Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Nanjing

Shanghai blends European elegance with Asian flair, transforming its colonial past into a modern metropolis. With your local guide, stroll the Bund for views of the city’s skyline and visit Yu Yuan Garden, a 16th-century retreat with fountains, bridges, and tile dragons. Find peace at the Jade Buddha Temple, home to statues carved from single pieces of jade. Then see artisans at work in a silk factory and wander Tian Zi Fang, a lively district of boutiques, cafés, and studios.

Cruise along the Huangpu River and take in the striking contrasts of Shanghai. On the Puxi side, The Bund reflects the city’s colonial past with grand 1920s architecture reminiscent of London and Paris. Across the river in Pudong, a dramatically different skyline of gleaming skyscrapers rises as a symbol of Shanghai’s role as a global financial center and one of the world’s fastest-growing economies.

Learn the fundamentals of traditional Chinese calligraphy, or Hanzi, and explore the history behind this enduring art form. Then, practice forming characters with an ink brush as you apply the techniques firsthand.

A walk through Shanghai’s Former French Concession reveals tree-lined streets, colonial-era architecture, and lively enclaves like Tianzifang and Xintiandi. Once a prestigious foreign settlement, it now blends history, art, and café culture in one of the city’s most atmospheric neighborhoods.

West Lake’s scenic beauty and historic architecture have inspired poets and artists for centuries. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, its gardens and waters are the setting of countless legends. Learn these stories on a cruise across the lake, but take care at the many wharfs not to disembark too soon.

Walk through Hangzhou’s terraced tea fields to learn how geography, climate, and centuries-old farming techniques shape the region’s famous Longjing tea. Watch local tea masters demonstrate traditional picking and roasting methods that show how science, craftsmanship, and culture come together in every cup.

Step into Hangzhou’s past along Hefang Street, where centuries-old shops, traditional crafts, and Southern Song-era architecture bring history to life. Explore bustling stalls, local snacks, and artisan workshops that reveal how culture, commerce, and daily life once shaped this ancient capital.

Create a traditional Chinese hand fan using techniques inspired by the Ming and Qing dynasties, and explore how craftsmanship and symbolism shaped this everyday art form. Paint designs based on classical motifs while learning how fans were used for communication, status, and artistic expression throughout Chinese history.

Stroll along the Qinhuai River to explore markets, temples, and riverside streets that show how this waterway shaped Nanjing’s culture for more than a millennium. Watch traditional crafts, taste local snacks, and admire historic architecture that brings the city’s merchant life and literary heritage into focus.

Visit the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum, a national memorial to Sun Yat-sen and founder of modern China. Climb its ceremonial steps to see how traditional design, politics, and national identity intersected during China’s transition from empire to republic.

Visit the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum, burial site of the Hongwu Emperor, and explore how imperial rituals, cosmology, and power shaped the early Ming Dynasty. Walk the Spirit Way lined with stone guardians to see how landscape, symbolism, and authority defined one of China’s most influential mausoleums.

Explore Zhonghua Gate, the most complex and imposing gate of City Wall of Nanjing. Discover its layered courtyards, massive ramparts, and preserved military chambers while learning how the early Ming capital used advanced defensive engineering and monumental design.

Stroll through Xuanwu Lake Park, one of Nanjing’s most scenic urban landscapes, where lakeside paths, historic bridges, and views of the ancient city wall create a peaceful setting. Its islands, gardens, and waterfront promenades highlight the balance between natural beauty and centuries of city history.

Visit one of Nanjing’s oldest Buddhist temples, for a glimpse into centuries of religious practice, traditional architecture, and daily monastic life. Its hillside setting beside the ancient city wall offers views over Xuanwu Lake that highlight the connection between spirituality and the city’s historic landscape.

Visit Nanjing Museum, home to one of China’s most comprehensive collections, and discover artifacts that trace the region’s cultural, artistic, and political development from ancient times to the modern era. Exhibits ranging from ceramics and jade to historical documents and fine arts show how Jiangsu’s heritage fits into the broader story of China’s past.