17 Days China Tea Culture Tour: Biluochun, Longjing, Wuyi, Dancong

Welcome to Shanghai! Upon arrival at Pudong International Airport, your private guide will greet you with a “Your Way Holiday” welcome sign. Together with your experienced driver, you will travel to your hotel in a comfortable private vehicle. Along the way, your guide will introduce Shanghai’s history, culture, and distinctive blend of modern and traditional life, offering a first glimpse of the city. Upon arrival, your guide will assist with hotel check-in. The rest of the day is free for you to relax after your flight or take a leisurely stroll nearby. If you wish to try local cuisine, your guide can recommend nearby restaurants based on your preferences and budget.

Start the morning on foot in the French Concession, where plane-tree canopies shade art deco villas and independent cafés. Your guide shares how this district shaped Shanghai’s cosmopolitan identity. Continue to Yu Garden, a Ming-dynasty classical garden of rockeries, koi ponds, zigzag bridges, and the famed Huxinting Teahouse. Stroll Nanjing Road, the city’s grandest shopping avenue, then reach the Bund at sunset. Your guide helps you choose a riverside spot for the best view of Pudong’s illuminated skyline reflecting off the Huangpu River.

Optional Excursions

World’s Largest Starbucks Reserve Roastery Experience

Visit the world’s largest Starbucks Reserve Roastery located on West Nanjing Road, Shanghai – bigger than the original Seattle flagship. This one-of-a-kind venue functions like an exclusive coffee museum, showcasing the full coffee roasting process, rare global coffee beans and exclusive limited-edition merchandise. Your experience includes one signature in-store coffee drink to enjoy while exploring this iconic landmark before wrapping up your Shanghai trip.

+$15.00

Advisor quoted

Four Staples Lane Breakfast Experience

Start the day like a true Shanghainese with the iconic Four Staples (Si Da Jin Gang) - dalengbing (sesame flatbread), cifan (glutinous rice roll), youtiao (fried dough), and doujiang (soy milk). The early-morning immersion begins with a short culture class on Shanghai's breakfast heritage, then dives into the lively Anshan Road Market to taste freshly made classics straight from the vendors, finishing with a basket of soup dumplings and a crash lesson in Shanghainese phrases you can use right away.

+$0.00

Advisor quoted

Shanghai Evening River Cruise

As an optional add‑on after your daytime Shanghai sightseeing, you can join an evening Huangpu River cruise. Glide along the water to behold brilliantly‑lit colonial‑style buildings on the Bund and shimmering high‑rise towers of Lujiazui, witnessing Shanghai’s stunning day‑to‑night transformation from a unique riverside perspective.

+$64.00

Advisor quoted

Haipai Qipao Bespoke Experience (paid on site)

Explore the elegant charm of the Haipai Qipao, a living intangible cultural heritage that blends Western tailoring with traditional Chinese silhouettes, and experience the essence of Shanghai's traditional clothing. You can visit the Haipai Qipao workshop to learn about its century-old history, select your own fabric, and have a skilled tailor custom-make your qipao. You can also experience the fun of making your own frog buttons and preview your look through a digital mirror—a refined encounter with the fashionable soul of Shanghai.

On request

Advisor quoted

Visit Jade Buddha Temple, an active monastery housing two white jade Buddha statues brought from Burma in the late 19th century. Then continue to the Shanghai Museum at People’s Square for a curated walk through ancient bronzes, ceramics, calligraphy, and Ming-Qing furniture. Lunch near Tianzifang, a warren of shikumen alleyways turned indie studios, cafés, and craft shops. Conclude the day in Xintiandi, a restored shikumen neighborhood of lantern-lit courtyards and cafés. Your guide shares the social history of Shanghai’s lilong lane architecture before leaving you for a leisurely farewell dinner.

Optional Excursions

Shanghai Imperial Palace Banquet Experience - First Row Seats

Elevate your Shanghai itinerary with an immersive imperial-style banquet experience. Dine in elaborately decorated palace-style halls. Secure premium front-row seating to enjoy unobstructed views of graceful live traditional performances. Savour exquisitely crafted imperial cuisine while surrounded by stunning oriental decor, indulging in an extraordinary feast for your eyes and palate.

+$154.00

Advisor quoted

Take a high-speed train from Shanghai to Suzhou, enjoying a comfortable journey of around 30 minutes. Visit the Humble Administrator’s Garden, Suzhou’s largest classical garden, where lotus ponds, bamboo groves, and winding corridors frame borrowed scenery in the Song-dynasty style. Walk along Pingjiang Road, a 1,000-year-old canal street of whitewashed houses, stone bridges, and family-run teahouses. End at Hanshan Temple, made immortal by Tang poet Zhang Ji’s verse about the midnight bell. Your guide explains how Suzhou’s scholar-garden culture shaped both tea aesthetics and Chinese landscape painting.

Optional Excursions

Act as A Local - Enjoy A Cup of Tea at Local Teahouse

Sip local tea and enjoy Pingtan inside a vintage Su‑style teahouse. Appreciate classic architecture and melodic storytelling performances to deeply experience Jiangnan culture.

+$58.00

Advisor quoted

Imperial Banquet at Wu Palace VIP seat

Taste restored Tang royal dishes amid live ancient performances in grand palace-style surroundings.

+$154.00

Advisor quoted

Hanfu Costume Rental & Professional Photography

Rent full‑set Hanfu and receive delicate makeup. Select Song‑ or Ming‑style outfits for photos against the ancient city‑gate and Ruiguang Pagoda. Your tour guide will take nice shots for you. You may also wear the costume for evening sightseeing and night‑cruise photos.

+$55.00

Advisor quoted

Begin the day with a visit to Dongshan, a Lake Tai peninsula where Biluochun tea has been cultivated since the Tang dynasty. Walk the terraced gardens with a family-run farmer who shows how to pluck only the tenderest buds and explains the “sparrow’s tongue” grading standard. Continue to Luxiang Village to watch the pan-roasting process, where leaves are hand-pressed in hot woks to lock in their chestnut aroma. Lunch at the farmhouse featuring Biluochun shrimp and lake fish. Stroll Shantang Street in the evening, a 1,100-year-old canal street lined with red lanterns, artisan stalls, and local snacks.

Optional Excursions

Traditional Suzhou Morning Tea

Kick‑off your day with authentic Suzhou morning tea at a historic local teahouse. Sip premium Biluochun tea together with tasty traditional pastries. Following this long‑standing local custom, you blend in with residents. It helps you experience Suzhou’s tea‑culture and start your journey in a laid‑back mood.

+$54.00

Advisor quoted

Your journey continues by high-speed train to Hangzhou. Upon arrival, board a wooden boat on West Lake for a leisurely cruise past Leifeng Pagoda, the Broken Bridge, and the misty hills that inspired a thousand years of Chinese poetry. Continue to Flower Harbor Park, where thousands of red carp gather beneath stone arches. Visit Lingyin Temple, one of China’s great Buddhist monasteries, and the Song-dynasty stone carvings in the Feilai Peak grottoes. End on Hefang Street, a Ming-style avenue of traditional medicine shops, silk stores, and West Lake vinegar fish stalls.

Optional Excursions

Upgraded West‑Lake Cruise Route

Take this premium‑boat tour with an exclusive itinerary. Step onto Xiaoyingzhou Island at Three Pools Mirroring the Moon, the iconic view on China’s 1‑Yuan banknote. Listen to local historical stories from your guide and admire West‑Lake scenery both on water and the island.

+$18.00

Advisor quoted

Impression West Lake Show – Standard Seat

Enjoy Hangzhou’s iconic evening performance on the waters of West Lake. Created by Zhang Yimou, this spectacular show combines music, dance, lighting, and lake scenery to showcase Jiangnan’s poetry and culture. Includes standard seat tickets and private transfer back to your hotel after the show.

+$87.00

Advisor quoted

Impression West Lake Show – VIP Seat

Upgrade to a VIP seat for a more comfortable viewing experience with a better perspective of the stage and West Lake scenery. Enjoy this unforgettable blend of art, nature, and Jiangnan culture. Includes VIP seat tickets and private transfer back to your hotel after the show.

+$98.00

Advisor quoted

Start at Meijiawu, a Longjing village nestled in the hills west of West Lake. Walk the family terraces with a local farmer who explains the pre-Qingming harvest window and the eight grades of authentic Longjing. Continue to Longjing Village for a private brewing session with a tea master who demonstrates water temperature, leaf ratio, and the slow pour that draws out the tea’s chestnut note. Visit the China National Tea Museum, an extensive collection documenting tea’s spread from ancient China to Japan, Korea, and Europe. End with a short walk to Chenghuang Pavilion for a final panoramic view of the lake.

Optional Excursions

Experience the Elegance of Ancient Chinese Tea Culture

Step back into the Song Dynasty and discover the refined art of Dian Cha (tea whisking ceremony), a traditional tea practice once enjoyed by scholars and nobles. Learn the classic techniques of preparing a bowl of whisked tea, from grinding tea powder and whisking the foam to appreciating the delicate patterns created on the surface.

+$28.00

Advisor quoted

Hanfu & Tea Art Experience

Upgrade your tea tour with an exclusive cultural experience. Dress in traditional Hanfu and take photos among the tea terraces, then go beyond regular tea tasting with hands-on tea picking, tea roasting, and a Chinese tea ceremony.

+$35.00

Advisor quoted

Travel by high-speed train from Hangzhou to Huangshan. Visit the Xie Yuda Museum, dedicated to the 19th-century merchant whose branding and Shanghai export routes made Huangshan Maofeng famous nationwide. Explore Hongcun, a UNESCO-listed Huizhou village laid out like a cow, its canals drawing water from a mountain spring and feeding a moon-shaped pond at the village’s heart. Evening talk with a local Qimen black-tea producer in a Ming-era courtyard house, sampling spring and autumn harvests.

Optional Excursions

Mukeng Bamboo Forest Visit

Enhance your Xidi & Hongcun experience with a visit to Mukeng Bamboo Forest, a famous filming location for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Walk through the peaceful bamboo forest, enjoy the fresh mountain air and admire the stunning natural scenery.

+$6.00

Advisor quoted

Ascend Huangshan by cable car to Cloud Valley, then hike through pine-rooted granite toward Beginning-to-Believe Peak, the classic viewpoint for the sea of clouds. Descend into the West Sea Grand Canyon, a loop trail beneath sheer cliffs and suspended plank walks. Rejoin the summit trail at Bright Summit, the mountain’s second-highest point, with 360-degree views of the surrounding peaks. Watch gnarled pines grow from rock cracks that have survived centuries of storms, and listen to your guide retell the folklore tied to each formation. Cable car descent to the base before transfer to your valley hotel.

Optional Excursions

West Sea Grand Canyon Mini Train (One Way)

Enhance your Mount Huangshan hiking journey with a one-way trip aboard the iconic West Sea Grand Canyon Mini Train. Skip exhausting steep valley ascents and soak in sweeping panoramic views of towering precipices, deep gorges, and rugged surrounding peaks.

+$30.00

Advisor quoted

Arrive in Wuyishan, China’s historic rock-tea homeland. Enter Wuyishan National Park, a UNESCO site where red sandstone peaks rise above the Nine-Bend River. Take a bamboo raft down the gorge, listening to the boatman’s folk calls as you pass each of the nine bends. Climb to Tianyou Peak, the classic overlook of the Yule Dame rock and the surrounding tea terraces. End with a first taste of rock tea at an evening ceremony, where a local grower walks you through the “rock rhyme” that distinguishes Wuyi oolongs from all other Chinese teas.

Hike the Wuyishan heritage trail into the gorge behind Tianxin Temple, where the six mother bushes of Da Hong Pao cling to the rock face. Your guide narrates the legend of the Ming official’s mother and the red robe that gave the tea its name. Continue to the Wuyishan Ancient Tea Tree Park, where hundreds of named bushes grow in their natural ravine habitat. In an afternoon workshop, watch a Shuixian oolong being shake-withered and charcoal-roasted. Conclude with a private ceremony tasting Da Hong Pao, Rougui, and Shuixian side by side, mapping aroma and texture differences.

Continue your tea journey to Xiamen by high-speed train. Cross to Gulangyu Island by short ferry, a car-free UNESCO World Heritage district of colonial consulates, Minnan courtyard villas, and banyan-shaded lanes. Visit the Piano Museum in a former Dutch consulate, with its collection of century-old keyboard instruments. Continue to Shuzhuang Garden, a seaside classical garden where rockeries meet the tide. End on Dragon Head Cliff overlooking the Taiwan Strait, then return to Xiamen for a seafood dinner at a family-run parlor off Zhongshan Road.

Optional Excursions

Sunset in Old Xiamen – Fishing Village & Harbor Experience

Enjoy a peaceful sunset walk through an old fishing community in Xiamen. Explore the historic harbor, watch fishing boats return, and experience the relaxed coastal lifestyle, local flavors, and authentic charm of old Xiamen beyond the usual landmarks.

+$10.00

Advisor quoted

Old Xiamen Port & Maritime Heritage Walk

Discover Xiamen’s maritime heritage through its old port and historic neighborhoods. Explore stories of merchants, fishermen, and overseas Chinese communities, and learn how trade and coastal traditions shaped the city’s unique identity.

+$10.00

Advisor quoted

Authentic Xiamen Local Lunch Experience

Enjoy an optional lunch at a local restaurant in Xiamen and discover the fresh flavors of Fujian cuisine. Sample regional specialties, including local seafood dishes, and experience the distinctive culinary traditions of this charming coastal city.

+$20.00

Advisor quoted

Drive inland to Anxi, a 2-hour ride into the Fujian highlands where Tieguanyin tea has been cultivated since the 18th century. Walk the family terraces of the Ganju or Xiqing villages, where thick-leafed Tieguanyin bushes grow in granite pockets above 700 meters. Watch a family roaster demonstrate the qing-xiang and nong-xiang styles in a working workshop. Lunch with the household and an afternoon gongfu ceremony that walks through the traditional twelve steps, from warming the pot to the fifth infusion. Take home a small pack of this spring’s fresh harvest.

Drive to Chaozhou, a 3.5-hour ride into eastern Guangdong’s old teashouse country. Cross the 800-year-old Guangji Bridge, whose middle section is still made of lashed boats that open to river traffic each morning. Walk Paifang Street beneath a line of restored stone memorial arches. Visit Kaiyuan Temple, a Tang-dynasty monastery with Ming wood-carved halls and a Song-era bronze incense burner. End in Tai Sheng Li, a lane of Chaozhou teahouses, where the evening unfolds into a first Phoenix Dancong tasting paired with the local gongfu brewing tradition.

Climb into the Wuyue ridgeline of Phoenix Mountain, where the story of Dancong tea begins. Walk an old orchard of 400-plus-year trees with a village tea master who explains the naming system, single bush (dancong), and the ten fragrance families from almond to honey orchid. Watch a leaf being picked, shaken, and rolled at a working hillside farm. Back down in the village, sit through a full Dancong session comparing Mi Lan Xiang, Xing Ren Xiang, Zhi Lan Xiang, and a rare wild-tree bush, mapping how mountain air, slope angle, and roasting level shift aroma and finish.

Your journey continues by high-speed train from Chaozhou to Guangzhou, bringing you to one of China’s oldest and largest tea-trading hubs. Spend the morning inside Fangcun Tea Market, where thousands of merchants trade every Chinese tea style, from aged pu-erh to freshly roasted oolong. Your guide helps you visit a pu-erh specialist, a Phoenix Dancong wholesaler, and one of Guangzhou’s famous jasmine-blending workshops. In the afternoon, stroll through Yongqing Fang, a restored Xiguan neighborhood of arcade houses, Cantonese opera stages, and independent design shops. As evening falls, enjoy the lively atmosphere of Huacheng Square beneath the illuminated Canton Tower.

Optional Excursions

Traditional Cantonese Dessert Experience

Discover Guangzhou’s sweet side with a traditional Cantonese dessert experience. Taste local Tong Sui such as red bean soup, black sesame paste, and double-skin milk while learning about the history and food culture.(Self funded meals)

+$0.00

Advisor quoted

Tea Hunting at Fangcun Tea Market – Discover Guangzhou’s Tea Culture

Explore Guangzhou’s Fangcun Tea Market, a major hub of Chinese tea culture. Discover diverse teas, taste local favorites, and learn how locals choose and appreciate tea, with your guide helping you find the perfect tea to take home.

+$10.00

Advisor quoted

After breakfast, enjoy a leisurely final morning in Guangzhou at a traditional dim sum house, experiencing the local ritual of gathering over tea and freshly prepared dim sum. Take in the lively morning atmosphere before your private driver picks you up for the journey to to the airport or train station. Sit back and enjoy the ride as the city’s streets and familiar landmarks pass by. Your driver will assist with your luggage and see you safely on your way, bringing your tea journey through China to a comfortable close.