Regional food tour — Sichuan, Hunan, Cantonese and Shanghai, 14 days

Day by day

1. Day 1 · chengdu

   Arrival Chengdu, Jinli Street snacks

   Arrive Chengdu CTU. Check in near Kuanzhai Xiangzi. Jinli Street for an evening introduction to Sichuan street food: zhong dumplings, mapo tofu, dan dan mian, rabbit heads (a local speciality for the adventurous).

   Stay in: Jinli or Kuanzhai Xiangzi area.

2. Day 2 · chengdu

   Sichuan cooking class, Wenshu Monastery

   Morning Sichuan cooking class (several good English-language options in the Kuanzhai Xiangzi area — book ahead). Learn mapo tofu, kung pao chicken and a cold dish. Afternoon at Wenshu Monastery. Evening: Sichuan hot-pot at a local non-tourist restaurant.

   Attractions: wenshu-monastery

3. Day 3 · chengdu

   Panda Base, food market

   Early Panda Base visit. Afternoon at the Shufeng Yayun local market and tea house near People's Park. A dedicated Sichuan pepper (huajiao) shop visit if you can locate one — the fresh dried peppercorns from Hanyuan county are notably better than exported versions.

   Attractions: panda-base-chengdu

4. Day 4 · changsha

   Fly to Changsha, Hunan snacks

   Morning flight CTU → CSX (1.5h). Changsha is the capital of Hunan — the province that produces dry-spiced, vinegar-brightened dishes quite different from Sichuan's oily mala style. Afternoon walk to Taiping Old Street for Hunan street snacks: stinky tofu (chou doufu), sugar coated fritters, spicy crayfish.

   Stay in: Changsha city, near Wuyi Square or the Juzizhou Island area.

   Domestic flight CTU → CSX, 1.5h, ¥300–500.

5. Day 5 · changsha

   Yuelu Mountain, local restaurant research

   Morning walk up Yuelu Mountain — pleasant, not demanding. Afternoon: spend time finding a reputable local restaurant serving traditional Hunan home cooking (not tourist-adjusted). Dong'an chicken, chairman's red-braised pork, steamed fish head with chilli. Mao Zedong was Hunanese and the cuisine reflects his reported preferences.

6. Day 6 · changsha

   Mawangdui Museum, departure to Guangzhou

   Morning at the Hunan Provincial Museum (Mawangdui Han dynasty tombs — extraordinarily preserved burial goods and a 2,100-year-old body). Afternoon flight to Guangzhou.

   Domestic flight CSX → CAN, 1.5h, ¥400–700.

7. Day 7 · guangzhou

   Arrive Guangzhou, evening dim sum

   Check in to hotel near Liwan district. The evening dim sum session (night dim sum is popular in Guangzhou) — order har gow, siu mai, char siu bao, cheung fun, egg tarts. Cantonese dim sum culture operates on a different register from anywhere else.

   Attractions: shamian-island

   Stay in: Liwan district or the old city — best access to traditional Cantonese restaurants.

8. Day 8 · guangzhou

   Morning dim sum, morning market, Canton Tower

   Early morning yum cha (dim sum) at a tea house in Liwan — the proper morning session starts at 7am. Walk through a local wet market afterwards to see Cantonese ingredients: fresh seafood, bitter melon, preserved sausages, white-cut chicken. Canton Tower in the afternoon.

   Attractions: canton-tower

9. Day 9 · guangzhou

   Cantonese cooking class, roast goose dinner

   Morning Cantonese cooking class (bao baking, steamed fish, Cantonese-style pork). Shamian Island afternoon walk. Dinner: a roast goose restaurant — the Cantonese roast tradition is distinct and the quality in Guangzhou substantially higher than Hong Kong.

   Attractions: shamian-island

10. Day 10 · shanghai

    HSR to Shanghai, French Concession lunch

    Morning G-train Guangzhou → Shanghai (8h, ¥863). Arrive early afternoon. Lunch in the French Concession. Shanghai cuisine uses more sugar and less chilli — the transition is immediately noticeable after Sichuan and Hunan.

    Attractions: french-concession

    Stay in: French Concession — best area for Shanghai food exploration.

    G-class HSR Guangzhou → Shanghai Hongqiao, 8h, ¥863 second class.

11. Day 11 · shanghai

    Shanghainese cooking class, food street

    Morning Shanghainese cooking class — hong shao rou (red-braised pork), xiao long bao (soup dumplings), lion's head meatballs. Afternoon: the Jiuguang Food Mall basement food court or a walk through the Jing'an food market. Dinner: a reputable xiao long bao restaurant (Din Tai Fung is consistent; local alternatives exist in Jing'an).

    Attractions: jingan-temple

12. Day 12 · shanghai

    Yu Garden, hairy crab season (seasonal), Bund

    Morning Yu Garden Old Town area — the surrounding bazaar has preserved food stalls serving local snacks. Autumn visitors should seek hairy crab (yangcheng lake crab, September–November) — a genuine Shanghai seasonal speciality. The Bund walk in the afternoon.

    Attractions: yu-garden, the-bund

13. Day 13 · shanghai

    Tianzifang, independent restaurants

    Day for independent restaurant research — the Xintiandi, Tianzifang and French Concession areas have a dense concentration of good regional Chinese restaurants alongside the international dining. A soup dumpling comparison across three or four spots is a reasonable Shanghai afternoon.

    Attractions: tianzifang

14. Day 14 · shanghai

    Departure

    Morning at leisure. Final Shanghai coffee and pastry in the French Concession. Transfer to PVG for departure.

    Transfer to PVG or SHA for departure.

Budget guide (CNY per day)

Per person total 14 days including domestic flights (approx ¥1,500) and HSR (¥863). Food costs are higher on this itinerary by design — budget ¥200–400 extra per day for quality meals. International flights excluded.