Trending China Tour: Chongqing, Zhangjiajie & Wangxian Valley

Itinerary

• Day 1: Beijing Arrival

  After you land, your private guide is waiting at arrivals, holding a sign, navigating the terminal chaos with practiced ease. By the time you reach the hotel, you can just relax and get over the jet lag comfortably. Tomorrow, the real Beijing starts.

  • Beijing

• Day 2: The Forbidden City & Life in Hutongs

  Step into the heart of China's imperial past at the Forbidden City, when the morning light catches the gold tiles. Your experienced guide will share fun facts while you walk through the palaces and courtyards. From nearby Jingshan Park, climb up and look back across the golden rooftops of the palace and see how Beijing's historic center was carefully arranged.

  While the city continues to evolve, the traditions and local character of Beijing's hutongs have been passed down through generations. In the narrow lanes of Xicheng District, discover traditional courtyard homes, former residences, and stories of the people who shaped the city's cultural history.

  End the day with a short Peking Opera performance accompanied by a local drink, offering a first introduction to one of China's most distinctive performing arts.

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  • Beijing

• Day 3: Temple of Heaven & Mutianyu Great Wall

  This morning, visit Temple of Heaven, which functions as both monument and neighborhood park. Under old cypress trees, you'll find local people in loose clothing practices tai chi with steady concentration.

  Later, travel beyond the city to Mutianyu Great Wall, one of Beijing's most scenic sections. Away from the busiest stretches, the wall follows forest-covered mountain ridges, passing watchtowers that offer sweeping views over the surrounding countryside.

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  • Beijing

• Day 4: Summer Palace & Rail Journey to Xi'an

  Explore the Summer Palace, a peaceful lakeside retreat where emperors escaped the summer heat. Walk along the covered corridors, admire traditional gardens, and see how architecture and nature were carefully combined to create one of Beijing's most elegant imperial landscapes.

  In the afternoon, board a 5.5-hour high-speed train to Xi'an. As the scenery changes outside the window, travel towards the ancient city that once served as the starting point of the Silk Road and home to numerous dynasties.

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  • Xi'an

• Day 5: Terracotta Warriors & Cycling Ancient Walls

  After breakfast, meet one of China's greatest archaeological discoveries at the Terracotta Warriors. Standing at the edge of excavation pits, the underground army makes an immediate impression. Row after row, they face the same direction, thousands of figures arranged in formation.

  Return to the city and experience Xi'an from above with a bicycle ride along the ancient city wall. Cycling across the restored fortifications, you'll see traditional neighborhoods within the old city and the new buildings rising beyond its historic boundaries.

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  • Xi'an

• Day 6: Dumpling Making & High-Speed Train to Chengdu

  The morning starts in a kitchen of local family that smells of garlic and sesame oil. Join your hosts in preparing regional favorites such as dumplings and hand-pulled noodles, you'll be showed how to pinch dumpling edges. If you're interested, be accompanied and go for a local market to choose fresh ingredients and see how locals shop for daily meals.

  The train to Chengdu takes about 4 hours, and you'll find it easy to relax into the local pace after you arrive.

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  • Chengdu

• Day 7: Pandas, Mahjong Experience & Kuanzhai Alley

  Start the morning at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, where bamboo forests and carefully designed habitats provide a home for giant pandas. Early hours are often the best time to observe these gentle animals when they are most active.

  Continue to People's Park, where Chengdu's local lifestyle comes alive. Join a traditional tea experience, watch residents gather for conversation and games, and try your hand at mahjong, a favorite pastime deeply connected to Sichuan social life.

  Later, explore Kuanzhai Alley, a historic neighborhood where restored courtyard buildings now sit alongside cafés, shops, and local streets.

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  • Chengdu

• Day 8: Mountain City & Chongqing Hotpot Dinner

  Take a 2-hour high-speed train ride from Chengdu to Chongqing, a city built on steep hillsides, with buildings stacked at unlikely angles.

  Then you'll head to Liziba Station to see the monorail pass through a residential block and the train car slides directly between apartment floors, which is a practical solution to a tight space. Continuing to Eling Second Factory, a former industrial site transformed into a creative district with galleries, cafés, and viewpoints overlooking the city.

  In the evening, sit down for Chongqing hotpot, famous for its bold flavors and lively atmosphere. Finish the day at Hongya Cave, where traditional-style buildings climb the hillside above the river, glowing with lights after sunset.

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  • Chongqing

• Day 9: Chongqing Urban Layers & Journey to Zhangjiajie

  Discover Chongqing's everyday life through its dramatic hillside neighborhoods. Walk through Baixiangju, where stairways, apartment blocks, and narrow passages reveal how residents adapt to the city's steep terrain.

  At Kuixing Building, experience Chongqing's unusual urban design, where roads, pedestrian bridges, and buildings intersect across different elevations. Continue to Jiefangbei, the city's lively commercial center. Then take a 2.5-3 hours' high-speed train to Zhangjiajie.

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  • Zhangjiajie

• Day 10: Zhangjiajie National Forest Park

  Zhangjiajie National Forest Park covers a vast area, but the internal shuttle buses connect the main sections, saving you from long walks between trailheads.

  The Bailong Elevator lifts you up the cliff face, glass lift showing the valley drop away as you rise. At the top, Yuanjiajie's sandstone pillars (famously known as "Avatar Mountains") rise around you. The shuttle then takes you to Tianzi Mountain, where the views spread wider across distant ridges. Back at the valley floor, the Ten-Mile Gallery train moves at a relaxed pace along the bottom of the peaks.

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  • Zhangjiajie

• Day 11: Golden Whip Stream & Huangshi Village

  Today's exploration follows a gentler pace through the valleys of Zhangjiajie. Walk along Golden Whip Stream, the water is clear, and the path follows the stream's curves, the sound of running water and birdcall replacing the roar of the tourist crowds. It's a different Zhangjiajie of more intimate.

  Continue to Huangshi Village, one of the park's classic viewpoints, where broad panoramas reveal layers of sandstone peaks and forested ridges stretching toward the horizon.

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  • Zhangjiajie

• Day 12: Wangxian Valley After Dark

  The train to Shangrao takes about 6 hours, crossing through agricultural land and small towns. From the station, a private car takes you to Wangxian Valley, a cliffside mountain village.

  As evening arrives, wooden buildings, pathways, and terraces built into the mountainside begin to glow under warm lights, creating a scene that feels like a traditional Chinese village brought to life.

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  • Wangxian Valley

• Day 13: Wangxian Valley Leisure Morning

  Spend a relaxed morning exploring Wangxian Valley at your own pace. Wander through old-style streets, sample local snacks, and enjoy quieter corners of the valley before returning to Shangrao for your high-speed train to Shanghai.

  After 3 hours, arrive in China's most international city, where historic neighborhoods and futuristic architecture exist side by side.

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  • Shanghai

• Day 14: Shanghai's Heritages & Technologies

  Begin along the Bund, Shanghai's famous waterfront promenade, you'll walk along and watch joggers and early-morning photographers set up their tripods. Then discover the traditional Chinese garden of Yu Garden, each corner revealing another koi pond or carved doorway.

  Later, experience Shanghai's innovative side with an indoor drone activity at DJI's flagship store and an autonomous vehicle ride through the city.

  End the day at Shanghai Museum East, where modern exhibition spaces present China's art, history, and cultural heritage from fresh perspectives.

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  • Shanghai

• Day 15: Shanghai Departure

  At the scheduled time, transfer to the airport for your departure flight. Your journey ends with memories of ancient capitals, mountain landscapes, authentic local experiences, and the many different faces of modern China.

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