3 Days Changsha & Shaoshan Essences Tour

Full Itinerary Day by day

Day 1 Changsha Arrival & Changsha

First, visit Yuelu Academy at the foot of Yuelu Mountain, which is one of the four major academies in ancient China and called “one-thousand-year old academy” since it was built in 976 in Song Dynasty. Stroll at the traditional Chinese academic architectures with Chinese corridors, pavilions, courtyards, gardens, and admire artistic decorations combining in perfect. Go to China Academy Museum to watch exhibitions about the academic history and culture in China! Next, discover Yuelu Mountain (Altitude: 300 meters) by walking and scenic vehicle, which is treated as the “backyard garden” in Changsha. Meet Aiwan Pavilion with emerald roof and flying eves, which is one of the “four famous pavilions in China” and has been praised in the popular classic Chinese poem by Du Mu in Tang Dynasty. On your way up, enjoy the fresh air and nature in the mountain forest and say hello to local people exercising. Continue to the peak and have a bird view of Changsha City! Yuelu Mountain is one of the four best places to see autumn maple leaves in China, which you can see from late October to early December!

Next, go to Tianxin Pavilion with three scarlet roofs. It was was originated from 1613 AD and where ancient Chinese observed stars and sacrificed to the heaven in the past. Besides, the city wall there was from 202 BC and tells the long history of Changsha with the left part of only 251 meters long. Climb on the city wall and the pavilion to see the old and new buildings in Changsha downtown! Then, visit Huangxing Road Pedestrian Street that is the most popular commercial street in Changsha and also a favored place with lots of delicious Changsha food and entertainment fun. Enjoy your walk here to see local people’s entertainment life and feel the jubilant atmosphere!

After today’s visiting, be escorted back to your hotel, have a good sleep!

Arrival Ideas: Changsha Huanghua International Airport has flights from / to Beijing, Shanghai, Zhangjiajie, Xian, Chengdu, Chongqing, Kunming, Lijiang, Lanzhou, Lhasa, etc. While, high speed trains can go between Changsha and Zhangjiajie (3 hours), Wuhan (1.5 hours), Guilin (3 hours), Guiyang (3 hours), Huangshan (4 hours), Shanghai (5-5.5 hours), etc.

Day 2 Changsha - Shaoshan - Changsha (B, L)

After breakfast, your guide and driver will pick you up at your hotel. Today, you’ll be transferred to Shaoshan - the hometown of Chairman Mao (China’s leader from 1949 until his death in 1976) with about 1.5 hours’ riding.

In the village of Shao Shan Chong, the “Great Helmsman” spent his early years. First, you’ll pay a visit to Dripping Water Cave. About 3 km northwest of the village, it is a very popular destination where, legend has it, Mao pondered over the Cultural Revolution in 1966. Enjoy the verdant natural scenery there and visit the villa Mao has lived, including the bedroom, office, meeting room, etc. Later, head to Former Residence of Mao Zedong where he was born and grew up.The house is a very common farmhouse built with mud bricks and tiles, exhibiting Mao Zedong’s family photos, daily house utensils, furnishing, and materials displaying Mao Zedong’s engagement in the revolutionary activities…here, you could get very close to the great man. Then, followed a trip to Mao Ancestral Temple where exhibits there include 100 pieces of Mao Zedong's manuscripts and 72 items of Mao's personal belongings.

After the tour in Shaoshan, transfer back to your hotel in Changsha.

Day 3 Changsha & Changsha Departure (B, L)

Good morning! After breakfast, your guide and driver will meet you at your hotel and then escort you to visit Hunan Provincial Museum, the largest history and art museum in Hunan Province. It has over 180,000 artifacts which feature the cultural relic excavated from the world-famous Mawangdui Han Dynasty Tomb over 2,000 years ago, the bronze wares of the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, cultural relics of Chu State, pottery and porcelain works from Various dynasties... Catch the chance to have a detailed look at the precious national treasures, like the wax statue of the complete female corpse discovered from Mawangdui Tomb, Silk Coat, the Colorful Painted Inner Coffin, Dahe Human Face Bronze Pot. From this museum, you can not only have a basic understanding of Chinese civilization along the middle reaches of the Yangtze River but also know the development of the civilization in Hunan Province as well as to appreciate the mysteries of Hunan culture.

Later, move to Orange Island Park. Also called Juzizhou, it is a place with the scenery of "snow on the river", one of the eight sceneries of ancient Xiaoxiang (Hunan). When Mao Zedong was standing at Juzizhou, he threw such a question to the vast sky - "asking the vast land, who will determine the ups and downs". He changed the process of Chinese history and showed special preference to Juzizhou. Enjoy a wonderful stroll, visit the famous massive sculpture of the "Young" Mao and see locals spending leisure time with the pleasant sightseeing here.

After the tour, you guide and driver will escort you to the airport or railway station in Changsha to catch your flight/train to your next destination or home. Tour ends!

The quotation for this trip is from request Per Person

1. This price is for one person, based on a group of 2 adults sharing one standard double-bed room in 4-star hotel and traveling with our private tour in low seasons.
2. This price is subject to change according your traveling season, group size, hotel class, change of activities in your itinerary and possible fluctuation of currency exchange rate. If you want a lower price, you can get more people to join you, or use economy class hotels.
3. This price is only valid to March 31, 2025.
4. Reference exchange rate of USD 1=RMB 6.85. The final quote is based on current exchange rate. It may change according to the currency fluctuation, while the RMB quotation will be remained the same.

How Our Teams Serve you at China Discovery

"Highest Standards of Quality and Honesty" is the core value of each specialized team at China Discovery.

Eveyone in our company is working hard for only one goal, which is to ensure the highest level of service, luxury, and attention to detail from the minute you begin planning your trip, to the day you return home.

1-on-1 Travel Consultant

Our travel consultants are professional, experienced and responsible, helping you from the very beginning to the end of your China trip!

After sending us an inquiry, one of our travel consultants will get back to you within 0.5~23.5 hrs. In the next few days, he/she will be working closely with you to formulate a customized tour plan, as well as providing professional suggestions based on your travel interests, time, and budget.

Beside, he/she will keep in contact with you during your entire tour in China, continually checking if everything is going well as planned.

We're working at Chengdu Bamboo International Tours, local based in Chengdu.

Local Tour Guides

Our local guide in every destination is not only very friendly, enthusiastic but also very informative and knowledgeable.

Once you arrive in the destination, the patient and punctual guides will pick you up and take you to get under skin of the city at your own pace. By in-depth discovery and explanation, they’ll show you more about the history, culture, customs and authentic local life. Throughout the journey, they're not only expert guides who take care of all the details but also fellow travelers who are dedicated to help you explore in comfort and style.

Our guides are passionate about what they do, and it shows all the way!

Local Drivers & Vehicle

Using our private transfer service makes you comfortable, relaxed and worry free all the way!

Our private service includes licensed drivers with many years’ driving experience and air-conditioned, non-smoking, clean and well-maintained cars/vans. Drivers are local, polite, friendly and helpful, taking you to your tourist sites, hotels, airport/train stations in safety. All kinds of vehicle are offered, and yours depends on the size of your group. Usually, we offer sedan cars, SUVs, business vans (MPV) and different types of buses, all with extra space for your luggage.

Our private transfer service guarantees you the highest comfort!

Comfortable & Homelike Hotels

In each destination, you’ll enjoy a comfortable stay in a great location!

The hotels we choose are based on star rating, great locations, well-equipped facilities, cozy bed, high quality service and guests’ feedbacks. Choices are a lot ranging from luxury 5 star, comfortable 4 star to budget 3 star. You could decide where to stay to best suit for your budget and likes. Generally, the hotels have both Western and Chinese breakfast with a wide choices.

If you have already got an ideal hotel, please feel free to tell our travel consultants and they'll book the hotel for you.

Have good sleep in our well-selected hotels in all the destinations of China.

Meals & Dining

We can satisfy all the dietary requirements no matter you want Chinese local food, western food, vegetarian food or muslin food.

The restaurants we will take you for lunch or dinner are all designated tourist restaurants approved by local tourist administration bureau. They have very good sanitary conditions and the food is prepared fresh and clean.

There will be some meals excluded in your itinerary as you like, and your private guide will be delighted to give you some suggestions and take you to the local restaurants to taste like Beijing Roast Duck, Xian Dumpling Dinner, Sichuan Hotpot, etc., if you are interested in local food tasting.

All the dining options will satisfy your stomach!

Check What our delighted customers are saying about our services

Hi Mr Wang,

Thanks! I had a weekend away to Xi’an, China to celebrate my birthday. It was an exciting weekend and it was certainly something off the beaten trail for most of my friends. The itinerary you have suggested provided good coverage of the city’s rich history. From the fascinating Terracotta Army to the City Walls to the sacred Mount Hua, to the Muslim Quarter to the Drum & Bell Towers, there’s an interesting story from every historical era in Xi’an. I managed to hike up Mount Hua from North Peak to West Peak, but I didn’t get to do the dangerous plank walk as it was closed.

The hotel Eastern House was very accessible too with food places within steps and its proximity to the Drum Tower is a plus. The room was very clean and comfortable.

At this point, I have to quickly mention our amazing tour guide Betty Jiao Yan who was assigned to us as part of our private tour package. She made our time feel so very special and I wonder if Xi'an would have been as awesome without her. She had such a positive and caring nature and when we had to say goodbye, we felt very sad. It was strange to miss a guide after only knowing her for 5 days! Luckily we still keep in touch on WeChat. Our driver Mr Ma was very polite, punctual and accommodating, making our travel a pleasant experience

Anne

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Anne‚ Singapore, January 25, 2024

Hi Jack,

Thanks. The Harbin and Snow Town trip was excellent and very enjoyable. We are now in Japan skiing, and will send our feedback upon our return on 31st Jan.

Best wishes

Leong

Leong‚ Singapore, January 24, 2024

Hi Rita,

From my end, everything is remarkable! Jane is amazing! She really make us feel welcome.

All the hotels were amazing too! My parents also very impressed.

I will definitely reaching out again, next time when I visit China. There’s many more places I want to visit.

Best regards,

Jefry

Jefry‚ Indonesia, January 21, 2024

Dear Rita,

We are home. Thanks for arranging this nice trip. Everything worked out nicely except the smoking room problem in Chengde.

Thanks again.

John

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John‚ USA, January 19, 2024

Hi Rita,

In response to your enquiries, we had a wonderful experience with the tour arrangements in both Guilin and Yangshuo. Both the tour guide and driver were very professional and handled the arrangements well.

I am surely recommending any friends or relatives who are interested in travelling to China in future to use China Discovery. Also, will be looking at other destinations for ourselves too.

Thanks once again for the wonderful experience.

Kwan

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Kwan‚ Malaysia, January 18, 2024

Check What our customers are saying about us on Tripadvisor.com

We are one of the few China travel agencies who have kept active and received lots of feedbacks and reviews during pandemic years

Thitikorn C

"China Discovery is very professional agent in China...last January 2024, I contacted Vivien again to Huangshan and she has shown her professional as an agent with quick response and keep contacting me..." read more »

Reviewed on February 17, 2024

Thitikorn C

"China Discovery is very professional agent in China...last January 2024, I contacted Vivien again to Huangshan and she has shown her professional as an agent with quick response and keep contacting me..." read more »

Reviewed on February 17, 2024