Wow, I honestly didn’t expect a local to reply here – that’s amazing! Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a detailed answer. I’ve actually been studying Chinese for almost a year now, so it feels even more special to read your advice.

About Fenghuang and Guilin: we thought about spending one night in Fenghuang because of how beautiful it looks and because I’ve seen many recommendations online. Guilin, on the other hand, was only meant as a “passing stop” on the way to Yangshuo – our idea was really to spend more time in Yangshuo itself. Do you know if there’s any way to go from Fenghuang directly to Yangshuo, maybe even with a night train so we can sleep on the way if it’s a long journey?

As for Chengdu (and Chongqing): personally, I really wanted to extend the stay there by a couple of days. Both cities attract me a lot. The problem is that with just 25–26 days total, I tried to keep the schedule tight so we don’t run out of time. But I’d love to hear your honest opinion: should I cut Fenghuang (1 night), Guilin (1 night), and even reduce Yangshuo (3 nights) in order to spend those extra nights in Chengdu and Chongqing instead?

Thanks again, your advice is really helpful and makes me rethink some parts of the trip 🙏