Three regions in eight days: is that rushed?

No. The line has two long moves, every stay is at least two nights, and Day 1 carries no heavy program.

Is the Li River trip guaranteed?

The Xingping river section is fixed; the vessel is not. Raft or cruise boat follows season, water level and operating rules.

Can we go inside DJI or BYD?

The DJI flagship or technology showroom is part of the standard day. Headquarters and company visits require written approval for the group and date.

Why aren't all meals included?

Breakfasts and four featured meals are included. The rest stay flexible and are recommended and booked around the group.

Slow Water, Fast City

Overview

Three days in, a boatman sculls you under stone bridges at the speed of one oar. Four days later, a guide is decoding electronics floors where next season's gadgets are already on the counters. In between runs the Li River, on a tempo it has kept longer than any town on its banks. Most eight-day trips pick one China; this one runs three tempos in sequence: canal, river, circuit. Three nights in Shanghai, two in Yangshuo, two in Shenzhen, and one flight plus one high-speed train do all the long moving. The souvenir is a recalibration: you come home knowing that speed, in China, is a choice.

LyrikTrip travel designers

Every LyrikTrip journey begins with a conversation. Tell us your dates and who's coming, and if eight days is the wrong shape for you, we'll say so and redraw it. First reply within four hours; a clear price for your dates within one business day.

Why you'll love this trip

Three worlds in one journey. Yu Garden, a canal town, the Li River's peaks and Shenzhen's tech floors.

Board the Huangpu ferry at dusk, century-old banking halls on one bank, Pudong's towers on the other.
Sit low in a sculling boat as Zhujiajiao glides past, stone bridges overhead, kitchens at the water's edge.
Pedal the level lanes along the Yulong River, with rice paddies on both sides and limestone peaks all around.
Wake for first light at Xianggong Hill as it finds the Li River's great bend.
Walk Huaqiangbei with a guide who reads it aloud, where a sketch becomes a boxed product.
Unpack just three times in eight days, with three nights in Shanghai and two each in Yangshuo and Shenzhen.

Things to do

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Itinerary

Arrivals

Shanghai · Day 1 - Day 3

Day 1 · Shanghai: arrival

Land, check in, slow down. The city will still be there at dusk.

Arrival transfer Your English-speaking guide meets you at arrivals and a private vehicle takes you to the hotel; nothing heavy is planned for landing day, so jet lag gets a fair landing too.

The Bund, if you land early A first walk along the Huangpu waterfront: a row of stone banking halls from the last century on your side, the lit towers of Pudong across the water.

Dinner nearby Your guide points you to a Shanghainese restaurant close to the hotel; on your account, and worth the short walk.

Day 2 · Shanghai: gardens, lanes, two banks of one river

The whole city in one arc. Start in a Ming garden, end between two skylines.

Yu Garden Pavilions, ponds, rockeries and covered corridors, laid out in the Ming dynasty as a private family garden: "Yu" means peace, chosen by the official who built it for his ageing father. You walk it the way it was designed to be read: one framed scene at a time.

The Old City The lanes around the garden keep an earlier Shanghai: small shops, food stalls, neighbourhood life at street level. Lunch is Shanghainese, at a local restaurant, included today.

Hengshan–Fuxing walk An afternoon on Wukang, Hunan or Sinan Road: plane trees, low-rise houses from the early twentieth century, and the cafes and small galleries that moved in among them.

The Bund & the ferry Return to the waterfront as the lights come up, then cross the Huangpu on the public ferry that locals use: both skylines at once, from the middle of the river.

Day 3 · Zhujiajiao: the town at oar speed

A town that still runs at the speed of one oar. Sit low and let it pass you.

Out of the city A private vehicle takes you to Zhujiajiao on Shanghai's western edge, where the streets narrow, the bridges hump, and the houses put their back doors on the water.

The sculling boat You board a wooden boat worked by a single stern oar and ride the canals below eye level: stone bridge after stone bridge passing over you, kitchens and laundry lines at the waterline. Ten minutes in, you'll notice your voice has dropped to match the oar.

Kezhi Garden & Fangsheng Bridge A merchant's garden named for its owner's two rules, study and farm; then the town's great stone arch, Fangsheng Bridge, "setting life free", named for the Buddhist practice of releasing fish beneath it. A Jiangnan-style lunch follows, included.

One craft, chosen with you An afternoon session in one water-town art: an introduction to Kunqu Opera, blue calico printing or bamboo weaving, picked to the group's interests; the other two can be added.

Back by evening Return to Shanghai in the late afternoon; the evening is yours.

Flight

Yangshuo · Day 4 - Day 5

Day 4 · South to the karst

Change provinces before lunch. By afternoon, the mountains stand around your handlebars.

Morning flight Fly from Shanghai to Guilin, then drive straight on to Yangshuo by private vehicle; outside the window, the city gives way to rivers, farmland and the first limestone peaks of Guangxi.

Check in, ease off Time to rest at the hotel before the afternoon; the pace here is deliberately more relaxed than in Shanghai.

The Yulong River countryside By bicycle, e-bike or car, whichever suits your legs: riverside paths, rice paddies, villages under the peaks. This is the landscape Chinese ink painters have returned to for centuries, and you are inside it at ground level.

Evening in town A stroll along West Street, or dinner at a quiet riverside restaurant; your guide books to your taste.

Day 5 · First light on the Li River

The one early alarm of the trip. The river spends the whole day paying it back.

Xianggong Hill at sunrise A pre-dawn drive and a short stair climb to the platform photographers prize; below you, the Li River draws its great bend, and the peaks step out of the dark in ranks, nearest first. Somewhere in that slow reveal, you'll forget the alarm clock entirely.

Xingping Ancient Town After breakfast, the stone streets of a town that grew on river trade; your guide reads its shopfronts and wharves back into the days when everything here moved by water.

The Li River, from the water Afloat by bamboo raft or cruise boat; which one depends on the season and water level, and either way the same scenery does the work: peaks, riverside villages, the working river between them. A riverside lunch or afternoon tea is included.

A slow afternoon An easy walk along the river, time to rest and photograph; back at the hotel by late afternoon.

High-speed rail

Shenzhen · Day 6 - Day 8

Day 6 · The gear change

Leave at the river's pace. Arrive at Shenzhen's.

A morning with no agenda Breakfast, then a gentle riverside or countryside walk, a local market, or nothing at all: the morning is shaped to the group.

High-speed rail south After lunch, board the afternoon train towards Shenzhen; limestone countryside empties out of the window in the first hour, and by the last it is ports, campuses and towers. A direct service to Shenzhen North is booked when one runs on your date; otherwise your guide arranges an easy change at Guangzhou South.

Shenzhen Bay at night This morning, the loudest thing you heard was water moving over stone. Tonight, an unbroken line of lit towers runs the full curve of the bay, and the walkway beneath them is busy with evening joggers. Same country; the same day. When someone back home asks what China is like, you can answer with this one day.

Day 7 · Shenzhen, hands on

A city that treats the future as a working day. Spend one inside it.

DJI flagship Drones, gimbals and imaging gear in a flagship store or technology showroom, with the story of how research and engineering here become products on shelves worldwide.

Urban planning exhibition Scale models and development plans lay out how a small border town grew into a major metropolis within living memory; twenty minutes here reframes the rest of the day.

Huaqiangbei One of the world's best-known electronics districts, walked with your guide reading it aloud: which counters sell components, which sell prototypes, and how a sketch turns into a boxed product in weeks. Somewhere between the component counters, you'll realize the sculling boat was four days ago, and it will feel like another trip.

The bay in late light Shenzhen Bay or Talent Park for the skyline before dinner; tonight's included dinner is modern Cantonese or contemporary Chinese, booked for the group.

After dark A drone formation performance over the city on dates when one is scheduled; on other dates, the lit towers around the Civic Center stand in.

Day 8 · One more look, then home

The last morning bends to your flight. Choose the bay or the lofts.

Shenzhen Bay Park A walk along the water with the towers behind you and Hong Kong's hills across the bay.

OCT Loft Former factory floors turned studios, galleries and cafes: Shenzhen proving it can also do slow.

Onward A private transfer to Bao'an International Airport, Shekou Cruise Home Port or the Hong Kong land crossing, timed with room to spare.

Departures

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Hotels

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Included / Excluded

What's Included

Private vehiclesAir-conditioned private vehicles for all listed sightseeing and transfers, with airport and station pick-ups.
Hotels7 nights in selected four-star, five-star or quality boutique stays, breakfast daily.
GuidesLicensed English-speaking guides in Shanghai, Guilin, Yangshuo and Shenzhen.
Tickets and experiencesAll listed attractions, plus the Zhujiajiao sculling boat, one water-town craft session, Yulong countryside by bike, e-bike or car, Xianggong Hill sunrise, Li River raft or cruise, and the urban planning exhibition.
Featured mealsFour featured meals, a Shanghainese lunch, a Jiangnan-style lunch in Zhujiajiao, a riverside lunch or afternoon tea in Yangshuo, and a modern Cantonese dinner in Shenzhen.

Not Included

Long-haulInternational flights to Shanghai and onward travel from Shenzhen.
Internal legsThe Shanghai to Guilin flight and Yangshuo to Shenzhen rail tickets are quoted with your confirmation.
MealsBeyond breakfasts and the four featured meals, lunches and dinners remain flexible and are at your own expense.
PersonalVisas, gratuities, single supplement, personal spending, and optional items not included in your confirmation.

Special Notes

A few things on this route depend on weather, seasons or operators.

Afloat on the Li River — Whether you take a bamboo raft or a cruise boat depends on the season, water level and the day's operating rules; either way, you'll explore Xingping's streets and enjoy a riverside meal.
Xianggong Hill sunrise — The light depends on the weather; the platform, the river bend and the ranked peaks remain the highlight of the visit in any sky.
Water-town craft session — The available session is subject to venue schedules and the group's interests; one of the three sessions is included.
Day 6 train — A direct service to Shenzhen North is booked when one runs; otherwise the guide arranges a change at Guangzhou South with sufficient connection time.
Drone show — This is scheduled rather than nightly; dates without a show use the Civic Center's lit towers instead.
Robotaxi and company visits — These depend on operator or company approval and are promised only after written confirmation.
Day 8 — The final morning follows the departure time and mode.
Hotels and venues — Named in the confirmation; or similar means the same class and comparable location.

Is Eight Days Your Length?

Tell us your dates and who's coming; the length can be shaped around you.

Have a few more days?

Add nights in Yangshuo or a Guilin chapter without changing the pace.

Shorter still?

The Shanghai leg can be condensed to two nights.

Travelling with older parents or kids?

Cycling can become a car ride, the boat rides remain, and sunrise stays optional.

Good to Know

Group: Private; from 1 guest, no minimum.
Arrival: Day 1 is a deliberately light landing day; the full programme begins on Day 2.
Language: English-speaking guides throughout.
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.
Payment: A 10% deposit, minimum $399, locks dates and resources; the balance is due 14 days before departure.
Flexibility: Walking and cycling distances adapt to the group's pace.
Ports: Arrive in Shanghai, depart from Shenzhen; travel on to Hong Kong by air, sea or overland.
Gateway markets: Lead country marker: FR. Gateway markets from inventory: WEU, SEU. No United States direct-flight fit in the current inventory.

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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Tell us what excites you

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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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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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Slow Water, Fast City

Overview

Why you'll love this trip