Today we’ll set out toward the ocean to visit local fishermen, and enjoy a seafood lunch at one of their restaurants. We’ll then return to the hotel for a few hours for rest and relaxation. If you’ve got energy, your guide will provide suggestions for exploring on your own. In the late afternoon, we’ll set off for a stroll through Qingdao’s famous Old Town. A local expert will lead us through European-style villas and streets constructed during the German Colonial Period (1897–1914). Time permitting, we’ll visit the Qingdao Beer Museum and learn about the fascinating history of beer in China. This evening, we’ll have dinner at a famous dumpling restaurant, where we’ll witness the dumpling-makers’ well-honed technique and try our hand at making them ourselves. Dinner, of course, comes with the freshest draft beer from Tsingtao Brewery. If you still have the energy, feel free to venture out and visit Qingdao’s vivid night market for snacks and shopping.

This morning we’ll drive to Mount Lao, one of the birthplaces of Taoist belief. The mountain is covered in freshwater springs, and was supposedly once home to supernatural beings, immortalized in the famous stories of Qing Dynasty writer Pu Songling. A leisurely walk will bring us to one of the temples. From there, we’ll enjoy a cooking demonstration and lunch in a traditional farmhouse, where we’ll learn how to deftly cook with woks. We’ll make famed local specialties, such as cornmeal clap pastries. (The name comes from the process: The batter is cooked by slapping it on the side of a huge wok.) We’ll enjoy lunch not at a table, but upon a traditional kang, a bed-shaped platform that’s heated from the inside. Multipurpose kangs were once the go-to for eating and sleeping comfortably during winter in northern China. In the afternoon, we’ll relax in the most delectable way possible, with famous local tea made with spring water, while playing cards, chess, and mah-jongg. In the late afternoon, we’ll return to our hotel in Qingdao for some leisure time and dinner on your own, using your newfound knowledge of the city to find something delicious.

In the morning we’ll have an early breakfast, then take a smooth bullet train to the city of Qufu, where Confucius (Kong Zi) was born in 551 B.C. After enjoying a light lunch, we’ll pay a visit to the Kong Family Mansion, a sprawling collection of buildings that once housed Confucius’s direct descendants. Tonight at dinner we’ll experience the Banquet of Family Kong—a series of dishes prepared according to the family’s traditional recipes. A local cuisine expert will join us for dinner and provide details on the history of each dish.

Today we’ll leave Shandong Province and drive to the city of Yangzhou, in Jiangsu Province. Two hours into our journey, we’ll stop for lunch at lotus-covered Weishan Lake, the largest freshwater lake in northern China. It will be harvest season for lotus roots and river crabs, which means we’ll get to enjoy these classic favorites—as well as a speciality of the local cuisine: salty duck eggs. We’ll also have the chance to join local farmers on their boats, and help them harvest lotuses. After another two hours on the road, we’ll arrive in Yangzhou, known for its glorious gardens and cosmopolitan past. We’ll take some well-earned rest at the hotel before a Huaiyang-style dinner to remember. Yangzhou is known for its light and sweet Huaiyang cuisine, one of the great traditional culinary styles of China. Since many Huaiyang dishes depend on deft knife work, the chef will show us his impressive techniques. 

This morning we’ll visit one of Yangzhou’s most famous sights: the Buddhist Daming Temple, dating to the fifth century. In addition to viewing the reliquaries, we’ll gaze over the city from the top of the temple. We’ll enjoy a tasty lunch at the temple restaurant, where the cooks practice the art of traditional Buddhist cuisine in which meat is cleverly imitated with vegetarian ingredients. While enjoying these dishes, we’ll learn how monks developed their vegetarian cooking skills. In the afternoon, we’ll take an excursion to the nearby city of Zhenjiang, famous countrywide for its briny black vinegar. We’ll visit a vinegar manufacturer and learn about their traditional brewing methods. We’ll have dinner in Zhenjiang, featuring—of course—the local delicacy of steamed buns stuffed with crabmeat, served with Zhenjiang vinegar.

Today we’ll drive to Suzhou, less than three hours away. The city has long been famed for its beauty, which inspired a Chinese saying: "In the sky, there’s Paradise, and on Earth there’s Suzhou and Hangzhou." Not only is Suzhou the center of Chinese traditional gardening, it’s also famed for its southern Su cuisine, which is filled with seafood and sweet, aromatic flavors. We’ll have a low-key lunch at a popular noodle restaurant, where we’ll learn about the city’s rich noodle tradition, before heading over to the Humble Administrator’s Garden (Zhuozheng yuan). Anything but humble, it’s one of the “Four Famous Chinese Gardens,” the epitomes of traditional Chinese garden aesthetics. Dinner this evening will be at the oldest Su restaurant in the city, where a local connoisseur will join us for conversation about the cuisine’s history and preparation. To cap off our day, we’ll treat ourselves to a traditional foot massage.

After a relaxing morning we’ll depart on the short drive to the canal-lined town of Wuzhen, where we’ll embark on a leisurely afternoon of wandering the village and admiring its vintage houses and elegant canals. Handicraft workshops abound, as do sellers of local snacks. Dinner will be at a gourmet restaurant along the river, followed by a nighttime boat ride to admire the glittering lights of the town from the water.

After breakfast we’ll drive about two hours Shanghai, and jump right into the bustle of a metropolis that’s been called the "Never-night City." After lunch at a local restaurant and some time to relax at the hotel, we’ll explore the older sections of the city, such as the French Concession, and absorb Shanghai’s vivid history. We’ll stop for a quick coffee break at trendy, stylish dessert shop Bobo Lee, where French technique meets Chinese cuisine. In the same spirit of old Shanghai, we’ll enjoy a special “Western” dinner. While Western cuisine in China can consist of anything from Italian fare to hamburgers, this dinner will take place in one of the oldest Western restaurants in the city. Founded by the Jewish-Italian expat Louis Rovere in 1935, this French restaurant survived World War II and remains a culinary and historical cornerstone. As night falls, those who feel up to it can venture out for a drink or two in one of the most exciting cities on Earth.

This morning we’ll visit the renowned Shanghai Museum to deepen our understanding of Chinese history and culture. The afternoon will be filled with lunch and snacking, as we embark on an immersive food tour through the city. Though we’ll be munching on things all day, dinner is not to be missed. Not only will we enjoy local Shanghai cuisine, but we’ll have a beautiful view of the Huangpu River. This evening after dinner, we’ll walk among the skyscrapers in Lujiazui, the financial quarter. Then we’ll ascend to the skies to view the nighttime cityscape from the 118th floor of Shanghai Tower, the second-tallest building in the world. We’ll end the day with a walk along the Huangpu River, beneath Shanghai’s ultra-modern skyline.

A morning bullet train will whisk us off to our next destination: Guangzhou. While Guangzhou is nearly 1,000 miles away, the journey takes just under seven hours. Upon arrival, we’ll enjoy dinner at a popular restaurant, where a local expert will give us an introduction to the city and its famed Cantonese cuisine, long one of the most beloved Chinese culinary styles worldwide.

We’ll start the day with morning tea, which consists not just of tea, but also of numerous delicious dim sum specialties. In the afternoon we’ll visit the Nansha Temple of the Queen of Heaven—the biggest temple dedicated to the oceanic goddess Mazu in Southeast Asia. First built during the Ming Dynasty, the temple was recently restored and features a majestic granite statue of the goddess that soars nearly 50 feet high. This evening, you’ll have time to explore Guangzhou on our own, or take an optional excursion up Canton Tower. The top of the tallest television tower in the world provides a panoramic view of the city at night.

Today is all about putting your new culinary knowledge to work. We’ll head to the market with a local chef for a hands-on tour, picking up ingredients as we go. After lunch, we’ll have a demonstration and cooking lesson from our chef, who will walk us through several dishes. Pay attention; we’ll be cooking our final dinner ourselves!