LUOYANG

We gather in Luoyang for a welcome water banquet featuring the region's signature 24-course soup-based feast, an imperial dining tradition dating to Empress Wu Zetian and the Tang Dynasty. For those arriving early, there are options to explore on your own. The Ancient Tomb Museum offers an extraordinary underground journey through 2,000 years of burial history seven meters below ground, while the Han-Wei Luoyang City Ruins let you walk through farmland touching 1,500-year-old rammed earth walls that once enclosed the imperial capital, virtually tourist-free.

Included: Dinner, Accommodation

We rise early to beat both crowds and summer heat at Longmen Grottoes, where 110,000 Buddhist statues carved between 493 CE and 1279 CE represent the pinnacle of Chinese stone sculpture. Beyond the famous 17-meter Vairocana Buddha allegedly modeled on Empress Wu Zetian herself, we'll seek the Medicine Cave preserving 140 ancient pharmaceutical prescriptions carved in stone and the newly-opened Kanjing Temple with its 29 Tang Dynasty Arhat reliefs previously off-limits to visitors. The afternoon takes us to White Horse Temple, China's first Buddhist temple dating to 68 CE, where the Qiyun Pagoda offers an acoustic trick — stand 20 meters away and clap to hear frog-like echoes return — before exploring the rear compound's Thai, Myanmar, and Indian-style temples. Evening brings exploration of Luoyang's old town and vibrant night markets where we'll sample street snacks from blanched beef tripe to fried mung bean jelly and hand-pulled peony candy.

Included: Breakfast, Longmen Grotto entry, Lunch, White Horse Temple entry, Dinner, Accommodation

A two-hour morning drive brings us to Shaolin Temple, the birthplace of Chan Buddhism in China where mind-to-mind transmission practices would eventually spread across East Asia and the world as Zen. Beyond its global fame for martial arts, this temple complex reveals the deep integration of Buddhist philosophy and physical discipline through free kung fu demonstrations showcasing centuries-old forms. The afternoon offers exploration of Song Shan, one of China's Five Sacred Mountains, with options including Sanhuangzhai's dramatic cliff scenery and suspension bridges, the challenging hike to Damo Cave where Bodhidharma meditated, or the rarely-visited Songyue Temple Pagoda, China's oldest standing brick structure from 523 CE. As evening falls, the Zen Shaolin Music Ceremony unfolds in Daixian Valley, where 600 performers interpret Chan philosophy through movement, music, and light against a backdrop of sacred peaks. We spend the night in nearby Dengfeng, sleeping beneath the mountains that have sheltered spiritual seekers for over fifteen centuries.

Included: Breakfast, Shaolin temple entry, Transport & cable cars within Song Shan complex, Dinner, Zen Shaolin Music Ceremony, Accommodation

A two-hour drive takes us deep into Yuzhou's countryside to Shenhou Ancient Town, where Jun ware kilns have fired continuously since the 7th century. The phenomenon called "kiln transformation" means copper oxide creates unpredictable glazes. Purple, red, and blue patterns emerge that make each piece utterly unique, a controlled randomness that elevates pottery to art. At Kongjia Jun Kiln, we'll be guided through the complete production cycle and traditional techniques passed through generations. The Seven-Mile Long Street in the old town reveals the town's living heritage, with Ming-Qing style buildings where active workshops still throw pots beneath glazed tile roofs, the Song Dynasty Bolingyong Temple honoring kiln deities who've watched over ceramic production for nearly a millennium, and narrow lanes where the rhythms of daily life continue largely unchanged. Tonight we stay in Shenhou's quiet streets, dining on local specialties rarely tasted beyond this pottery-obsessed town.

Included: Breakfast, Shenhou entry, Ceramic experience, Lunch, Dinner, Accommodation

Monday morning in Shenhou transforms the town as 5,000 antique dealers converge on the Jun Porcelain Art Market, spreading museum-quality ceramics alongside affordable tea pots across makeshift stalls. We'll navigate this treasure hunt where aggressive bargaining is expected and genuine Song Dynasty fragments trade hands alongside contemporary masterworks, the ultimate test of knowledge gained over the previous days. Our circuit complete, we drive to Zhengzhou for afternoon departures, our hands still clay-stained and our understanding of Chinese heritage fundamentally transformed.

Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Luoyang and Zhengzhou are easily accessible by train and domestic flight.

There are multiple daily flights from major domestic airports to Zhengzhou. While Luoyang also has an airport, flights are very limited.

Shanghai to Luoyang: 5.5-6.5 hours by train

Shanghai to Zhengzhou: ~2 hours by flight, 5-6 hours by train

Beijing to Luoyang: 3-4.5 hours by train

Beijing to Zhengzhou: ~2 hours by flight, 3-3.5 hours by train

It’s also possible to book flights in and out of Zhengzhou, then take the train to Luoyang, which takes 1.5-2.5 hours.