Ancient Shu Road Experience & Three Kingdom History Exploration
A bite of thousand years history in Sichuan will expand your horizon and knowledge, making you meet a totally OLD and DIFFERENT SICHUNA. This 4-day tour is specially designed for history buffs who want to trace along the ancient Shu Roads and reach the core cultural area with profound Three Kingdom culture.
Start from Chengdu, the capital of ancient Shu as well as the hometown of the Giant Pandas, with a classic exploration to learn about important figures of Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang in Three Kingdom Period (220-280). Extend to Guangyuan with an adventurous hiking to visit the first magnificent pass under heaven - Jianmen Pass to personally experience the difficulties the Roads to Road and roam along the 2000-year historical corridor planted with over 12,000 ancient cypresses. A relaxing visit to Langzhong Ancient City gives you more about the Romance of Three Kingdoms in one of the four ancient cities in China. As the armies, traders, settlers did thousand years ago, you’ll follow the historical footprints to pass through rugged mountains, forests, wild rivers to review an important history and romance in the legendary Three Kingdom Period (Wei Shu Wu States)!
On this day, your local travel guide will meet you in your hotel or the airport / train station, then make a memorable visit to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. This facility is not only the most important panda scientific research center in the world, but also the home for more than 100 Giant Pandas. You will walk at leisure through the bamboo-framed paths and closely observe giant pandas of different ages eating bamboos, playing with each other, tumbling, and climbing trees. Be sure to not miss the chance to visit the most adorable panda babies in the nursery rooms and panda kindergartens. There is also a very informative Panda Museum where you can learn more scientific facts about Giant Pandas.
In the afternoon, you will move on to Wuhou Temple. Built in 223 AD, Wuhou Temple is the unique Emperor’s tomb integrated with his prime minister’s shrine in one temple. It is referred as the most Far-reaching Museum of Three Kingdoms Period. Walk into this famous shrine to enjoy those excellent tablet script from Tang and found the figure statues of praisable civil and military officials along the corridor with a rich solemn atmosphere in the courtyard with cypress lining on both sides. You will step into the main hall to see the statue of Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang and hear their everlasting story of a monarch and his subjects. Walk inside to learn the famous history of the Peach Garden Oath between Liu Bei, Zhang Fei and Guanyu to supplement your knowledge about the Three Kingdom Period.
Next will be an impressive visit to the famous Jinli Old Street. Time will steal away as you quietly walk on the lively streets full of delicious local snacks, delicate artifacts, interesting folk shows, and other activities.
Recommended Optional Evening Activities: 1) enjoy a delicious dinner of Sichuan cuisine (or hotpot) at a local restaurant; 2) watch a wonderful performance of Sichuan Opera which includes folk opera, face changing, fire spitting, rolling lights, and other delightful entertainment (usually performs during 20:00~21:30).
After breakfast, your guide and driver will pick you up at your hotel. The following trip is 3.4-4 hours’ driving to Guangyuan, located in the northeast of Chengdu about 264 kilometers away. Guangyuan has over 2000-year Ancient Shu Plank Road first built in the Warring State (481-221 BC) period with extensive and advanced road building occurring during the Qin (221-206 BCE) and Han (206 BCE to 220 CE) dynasties. Besides, Guangyuan is Core Corridor of Three Kingdom Culture where you can learn splendid stories from the rugged mountains, forests, and ancient historical relics.
The first stop you are going to visit is Jianmen Pass, the first pass under heaven. Jianmen Pass was the strategic military in history which means conquering the dangerous pass will conquer the whole Sichuan. Enter from the North Gate and the first scene comes to your eyes is the Cliff Inscription “The Road to Shu is Hard” by Li Bai in Tang Dynasty. Learn from the poem and feel “the road to Shu is hard, harder than climbing to heaven” before you go along the ancient plank roads. Take the cableway up and begin your adventurous Bird Path hiking. Bird Path means roads only a bird can manage which means steep dangerous roads. Walk along the narrow winding path built along the steep cliff to personally experience the difficulty to overcome Jianmen Pass and catch expensively panoramic view of the vast mountains. Later, walk down through Tiantixia Path, a zigzag winding plank road built among the green trees leading from the peak to the bottom. Don’t miss the magnificent Guanlou in the style of Ming Dynasty to feel “Jianmen is lofty and magnificent, however, it is also hazardous and precipitous. If one man holds pass, then thousand men can not pass”. Listen to legendary Three Kingdom stories when standing in front of the statues of Liubei, Jiangwei and more historical figures.
After visiting Jianmen Pass, move to Cuiyun Corridor, a green historical corridor with over 12,000 ancient royal cypresses standing along the Shu Roads. With over 2000 years’ history, Cuiyun Corridor is the oldest and best-preserved ancient land transportation route and thus reputed as the No.1 Ancient Road in the world. Walk leisurely on the flagstone road among the huge cypresses taking you back to ancient times immediately. Take a good at the Zhangfei Cypress, Couple Cypress, Longzhong Dui Cypress, A Dou Cypress, Lychee Cypress...and enjoy the heart-racing stories.
After the tour, be transferred to your hotel in Jiange County of Guangyuan. Have a good rest tonight.
This morning, your guide and driver will meet at your hotel and then escort you to Langzhong, about 145 kilometers away taking about 2.5 hours. Start your cultural and historical discovery of Langzhong Ancient City which is one of the “Four Ancient Cities in China” of more than 2300 years old.
Take your leisure stroll along the ancient paved roads and paths to admire those antique wooden houses with black tires and white and dark red walls. You will pay the must visit to Zhangfei Temple that keeps the tomb and other cultural relics of Zhang Fei for your respect for that great famous general in Three Kingdoms period. After a glimpse at Zhongtian Tower as the coordinate of typical geomantic omen in Langzhong, walk a little to visit the Examination Compound which is the largest examination hall from Qing Dynasty in whole China to learn the imperial examination system in the past old era and the real outstanding record of Langzhong as hometown of many first and successful scholars. Then, visit Langzhong Museum across with more than 5,000 pieces of relics to tell you the historical development and folk culture of Langzhong Ancient City, from Bronze wares from Spring and Autumn Period, potteries in Han, to ceramics in Ming and Qing dynasties, etc. Of course, you will not miss the worthy three-color glazed pottery figurine from Song Dynasty.
After the visiting, your guide will send you to your hotel in Langzhong!
After breakfast, continue your exploration of Langzhong. First, go to Huaguang Tower praised as the “No.1 tower of Langzhong” to see the old gate tower kept from Qing Dynasty with beautiful green tires and flying eaves. Climb up to the top and appreciate a large spread of black-tired dwelling houses rolling out near and far. Next, go to Langzhong Geomantic Omen Museum to appreciate the interesting old construction layout with covering trees and rich kinds of pictures and decorates placed in strict concept of Geomantic Omen to know why Geomantic Omen is so important for Chinese people from old times to nowadays. Also, you will be surprised by the rare records of 2 pairs of brother scholar winners in Langzhong elected from the Imperial Examination to believe Langzhong is a Geomantic treasure land.
Then, take the ferry to the south bank of Jialing River and visit Jinping Mountain. Enjoy your refreshing walking in the emerald forest mountain with clean air with brief savory of those old-styled pavilion, corridor, halls, etc. Kuixing Tower commemorating famous ancient astronomer Luo Xiahong and some stone tablet with inscriptions of Wu Daozi and Zhang Fei are worth to make a stop. Continue walk up to the best location to have the amazing panorama of Langzhong Ancient City embosomed in emerald hills and clear green water.
After the visiting, your guide and driver will escort you to Chengdu. Upon arrival, be transferred to your hotel in downtown area, or airport / train station to next destination! Tour ends!
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Chengdu: Chengdu Panda Base, Leshan Giant Buddha, Jinli Street
Chengdu / Guangyuan / Xian
Chengdu / Leshan / Mt. Emei / Chengdu
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“Very good experience”
“WONDERFUL 25 DAYS IN CHINA - PRIVATE TOUR”
“Awesome China tour from northeast to southwest”
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