I admit I did not see Kung Fu Panda, but when I read about the movie, I decided one of the themes of the film applied to our experience in Chengdu, China. The sacred scroll that Po received was was blank. Po's father explained that something becomes special because people think it is special.

Chengdu is known for it's panda refuge and breeding program. Because they resemble bears, people in the West sometimes call them panda bears; however, our guide, Rebecca ( most service workers pick Western names when dealing with the public - John was our first guide and Leo was our second guide) explained that pandas are their own breed.

We arrived early at the Panda Reserve in order to catch them at an active time before the heat of the day invited the pandas to sleep. The pandas are grouped by age - adults, 3 year olds, 2 year olds, 1 year, a few months, and a newborn nursery. I defy you to wander through the park and not want to take a panda or two home! The newborns aren't particularly cute, you might describe them as having a face only a mother could love. Even so, all the pandas, the more recognizable black and white, as well as the red pandas, more raccoon-like, were "special". Because this was a long holiday weekend, the popular Autumn Festival about to start, the park quickly swelled with Chinese tourists, apparently deeming the pandas extremely special, too.

After a delicious Sichuan lunch (yes, that translates as spicy, but not wildly so), we went to the Sanxingdui (Three Star Piles) Museum. In 1929 a farmer found some jade and the following dig around the area has produced a wealth of artifacts.

The next morning we drove about an hour to a Daoist temple, our guide for that experience a Daoist monk. The temple was beautiful, ornate, and clouds of prayer incense wafted through the air. The monk talked about yin and yang, Daoist art, and Daoist philosophy. Then, we experienced something very special, indeed. The monk took us to the private dormitory of these holy men and invited us into his room. He had an ancient Chinese instrument on which he played a Daoist song about drunken men. We saw beautiful water color landscapes of mountains and rivers on his walls, yes, painted by him. One of them won a national award. He had a small bed, warming plate for his tea (the tea ceremony is extremely important in Daoism), a microwave, lots of books, bottled water and a laptop.

Leaving the room we entered the courtyard and watched the monk perform some Tai Chi, so graceful and powerful. Was this special? Absolutely! Many people visit China, but very few enjoy the experience of participating in a monk's private life. This is one of many of the delights that Guy and Nancy, of Imperial Tours, include and is one of the things that sets them apart.

An aside: most tour companies include shopping stops at places they pick. The shop owners give the guides and the tour companies a kickback. Imperial Tours is the only company that does not participate in this charade. While they will glad offer names of shops and take you there AT YOUR REQUEST, you will never be "guided" to one that offers "very good price", "make good deal for you", or "we think this store is good, reputable."