China Oolong Tea and Tulou Tour

Welcome to Shanghai! Upon arrival, you will easily find your name sign held by our local tour guide. And then the tour guide will transfer you to the hotel. Have a good rest for the coming journey.

After breakfast, Yu Garden (closed on Mondays) will be the first attraction of your whole trip. As a typical garden in southern China, Yu Garden was a representative private garden built in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Today’s Yu Garden covers an area of about 20,000 square meters. Walking in the Yu Garden, you will see classical Chinese architecture and exquisite sculptures, such as Sansui Hall, Huijing Hall, Great Rockery, Exquisite Jade Rock and so on. Among them, as a relic of the Ming Dynasty, the Great Rockery, which was designed and built by Zhang Nanyang (a famous architect), is the most magnificent attraction in Yu Garden. The Great Rockery is about 12 meters high and consists of thousands of tons of stones. With the ups and downs of peaks, as well as many flowers and plants, the big rockery is extremely lifelike.

Not far from Yu Garden is Shanghai Old Street. As one of the most popular attractions of Shanghai, Shanghai Old Street was once an important place for foreign trade and domestic commodity transaction. Nowadays, it has become a prosperous commercial street. On this street, there are various clothing stores, commodity stores, and snack shops. And speaking of snacks here, the first one that I will recommend for you is Shanghai Soup Dumplings, which is the steamed dumplings consisting of a paper-thin wrapper enveloping a seasoned pork filling, flavorful and hot soup. In addition to Shanghai Guantangbao, if you ask the local people what kind of snacks are their childhood memories. The answer will be Shanghai Qingtuan and Shanghai Ligaotang. The former is a green dessert made from glutinous rice flour and vegetable, and the latter is made from pears, white granulated sugar and several kinds of medicinal materials, which can effectively stop coughing.

Next, we will take you to the Xintiandi Area, which is known for its combination of old Shikumen buildings (a type of architecture that combines the characteristics of western culture and traditional Chinese dwellings. And the appearance of this kind of building is a stone gate with wooden doors inside) and modern business functions. Walking on the street, you can see various old Shanghai-style buildings, such as different styles of restaurants, cinemas, and so on. Admiring the retro appearance of these buildings from outside and experiencing the modern commercial functions when you walk into these buildings. Then the tour guide will take you to a local restaurant for lunch.

In the afternoon, you will go to the Former French Concession, which was once the largest and most famous one of the four concessions in China. Walking on the streets here, you will be attracted by the oriental plane trees and different kinds of western-style buildings on both sides of the road. Among those buildings, Wukang Tower, located at the intersection of 5 streets, is famous as the landmark of the Former French Concession. Nowadays, Wukang Tower has become a must-visit attraction for visitors because of its giant ship-shaped appearance. Moreover, our tour guide will recommend a few good viewing angles for you to take pictures.

Afterward, we will take you to the Bund by the Huangpu River. As a witness of the modernization development of Shanghai, the Bund faces several Shanghai landmark buildings, such as the Oriental Pearl Tower, Jinmao Tower, Shanghai Tower, and so on. Moreover, there are also several famous old-style buildings, such as Building of Hong Kong and Shang Hai Banking Corporation, Peace Hotel, and Customs Building. Among them, the Peace Hotel is designed with a outstanding appearance. Built in 1929, the Peace Hotel is not only one of the landmarks of Shanghai, but also China’s first world-famous hotel. Many celebrities from all walks of life at home and abroad have visited here, such as, Premier Zhou Enlai, General Marshall, drama master Chaplin, literary master Lu Xun.

After visiting the Bund, you will go to Nanjing Road, a famous commercial street with various shops. Here you can go shopping according to your preference. We also recommend that you can visit several time-honored shops, such as Tongrentang, a traditional Chinese medicine shop, and Zhangxiaoquan, a shop famous for its scissors. For Zhangxiaoquan, its scissors are of high quality with good price. And its scissors have won numerous awards in various expositions such as the Nanyang Industrial Exposition and the Panama–Pacific International Exposition. Besides, if you want to taste the special pastry of Shanghai, you can go to Shen Dacheng pastry shop to buy some. After visiting Nanjing Road, you will be transferred to your hotel and have a good rest.

Former French Concession

The Bund

After breakfast, we will help you check out, and you only need to get ready for the journey of today. Then you will take the estimated high-speed train G85 08:00/08:45 to Hangzhou as planned. Upon arrival, the tour guide will take you to West Lake, one of the most famous attractions in Hangzhou. The West Lake covers about 6.38 square kilometers. We will arrange to take a boat to admire the attractions here. When you immerse yourself in the charming West Lake scenery, the Broken Bridge, one of the most famous attractions of the West Lake, will appear in your sight. The reason why the Broken Bridge is so famous is its love story. It is said that in the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), a young man named Xu Xian came across Bai Suzhen, a white snake transforming itself into a beautiful woman with supernatural power, on the Broken Bridge. They fell in love at the first sight. But when a monk named Fa Hai appeared and got to know that Bai Suzhen was a white snake, the situation went bad. Because of the obstruction from Fa Hai in all possible ways, as well as the distrust between Xu Xian and Bai Suzhen, the relationship between them was put to a test. Later, after overcoming all kinds of difficulties, Xu Xian and Bai Suzhen explained all the misunderstandings and finally lived happily forever. The Broken Bridge was the witness of the two people’s love. For this story, many couples choose to come to the Broken Bridge to spend their sweet time.

After lunch, Feilai Peak will be the next attraction for today’s trip. Feilai Peak faces Lingyin Temple (an attraction that we will visit soon), and there are more than 340 exquisite Buddhist grotto statues. In addition to these statues, the various strange-shaped rocks all over the peak are also attractive. These rocks are shaped into different images by magical nature, like dragons, elephants, crouching tigers, apes, and so on. When you see these vivid rocks here, you will marvel at the nature’s miraculous power.

Then the tour guide will take you to Lingyin Temple. As an ancient Buddhist temple in China, Lingyin Temple was built in the year 326 (Eastern Jin Dynasty, 317-420). From the Eastern Jin Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty (1636-1912), Lingyin Temple had been renovated and expanded for many times. Nowadays, Lingyin Temple covers 87,000 square meters, and the total area of Lingyin Scenic Area is about 2,577,000 square meters. In terms of layout, there are the Hall of Heavenly Kings, the Main Shrine Hall, and the Medicine Buddha Hall on the central axis of Lingyin Temple. In addition, when you come here, you cannot miss the Jigong Hall, about which there is an old story. It is said that there used to be a monk named Jigong in Lingyin Temple. One day, by observing the sky, he predicted that a mountain would fly from afar and then fall on the village nearby Lingyin Temple. He was worried that the fall of this mountain would cause disaster, so he went to warn the people in the village. However, no one believed what he said. Later, he got to know that a wedding would be held on the day the mountain would fall. On that day, all the villagers would go to attend the ceremony. Thanks to this wedding, he saved all the villagers. Because on that day, Jigong took the bride away from the wedding ceremony, which caused that everyone in the ceremony chased after him. After the villagers running for ten miles away from the village, the mountain fell just on the village. Because of Jigong’s behavior, everyone in the village survived. From this story, we can know that Jigong is a clever and kind-hearted monk. In addition to the story, there are many more vivid paintings about Jigong in the Jigong hall waiting for your coming. 

Afterward, we will come to Longjing Tea Plantation to start our Longjing tea tour, which means that our Chinese tea culture tour will come to the first highlight. As is known to all, Longjing tea, the specialty of Hangzhou, is famous for its green color, fragrant flavor, good taste, and beautiful shape. Longjing tea is divided into West Lake Longjing and Zhejiang Longjing, of which, West Lake Longjing tea is more popular and is known as one of the top ten famous teas in China for its high quality. Here, you may encounter professionals showing the tea-making and tea-tasting processes. Visiting Longjing Tea Plantation is a good chance to learn Chinese tea culture and taste world-famous Longjing tea. After today’s fulfilling journey, we will transfer you back to the hotel to have a good rest.

Lingyin Temple

Feilai Peak

After breakfast, you will take the estimated high-speed train D5577 09:00/10:51 to Huangshan as planned. When you arrive at Huangshan North station, we will pick you up. And then the tour guide will take you to Tunxi Ancient Street, which is located about 14 kilometers south of Huangshan north station. It will take you about half an hour to get there, and you can take a break on the way. Located in the central area of Huangshan, Tunxi Ancient Street has a total length of 1,272 meters. It is the most complete ancient street market in China, retaining the architectural features of ancient China. Seen from the map, the alleys in this area crisscross like fish skeletons. The street is paved with maroon stone slabs and on its both sides, there are neatly arranged brick-wood-structure shops.

When you come to Tunxi Ancient Street, we strongly recommend Tunxi Green tea, a famous specialty in this area. Tunxi Green tea has a long history. For example, it gained a good reputation in the international market during the Wanli period (1573-1620) of the Ming Dynasty. And it was once exported to European and American countries in 1913. Moreover, it was once known as “the best tea” and “green gold”. As a significant part of Chinese Green tea culture, Tunxi Green tea is famous for its green color, pure aroma, and fantastic taste. In addition, the production process of it is pretty complicated. The entire process can be divided into 37 procedures, with hundreds of changes, and it takes 14 days to make it. After tasting Longjing tea yesterday, you can also feel the difference between Tunxi Green tea and Longjing tea. Leaving Tunxi Old Street, we will escort you to the hotel, and you can have a good rest.

Tunxi Ancient Street

Tunxi Ancient Street

After breakfast, we will drive you to Mount Huang, which is located about 60 kilometers north of downtown Huangshan, and it will take you about one hour to get there. Upon arrival at Mount Huang Scenic Area, we will first go to Yungu Temple for a visit. Yungu Temple was built in the Ming Dynasty and was destroyed in the Qing Dynasty. Nowadays, it has been replaced by the Yungu Hotel. But you can still see some attractions here, such as the Lingxi Spring, White Goose Peak, and the Dashi Palace. Yungu Temple is also the only way to enter Mount Huang from the southern gate.

Afterward, you will take the Yungu cable car to admire the scenery on Mountain Huang. The first stop is Beginning-to-Believe Peak. On the whole, the predominant feature of Beginning-to-Believe Peak is its small and exquisite shape. Moreover, on the Beginning-to-Believe Peak, there are various-shaped pines like dragon claws, black tigers and guest-greeting person. When you see these vivid pines, you will be shocked by the power of nature.

Then we will go to Dispelling Cloud Pavilion. Upon arrival, you can see the clouds floating and rolling in the distance, and what will amaze you is that the clouds will dispel when they get close to Dispelling Cloud Pavilion. And that’s why people named this pavilion Dispelling Cloud Pavilion. In addition, it is also the best place to overlook the splendid West Sea Grand Canyon. This canyon is famous for its bottomless terrain, rising cliffs, and spreading ravines. Here, you will enjoy this sightseeing from a distance. Maybe you are worried about not being able to appreciate the beauty of this canyon well from a distance, however, when you see it on-site, you will find the worry is unnecessary. Because just looking at various steep peaks in the distance, you can already experience the magnificence and peculiarities of the West Sea Grand Canyon. This spectacular canyon will make you feel extremely excited.

Afterward, we will take the cable car to visit Flying-over Rock, one of the famous rocks on Mount Huang. The reason why we call it Flying-over Rock is that it is composed of two rocks, and the contact surface between the two rocks is very small. So the rock above seems to fly from the sky. And there is also a story about Flying-over Rock. It is said that there was a stonemason Shan Fu who was good at building bridges in Song Dynasty (960-1279). He always wanted to build a bridge on the river in front of his house and he hoped somebody can help him. However, he only had a daughter named Xiao Jiao, who was only 15 years old. He was reluctant to let Xiao Jiao do much physical work, so he gave up his idea. But Xiao Jiao had always kept her father’s wish in mind, so when Xiao Jiao became a grow-up, she was determined to help his father build the bridge. At first, Xiao Jiao went to the mountain to pick rocks with her father and her father’s three apprentices. But because of too much hardship, all the apprentices gave up. To call on other persons to help build the bridge, Xiao Jiao announced that she would marry the man whoever could help her father complete the construction of this bridge. Later, many young men came, but they all gave up because of the difficulty. One day, a lame man came here and waved his fan towards the direction of these rocks. Miraculously, these rocks began to fly to the site where the bridge was going to be built. Only then did people realize that Xiao Jiao’s persistence touched Iron Crutch Li, one immortal with superpower in Chinese legend. And when Iron Crutch Li saw that the rocks were enough, he left two extra rocks on Mount Huang, forming a wonderful attraction named Flying-over Rock.

Next, we will take the cable car to the last stop, Bright Summit. As one of the main peaks of Mount Huang, Bright Summit is the second highest peak, with an elevation of 1,841 meters. Bright Summit has a flat and wide terrain on the top, which has a long-time exposure to sunlight. It is the best spot to watch the sunrise and sunset on Mount Huang.

Then since you have come to Mount Huang (Huangshan in Chinese, also the Chinese name of the city that Mount Huang is located in), you should not miss the Huangshan teas. As a tea hometown in China, Huangshan is famous for several kinds of teas, such as Qimen black tea, Huangshan Maofeng tea (Fuzz tip), Dinggu Dafang tea, etc. Among them, Huangshan Maofeng tea (Fuzz tip), a kind of green tea, is most famous for its mellow taste, intoxicating aroma, and lingering aftertaste. Its fresh leaves are picked from the peak of Mount Huang, where the temperature and humidity are very suitable for the growth of tea, and that is why Huangshan Maofeng tea (Fuzz tip) has such a good taste. You will have a chance to taste the teas here. Then, we will escort you back to the hotel on Bright Summit.

Mount Huang

Bright Summit

This morning, we will go to watch the sunrise on Mount Huang, so you need to get up earlier than usual. We believe you can’t wait to enjoy the splendid scenery of sunrise. So all you need to do now is follow your tour guide to Dawn Pavilion, where you can fully enjoy the beauty of the sunrise. Then you will go to Lion Peak, which looks like a powerful lion when seen from a distance. On Lion Peak, many visitors are attracted by the attraction - Stone Monkey Watching the Sea, which is one of the most peculiar stones on Mount Huang. The interesting thing about Stone Monkey Watching the Sea is that when there are clouds, the stone looks like a monkey squatting and watching the sea of clouds. After the clouds dissipate, the fields will appear. At that time, the stone looks like a monkey guarding the fields. After visiting Lion Peak, we will walk to the cable car station and take the cable car down the mountain.

Then you will be transferred to the train station and take the estimated high-speed train G3141 12:27/13:54 to Nanping. Upon arrival, the tour guide will pick you up at the train station. Then we will drive you to Mount Wuyi, which is about 37 kilometers northwest of Nanping Railway Station. And it will take you about 40 minutes to get there. Mount Wuyi is the place producing Oolong tea. The Oolong tea produced here is of the highest quality. The taste of Oolong tea is very unique, which is a little sweet with a pleasant fragrance.

After arriving at Mount Wuyi, we will first go to Tianyou Peak, with an elevation of 408 meters. When you stand on the top of this peak and look around, you will find that you are surrounded by a sea of clouds, which stretches from your feet to the distance. At that time, you may confused whether you are in a wonderland. 

Next, we will go to visit Tea Cave. This cave gets its name from the excellent tea produced here. Today, you can still see the ancient tea trees in the cave. Walking through the Tea Cave, you will see towering peaks in the distance. After visiting the Tea Cave, you will be escorted to the hotel and have a good rest.

Mount Wuyi

Tianyou Peak

After breakfast, the tour guide will take you to Dahongpao Scenic Area. It is famous for its specialty - Dahongpao tea. Many tea enthusiasts come here to visit the Dahongpao plantation every year. Except for Dahongpao tea, there are many beautiful attractions in this area. The first we will visit is the Shuilian Cave. Shui means water and lian means curtain. As the largest cave in Mount Wuyi Scenic Area, Shuilian Cave can hold more than one thousand people. Walking to the Shuilian Cave, you will find that there are two waterfalls falling from the top of the cave. The two waterfalls have a height of over 100 meters. They are like two super-huge door curtains hanging in front of the Shuilian Cave, which is very spectacular.

In the afternoon, the tour guide will take you to Yixiantian Scenic Area. Yixiantian in Chinese means thin strip of sky. It refers to the gap between two mountains. The two mountains are hundreds of feet long and thousands of feet high. The two mountains are very close to each other on the top. So when you look up at the sky between the two mountains, you can only see a thin strip of sky, which looks like a gap split by a huge axe. Such an amazing sight is the masterpiece of nature.

Afterward, you will go to Tiger Roaring Rock. When you see this name, you might think that this is a rock that looks like a roaring tiger, but the reason is not like this. There is a huge hole in this rock, and when the wind passes through this hole, it will make a huge sound, which is similar to a tiger’s roaring. That is the reason for the name of Tiger Roaring Rock. After visiting Tiger Roaring Rock, you will be transferred to your hotel and have a good rest.

Shuilian Cave

Tiger Roaring Rock

In the morning, after breakfast, you will take the estimated high-speed train G9881 10:03/13:35 to Xiamen. The tour guide will pick you up at the train station and then you will start your Xiamen journey. First, we will come to Huandao Road, an urban arterial road that surrounds Xiamen Island. Along this road, the 9-kilometer-long coast from Xiamen University to Qianpu, which is called the “golden coastline”, is the most popular section of Huandao Road. And on this beautiful coastal road, you can enjoy the beauty of the sea and sandy beaches with comfortable breeze. Besides, you can also see the musical sculptures, calligraphy squares, and wooden planks. All of these reflect the cultural atmosphere of Huandao Road.

Then you will go to Nanputuo Temple, a famous Buddhist temple in Xiamen. The temple is next to Xiamen University and not far from the seaport. It was built in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), and its original name was Sizhou Temple. It was renamed for several times in the past. Finally, it was named Nanputuo Temple because it is located at the south of Mount Putuo. When you come here, you cannot miss the Hall of Heavenly Kings, one of the representative buildings in this temple. Walking into this hall, you can see statues of Maitreya Bodhisattva, Skanda(one of the guardians of the dharma, or Buddhist teachings), and the Four Heavenly Kings. These statues are carved with vivid images, for example, some are lazy while some are solemn and intimidating.

Afterward, we will take you to Wulao Peak, which is located behind Nanputuo Temple. As one of the eight popular attractions in Xiamen, Wulao Peak looks like five old people looking at the sea in the distance. There are clouds floating around the mountain on the top. Under the clouds are lush trees, like the beards of an old man. After visiting Wulao Peak, we will transfer you to the hotel.

Nanputuo Temple

Huandao Road

After breakfast, we will drive to Nanjing Tulou, about 150 kilometers west of Xiamen city. The whole journey will take you about 3 hours. Upon arrival, what you will see is not a single building, but a group of Nanjing Tulou buildings (Tu means earth and lou means building), which are also dwellings where Hakka people live. Walking into one of Nanjing Tulou buildings, you will be surprised by its construction materials. Because except for ordinary soil and wood, it also includes pebbles, glutinous rice and brown sugar. On the whole, Nanjing Tulou is round, and the middle of it is empty, which is similar to a well. These architectural features make it warm in winter and cool in summer, furthermore, it can resist earthquakes.

Then we will go to Tianluokeng Tulou Cluster, which consists of a square-shaped building, three round-shaped buildings, and an elliptical-shaped building. These buildings were built leaning the mountains. And they are also hugged by mountains. Although these buildings were built close to each other, they have different heights. When seen from a high place, the whole shape of the Tianluokeng Tulou Cluster looks like a plum blossom. Visiting the Tianluokeng Tulou Cluster is a good chance to feel the wisdom of Chinese ancients. 

After lunch, we will go to Yuchang Building, the oldest and largest round building. It is 18.2 meters high with five floors, 54 rooms on each floor, and 270 rooms in total, covering 2,289 square meters. At present, there are about 110 people living in this building. The most interesting thing about Yuchang Building is that many pillars of it are slant, which as if will be out of balance by a sudden gust of wind. However, in the over 600-year history, the building has went through numerous natural disasters, but it still stands here steadily.

Then we will go to Taxia Village, which is not far from Yuchang Building. It is a typical area where Hakka people live together. In this village, there are many Tulou buildings built along the river in various shapes. For example, there are square-shaped, round-shaped, apron-shaped, and even curved-ruler-shaped Tulou buildings in the village. Moreover, there are many special local products in Taxia Village, such as Tieguanyin tea, persimmon, orange, plum, etc. Especially, the Tieguanyin tea is very famous, and it has even been exported to Singapore where it has gained a good reputation.

Afterward, the tour guide will take you to the Chengqi Building, known as the “King of Round Buildings”. It covers a large area and has special architectural characteristics. This building has four floors in total and each floor is designed in a circle. The bigger circle outside wraps the smaller circle inside as if the outer layer is protecting the inner layer. In the center of this building is the ancestral hall, which means the ancestors are protected by all the people lived in the Chengqi Building. It is the special architectural feature that makes Chengqi Building very solemn and magnificent. After visiting Chengqi Building, we will escort you to the hotel.

Taxia Village

Nanjing Tulou

After breakfast, we will drive you to the wharf. Then you will take a ferry to visit Gulangyu Island. The area of Gulangyu Island is not large, but on such a small island, there are more than 1,000 kinds of plants, and the total greenery coverage rate has reached more than 40%. When we arrive at the island, we will first go to visit Sunlight Rock, which is the landmark of Gulangyu Island. Sunlight Rock is composed of two rocks, one horizontal rock and one vertical rock. And you will have the best view of Gulangyu Island on the top of Sunlight Rock.

After that, we will visit Shuzhuang Garden, which was once a private villa of the local celebrity - Lin Erjia. In front of this garden is the sea, and behind it is Sunlight Rock. Inside the Shuzhuang Garden, there are various halls, pavilions, rockeries, bridges, etc. Follow your guide to feel the beauty of this garden.

After visiting Gulangyu Island, it is time for you to say goodbye to China. We will escort you to the airport and we look forward to your next China tour with us.

Shuzhuang Garden

Gulangyu Island

Editor: Yufan Zhang

Proofreader: Yan Liu