A trip to Chengdu, China will be auctioned off at the 2015 HeartLink Gala on September 19. This is a wonderful opportunity to see your Children’s HeartLink gift at work while also visiting the charming capital of Sichuan province in southwestern China. Chengdu has been named China’s most livable city and is home to world-famous Sichuan cuisine and the endangered giant panda, as well as many local attractions.

Children’s HeartLink staff will accompany you on this five-day trip in May 2016 that includes accommodations, airfare and some meals for two people.

Watch this short, beautifully filmed New York Times video, 36 Hours in Chengdu, to get a feel for the sights, sounds and flavors of the city. “In high-tech Chengdu, the old way of life persists, with graceful teahouses, serene parks and a lively Tibetan quarter.”

What can you expect to do in Chengdu? Here are just a few highlights:

• You will meet a young heart patient and his or her family. Watch this 60-second video from a recent training visit to our partner site in Chengdu to get a sense of what that will be like. 

• You will meet our gala Guest of Honor Dr. An Qi and his medical team at West China Hospital. You will see the Chengdu team working alongside their training partner, the medical volunteer team from The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto.

• Chengdu was recently designated “the capital of culinary delicacies.” You will visit a teahouse and eat spicy Sichuan cuisine, including the local delicacy sweet water noodles.

• You will tour the Giant Panda Breeding Research Base, the world’s only museum that focuses entirely on the critically endangered giant panda.

Two years ago John and JoAnn Hillen traveled to Vietnam with Children’s HeartLink after winning the trip in the gala live auction. “It was one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done in my life,” says John.

“Seeing Children’s HeartLink’s work up close, and its approach of training one person who can then go on and help hundreds of other little babies, was truly impressive,” adds JoAnn. “John and I have traveled a lot over the years, and we’ve been to a lot of different countries, but this was really a trip for us that stood out. We will always remember it, because we really felt like we were part of something special.”