In the morning, your guide and driver will pick you up at your hotel in Chengdu downtown area. The following trip is the UNESCO World Heritage Site exploration with 1.5 hours’ driving from Chengdu to Dujiangyan. Upon arrival, you’ll first pay a visit to Dujiangyan Irrigation System, a 2000-year-old living world heritage to solve problems of diverting water without the use of dams. The system is still working to irrigate Chengdu Plain and it’s the real reason why Chengdu is called “the Land of Abundance”. Visit the three main parts of the weir woks controlling the water from the upper valley of the Minjiang River including Yuzui Bypass Dike, Feishayan Floodgate, Baopingkou Diversion Passage, and be amazed by the wisdom of ancient Chinese. After getting to know the theory of system, extend to the nearby Erwang Temple to meet Li Bing and his son who constructed this ecological engineering feat around 256 BC.
Later, drive about 16 kilometers to Mount Qingcheng (Front Mountain), the birthplace of Taoism! In 142 CE the philosopher Zhang Ling founded the doctrine of Chinese Taoism here. Most of the essential elements of Taoism culture are embodied in the teachings of Taoism that emanated from the temples that were subsequently built on the mountain during the Jin and Tang dynasties. In this afternoon, the first temple you are going to visit is Jianfu Palace built in 730 in Tang Dynasty. Walk into the holy palace to know many Taoism celebrities and appreciate the famous couplet regarded as “The First of Mount Qingcheng”. Then, enjoy the short boat experience across Yuecheng Lake which lying quietly at the middle of the mountain. Take the 5-minute Buyun Cableway up to the mountain. Next is a relaxing walk to the mountain top, and stop to visit Shangqing Palace for a deep understanding about Laozi, a famous ancient Chinese philosopher and the reputed author of the Tao Te Ching. Continue your walking to Laojun Pavilion situated at the highest peak of Mount Qingcheng (1,260 meters). This pavilion rises 33 meters in nine layers, from a square base symbolizing the Earth to a circular top symbolizing the round sky. Getting into the pavilion, you can view a huge statue of Laozi riding a water buffalo and get the breathtaking panoramic of the whole mountain. After the enjoyable time on the top, return via the same way you come.
After the tour, be escorted back to your hotel in Chengdu downtown (1.5 hours' driving). Service ends!