Touch down in Shanghai, gateway to your Jiangnan culinary journey. After check-in, take your time to unwind - this is just the beginning of a journey steeped in flavor and elegance.

Start with a riverside walk along the Bund, where colonial facades frame views of a glittering skyline. In nearby Fuxing Park, locals waltz, sip tea, or play cards beneath plane trees - a slice of slow Shanghai life. By midmorning, the old town beckons: its stone lanes echo with sizzles and steam as vendors craft golden-bottomed buns and delicate dumplings. End the day above it all, watching twilight settle over the city from the Shanghai Tower.

Step into a cozy kitchen and, under the guidance of a local chef, try your hand at crafting your favorite Shanghainese dishes or dim sum. Choose what delights you most - be it savory or sweet - and learn the delicate techniques behind each fold, stir, or steam. After enjoying the fruits of your labor, leave behind the urban buzz and journey to Suzhou, where stone bridges span quiet canals and life moves to a more graceful rhythm.

Morning light filters through bamboo groves and over the lotus ponds of Suzhou's classical gardens. At the Humble Administrator's Garden, follow winding paths past stone bridges and quiet pavilions; in the more intimate Master-of-Nets Garden, discover a world of balance and beauty. Over tea, listen to Suzhou Pingtan - its soft storytelling tones blending perfectly with the mood. Lunch is a tribute to Su-style finesse: delicate flavors, artful presentation, and a lingering grace.

In the morning, set out for Tongli, a centuries-old water town just 30 kilometers from Suzhou. Enter a slower world where cobbled lanes weave past weathered stone bridges and timeworn residences with latticed windows. Glide along narrow canals in a hand-rowed wooden skiff, the water gently rippling beneath you as willows dip low and sunlight flickers through their leaves. The ride is unhurried, peaceful - like drifting through a living painting. Come noon, settle into a traditional courtyard for lunch, where each dish draws on the rhythms of the season, offering subtle flavors that echo the nearby fields, streams, and kitchens of old Jiangnan.

Take a morning high-speed train to Hangzhou (approximately 1.5 hours), where misty hills and shimmering waters welcome you. For lunch, dine at the storied Louwailou Restaurant, perched beside the lake and known for its refined Hangzhou flavors. Afterward, wander across the famed Broken Bridge, where willows sway gently over the water and legends seem to linger in the breeze. The lake's surface mirrors pagodas and distant peaks, offering a serene pause in the heart of the city.

Soft morning mist veils the forested hills as you explore Lingyin Temple, one of China's most sacred Buddhist sanctuaries. The scent of incense drifts through ancient halls, and stone carvings of celestial beings emerge from moss-covered cliffs, adding a timeless stillness to the scene.

Later, continue to Meijiawu Tea Village, where rows of tea bushes ripple over the slopes like waves of green silk. Under the guidance of local tea farmers, try your hand at plucking tender leaves, watch the graceful choreography of traditional hand-roasting, and unwind with a cup of freshly brewed Longjing tea in a quiet farmhouse nestled among the hills.

Enjoy a leisurely morning before your transfer to the airport. Safe travels and may the memories of Jiangnan’s flavors and scenery linger long after your journey ends.