The Chinese province of Sichuan is a paradise for visitors many beautiful nature reserves and historic sites are scattered in the mountain and cities around our base in historic Chengdu - the home of the Giant Panda.
In addition to our Tai Chi Shibashi 18 forms sessions with our Tai Chi master we
visit famous Mt. Emeishan, Leshan and the Giant Buddha.
Explore ancient villages and cultures plus...
The Leshan Giant Buddha - the largest Buddha statue in the world with its foot big enough for 20 people to stand on it. The whole mountain is just like a Buddha sleeping beside the Minjiang River with the giant Buddha at its heart.
Mt. Emeishanshan is one of the four sacred Buddhism Mountains in China. Its many ancient temples are scattered mountain and pristine dense forest alive with monkeys, villages and clear rivers.
Tibetan Mt. Four Girls is located in located in the Tibetan Prefecture in Sichuan Province and is the highest mountain in this region at 6250 M altitude, and surrounded by over 20 snow capped mountains with the altitude of more than 4000 M.
Mt. Qingcheng is one of the birthplaces of Taoism with a history over 2,000 years. The mountain is one of the most peaceful places under heaven. Enjoy the sounds of flowing water, birds singing and the wind rustling through the lush green forest trees.
Itinerary
We arrive in Chengdu today, meet with our guide at Shungliu airport and transfer to our hotel to refresh and relax. Chengdu is the most important and ancient city in the southwest of China, mixed with modernization and ancients.
Half-day Taiji session will be arranged for tourists. Then after lunch, we visit the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, which is not only the most important panda scientific research center but also home to more than 100 of the Giant Pandas. Walk at leisure through the bamboo-framed paths to observe giant pandas of different ages eating bamboo, playing with each other and climbing trees, etc. Do not miss the chance to watch female pandas nursing their cubs in the nursery rooms. There is also a very informative Panda Museum for you to learn more about Giant Pandas. Tonight we introduce you to the delicious food of Chengdu. This evening our guide will take us to a local restaurant recommended for its healthy menu.
After breakfast, we will head to Leshan Giant Buddha. Your tour guide will take you to Leshan by about 2 hours’ driving on the expressway, and you can enjoy the wide Sichuan plain en route. After lunch, your guide will show you the wonder of ‘Buddha is the hill and the hill is a Buddha ‘at the other side of Minjiang River. Then you will make a mild hiking tour on Leshan Giant Buddha, visit Linyun temple firstly, and then walk down the zigzagging trail in the left side of Buddha. The Buddha is a small mountain, from its head to shoulder, and from leg to foot, about 30 minutes hiking. Then you need to hike up from its right side again. It is also a good place to view Leshan city cross the joint of Minjiang River, Dadu River, and Qingyi River. This afternoon our guide takes us to explore Mt. Emeishan. Our overnight hotel is at the foot of beautiful Mt. Emeishan.
This morning we depart for our tour to Emeishan mountain. On the summit of Mt. Emeishan, when the sky is clear, you can overlook the Sichuan Basin, or even see the snow peak of Mt. Gongka hundreds of miles away. The huge golden Buddha Statues 10 faces look in 10 different directions. We then drive to Mt. Qingcheng.
We start the day with a half-day Taiji session with Tai Chi Master then in the afternoon our tour guide takes us to Mt. Qingcheng— With over 20 ancient Taoist temples and sites, it exudes a strong flavor of Taoist culture while the buildings demonstrate Sichuan's unique style of architecture. Major sites here include Natural Picture (a building complex immersed in Nature), Jianfu Palace, Tianshi Cave, Zushi Palace, and Shangqing Palace. The site is peaceful and quiet, as the buildings are shaded by dense woods and the whole area is immersed in nature. We then drive to Mt. Four Girls and stay overnight in Rilong town, which is a beautiful Tibetan village to experience rich folklore of Tibetan people.
After breakfast, we have a photo opportunity of morning scenery in the ancient village, including watchtowers, bridges, brooks, snow-capped mountains, Tibetan villages, and cooking smokes. Then we go to Mt. Four Girls to visit Shuangqiao Valley, a scenic wonderland with major mountain views.
After breakfast, we depart Mt. Four Girls and the splendid oriental holy mountain and drive to Mt. Balang, which also has very beautiful scenery. We then return to Chengdu to walk in the Kuan-zhai (Wide and Narrow) Alley area built around 300 years ago. Although western style coffee bars, etc are available here, you can still trace the ancient history through the square yard and wooden doors. After our visit here we visit nearby People’s park, Here, you can see local people enjoying their leisure life, especially in the teahouses and with tai chi.
The tour concludes after breakfast this morning and an included (recommended group flights) airport transfer finished today.
TOUR COMMENCES: 2020 - Sunday 27 September
RECOMMENDED ADDITIONAL TOURING IN CHINA: 5 day Beijing, The Great Wall, Xian, the Terracotta Warriors, City Walls extension.
