Planning a China trip? Ask real travelers on our DiscordJoin →
Chengdu → Changsha

Hidden Alleys: Chengdu, Dong Villages & Changsha

Five days from Chengdu teahouses through China's largest Dong village to Changsha's food streets.

CultureEthnic cultureFood
5 days · 13 stops · ¥3,500–7,500 pp
Highlights
  • Wander Kuanzhai Alley and a Sui-dynasty temple, with an ear-cleaning, a Chengdu folk ritual.
  • Stay overnight in Zhaoxing, China's largest Dong village, under five drum towers.
  • End on Changsha's food streets: stinky tofu, spicy river shrimp and Orange Island.
Day 1

Land in Chengdu: temple and lantern-lit alleys

  1. Afternoon
    Wenshu MonasteryA well-preserved Tang-era Buddhist temple with a bell tower, gardens and old trees.Free · 08:00–17:00
  2. Evening
    Kuanzhai Alley at nightThree Qing-era lanes glowing with red lanterns, sugar hawthorns and rabbit-head snacks.Free · shops to 22:00
Day 2

Deep into the alleys, then south to the mountains

  1. Morning
    Teahouse breakfastSoy milk and youtiao, then watch locals play mahjong over morning tea.¥20–50 pp
  2. Afternoon
    Ear-cleaning, a Chengdu ritualA centuries-old folk service, 15 oddly soothing minutes of craft.¥50–150
  3. Evening
    Fly Chengdu → Guiyang, drive to LipingAn hour in the air, then a mountain road into Guizhou's Dong country.~1h flight + 3–4h drive
Day 3

Zhaoxing: a thousand years of Dong heritage

  1. Morning
    Drum towers & wind-rain bridgesFive clan drum towers built without a single nail, joined by covered bridges.¥80 incl. bonfire night
  2. Afternoon
    Terraced-paddy hikeCascading rice terraces above the village, greenest in May and June.
  3. Evening
    Dong stilt-house homestayA wooden stilt house, sour-soup fish dinner and a bonfire with locals.¥150–350/night
Day 4

Cross into Hunan: arrive in Changsha

  1. Afternoon
    Drive Liping → ChangshaFive hours of mountain highway across Guizhou into Hunan.~600 km · G60
  2. Evening
    Huangxing Road food streetStinky tofu, sweet rice cakes and spicy river shrimp on Changsha's busiest lane.¥50–150 pp
Day 5

Changsha highlights: academy and river island

  1. Morning
    Yuelu Mountain & AcademyOne of China's four great ancient academies, founded in 976, under forested slopes.Mountain free · academy ¥40
  2. Afternoon
    Orange IslandA long river island with the giant young-Mao statue and Xiang River views.Free · train ¥20
  3. Evening
    Xiang River night walkThe skyline lights up over the water, with Du Fu Pavilion aglow.

Want a trip like this?

InChina builds you a China route you can actually walk: the right train, the metro line, the words to say.

Plan this in the app →
All destinations →All journal →