Dragon boats or the factory: which will we get?

It depends on your dates. Diejiao follows the confirmed community calendar in May and June; outside those months, Aion takes the slot on its reception calendar.

What if the sunrise is clouded out?

The light depends on the morning's weather. The Li River bend, Xingping, bamboo raft and riverside tea remain in the day.

Why aren't lunches and dinners included?

Breakfasts, riverside afternoon tea and Cantonese morning tea are included. Other meals remain flexible and are paid locally.

How fit do I need to be?

Light to moderate, with city walking, relaxed cycling and a short pre-dawn stair climb. There is no high-altitude overnight.

Three Cities, Three Waters

Overview

Shanghai opens on the Huangpu, Yangshuo slows the route to river pace, and Foshan closes it with lion dance, Wing Chun and morning tea. One flight and one rail leg link the three chapters.

LyrikTrip travel designers

Why you'll love this trip

Best for: private travellers, couples and families, first-time visitors seeking southern China
Three cities, one week, and water running through all of it.

Watch Pudong's towers light up across the river from the Bund at dusk.
Walk Yu Garden by morning, then let the Former French Concession turn the city's volume down.
Ride the quiet lanes along the Yulong River the day you leave Shanghai, with peaks in every direction.
Give the Li River a whole day, sunrise from Xianggong Hill and a raft past Nine-Horse Fresco Hill.
Catch a lion dance under the eaves of Foshan Ancestral Temple, then strike a Wing Chun pose yourself.
Finish on a slow morning of bamboo steamers and refilled pots in a Foshan teahouse.

Things to do

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Itinerary

Arrivals

Shanghai · Day 1 - Day 2

Day 1 · Shanghai: arrival and the two banks

Land, check in, walk to the river. The first lesson of Shanghai is taught at night.

Arrival Your guide meets you at arrivals and a private vehicle brings you to the hotel; the evening stays light on purpose.

The Bund after dark You walk the riverfront promenade, historic trading houses at your back and the lit towers of Pudong across the Huangpu: one river, two centuries of the same city. You'll keep turning from one bank to the other, and quietly give up choosing between them.

Day 2 · Shanghai: gardens, museums, tree-lined streets

The old city, then the collections. By afternoon, Shanghai drops its voice.

Yu Garden and the old city Pavilions, rockeries, ponds and winding pathways built for slow walking; then the surrounding old-city streets, where local shops and everyday commerce press close to the garden walls.

Shanghai Museum Ancient bronzes, ceramics, painting and calligraphy: a quiet couple of hours that put names and dates under everything else you'll see this week.

Wukang Road and the Former French Concession You walk tree-lined avenues past historic residences and small independent shops; the scale of central Shanghai falls away street by street.

Flight

Yangshuo · Day 3 - Day 4

Day 3 · To Yangshuo: rice fields by evening

A flight south, then two wheels. By dinner, the skyline is a day behind you.

Fly south Transfer to the airport for the Shanghai to Guilin flight; your Guangxi guide meets you at arrivals, and a private vehicle carries you on to Yangshuo.

Yulong River cycling An unhurried ride past rice fields, farming villages, riverside paths and limestone peaks. This morning you stood under towers; by late afternoon the tallest things around you are made of limestone.

West Street at night The evening is yours: local food, small shops and a lively small-town hum.

Day 4 · One river, dawn to dusk

Up before the sky. One river gets your whole day.

Xianggong Hill at first light You leave before dawn and climb a short flight of stone steps in the dark. The river shows itself first, a pale curve between black peaks. Then the light arrives, and the valley fills in like an ink painting you are standing inside. When someone back home asks about China, you'll start with this morning.

Xingping and the bamboo raft You walk Xingping's old streets, then board a bamboo raft for the stretch around Nine-Horse Fresco Hill, the hill named for the horse shapes read in its cliff face; this reach of the river appears on the back of China's 20-yuan banknote.

A riverside afternoon After lunch and a short rest, a slow walk beside the Li; in mid-afternoon a table is set for tea at the water's edge, mountains on every side. You stay on for the soft evening light, with time to photograph the fishing boats against the river.

High-speed rail

Foshan · Day 5 - Day 6

Day 5 · Into the delta

A fast train out of the karst. The delta decides the afternoon.

Rail to Guangzhou After breakfast, transfer to the station; the high-speed train carries you from the karst into the Pearl River Delta, and your Guangdong guide meets you on arrival.

May–June: dragon boats at Diejiao Diejiao Water Town's channels are narrow and its bends sharp, which is the whole point of its dragon boat tradition. Depending on the confirmed training and competition calendar for your date, you watch a crew train, catch a local race, or learn the boat, the positions and the rhythm that holds a team together. The picture to wait for: a full crew driving a long boat into a bend that looks too narrow for it.

Outside the season: the Aion Smart Factory An introduction to China's new-energy vehicle industry: automated production lines, intelligent manufacturing, and the electric-vehicle technology behind the Greater Bay Area's rise.

Evening in Foshan Transfer to Foshan and check in; the same hotel holds you for two nights.

Day 6 · Foshan: the arts the temple kept

Lion dance before lunch, your own stance after. Foshan keeps its culture in working order.

Foshan Ancestral Temple A historic complex bound up with the city's religious life, martial arts and community traditions. You watch the lion dance and martial arts performance, then take the courtyards, decorative architecture and cultural displays at your own pace.

Wing Chun A local practitioner walks you through the history and principles of Foshan's own martial art, then teaches you a set of fundamental stances and movements. This is the system Ip Man taught and the first art Bruce Lee trained in, and it started here. You'll feel the stance in your legs tomorrow, and be quietly pleased about it.

Lingnan Tiandi Restored historic buildings, ancestral halls and narrow lanes folded into the modern city; an easy afternoon of walking. A second night in the same hotel: no repacking.

High-speed rail

Guangzhou · Day 7

Day 7 · Morning tea, one last skyline

Breakfast is the main event today. Then one last skyline on the way out.

Cantonese morning tea A long-established Foshan teahouse, a pot that keeps being refilled, and dim sum ordered in rounds: shrimp dumplings, siu mai, rice noodle rolls and barbecue pork buns, with the season adding its own. Morning tea is how Lingnan socialises: families and friends around a shared table. Somewhere around the second pot, you'll understand why nobody here calls breakfast a quick meal.

Haixinsha and Zhujiang New Town You check out and drive to Guangzhou; from Haixinsha, with the week's third river beside you, the towers of Zhujiang New Town show the modern face of the Greater Bay Area.

Departure A private transfer to Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport or the railway station, with time to spare.

Departures

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Hotels

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Included / Excluded

What's Included

Internal legsShanghai to Guilin flight and Yangshuo to Guangzhou high-speed rail ticket
HotelsSix nights with daily breakfast
ExperiencesLi River bamboo raft, Yulong River cycling, seasonal Diejiao dragon-boat programme or Aion Smart Factory, Wing Chun, riverside afternoon tea and Cantonese morning tea

Not Included

Long-haulInternational flights
MealsMeals not specifically listed as included

Special Notes

Some programmes depend on seasons, weather or operator calendars.

Day 5 programme — Diejiao follows the confirmed May-June community calendar; outside that season Aion follows its reception calendar.
Xianggong Hill — Sunrise light depends on the weather; the river day continues in all conditions.

Is Seven Days Your Length?

Tell us your dates and who is coming. We will keep the three-water shape and adjust the pace around it.

Keep the full week

Best when you want Shanghai, Yangshuo and Foshan without rushing the river day.

Shorter on days

We can trim the Shanghai opening or Foshan close, but the Yangshuo river day should stay whole.

Good to Know

Language: English-speaking guides in every city
Shopping Policy: No shopping stops or commission detours on the route; your time is dedicated solely to the places listed here.
Tailoring: Fully flexible. Days, stops, and pace can be added, removed, or swapped. We'll reshape the plan together before you confirm and pay.
Ports: Shanghai In · Guangzhou Out
Gateway markets: Lead country marker: GB. Gateway markets from inventory: UK, WEU, CA, ANZ. United States transit-window fit is strongest for this route.

Your Private Concierge

Jason Hu

Private China Route Concierge

“A bilingual planning desk for tailor-made China journeys.”

Our China team tailors the pacing, hotels and local hosts to suit each route style.

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Step 01

Tell us what excites you

Not your dates and budget — your curiosity. Where have you always wanted to go? What do you want to feel? We start there.

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First concept delivered

Step 02

We design it around you

Your specialist builds the itinerary from scratch — routes, hosts, hotels, and experiences you won't find anywhere else.

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Step 03

Lock it in with 10%

When the plan feels right, a 10% deposit holds your entire trip. Balance due 30 days before departure.

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Deposit to secure everything

Step 04

Travel. We handle the rest.

Your Trip Pack arrives before you fly. On the road, your concierge is one message away — for the expected and everything you didn't plan for.

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Support throughout your journey

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Three Cities, Three Waters

Overview

Why you'll love this trip