China Real Food Adventure

Nimen hao! Welcome to China. Your Real Food Adventure begins in Beijing – the country’s intriguing modern capital with an ancient past. Be ready for your welcome meeting at 6 pm, where you’ll meet your local leader and group. After, head out for your first dinner to enjoy one of the country's most renowned dishes – Peking duck. Glossy, smoky and succulent, you haven’t really had Peking duck until you’ve eaten it in a traditional kaoyadian (roast duck restaurant) in Beijing! The dish became popular at imperial banquets during the Ming dynasty and has remained one of the country’s favourite meals.

Start the day at Tiananmen Square – the symbolic centre of China and a place of pilgrimage for many Chinese tourists. Then visit the Forbidden City – built over 600 years ago and off-limits to commoners for most of that time. Explore the gardens, halls, courtyards and art, and get a sense of the grandeur of the Imperial Chinese court at the height of the Ming and Qing dynasties. After lunch, follow your senses down Niujie Street – a favourite street food haunt in the heart of Beijing’s Muslim community – to sample halal snacks like niurou bing (meat pie) and sticky rice cakes. You’ll also visit a traditional hutong in the area. In the afternoon, find a moment of calm at Fayuan Temple – one of the city’s oldest Buddhist temples. You may want to finish the day with a classic Beijing hot pot (optional) – thin slices of meat simmered in bubbling broth in a copper pot.

This morning, drive out to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall – one of the best-preserved stretches of this world-famous wonder. Spend some time exploring the watchtowers, taking in the mountain views and learning about the history of this remarkable piece of engineering. The main walls stretch about 6000 km west from the mountain ridges north of Beijing and were originally built to protect Chinese empires from northern invaders. Then, head back to Beijing to relax or explore at your own pace. Maybe check out a local hutong market and watch vendors steaming fresh tofu and dumplings, or settle into a teahouse for a traditional Chinese tea ceremony. If you need suggestions, just ask your leader!

Hop on a high-speed bullet train to Xi’an this morning, arriving in the early afternoon. Then it's time to roll up your sleeves for a noodle-making class. Run by a local couple in their apartment, the class offers insight into both one of China’s most revered culinary arts and modern Chinese life. You'll learn how to prep the dough, cut the noodles, and then sit down to a home-cooked feast of steaming bowls of soup (featuring your noodles) and stir-fried meat and veggie dishes. You’ll be amazed by what your hosts can whip up in their cosy kitchen! After, perhaps take a stroll along the Xi’an City Wall – widely considered the most complete in China – or explore the Drum and Bell Tower.

Travel into the countryside this morning to visit one of China’s most famous archaeological sites – the Terracotta Warriors. Discovered by farmers digging a well in 1974, the site is home to thousands of life-sized clay warriors arranged in battle formation – each sculpted with unique costumes, hairstyles and facial expressions. Visit a local farm for a plant based lunch , a staple of intrepid Food trips , then return to Xi'an. This afternoon, you’ll try your hand at traditional calligraphy in Gao Jia Da Yuan – a historic mansion built during the Ming dynasty. In the evening, join your leader for a food crawl through the Muslim Quarter, tasting dishes like barbeque skewers, biang biang noodles, soup-filled dumplings and hammered candy. You’ll soon see why Xi’an is known as China’s snack capital!

Rise early to catch a bullet train to Chengdu – the capital of Sichuan province and a UNESCO City of Gastronomy. It might be one of China's biggest cities, but Chengdu has preserved plenty of its traditional flavour with old teahouses, markets and ancient culinary traditions. On arrival, join your leader for an orientation walk – including Tianfu Square and People’s Park – where locals gather to relax, sip tea and play mahjong. You might even be invited to join an outdoor dance class! For dinner tonight, dig into a communal feast of Sichuan hot pot, a fiery favourite across China. If you feel like it, you can wash it off with some Chinese baijiu (a distilled grain spirit) and local beer (optional).

This morning, rise early to visit the Giant Panda Breeding Research Base to learn about the conservation efforts to protect this endangered (and adorable) species. There are around 1800 pandas left in the world, and most of them live in the mountains in Sichuan. Watch them play, munch on bamboo, climb trees and lounge around. If you’re lucky, you may even see newborns taking their first steps in the nursery. After, head to the Sichuan Cuisine Museum – an interactive museum where you'll explore the province’s spicy heritage with all senses. Browse displays of ancient cooking tools, sample tastings and then learn how to rustle up kung pao chicken, mapo tofu and panda-shaped dumplings with a professional chef. After this, you might never need to order Chinese takeout again!