Sichuan Opera & Hot Pot Dinner in Chengdu: Private Evening Tour

Cook your own hot pot, then watch performers balance fire on their heads

A private half-day tour in Chengdu combines a hot pot dinner and a 90-minute Sichuan Opera performance at Shufen Yayun Teahouse, with hotel pickup, drop-off and an English-speaking guide. The evening starts with hot pot—a social meal where you cook meats, vegetables and seafood in a simmering broth at your table—then moves to the opera, which features acrobatics, puppetry, dancing and two signature acts: Changing Faces (rapid onstage makeup switches) and Rolling Light (a performer balancing a flaming bowl while dancing). Children from age 3 are welcome.

Step-by-step itinerary

Sichuan Opera and Hot Pot Dinner

• Pick up from hotel
• Enjoy hot pot dinner
• Watch Sichuan Opera show
• Return to hotel

The Experience

The evening begins with pickup from your hotel and a drive to a local hot pot restaurant. Hot pot is a communal meal: a metal pot of stock—spicy or mild—sits at the center of your table, and you add whatever you want from the spread of meats, vegetables and seafood, cooking it in the broth as you eat. It's as much about the conversation with the people around you as it is about the food. You're eating with other guests, so the meal becomes a shared experience rather than a solo dinner.

After dinner, you head to Shufen Yayun Teahouse for the Sichuan Opera. The 90-minute show is a display of Sichuan performance traditions—acrobatics, music, lively dialogue, dancing, puppetry and acting drawn from Chinese classical novels and folk tales. The two acts the opera is known for are Changing Faces, where an actor switches between different damask masks at speed while performing other feats, and Rolling Light, in which a performer balances a bowl lit with fire on his head while jumping over benches and dancing with a fan. The sets and costumes are elaborate, and the humor and wit run through the whole performance.

Your guide speaks English throughout and handles the logistics—you don't arrange the restaurant, the tickets or the timing. After the show ends, you're driven back to your hotel.

What’s included

• Sichuan Opera admission at Shufen Yayun Teahouse.
• hot pot dinner with your choice of spicy or non-spicy broth and a spread of meats, vegetables and seafood.
• hotel pickup and drop-off.
• English-speaking guide for the full evening.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Samtour of Chengdu OTC Travel

Is this one for you?Hotel pickup means you don't need a car or directions to find the restaurant or teahouse—the guide handles the route and timing, so the evening flows without you arranging transport or navigating Chengdu on your own.

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Top questions

What exactly is hot pot and how does it work?

Hot pot is a Sichuan dish where a simmering metal pot of broth sits at the center of your table and you cook your own ingredients in it—meats, vegetables, seafood and more—choosing what goes in and when. It's designed as a social meal, so you eat and chat with the people around you while you cook.

What are the two famous acts in Sichuan Opera?

Changing Faces involves an actor switching between different damask masks onstage at high speed while performing other feats, and Rolling Light features a performer balancing a flaming bowl on his head while dancing and jumping over benches.

How long is the Sichuan Opera performance?

The opera runs for 90 minutes and includes acrobatics, puppetry, dancing, music and acting based on Chinese classical stories and folk tales.

Is hotel pickup included, and what time does the evening start?

Hotel pickup and drop-off are included in the tour price. The tour is a half-day evening experience; your guide will arrange the specific pickup time based on your hotel location.

Can children attend this tour?

Children from age 3 are welcome. Infants can ride in a pram or stroller, and infants must sit on an adult's lap during the opera performance.

What language does the guide speak?

Your guide speaks English and will accompany you through both the hot pot dinner and the opera performance.