China Yangtze River Cruise Tour from Chengdu

Welcome to Chengdu to start your China Yangtze River Tour! Your tour guide will wait for you at the airport with your name sign and then transfer you to the hotel to have a rest. Today you can arrange your own time. If you are tired, you can stay in the hotel. If you want to visit some attractions nearby, we will provide you with some good suggestions.

Covering a total area of 14,335 square kilometers, Chengdu is one of the 10 capitals in ancient China. As a charming city, it has attracted many tourists from home and abroad.

Free Time Suggestion 1: If you are eager to see traditional residential buildings in Chengdu with your own eyes, Kuan Zhai Alley will be your best choice. The Starbucks in Kuan Zhai Alley is also very distinctive. Don’t miss it. It is well integrated into the Kuan Zhai Alley. There is a nice viewing platform on the second floor of Starbucks, where you can overlook the bustling Kuan Zhai Alley.

Free Time Suggestion 2: How can you miss the hot pot when you come to Chengdu? As a specialty of Chengdu, the wide coverage of hot pot consumer groups is beyond the reach of other delicacies. If you prefer spicy food, you must taste it and you will fall in love with it!

Have you heard of pandas, the national treasure of China? In the morning, you will visit the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding after breakfast. Pandas’ activity is frequent in the morning, so it is better to go to see pandas in the morning. The giant pandas are chubby, with black and white fur. I believe you will be deeply attracted by these lovely and charmingly naive creatures. The giant panda has been called China’s “friendly ambassador” since thousands of years ago. As early as in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), Empress Wu Zetian (the only female emperor in Chinese history) presented two giant pandas to the emperor of Japan, which deepened the friendship between the two countries. Till now, the giant pandas have made indelible contributions to the development of China’s friendly relations with many foreign countries.

Then, you will come to the Wenshu Monastery. The Wenshu Monastery is a Buddhist holy place that integrates tourist sightseeing and religious studies. Covering an area of more than 200,000 square meters, the Wenshu Monastery has a long history of more than 1,400 years. First built in the Sui Dynasty (581-618), the Wenshu Monastery went through the Tang Dynasty, Five Dynasties (907-979), Song Dynasty (960-1279), Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and Qing Dynasty (1636-1912). It used to be called Xinxiang Monastery. It was not renamed until 1697 during the reign of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty.

Then, we will drive southwest for about 25 minutes (about 4 kilometers) to the People’s Park, which has attracted many tourists from home and abroad. Internet celebrities from all over the world like to shoot videos of cleaning their ears as well as drinking tea in People’s Park. Over time, the status of People’s Park in the hearts of foreigners has rapidly increased. More and more foreigners come to the People’s Park to experience Chengdu life. And it gets very lively here at night. In the evening, many people will come here to dance, which is an important part of local people’s lives, that is, square dancing.

Finally, you will visit Jinli Street, one of the oldest and most commercial streets in Chengdu. Traditional weddings, folk music, dramas, folk costume shows, and other folk performances are regularly held here, and special themed activities are held during traditional Chinese festivals, such as the Lantern Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, Valentine’s Day, and Mid-Autumn Festival. You can enjoy the most comfortable way of leisure and entertainment with authentic folk culture.

Option: How can you miss the mask-changing performance in Sichuan Opera when you come to Chengdu? If you are still energetic in the evening, you can choose to go to the Shufeng Yayun Sichuan Opera House to enjoy it. The art of mask changing in Sichuan Opera is one of the special skills of Sichuan Opera. It is also a special form of traditional Chinese folk culture. Do you want to see the art of mask changing with your own eyes? Don’t hesitate, come and enjoy it!

Wenshu Monastery

People’s Park

After breakfast, we will drive about 155 kilometers (about 2 hours) to the south of Chengdu to visit the Leshan Giant Buddha. When you come here, you will discover the ingenuity of the ancient Chinese people. The Leshan Giant Buddha has a very ingenious drainage system. There is a set of invisible drainage system in its two ears and at the back of its head, which has played an important role in protecting the Leshan Giant Buddha. As a result, the Buddha statue will not be eroded by rain. In addition, there are several hidden drainage ditches in the Buddha’s hair, collar, and chest. You must be amazed at such a grand Buddha statue.

After visiting the Leshan Giant Buddha, we will continue driving west about 40 kilometers (about 50 minutes). Then, you will arrive at the foot of Mount Emei. Mount Emei is the ashram of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva. As one of The Four Famous Buddhist Mountains in China, Buddhist culture constitutes the main part of the history and culture of Mount Emei. You may find that all the buildings, statues, rituals, and paintings here show rich Buddhist culture. There are many historical sites and temples on Mount Emei, including Baoguo Temple, Fuhu Temple, and Guangxiang Temple. Today, you will visit the Baoguo Temple at the mountain foot. Baoguo Temple is the earliest temple on Mount Emei. As the center of Buddhist activities on Mount Emei, many large Buddha worshipping ceremonies are held here. Baoguo Temple has attracted many state leaders, foreign celebrities, and Buddhist groups to come here. After today’s visit, you will be transferred to a hotel near Mount Emei to have a rest.

Leshan Giant Buddha

Baoguo Temple

After breakfast, you will visit Mount Emei. Mount Emei is one of the four holy places of Buddhism in China. It is also the home to more than 5,000 kinds of plants and over 2,000 kinds of animals. Among the plants growing in Mount Emei, there are fir trees, a wide variety of orchids, azaleas, etc. These plants create a natural paradise for all kinds of animals here. You will first take a sightseeing bus from Baoguo Temple Station at the foot of the mountain to Leidongping Station, and then walk about half an hour to the cable car station. You will take a cable car up to the Golden Summit, which is the most labor-saving way. If you are a mountaineering enthusiast, you can consult us and we will design a perfect hiking routine for you.

After visiting Mount Emei, you will go down the mountain with your tour guide. Then, we will drive north for about 3 hours (about 150 kilometers) to Chengdu.

Mount Emei

Golden Summit

After breakfast, you will be transferred to the train station to take the estimated train G8607 09:20/10:22 to Chongqing, a national historical and cultural city. Covering an area of 82,402 square kilometers, Chongqing is the economic center of the upper Yangtze River region. When you get there, you will visit the Ciqikou Ancient Town first, which is a must-visit to find out the glamour of Chongqing. The Ciqikou Ancient Town was once a prosperous town. It is the epitome and symbol of ancient Chongqing. When you come here, you will notice that there are many traditional performances and local snacks. Do you know? The Ciqikou Temple Fair held every Spring Festival is the most distinctive traditional event, attracting tens of thousands of citizens. There will be festive lantern shows, Chongqing-style storytelling performances, and traditional dancing performances.

Next, we will drive east about 5.4 kilometers to the Chaotianmen Wharf, the biggest wharf in Chongqing. Located at the place where Yangtze River and Jialing River meet, it was full of boats and passengers. And now the area around the wharf is the most prosperous commercial wholesale and retail area in the city. At Chaotianmen Wharf, you will get on the Yangtze River Cruise ship. The tour guide will help you go through the formalities and then disembark. The Yangtze River Cruise ship stops boarding at 20:30 and departs at 21:00. When you are on board, you will find there is a variety of equipment to meet your needs. Hope you will enjoy it!

Ciqikou Ancient Town

Chaotianmen Wharf

In the morning, you can sleep until you wake up naturally. After getting up, you can have a delicious buffet breakfast. After that, you can choose to participate in learning Tai Chi on board. As a type of Chinese Kung Fu, Tai Chi plays an important role in Chinese people’s lives. Are you interested in Chinese Kung Fu? If your answer is yes, you must have a try. You will learn basic Tai Chi moves with a Tai Chi teacher on board. Tai Chi can promote blood circulation, metabolism, and play a role in disease treatment. All in all, Tai Chi is good for your health. Don’t hesitate, and have a try! There are other choices for you, reading a book or drinking a cup of coffee. What a comfortable life it is!

Today, there is a shore excursion. You will visit the Shibaozhai Pagoda, one of the best tourist attractions during the cruise along the Yangtze River. Since its opening to the public in 1979, the Shibao Pagoda attracts more than 220,000 people across the world every year. When you come here, you will notice the White Marble Wall, condensing the life of Guan Yu into 19 stories. As a famous general in the late Han Dynasty (202 BC-220 AD), Guan Yu’s arm was once hurt by an arrow. Although the wound healed later, every rainy day, his bone ached. A doctor told him that the arrow was poisonous and the bones that were penetrated by the poison should be scraped to remove the toxins.” Guan Yu stretched out his arm and asked the doctor to do as he said. During the surgery without anesthetic, Guan Yu still drank and played chess, like nothing was happening. Are you amazed by his courage?

There is another shore excursion at Fengdu “Ghost City”, which needs additional pay. If you are interested in it, you need to give the money to the shipping company on board. With a history of more than 2,000 years, the Fengdu “Ghost City” is famous for its embodiment of the netherworld that Chinese people have imagined. When you come here, you will see a lot of buildings showing the characteristics of the Chinese netherworld. Do you know Naihe Bridge? The Naihe Bridge is the place where ghosts prepare to be reincarnated. When the ghosts walk on the Naihe Bridge, the guilty will be tortured and can’t be reincarnated while the deceased who did good deeds before death will walk through the bridge smoothly. It is said that on the Naihe Bridge, there is an elderly woman called Meng Po, who will give each good ghost a bowl of soup that enables the ghost to forget the previous life before reincarnation. If you are interested in the netherworld’s culture in China, you have to visit it. You have to pay attention to that the traveling routes and visiting attractions might be changed according to your cruise ship.

At noon, you will have a buffet lunch with various foods on board. In the afternoon, you will have a rest and prepare for tonight’s captain welcome party. In the evening, everyone will dress up to attend this welcome party. Enjoy your time!

Shibaozhai Pagoda

Fengdu “Ghost City”

After a sweet sleep on the cruise ship, you will begin another wonderful day on the Yangtze River Cruise ship. After having a buffet breakfast, you can practice Tai Chi with other visitors for a while, which will make you more energetic to start today’s visit!

Have you ever heard of the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River? Do you want to visit them? Today, your cruise ship will pass through the Three Gorges—Qutang Gorge, Wu Gorge, and Xiling Gorge respectively. On both sides of the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River, many steep peaks stand here. The cruise along the Three Gorges is the highlight and essence of the Yangtze River Cruise tour. 

Today, you will pass the Qutang Gorge first. With a length of 8 kilometers, Qutang Gorge is the shortest among the Three Gorges and it is famous for its grandness and steepness. At the west entrance of the Qutang Gorge, there are cliffs standing on both sides, hundreds of meters high, like a huge stone gate called “Kuimen Gate”. You will see this spectacular scene while sailing through Qutang Gorge.

At Qutang Gorge, there will be an optional shore excursion to visit the White Emperor City. In the late Western Han Dynasty (202 BC-8 AD), Gongsun Shu took control of this place and constructed a city here. There was always white smoke coming out of a well in the city, like a white dragon. Because the dragon is a symbol of emperor in Chinese culture, Gongsun Shu called himself White Emperor and named the city White Emperor City. Many famous ancient poets ever came here and praised the scenery of the White Emperor City in their poems, such as Li Bai, Du Fu, and Chen Ziang (famous poets in the Tang Dynasty). If you are interested in it, you need to pay extra fees to the shipping company.

Then, you will arrive at the Wu Gorge, which is famous for its twists and turns with a length of 42 kilometers. At Wu Gorge, you would be attracted by the Twelve Peaks of Wushan Mountain, among which the Goddess Peak is the most famous one. Do you know the origin of its name? It is said that there was a kind fairy named Yao Ji. One day, when she passed by the Wushan Mountain with her eleven sisters, she found that Da Yu who was controlling the flood was trapped in the water, and then she saved him. In order to help Da Yu control the flood and protect the people living on the banks, Yao Ji convinced her eleven sisters to work together with Da Yu. They cleaned up the siltation and dredged the waterways. They always stood on the Wushan Mountain to monitor the river in case of a sudden flood. As time passed by, the twelve fairies turned into the Twelve Peaks of Wushan Mountain, and Yao Ji became the highest one, that is, the Goddess Peak. Here, you will board a small boat to visit the Goddess Stream, which is impressive. As a tributary on the south bank of the Yangtze River, the Goddess Stream is turbulent and the waterway is narrow with a total length of 30 kilometers, known as a wonder in the Wu Gorge. Legend has it that it was the place where the twelve fairies bathed after they helped Da Yu control the flood every day. You will feel the extraordinary craftsmanship of nature when you come here. It’s a good place to take photos.

At last, you will explore the Xiling Gorge, the longest one. When you come here, you may notice the Dengying Gorge, which is renowned for its shadow. When the sun goes to the west, four stones’ shadows are like the four protagonists in The Journey to the West, which is stunning.

In the evening, there will be a farewell party held by the captain and a wonderful dancing show with the crew and all visitors onboard. Enjoy the last night of your Yangtze River Cruise.

Qutang Gorge

Xiling Gorge

Today you will enjoy a buffet breakfast in the morning. Then, you will visit the Three Gorges Dam Site. As we all know, the Yangtze River is the longest river in China and the third longest in the world. It means a lot to the Chinese people. The Yangtze River has the largest hydropower in the world due to its topography. In order to make rational use of the water power of the Yangtze River, the Three Gorges Dam was built here. After the completion of the Three Gorges Dam, it has become a key project to solve the serious flood threat in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and laid the foundation for the development of hydropower of the Yangtze River. Besides, it improves navigation conditions in the upper and middle reaches of the Yangtze River.

After visiting the Three Gorges Dam Site, you will have an additional sightseeing experience—boarding a sightseeing ferry and sailing through the Three Gorges Project Ship Elevator. Taking this Ship Elevator, you will witness how a huge ship goes through the Three Gorges Dam in only 40 minutes. If you would like to experience the largest ship elevator in the world, you need to pay an extra fee to the shipping company.

Finally, you will be transferred to the Yichang Three Gorges Center Cruise Terminal. Your tour guide and drive will wait for you and pick you up there. Then, you will be transferred to the airport. This marks the end of your journey appreciating the natural beauty along the Yangtze River. I believe that China’s stunning rivers and mountains must have left a deep impression on you, and we expect to serve you on another tour to China. Goodbye!

Three Gorges Dam Site

Three Gorges Project Ship Elevator

Author: Lin Shuyun

Proofreader: Vivian Zhou