Mouth-Watering Food Tour
CET-14: 10 Days Beijing – Xi’an – Chengdu – Shanghai Tour
China is the most food-obsessed country in the world. You will have all the best cuisine experiences when traveling across China. The destinations are China's northern – Beijing, the central Guanzhong Plain – Xi'an, southwestern China – Chengdu, and eastern China – Shanghai. Each place has its own characteristic food and you will be surprised that there are big differences in taste. Traveling in these places, you will find that the cuisine development and the way of cooking are closely linked to the local culture, even to the weather. Let’s start a food adventure to challenge your taste buds.
Trip Highlights
- Reveal the most authentic cuisines of different regions
- Genuinely care about vegetarian foods
- Make dumplings with a local family in Xi'an
- Enjoy yourself at local snack streets
- Learn to cook Sichuan Cuisine at a local expert's home
- Join a Shanghai evening food tour
Full itinerary for Mouth-Watering Food Tour
When you arrive in Beijing, our guide and driver will escort you from the airport to your hotel.
In the evening, the guide will take you to Huguosi Snack Street. This street offers local snacks, cakes and traditional dishes, such as soft, sweet Fried Chopped Rice Cake, Seasoned Millet Mush, and Beijing Fried Noodles. You will experience Beijing locals’ daily meals.
Beijing Fried Noodles, Beijing Locals’ Daily Meals
After breakfast, you will wander around Tian’anmen Square which is definitely the heart of China, and then on to the best-preserved imperial palace, the Forbidden City, where you will admire the art of Chinese ancient architecture.
the Roof Decoration of the Forbidden City
At noon, having lunch at a vegetarian restaurant, you can visit the classical courtyard with Chinese ancient culture. Two styles of dishes are served in the restaurant: one is vegan recipes and another is mock meat recipes. The Nongfu Roasted Fish is their specialty. The flesh of fish is made from soy gluten and bean products with seaweed, which tastes delicious. Pumpkin bowl is a must-eat dessert.
You will visit the Garden of Virtue and Harmony (Deheyuan) in the Summer Palace, where the Empress Dowager Cixi used to watch Beijing opera. Boating on the beautiful Kunming Lake, you will have the best view of the Hill of Longevity. When it’s time for dinner, you will have a pleasurable hot pot at Haidilao Restaurant. It is celebrated for its terrific service and delicious food.
Yuanyang Hot Pot, Taste Two Flavors at the Same Time
Recommended activity:
1.‘The Legend of Kungfu’ premiered in 2004. In contrast to the traditional Kungfu shows, it demonstrates Kungfu through dramatic stories. The group also tours abroad and has a good reputation.
2. ‘Acrobatics at Chaoyang Theatre’ was founded in 1984. Their performances have won more than 30 awards at home and abroad. "Blue And White Porcelain" (balancing a stack of bowls on the head), which is one of them, was on the stage of the Spring Festival Gala in 2015.
3. Peking Opera is one of five major operas in China and the quintessence of Chinese culture with a history of nearly 200 years. It was entertainment only for the court in the beginning and then slowly opened to common people as well.
Today’s tour begins with Mutianyu Great Wall. You will be stunned by one of the seven wonders. It is an ancient defense system which takes the longest time and the biggest working labor to build in the whole world. Enjoy your lunch at a local farmyard on the way back to the city.
Mutianyu Great Wall
Then you will head to 798 Art Zone. It is a fabulous art space to walk around. In this fairly wide complex, you can find galleries, spaces, and museums to see contemporary art.
798 Art Zone
You will have the famous Beijing Roasted Duck for dinner. It is a culinary delight of Beijing that you don’t want to skip. You will learn how to eat the roasted duck properly and enjoy the taste of the sweet sauce and crunchy skin with juicy meat that is melting in your mouth.
Beijing Roasted Duck, One of the "Must Eat" List in Beijing
After breakfast, you will be transferred to the Temple of Heaven. There you will meet a master and learn Tai Chi for around 30 minutes. After your morning tour, the guide will take you to have a lunch of instant-boiled mutton. It is almost as well-known as Beijing Roasted Duck. The traditional way to cook the fresh, tender mutton is to boil it in copper pots with charcoal. Put the thin slices of mutton in the boiling hot-pot and take it out as soon as it changes color, then dip it in sauces, such as sesame sauce, chili oil, or seafood sauce. Not only will you taste some delicious cuisine, but also enjoy the indigenous food culture.
Instant-Boiled Mutton
After lunch, our guide will send you to the Beijing Railway Station for boarding your train to Xi'an. On arrival, our Xi'an guide will welcome you at the exit holding a sign with your name on it. And then the guide and the driver will escort you to your hotel.
After breakfast, first you will visit the Terracotta Warriors. After that, you will go to visit the cave dwelling nearby to get to know their authentic life. Lunch will be served at a local restaurant. You will have traditional northern noodles.
Terracotta Warrior
We will drive you back to the city center. You can stroll over the City Wall or take a bike ride along it.
Biking on the City Wall
Finally, today ends at Yongxingfang Food Street. Like the Muslim Quarter, Yongxingfang Food Street is popular with the locals. A lot of specialties can be tasted tonight. Cruded pancake in mutton soup will shake up your taste buds; cool noodles in sesame sauce taste chewy and smooth; jujube cakes are soft and sweet. You will have fun at dinner time with the tasty snacks and folk culture.
Xi'an Street Food
Recommended activity:
1.The music fountain at the north square of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda is free to the public. You can stroll around it after dinner to experience local life.
2. ‘Tang-Dynasty Palace Music and Dances’ is a performance that was re-created by many famous artists in Shaanxi province, displaying the essence of music, rhythm, and dance art in the Tang Dynasty.
After breakfast, you will continue to visit the Small Wild Goose Pagoda. There is a peaceful and tranquil park for strolling. As a part of the artistic heritage of Buddhist architecture of the Tang Dynasty, it has witnessed how Buddhism was introduced to China and integrated with the culture of the Han nationality. After that, you will experience making dumplings with a local family. The host will teach you the way to make a dumpling from the very first step. You can also get to know about their life style through chatting. Finally, enjoy the fruits of your labor.
Making Dumplings with a Local Family
Then, your guide and driver will transfer you to the Xi’an north railway station. You will take a speed train to Chengdu. On arrival, you will meet your Chengdu guide and be accompanied to your hotel.
Your tour starts with a visit to Chengdu Panda Breeding Research Base. Pandas are active in the morning, so you will see them climbing, playing, and lying around. You will find watching these adorable creatures intoxicating. Have a simple lunch at the base.
Panda
Sichuan cuisine or Szcehwan cuisine is one of the Eight Great Cuisines in China. It is typically spicy Chinese food and is also known for its richness and variety. Many Szechuan dishes incorporate a lot of garlic and chili peppers. We’ll arrange for you to learn how to cook Sichuan dishes at some local people’s home. The host and hostess are in their early 50s.They once worked for a restaurant and also run their own restaurant. You’ll learn the most typical dishes: Spicy Diced Chicken (Kung Pao Chicken), Sweet and Sour Pork(Tang Cu Li Ji) and Fish Flavored Eggplant. You’ll also cook wonton or Tangyuan as your dinner today.
Kung Pao Chicken
Recommended activity:
Shu Feng Ya Yun Sichuan Opera presents the wondrous authentic west Sichuan folk classical opera, presented in a large-scale multi-functional Liyuan theater which integrates traditional Chinese art performance, unique folk performance, opera and drama supplies. The programs are Sichuan opera, stick-puppet shows, hand shadow plays, Chinese Acrobatics, and face changing shows.
After breakfast, you will visit Jinsha Site Museum, which was discovered in 2001. The Shu kingdom ruled this area about 3000 years ago. You will find the exhibits that explain to you clearly the significance of the finds and how they are linked with the rest of ancient China.
Jinsha Site Museum
At lunch time, your guide will take you for a stroll along the Kuanzhai Alley, which is a historical district from the Qing Dynasty where you can see a mix of tradition and modern life. You will explore local snacks such as crisp Sugar and Oil Guozi, Bean Jelly with spicy and rich sauce, and time-honored snack Dan Hong Gao(Baked Egg Cake), and tea houses. Here in this paradise you will eat, drink and be merry.
Sugar and Oil Guozi
Our driver and guide will transfer you to the airport. Say goodbye to Chengdu, you will take an afternoon flight to Shanghai.
After you arrive at Shanghai airport, your tour guide will meet you at the arrival hall. And then you will go to your hotel with their company.
You will firstly visit Yu Garden built in 1559. It is a masterpiece of classical Chinese garden with delightful ponds, fish, pavilions, trees, corridors, rockeries, and paintings on the wall. Stepping outside, you will see the Yuyuan Bazaar. There are clothes, snacks, souvenirs, jewelry, gold and also lots of restaurants with tasty offerings. You can taste the traditional snacks for lunch today. The famous ones are Nanxiang small steamed bun, yellow crab, fresh pork moon cake and pork chop with rice cake.
Nanxiang Small Steamed Bun
You will go to visit the Bund. As a walkway along the Huangpu River, the best place to see the skyscrapers in Pudong and historical buildings in Puxi, it has become a must see in Shanghai. Today's tour will end at the Old French Concession. There are lots of little, interesting streets. Not all are full of shops, but there are plenty of old buildings, leafy trees and quiet laneways. The area is really historical and unique in the Shanghai sense.
The Bund
You will attend an evening food tour starting at 18:30.
This walking tour visits 4 seated eateries while eating over 12 authentic local dishes. Our stops are small, family-run restaurants that prepare their food by hand and serve it fresh, just like they have for generations. The tour ends at a family-friendly local craft beer pub for a drink on us.
You will fly home today from Shanghai. We believe that you would have a better understanding of Chinese culture as well as food culture through this trip. Have a safe journey and see you next time.
Featured Hotel
| Comfortable | Deluxe | |
|---|---|---|
| Beijing | Penta Hotel Beijing | Regent Beijing |
| Xi'an | Grand Noble Hotel Xi'an | Wyndham Grand Xi’an South |
| Chengdu | Tianfu Sunshine Hotel | The Ritz-Carlton,Chengdu |
| Shanghai | Narada Boutique Hotel Shanghai Bund | Radisson Blu Hotel Shanghai New World |
What’s Included
- Land transportation fee in each city listed in itinerary
- Hotel accommodations with daily breakfast
- All meals and street eats as listed
- Entrance to the attractions
- Professional English speaking guide
- Making dumplings and cooking course
- Speed train tickets from Beijing to Xi'an; from Xi'an to Chengdu
- Flight ticket from Chengdu to Shanghai
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