Essential Yangtze River Cruise Tour

Welcome to Chengdu, a city that has become more and more famous for its delicious foods and advanced tourism. Your guide will wait for you at the airport with your name sign according to your arrival time, and then you will be transferred to the hotel. Given that your arrival time is different, you can arrange the rest of the time freely. With a population of more than 20 million, Chengdu covers about 14,000 square kilometers. The city is regarded as “City of Heaven” and it is also one of the birthplaces of famous Chinese food - Hot Pot. Visiting Chengdu is also the highlight of this Yangtze River Cruise Tour. You will have a chance to experience authentic Chengdu culture and taste palatable Chengdu foods.  

Free Time Suggestion 1：Kuan Zhai Alley, a commercial area with pedestrian streets of Chinese characteristics, is famous for its various alleys such as Wide Alley, Narrow Alley, and Jing Alley. The Kuan (which means wide in English) Alley was named Xing Ren Hutong in Qing Dynasty(1638-1912), and many buildings here still retain the building style of Qing Dynasty. In addition to the buildings, Chengdu is also famous for its delicious food. You can taste many authentic Chengdu foods here such as the Dan Dan Noodles, the Baked Egg Cakes, and the Steamed Pork Dumplings. Each one of these foods is worth trying. The Zhai (which means narrow in English) Alley is a symbol of Chengdu’s slow way of life. Here you can feel the courtyard culture of old Chengdu. Walking into these courtyards, you may find stylish bars and restaurants. It is a good chance to feel the blending of modern atmosphere and ancient buildings.

Free Time Suggestion 2：Hot pot is an unmissable choice if you want to have your dinner in Chengdu. Do you know why the Chengdu hot pot is so popular in China and even in the world? Chengdu hot pot enjoys great fame for its good taste and texture. Various ingredients, such as meat, seafood, vegetables and bean products can be boiled in the hot pot. It is difficult to find a Chinese person who does not like hot pot. In ancient times, people create the hot pot because of the humid climate in some areas but now hot pot has become a popular food all over China. If you have not tried this food or you have not tried the authentic Chengdu Hot Pot, you cannot miss this chance.

Have you ever observed pandas? Do you love pandas? Today, your first stop will be Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. After breakfast, the guide will lead you to the breeding base to observe pandas. The pandas are more active in the morning, therefore, the time we arranged is the best time to visit the breeding base. Have you ever seen different pandas with different gestures? You will find adorable pandas here with various cute gestures. Some pandas lie down with two hands holding apples and carrots when they are eating and some pandas just sit down when they are eating. Pandas have lived in China for more than 5 million years, therefore, they are regarded as “living fossils”. Besides, the pandas is also praised as “a national treasure of China”. In Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, every morning, a panda keeper will hold several strings of apples and carrots to attract and call the pandas. And it is magic to find that pandas walk to the panda keeper after they hear the voice.

After lunch, you will visit Wenshu Monastery, which was built in Sui Dynasty(581-618). In the Qing dynasty, it was renovated and named Wenshu Monastery officially. The monastery was originally named Xinxiang Temple but was destroyed in the late Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) because of a big fire. In 1681, a Chan master called Ci Du visited the ruins and began his monastic life in a small shabby between two old trees, the only plants left after the disaster. After years’ Buddhism learning, he became an immortal. Later, people rebuilt the Wenshu Monastery to worship Ci Du, who was believed to be the incarnation of Buddha.

After visiting Wenshu Monastery, you will visit People’s Park, which covers more than 110,000 square meters. The people’s Park is a comprehensive garden that combines entertainment and cultural elements. You can visit different places in the park, like Heming Tea House, which is popular among local people. Local people like chatting while drinking a cup of tea in this place. Anecdotes, city planning, and national affairs can be the topics of their talk. In addition to feeling the daily life of local people, you will also see some beautiful sceneries in this park.

Leaving the People’s Park, you will visit Jinli Street, the most ancient commercial street in Chengdu. There are old-style buildings with new functions in the street. You can not only admire the unique buildings but also taste various authentic snacks in this street, such as Bobo Chicken, oil tea and soba noodles. Besides, you can buy some souvenirs in this street as the gifts for your friends and relatives. If lucky, you may meet some singers singing songs by the roadside.

Option: You can also visit Shufeng Yayun Sichuan Opera House at night if you have enough energy. Here, you can watch traditional Chinese performances, like face-changing performance and Sichuan opera. It is a good chance to get to know Chinese traditional art.

Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding

Jinli Old Street

After breakfast, the guide will pick you up and transfer you to the train station to take the estimated train G8607 09:20/10:20 to Chongqing, a mountainous city. Located in the depth of China, Chongqing is the financial, technological, and commercial center of the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. Chongqing covers over 80,000 square kilometers and has a population of over 30 million.

After arriving in Chongqing, the local guide will pick you up and then take you to Ciqikou Ancient Town. It only needs about 15 minutes to get to this town. The Ciqikou Ancient Town was originally named Baiyan Town, which was built in the Song Dynasty(960-1271) because there was a temple named Baiyan Temple. It is said that, an emperor in the Song dynasty was overthrown by his brother, so he escaped to Baiyan Temple and lived in the temple for several years. Later, people changed the name of the temple to Longyin Temple, which meant a dragon(the symbol of emperor in ancient China) hiding in the temple. And the name of Baiyan Town was changed to Longyin Town. In the Qing dynasty, the town enjoyed great fame for producing and selling porcelains(Ciqi in Chinese). Hence, people renamed it Ciqikou Ancient Town(Kou means a key place.).

After lunch, the guide will escort you to Chaotianmen Wharf. Then you will embark to start your Yangtze River Cruise tour. The ship will set sail at 21:00, so we will arrange for you to embark before 20:30. After arranging the relevant things for you on the ship, the guide will disembark. On the ship, Tai Chi learning, traditional Chinese paintings display, Yoga, and banquet will be arranged for you.

Ciqikou Ancient Town

Ciqikou Ancient Town

This morning, enjoy a buffet breakfast. What’s more, you can also engage yourself in Tai Chi activities on the board or spend your time drinking a cup of coffee while reading books. By immersing yourself in a naturally comfortable environment, you can get rid of exhaustion and calm yourself down. You can also enjoy magnificent scenery characterized by majestic mountains covered by verdant forests and clear water.

Today you will have a shore excursion to Shibaozhai Pagoda, a pagoda resting on a mountain, which is surrounded by Yangtze River water. There are three groups of sculptures inside the building, and these sculptures were built in light of three legendary stories, which are about three famous figures. One story is about Zhang Fei and Yan Yan. Zhang Fei, a general of Shu State, one state during the Three Kingdoms period(220-280), received the order to conquer Xi Chuan, a city during that period. After arriving at Jiang Zhou, Zhang Fei was blocked by another general named Yan Yan. Although Yan Yan was over seventy years old, he was gallant enough to fight against thousands of people. Zhang Fei had fought against Yan Yan for several hard battles, but they did not defeat each other. In order to capture Yan Yan, Zhang Fei set a trap and he succeeded. Although Zhangfei captured Yan Yan, he was impressed by Yan Yan’s courage and brave deeds. Later, Zhangfei decided to release Yan Yan. At the same time, he wanted to employ Yan as his military advisor. Yan was moved by Zhangfei’s sincerity and agreed. That is the story about the two heroes.

After visiting Shibaozhai Pagoda, a visit to Fengdu “Ghost City” will be arranged for the visitors. This visit requires you to pay an additional fee. So if you are interested in it, you can pay a visit. Fengdu “Ghost City” is a distinctive place that is a symbol of Chinese nether world culture. It is a historical and cultural place that can be traced back to Han Dynasty(202BC-220AD). The place is also an attraction full of cultural and artistic elements. You will see many unique buildings and designs about Chinese netherworld, such as Netherworld Road, Naihe Bridge and the Eighteen Layers of Chinese Hell. The Naihe Bridge is a bridge in Chinese netherworld, which connects the real world and the netherworld. When a person dies, his/her ghost has to pass through this bridge to get reincarnated.

Notice: You need to pay the shipping company on the board if you decide to visit the attractions that require additional fees. Besides, attractions arrangement may vary according to different shipping companies and different weather. But don’t worry, the change will not be too big. We will guarantee to provide you with a pleasant Yangtze River cruise.

At night, the captain will hold a reception banquet for you. Performances and delicious foods will be arranged for you.

Shibaozhai

Fengdu Ghost City

This morning, you will also have a buffet breakfast. You can also participate in a morning exercise group to learn Tai Chi. Among the rivers of China, the Yangtze River is the longest one, and the second-longest one is the Yellow River. A huge dam, the Three Gorges Dam is built on the Yangtze River. The Three Gorges is the symbol of Chongqing. Today the ship will sail through two famous gorges, namely Qutang Gorge and Wu Gorge. The Qutang Gorge is the shortest one with a length of 8 kilometers among the three gorges. There are vertical cliffs pointing upright to the sky on both sides.

Wu Gorge is the most spectacular gorge among the three gorges with winding and tortuous mountains on its both sides, which seems like a wonderful Chinese landscape painting. The overall length of the Wu Gorge is 45 kilometers long. When passing through this gorge, you will transfer to a small boat to visit gorgeous Goddess Stream. The Goddess Stream is 15 kilometers long in total, and 10 kilometers of the stream banks are lined with primitive forests. Immerse yourself in the charming natural scenery and I believe that you will be shocked at the beauty of the two gorges.

At night, a farewell banquet will be held for all visitors. Enjoy the last night on the board.

Goddess Stream

Qutang Gorge

After a buffet breakfast this morning, an excursion will be arranged for you to visit the Three Gorges Dam. The Three Gorges Dam is the largest hydraulic project in the world. It is a multifunctional project that combines flood control, electricity generation, irrigation, shipping and tourism. Significantly, the dam can discharge plenty of water in summer to help people who live in the lower reaches of Yangtze river fight against drought. About the process of building the dam, it is not smooth. Sun Yat-sen was the first person who proposed to build a hydraulic project by taking advantage of western technology. In the following several decades, people debated fiercely on the building of this project. In 1982, government officials finally reached a consensus on agreeing to build the project. Then the Three Gorges Dam emerged. 

Optional activity:

If you want to admire the Three Gorges Dam in a special way, you are recommended to experience the board sightseeing ferry sailing through TGP Ship’s Elevator. Pay it on board if you are interested in it. For this experience, you will transfer to another smaller ship, which will be taken into the TGP Ship’s Elevator. And then the elevator will take the ship down to the section of lower water level. In such a way, the ship will sail across the Three Gorges Dam in a short time. It will be an unforgettable experience to take such a spectacular elevator.

After admiring the Three Gorges Dam, you will be transferred to Yichang Three Gorges Center Cruise Terminal, where your guide and driver will pick you up. Then, they will escort you to the airport according to your flight schedule. Say goodbye to China and China Tour Star looks forward to your next wonderful China tour with us!

The Three Gorges Dam

The Three Gorges Dam

Author: Jiayi Ren

Proofreader: Yan Liu