High-speed rail (bullet train)
- Shanghai Hongqiao→Hangzhou EastDay 1, about 1 hour
- Hangzhou West→Jingdezhen NorthDay 2, about 3 hours
- Jingdezhen North→Shanghai HongqiaoDay 2, about 4 hours
Chinese tea and porcelain — have you seen where they come from?
For centuries, the three things China sold to the world were tea, silk and porcelain — English even calls porcelain 'china'. Yet most people only ever meet them in a supermarket tea bag or a shop window. Over these two days we take you to the source. On day one, in Hangzhou, you walk into the tea hills of Longjing village, pick tea by hand with the growers, then follow West Lake at an unhurried pace. On day two you go to Jingdezhen, which has fired porcelain for more than a thousand years, sit down at the wheel, pull a lump of clay into a bowl, paint your own design on it and send it into the kiln. What you take home isn't something from a souvenir shop — it's a piece of China that belongs only to you.
Over these two days, what will you take home
Not just seen, but made with your own hands
A cup of Longjing you know the origin of
From now on, every sip of Longjing will bring back that tea hill and the one bud and one leaf you picked yourself.
A piece of porcelain that's one of a kind
The pot you threw, the design you painted — once fired, it belongs to you alone. If you'd like it shipped home after firing, just talk to us separately.
A West Lake afternoon with no rushing
No boat rides to tick off sights, just a slow walk along the shore to see the lake that has been written about in poetry for more than a thousand years.
Two cities, sorted in one trip
High-speed rail, private cars, hotel and tickets are all arranged, so you cover Hangzhou and Jingdezhen in two days and just get on with making things.
Tea, silk, porcelain — get hands-on with each one
Beyond tea, silk and porcelain, an evening on Hefang Street means tasting your way through these Hangzhou snacks as you walk.
Signature 
Pick tea in Longjing village
Head up into the tea hills with the growers and learn to pinch off just the one bud and one leaf. Longjing is picked in spring, summer and autumn, so you don't have to time your trip for spring.
See Hangzhou silk
Hangzhou has been the home of silk since ancient times. At the silk museum, see how a single strand of silk is woven into sumptuous brocade and imperial robes.
Signature 
Throw a pot by hand
Pull a lump of clay into a bowl or cup on the wheel. Your teacher steadies your hands as you go, and if it comes out crooked, that's fine — that's your shape.
Signature 
Paint your own design
Paint blue-and-white on the unglazed body, or write your name, or draw a cat. Once it's fired in the kiln, it's one of a kind in the world.
Cong bao hui
A thin pancake rolled around fried dough sticks and spring onion, pressed crisp on a griddle and brushed with sweet fermented bean sauce — a street snack of the Hefang Street area.
Dingsheng cake
A pale pink steamed rice-flour cake stamped with the characters 'dingsheng', meaning 'certain victory' — soft, light and lightly sweet.
Osmanthus West Lake lotus-root starch
Lotus-root starch mixed into a translucent bowlful and scattered with golden osmanthus — smooth and delicately sweet.
Your itinerary
Taking a Shanghai departure as the example; times are indicative and train times are subject to the tickets issued. Departures from Zhejiang are adjusted to your starting point.
Day 1
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A private car picks you up at your hotel and takes you to Shanghai Hongqiao Station, with your guide alongside; the high-speed rail takes about 1 hour to Hangzhou East Station. Departures from Zhejiang are arranged around your starting point.
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Head up into the tea hills with the growers to pick tea, then have a lunch in the village built around tea as an ingredient.
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A slow afternoon walk along the lakeshore.
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Visit the silk museum to see Hangzhou silk, then eat Hangzhou snacks on the old street for dinner, and back to the hotel to rest around 19:30.
Day 2
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About 3 hours by high-speed rail from Hangzhou West Station to Jingdezhen North Station; on arrival, try a few local snacks (snacks, not a full meal).
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Your teacher guides you through throwing and painting, and the pieces go into the kiln. Firing in Jingdezhen generally takes two to four weeks.
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About 4 hours, arriving at Shanghai Hongqiao around 21:30, where a private car takes you to your hotel.
Getting around
Intercity travel
Private car with driver
5-seat private car
- Shanghai hotel ⇄ Hongqiao Station transfers
- Hangzhou: private car for the day
- Jingdezhen: private car for the day
7-seat private car
- Shanghai hotel ⇄ Hongqiao Station transfers
- Hangzhou: private car for the day
- Jingdezhen: private car for the day
For 6 or more travellers, ask us about vehicles.
Where you stay
Hangzhou Junshang Yunyi Hotel (Chihua Street Metro Station)
Priced by group size
A private trip for you and your companions only. The car and guide are booked per group, so the more of you travel, the less each person pays.
Before you go
Duration Two days, one night; day two includes about 7 hours of high-speed rail
Departure From Shanghai or Zhejiang, with hotel pickup and drop-off; the timings shown are for a Shanghai departure
Accommodation Four-star hotel in Hangzhou, twin room; for single occupancy, please ask us about the single-occupancy supplement
Group type Private tour, from 1 traveller (solo travellers, please ask us first); 6 or more pay the 5-person rate
Guide English and Chinese as standard; German, French, Spanish, Italian and others on request in advance
Documents Please bring your original passport — high-speed rail, the hotel and the scenic areas all require names registered to the traveller
Ceramic pieces Firing generally takes 2–4 weeks; if you'd like to take your piece home, talk to us separately about shipping
Included
- Private car between your hotel and the high-speed rail station
- Three high-speed rail tickets
- Local private cars in Hangzhou and Jingdezhen
- Tea-picking experience in Longjing village
- Hand-thrown pottery and porcelain painting in Jingdezhen
- One night in a four-star hotel in Hangzhou
- Tea-dish meal, Hangzhou snacks, Jingdezhen snacks
- Guide throughout the two days
Not included
- Lunch and dinner on day two
- Shipping of ceramic pieces
- Single-occupancy supplement
- Personal expenses
- Gratuities
Buying a souvenir doesn't compare with making one
What you bring home means something quite different
- Where others take a boat and hurry to the next sight, you walk slowly along the shore for an afternoon
- Where others drink a cup in a tea shop and get sold a box, you go up into the tea hills of Longjing village and pick tea by hand
- Where others pick a mass-produced porcelain cup in a souvenir shop, you go to Jingdezhen and throw and paint one yourself
- Where others decide Jingdezhen is too far and skip it, you bring home a piece of porcelain you made
Take the porcelain you made home with you
Tell us where you're starting from (Shanghai or Zhejiang), your dates and how many people are travelling, and we'll confirm the tickets, hotel and workshop slots. English and Chinese guides are standard; other languages on request in advance.
Ask us- From £528 per person
- Departs Shanghai or Zhejiang
- Four-star hotel in Hangzhou included
- From 1 traveller
Frequently asked questions
Can I take home the porcelain I make in Jingdezhen?
The piece has to be fired in the kiln, which generally takes two to four weeks, so you won't have the finished item that day. If you'd like the fired piece sent home, please talk to us separately about shipping.
I've never done pottery — will I manage it?
Yes. Your teacher takes you through throwing and painting hand in hand, and if your first attempt comes out a little crooked, that's fine — that's exactly what makes it one of a kind.
Can you still pick tea in Longjing village outside spring?
Yes. Longjing is picked in spring, summer and autumn — close to two hundred days of picking in a year.
Can we set off from Zhejiang?
Yes. We depart from both Shanghai and Zhejiang and pick you up at the hotel you're staying in; train times and departure times are rearranged around your starting point, and the times on this page use a Shanghai departure as the example.
Why does the price per person drop as the group gets bigger?
The private car, guide and local transport are arranged for the group as a whole, so the more of you travelling together, the less each person pays. From 5 people upwards the per-person price is at its lowest.
What kind of hotel is it, and what happens if I'm travelling alone?
A four-star hotel in Hangzhou, twin room. Single occupancy requires a single-occupancy supplement — please contact us to confirm.
What language does the guide speak?
English and Chinese guides are provided as standard; German, French, Spanish, Italian and other guides need to be arranged in advance when you book.
Which languages does the guide speak?
English and Chinese guides are provided by default; German, French, Spanish, Italian, and other languages require prior arrangement at the time of booking.