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, what China sold the world came down to three things: tea, silk and porcelain — English even calls porcelain “china”. But most of us meet them in supermarket tea bags and shop windows. Over these two days we take you to the source. Day one is Hangzhou: walk into the tea hills of Longjing Village and pick tea with the growers, then follow the shore of West Lake at an easy pace. Day two is Jingdezhen, where porcelain has been fired 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 to the kiln. What you bring 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 whose origin you know
Every sip of Longjing after this will bring back that tea hill, and the one bud and one leaf you picked yourself.
A piece of porcelain that exists nowhere else
The shape you threw, the design you painted — once fired, it belongs to you alone. If you'd like it shipped home afterwards, we can arrange that separately.
An unhurried West Lake afternoon
No boat and no rushing between sights — just a slow walk along the shore of the lake poets have written about for more than a thousand years.
Two cities, done in one go
High-speed rail, private cars, hotel and entrance tickets are all arranged, so you cover Hangzhou and Jingdezhen in two days and just get on with making things.
Tea, silk, porcelain — one at a time, with your own hands
Beyond tea, silk and porcelain, an evening on Hefang Street lets you eat your way along these Hangzhou snacks.
Signature 
Pick tea in Longjing Village
Head up the tea hills with the growers and learn to take only the one bud and one leaf. Longjing is picked in spring, summer and autumn, so you don't have to come in spring.
See Hangzhou's silk
Hangzhou has been a capital of silk since ancient times. At the silk museum, see how a single strand of silkworm silk becomes sumptuous brocade and dragon robes.
Signature 
Throw a piece yourself
On the wheel, pull a lump of clay into a bowl or a cup. A teacher steadies your hands alongside — and if it comes out crooked, that's fine, that's your shape.
Signature 
Paint your own design
Paint blue-and-white decoration on a bisque piece, or write your name, or draw a cat. Once it's fired, it's one of a kind in the world.
Congbaogui
A thin crepe rolled around fried dough and spring onion, pressed crisp on a griddle, then brushed with sweet bean sauce — a street snack from around Hefang Street.
Dingsheng cake
A pink steamed rice-flour cake stamped with the characters “dingsheng”, meaning “certain victory”. Soft and lightly sweet.
Osmanthus West Lake lotus root powder
Lotus root starch whisked into a translucent bowlful and scattered with golden osmanthus. Warming and gently sweet.
Your itinerary
Timings below assume a Shanghai departure and are for reference; actual train times depend on the tickets issued. Departures from Zhejiang are adjusted to your starting point.
Day 1
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A private car collects you from your hotel and takes you to Shanghai Hongqiao Station, with your guide travelling alongside. The high-speed train reaches Hangzhou East Station in about 1 hour. Departures from Zhejiang are arranged around your starting point.
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Head up the tea hills with the growers to pick tea, then have lunch in the village — a meal with tea worked into the dishes.
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An afternoon strolling slowly along the lakeshore.
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Visit the silk museum to see Hangzhou silk, then eat Hangzhou snacks on the old street as dinner, and back to the hotel to rest around 19:30.
Day 2
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From Hangzhou West Station it's about 3 hours to Jingdezhen North Station, where you'll try a few local snacks on arrival (snacks, not a full meal).
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A teacher takes you through throwing and painting, and your work goes 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 returns 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 travelers, 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 on the high-speed rail
Departure Available from Shanghai or Zhejiang, with hotel pickup and drop-off; the timings shown assume a Shanghai departure
Accommodation Four-star hotel in Hangzhou, twin room; please ask us about the single-occupancy supplement
Group type Private tour, from 1 traveler (solo travelers, 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 area all require names registered to each traveler
Your porcelain Firing generally takes 2–4 weeks; talk to us separately about shipping if you'd like to bring it home
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
- Wheel-throwing and porcelain painting in Jingdezhen
- One night in a four-star Hangzhou hotel
- Tea meal, Hangzhou snacks, Jingdezhen snacks
- Guide throughout the two days
Not included
- Day two lunch and dinner
- Shipping your porcelain
- Single-occupancy supplement
- Personal expenses
- Gratuities
Buying a souvenir is not the same as making one
What you carry home means something completely different
- Where others take a boat and rush to the next sight, you walk the lakeshore at your own pace for an afternoon
- Where others drink one cup in a tea shop and get talked into a box, you head up into the tea hills of Longjing Village and pick your own
- Where others pick a mass-produced porcelain cup off a souvenir shelf, you go to Jingdezhen and throw and paint a piece yourself
- Where others decide Jingdezhen is too far and skip it, you bring home a piece of porcelain you made yourself
Take the porcelain you made by hand home
Tell us where you're starting from (Shanghai or Zhejiang), your dates and how many people are travelling, and we'll confirm the train tickets, hotel and workshop slots. English and Chinese guides as standard; other languages on request in advance.
Ask us- From $701 per person
- Departs Shanghai or Zhejiang
- Four-star Hangzhou hotel included
- From 1 traveler
Frequently asked questions
Can we take the porcelain we make in Jingdezhen home with us?
Your piece has to be fired, which generally takes two to four weeks, so you can't collect the finished work the same day. If you'd like the fired piece sent home, talk to us separately about shipping.
I've never done pottery. Will it turn out all right?
Yes. A teacher takes you through throwing and painting hand over hand, and if your first attempt comes out a little lopsided, that's exactly what makes it one of a kind.
Can we still pick tea in Longjing Village if it isn't spring?
Yes. Longjing is picked in spring, summer and autumn, so there are close to two hundred days a year when picking is possible.
Can we start from Zhejiang?
Yes. We depart from either Shanghai or Zhejiang and pick you up at your hotel; train times and departure times are rearranged around where you're starting from, and the times on this page assume a Shanghai departure.
Why does the price per person go down when more people come?
The private car, guide and local transport are arranged for the group as a whole, so the more people travelling together, the less each person pays. Five or more get the best per-person price.
What kind of hotel is it, and how is a solo room calculated?
A four-star hotel in Hangzhou, twin room. Staying alone means paying 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 languages need to be arranged in advance when you book.
What language does the guide speak?
English and Chinese-speaking guides are available by default. For guides in other languages such as German, French, Spanish, or Italian, please let us know in advance when booking.