SHAOXING & WUZHEN

We gather in Shanghai for a welcome dinner that introduces the Jiangnan flavours we'll be exploring over the coming days, a chance to meet fellow travelers who share your appetite for authentic experiences and culinary discovery.

Included: Dinner

We meet at Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station where our trip begins as we make our way to Shaoxing, where we start to peel back the layers of the old city. We'll wander Cangqiao Zhijie's atmospheric pedestrian streets where Ming and Qing Dynasty architecture houses contemporary life, and cross the Eight-Character Bridge, an 800-year-old stone marvel whose unusual shape ingeniously connects four different streets at odd angles. After lunch, we'll escape to Anchang Ancient Town, a working water town where locals still live along the canals, laundry hangs from wooden balconies over the water, and the winter tradition of curing sausages and preserved meats continues in family workshops year-round. Here we'll learn traditional lap cheong making techniques before visiting Renchang Sauce Garden, where rows of massive ceramic jars sit open to the sky, their contents fermenting naturally under the sun. As evening falls, Shen Garden's night performance brings poet Lu You's tragic love story alive through traditional opera in the very garden where it unfolded, with dinner featuring the dishes we've learned about in their full context.

Included: Anchang Ancient Town entry, Lunch, Shen Garden entry and Show, Dinner, Accommodation

Morning begins at Keyan Scenic Area, where dramatic stone formations carved by centuries of quarrying create a landscape of caves, cliffs, and mirror-still pools that reflect the region's unique geological heritage. After exploring this natural wonder, we continue to our factory visit, witnessing traditional production of Shaoxing's holy trinity: amber-gold yellow wine aged in earthenware jars, complex soy sauce fermented using ancient methods, and pungent furu requiring months to achieve its creamy, intensely savory character. The afternoon brings us to the China Yellow Wine Museum where 2,500 years of brewing history unfolds, followed by exploring the legacy of Lu Xun, modern China's most influential writer whose biting social commentary and literary genius emerged from these very streets.

Included: Breakfast, Keyan Scenic Area entry, Lunch, Factory tour, Dinner, Accommodation

Morning begins at one of Shaoxing’s bustling wet markets where vendors arrange glistening river fish, seasonal vegetables, and local specialties in colourful displays. After our market exploration, we make our way to Wuzhen, spending the afternoon discovering the town's layers: ancient residences that once housed silk merchants, workshops where traditional crafts continue, quiet temples tucked along the canals, and the distinctive architecture that makes each water town unique. As evening arrives, the real magic begins when hundreds of red lanterns illuminate the West District's waterways, their warm glow reflecting in still canals as traditional architecture becomes ethereal and day-trippers melt away.

Included: Breakfast, Wuzhen entry, Lunch, Dinner, Accommodation

For early risers, Wuzhen before the crowds offers a rare gift of streets that belong to shopkeepers sweeping their doorsteps and locals going about their morning routines, the ancient town in its most authentic state. After breakfast, our final activity brings us to the blue calico dyeing workshops where we witness and participate in the process transforming white cotton into distinctive indigo-patterned cloth, a UNESCO-recognized craft that's been a Jiangnan specialty since the Song Dynasty. After lunch featuring Wuzhen's specialties, we journey back to Shanghai carrying not just souvenirs but a deeper understanding of the fermentation traditions, craft techniques, and cultural continuity that make these water towns so much more than pretty backdrops.

Included: Breakfast, Indigo Dying experience, Lunch

Shanghai is easily accessible by train, domestic flight or international flight.

There are multiple daily flights from all major domestic airports. Many airlines runs direct international flights to many destinations globally.

Beijing: 2-2.5 hours by flight, 4.5-6 hours by train