavior. They may climb trees flexibly, sit and stare at the food, leaving you a shaggy back; they may play around with each other, or they may play with the amusement facilities prepared in the base. Then you can feed the pandas so that you will be able to hear the sound of bamboo shoots when they eat food and know their eating habits. Maybe the crisp sound will amuse you.

You will enjoy lunch together with the staff. After lunch, you will be led to watch a giant panda documentary, through which you will know how humans protect giant pandas, as well as the touching stories of humans and giant pandas living in harmony. Later, you will also experience making panda food on your own with the staff. After all the activities are over, you will be awarded a certificate of panda volunteers, and have a group photo taken as a souvenir. 

After this wonderful and memorable experience with giant pandas, you will be taken to your hotel.

Giant Panda

Dujiangyan Panda Base

In the morning, we will meet you at the hotel and drive you to visit Leshan Giant Buddha. Located in Leshan City in the east of Sichuan Province, at the confluence of three rivers, Leshan Giant Buddha is renowned for its carvings on the cliff of Lingyun Mountain. It took about 90 years (713 BC - 803 BC) to complete the work. This great cultural monument is 71 meters high with 28-meter-wide shoulders and a 14.7-meter-long and 10-meter-wide head. It is worth mentioning that its giant feet, each 8.5 meters wide and 11 meters long, allow over one hundred people to sit on. The characteristic of the solemn and stately Buddha lies not only in its size but also in its architectural artistry. There are 1,051 hair buns in Buddha’s coiled hair. The head has been cleverly embedded in the cliff. The drainage system is another highlight. The system consists of some hidden drainage ditches and water channels, which help drive away rainwater and keep the interior dry to effectively protect the Buddha. 

After lunch, we will visit Huanglongxi Town, one of the ten most beautiful historic towns in Sichuan. The ancient town was built more than 1,700 years ago and has retained a relatively intact structure. In addition to cobbled streets, many temples have been preserved. Huanglongxi Town used to be a military center in the south of Chengdu since ancient times. It is said that during the Three Kingdoms (220 AD – 280 AD) period, Zhuge Liang, a famous Chinese politician and military strategist, went south and sent soldiers to guard here. Huanglongxi Town was originally called Yongxingchang and its original site was in Lixin Village. However, it was destroyed by a fire, so it was moved to where it is today and changed its name. Besides, “long-lived” noodle is a famous traditional snack in Huanglongxi Town. Whenever there is a celebration or festival, the local people in almost every household will make noodles with wheat flour. In ancient times, it was usually made by hand.

Leshan Giant Buddha

Huanglongxi Town

Our first destination is Du Fu Thatched Cottage. Du Fu Thatched Cottage was the residence of the great poet Du Fu (712 - 770) of the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907) when he lived in Chengdu. Du Fu lived here for nearly four years and composed more than 240 poems. Today it is a 97,000 m2 park and museum. There are several areas. Du Gongbu Memorial Hall displays Du Fu’s life and works. The atmosphere here is thick with history and perhaps you can try to feel the mood of the great poet back then. Du’s thatched cottage, consisting of a bedroom, kitchen, and a study, reproduces his living and working environment. Moving to the Hall of Great Poets, you can appreciate some mural paintings portraying scenes from Du’s poems and statues of other famous Chinese poets, including Li Qingzhao (1084 - 1155), a female poet in the Song Dynasty (960 - 1279), and Qu Yuan (340 BC – 278 BC), who lived during the Warring States Period (475 BC – 221 BC).

Kuan Zhai Xiang Zi is our next destination. It is a tourist attraction that showcases Chengdu culture, featuring Kuan Xiang Zi, Zhai Xiang Zi, and Jing Xiang Zi. Jing Xiang Zi is the best choice for experiencing folk customs and culture. Most of the courtyards there are occupied by stylish bars and restaurants where many tourists and young artists will spend the afternoon leisurely.

After lunch, we will drive you to People’s Park which was built in 1911. There is a landmark, Heming Tea House in this urban public park. Heming Tea House was built in the early 1920s and originally a two-story Chinese traditional building. As the oldest and most influential teahouse among all the teahouses in the main urban area of Chengdu, it is the best of the six local teahouses. With bamboo chairs and wooden tables scattered around, there are small streams and bamboo forests around. You can order a cup of tea and enjoy a quality and pleasant time with your family and friends.

Next, we are going to Wuhou Temple in honor of Zhuge Liang, Liu Bei, and other historical characters in the Three Kingdoms period. With the profound culture and rich history of the Three Kingdoms, it is also the most influential Three Kingdoms Heritage Museum in China. If you happen to visit Wuhou Temple during holidays or celebrations, you might see people wearing the costumes to act like those classical characters of that time.

Finally, our guide will take you to Jinli Street. Jinli Street is just located next to Wuhou Temple. It is a gourmet street that should be visited after visiting Wuhou Temple for the finger-licking food including Tofu Pudding with Brown Sugar, Sandapao (Glutinous Rice Balls), Spring Rolls with Sauce, Zongzi with Salt and Sichuan Pepper, Rice in Bean Soup with Dishes, and Crisp Cakes Stuffed with Red Bean Paste and Yolk. When the night falls, a sea of red lanterns are lit up in this street, and folk songs are sung in the delicate bars. Therefore, visiting Jinli Street at night is recommended.

The three-day trip to Chengdu is coming to an end. We will send you to Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport or the railway station according to your schedule. We are looking forward to your next visit.

Wuhou Temple

Jinli Street

Author: Bingyu Xue

Proofreader: Liz Lee