The 15 Best Cooking Classes in China, Dumplings to Hotpot

1.Half-Day Chengdu Cooking Class with a Local Market Visit

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 465 reviews · from $90Our pick

Meet in Chengdu’s Jinniu District for a guided walk through Liangjiaxiang market with English-speaking hosts such as Lance or Jerry. Learn about Sichuan spices, taste local snacks, then cook several dishes with a chef at Chilli Cool’s Kitchen. Ingredients, drinks, recipes, and your meal are included.

“This was truly one of the best tours I've ever been on my whole life! Firstly, Im a solo traveler and sometimes finding tours for just one person can be a little difficult because most companies need at least two people for to be financially feasiblRead more”

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2.Great Tang Dynasty Night Show & Dumpling Meal Option

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 177 reviews · 1.5 - 3 hours · from $34Best value

Spend an evening with the courtly music, costumes, dancers, and stories of Tang-era Chang’an. Choose show-only, dumpling dinner, transfer, or combined options. English and Chinese screen text helps you follow the performance. Hotel pickup may be available within central Xi’an, but this is mainly a theater experience, not a guided tour.

“Very watchable show, managed to engage the attention of both my children, aged two and seven, for the entire hour. A must see. We also opted for the dinner, and think the whole set is excellent value for money. Strongly recommend the whole experience.”

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3.Organic Chinese Dumpling Class with Market Walk

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 88 reviews · from $100

Meet host Feliz at Jordan MTR Station for a market walk, then prepare dumpling filling and wrappers in a café kitchen. You will make 10 dumplings each, with organic pork, vegetarian, and vegan options available by request. The small-group class begins at 6 pm and ends back at the meeting point.

“This was a fun and interactive excursion with Feliz to the markets and then to the restaurant to make our Dumplings from scratch. They were delicious! Feliz was wonderful and very knowledgeable!”

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4.Xi’an Tang Dynasty Show Ticket Optional Dumplings or Royal Dinner

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 75 reviews · from $37

Spend an evening with Tang Dynasty music, dance, elaborate costumes, lights, and a live Chinese orchestra in Xi’an. Choose a show-only ticket, a dumpling banquet, or a royal dinner. The performance runs about an hour, with English story screens to help you follow the action. Arrive early, especially if you are eating before the 7:30 p.m. show.

“A wonderful experience and a great show that took us for an hour at the heart of the Tang dynasty. Music, dancers, organisers, hosts, venue, everything was top. We booked the show + dumpling dinner and the food was great and plentiful. If you'll be in Xi'an, book this show, it's a must!”

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5.Dumpling Making Workshop with Meal and Tea

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 69 reviews · 3 hours · from $35

Meet your English-speaking guide at the hotel lobby at 16:30, then learn to roll wrappers, fill, and shape dumplings before eating them with tea, beer, and other Chinese dishes. Guides such as Jenny, Janine, Eric, and Heyang lead the sessions, though names vary. Expect a relaxed class, communal table, and plenty of food.

“Such a fun evening! The hosts were lovely and went out of their way to make it an enjoyable evening. Delicious food and tea. Really nice to make a share a meal together.”

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6.Organic Xiao Long Bao Soup Dumpling Class & Market Walk

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 62 reviews · from $136

Meet Feliz Yau at Jordan MTR Station for a market walk, then make Shanghai-style Xiao Long Bao in a nearby kitchen café. You’ll prepare the dough, filling, and pleats from scratch, using organic pork or a vegan alternative. Each person makes and eats 10 dumplings in this small-group, three-hour class.

“Feliz was a great hostess and teacher. The market tour was a good touch to see a real market in action. It was a short walk and you cannot buy anything (at least we didn't). She bought the meat and told us about what we were seeing. It was nice to eat or own cooking.”

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7.Lijiang Naxi Cuisine Cooking Class & Market Visit

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 48 reviews · from $59

Meet at 9:15 am near Lijiang’s Xiangshan Market, explore the city’s largest Naxi market with local guide Fancy, then cook and eat three dishes at a family-run studio. The small group has fewer than 10 people, with snacks, drinks, lunch, tea, and an individual cooking station included.

“1 million miles travelling the world to all sorts of places and i can tell you tourists and fellow viators this is worth every penny. Fancy is an amazing woman with an amazing bakery. She is doing this out of passion and it is one of the highlightRead more”

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8.Half-Day Xi’an Biang Biang Noodles Cooking with a Market Visit

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 48 reviews · from $75

Meet your guide at Sa Jin Qiao for a small-group walk through Xi’an’s Muslim Quarter spice market, then learn biang biang noodle techniques in a traditional Chinese chef’s home. Guides such as Fiona, Lily, Michael, and Bruce lead sessions in English. Ingredients, recipes, tea, beer, water, and the finished meal are included.

“Anyone interested in cooking and looking to up their noodle game MUST book this class. The host is incredibly fun, inviting, and kind. I would happily do another experience with her in the future. We started our day with a tour of the marRead more”

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9.Cooking Dumpling & Meal in Local Family-w/Vegan

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 36 reviews · 3.5 hours · from $82

Join Bonnie and her mother in a Shanghai home for a 3.5-hour dumpling class limited to six people. You will make dough, wrappers, and fillings from scratch, then share dumplings and local dishes such as tofu, lotus root, mushrooms, and seasonal vegetables. Tea, snacks, drinks, vegan options, and Shanghai travel advice are included.

“Bonnie was extremely nice and taught us well. It was a very cozy atmosphere and we had a great experience. We got to try different chinese foods in addition to the dumplings we made.”

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10.Skip the Line: Xi’an Tang Dynasty Show Ticket & Dumpling Dinner or Royal Banquet

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 28 reviews · from $37

Spend an evening at Xi’an’s Tang Dynasty Palace, where live music, folk dance, costumes, and ancient court traditions tell a dramatic story. Add a dumpling dinner or choose the Royal Banquet option if offered. The show begins at 7:30 pm, with dinner served from 6 pm. You arrange your own transport to 75 North Chang’an Road.

“The show was unique and tell the story of the life of how dowager was recruited as a concubine rising to a dowager. The setup for main dinner was good but only food was average. I order separately and the deserts n half chicken were more Read more”

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13.China’s Favourite Street Food Cooking Workshop

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 16 reviews · from $80

At 10 Shi Que Hutong in central Beijing, Dom from Our Beijing introduces you to jian bing, explains its street-food roots, then helps you mix batter, cook your own pancakes, and choose fillings. This private 90-minute class suits families, friends, and anyone who wants a tasty Beijing skill to take home.

“Such a fun workshop. Dom explained the history of Jian Bings with an entertaining story, then the technique of making them and was there to help when needed. There was a plentiful assortment of fillings to use, from traditional savoury to sweet chocolate and banana. Read more”

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14.Private Home Cooking Class with Shanghai Mama

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 14 reviews · from $199

Meet your private guide at 10:00 am or 4:00 pm for a market visit, local snack tasting, and hands-on cooking class in a Shanghai Mama’s home. Guides such as FeiFei, her mother, and Penny bring food and family life into the lesson. Hotel pickup, private transport, bottled water, snacks, and a meal are included.

“Wonderful experience, delightful guides. Very friendly, pleasant and knowledgeable about food (at market & during cooking) and China in general. Food market had interesting selection, some very good, others a little much for those not Read more”

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15.4-Hour Private Beijing Hutong Bike Tour with Dumpling Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 13 reviews · from $199

Meet Sunflower Tours China at your hotel for a four-hour private ride through Beijing’s hutongs. You’ll cycle around Houhai, Yandai Xie Street, Nanluoguxiang, and Mao’er Hutong, watch the Drum Tower show, eat dumplings, and return by private car. Bring WeChat for a Mobike rental.

“Our Beijing hutong bike tour with sunflower was fantastic. Sunflower was very responsive throughout the booking process and happy to help us personalize our bike tour to meet all of our requested stops. I scheduled a private group toRead more”

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