Pedri's China Tour: From the Great Wall to the Bund
Days after winning the 2026 World Cup with Spain, Barcelona's midfield maestro spun a diabolo at the Temple of Heaven, juggled on the Great Wall, kicked off a 32,000-fan derby, and greeted Shanghai in Shanghainese. Here's his week — and how to retrace it.
The Mutianyu Great Wall — where Pedri declared himself a "true man" (好汉)
Route
Beijing (Temple of Heaven, Mutianyu Great Wall) → Suzhou (Su Chao Taihu Derby) → Shanghai (Huaihai Road, Lujiazui, the Bund)
Dates
July 23-28, 2026 — one week, three cities, on an Adidas-sponsored tour
The Context
23-year-old World Cup champion; 62nd-minute substitute in the final, created 4 chances
The Complete Tour (6 Key Moments)
天坛抖空竹
🎯 The Moment: A World Cup champion 'apprenticed' himself to a Beijing diabolo master
Fresh off lifting the 2026 World Cup with Spain, Pedri began his first-ever China tour at the Temple of Heaven — the 600-year-old complex where Ming and Qing emperors prayed for good harvests. After posing with his family in front of the iconic Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, he sought out a local Beijing master to learn diabolo (空竹), the spinning-top juggling art listed as Chinese intangible cultural heritage. Famous football commentator Zhan Jun tagged along and delivered a live 'match commentary' of Pedri's diabolo attempts — a clip that quickly went viral on Weibo and Douyin.
Cultural Context
Diabolo (抖空竹) has been a Beijing street pastime for over a thousand years. The bamboo top hums as it spins — old Beijingers say its sound is the voice of the city's hutongs. It was inscribed on China's national intangible cultural heritage list in 2006. The Temple of Heaven park is one of the best places in Beijing to watch local masters practice every morning.
Traveler Tips
- •Arrive at the Temple of Heaven before 8 AM to see locals practicing diabolo, tai chi, and sword dance
- •The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests is the most photographed building — shoot from the south steps
- •Combine with a Tai Chi class in the park for the full morning-culture experience
- •Buy the through-ticket (联票) — it covers the Hall of Prayer, Echo Wall, and Circular Mound Altar
长城秀球技
🎯 The Moment: 'They say you're not a true man until you've been to the Great Wall — well, now I am one.'
That same afternoon, Pedri headed to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall, wearing the little red cap of the '2026 Pedri China Tour'. On the ancient watchtowers he couldn't resist showing off his signature freestyle — juggling the ball on stone ramparts that have stood for over 600 years — and tried a few moves with the martial arts performers performing there. His verdict, delivered with a grin: 'I heard you're only a true man (好汉) once you've climbed the Great Wall — so now I am one.'
Cultural Context
The famous line comes from a Mao Zedong poem: 不到长城非好汉 — 'He who has never been to the Great Wall is not a true man.' Mutianyu, about 70 km northeast of downtown Beijing, is the best-preserved Ming Dynasty section and far less crowded than Badaling. Its 23 watchtowers were built in 1368 on foundations dating back to the 6th century.
Traveler Tips
- •Choose Mutianyu over Badaling — fewer crowds and a toboggan ride down the mountain
- •Take the cable car up to Tower 14, walk to Tower 20 (the steepest), then toboggan down from Tower 6
- •Late afternoon visits mean golden light and most tour buses already gone
- •Summer is hot on the Wall — bring water, a hat, and sunscreen like Pedri's red cap
Want the same photo? Book a Mutianyu Great Wall day tour with hotel pickup and the toboggan ride.
Great Wall Tours苏超太湖德比开球
🎯 The Moment: Nearly 32,000 fans packed the stadium for Suzhou vs Wuxi — and Pedri kicked it all off
Suzhou was the centerpiece of the whole tour. Pedri appeared as the guest of honor at the Jiangsu City Football League — the 'Su Chao' (苏超), China's grassroots football phenomenon — for the Suzhou vs Wuxi 'Taihu Derby' (太湖德比). In front of nearly 32,000 roaring fans, the World Cup winner performed the ceremonial kickoff, traded passes with local players, and gamely tried out phrases in the Suzhou dialect. For one night, a €150 million Barcelona midfielder was just another kid who loves football.
Cultural Context
The Su Chao became China's most talked-about sporting story: an amateur city league where rivalries between Jiangsu's thirteen cities drew crowds bigger than most professional leagues. The Taihu Derby pits Suzhou against Wuxi — two ancient canal cities on Lake Tai separated by barely 40 km, whose football rivalry is now national legend.
Traveler Tips
- •Su Chao matches run on summer weekends — tickets are cheap but sell out fast on local apps
- •Suzhou is 25 minutes from Shanghai by high-speed train — an easy day trip
- •Pair the football with Suzhou's classical gardens, a UNESCO World Heritage site
- •Try Suzhou-style noodles (枫镇大肉面) near the stadium for the full local experience
校园足球互动
🎯 The Moment: Meeting the high-school finalists of China's national campus football league
On day two in Suzhou, Pedri attended the national finals of China's 2025-26 campus football league (high school division) — the top of a four-tier system that reaches millions of school players. He trained with the young finalists, signed shirts and boots, and told them the story his own career proves: he was rejected by Real Madrid's academy as a teenager before Las Palmas and then Barcelona took a chance on him. For Chinese school footballers, meeting a Ballon d'Or candidate their own generation idolizes was the thrill of a lifetime.
Cultural Context
China's campus football program, launched in 2015, is one of the largest youth sports systems in the world, with tens of thousands of 'football-featured schools'. The four-tier league — school, county, city, province — culminates in national finals each summer. Chinese fans watched the 2026 World Cup in huge numbers, and Spain's young champions are the new idols of China's Gen Z.
Traveler Tips
- •Suzhou's Olympic Sports Centre hosts major matches and is metro-accessible
- •The surrounding Jinji Lake area is Suzhou's modern waterfront — great for evening walks
- •Visit Pingjiang Road's canals for the classic contrast to the stadium's modern skyline
- •Suzhou Museum (designed by I.M. Pei) is free but requires advance reservation
打卡魔都
🎯 The Moment: 'Whose billboard is this? Oh — it's mine.'
Pedri landed in Shanghai announcing '落地沪签' (touchdown in Hu, Shanghai's nickname) and went straight to Huaihai Road — to take a selfie in front of the giant Adidas billboard featuring himself. Then it was on to Lujiazui, where he was photographed in front of the Oriental Pearl Tower and the famous 'three-piece set' of supertall towers, holding a cup of Mixue Bingcheng, China's beloved budget tea brand. The combination of a World Cup trophy and a ¥6 lemonade was, fans agreed, extremely on-brand for the down-to-earth 23-year-old.
Cultural Context
Mixue Bingcheng is the world's largest beverage chain by store count (45,000+ outlets), famous for its snowman mascot and drinks costing under a dollar. Lujiazui's 'three-piece set' (三件套) is local slang for the Shanghai Tower, World Financial Center, and Jin Mao Tower — the trio that defines the Pudong skyline across the river from the Bund.
Traveler Tips
- •Huaihai Road is Shanghai's premier shopping street — best explored on foot in the evening
- •The classic skyline photo spot is the riverside promenade at the Bund, facing Lujiazui
- •A cup of Mixue Bingcheng lemonade costs about ¥4-6 — find one on nearly every commercial street
- •For the best view, cross to the North Bund or the White Magnolia Plaza observation deck
侬好上海
🎯 The Moment: Greeting fans in Shanghainese from the White Magnolia Plaza observation deck
From the White Magnolia Plaza observation deck above the Bund, Pedri delivered the line Shanghai had been waiting for: '侬好上海' — 'Hello, Shanghai' in perfect Shanghainese. At the fan meeting held at the Museum of Art Pudong, he was joined by Chinese international Zhang Yuning, who praised his World Cup final cameo (on at 62 minutes, four chances created) as 'flawless'. Shanghai Port midfielder Kuai Jiwen walked away with a signed Spain jersey. It was the last stop of a week that took a 23-year-old from Tegueste, Tenerife's most famous son, from the Great Wall to the Bund.
Cultural Context
Shanghainese (上海话) is a Wu Chinese dialect quite different from Mandarin — 'nong hao' (侬好) instead of 'ni hao' (你好). Locals genuinely light up when foreigners attempt it. The Bund's historic waterfront faces Pudong's skyscrapers across the Huangpu River, making it the single most iconic view in China — and the traditional final photo stop of any China visit.
Traveler Tips
- •The Museum of Art Pudong sits riverside in Lujiazui — its rooftop terrace has superb Bund views
- •White Magnolia Plaza's observation deck on the North Bund is less crowded than the main Bund
- •The Bund is floodlit until 11 PM — come after dark for the full neon panorama
- •Huangpu River night cruises depart from Shiliupu Wharf, a 15-minute walk south along the Bund
See the Bund and Lujiazui skyline Pedri saw — take a Huangpu River night cruise after dark.
River Cruise TicketsBook Pedri's Route Yourself
Mutianyu Great Wall Tours
Private & small-group day tours from Beijing with transport · on Viator
Beijing Tours & Tickets
Temple of Heaven, Forbidden City & more · free cancellation on GetYourGuide
Suzhou Day Tours
Classical gardens, canals & Pingjiang Road · instant confirmation on Klook
Shanghai Bund Night Tours
River cruises & skyline walking tours · on Viator
Shanghai Experiences
Food tours, Yu Garden & Huangpu cruises · on GetYourGuide
Shanghai Hotels
Stay near the Bund for skyline views · on Booking.com
Some links on this page are affiliate links — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Pedri traveled to China on an Adidas-sponsored tour from July 23-28, 2026, shortly after winning the 2026 World Cup with Spain. The tour covered three cities — Beijing, Suzhou, and Shanghai — mixing cultural experiences (Temple of Heaven, Great Wall), football events (the Su Chao Taihu Derby and the national campus football finals), and fan meetings.
Three cities over one week: Beijing (July 24 — Temple of Heaven and the Mutianyu Great Wall), Suzhou (July 25-26 — the Su Chao Suzhou vs Wuxi 'Taihu Derby' and the national campus football league finals), and Shanghai (July 27-28 — Huaihai Road, Lujiazui, the Bund, and a fan meeting at the Museum of Art Pudong).
The Su Chao (苏超) is the Jiangsu City Football League, China's viral grassroots football competition where the province's thirteen cities compete. Despite being amateur, its city-derby atmosphere draws enormous crowds — the Suzhou vs Wuxi Taihu Derby that Pedri kicked off had nearly 32,000 spectators.
Yes — Mutianyu is open year-round and is the most visitor-friendly Great Wall section near Beijing. Take the cable car or chairlift up, walk between the watchtowers, and ride the toboggan back down. It is about 1.5 hours from downtown Beijing. Booking a private day tour with transport is the easiest option for foreign visitors; see the booking links on this page.
Yes. Standing on the Mutianyu Great Wall, Pedri said: 'I heard you're only a true man (好汉) once you've been to the Great Wall — so now I am one,' referencing Mao Zedong's famous line 不到长城非好汉. He was wearing the red '2026 Pedri China Tour' cap and juggling a football on the ramparts at the time.
In Shanghai Pedri took a selfie with his own giant Adidas billboard on Huaihai Road, drank Mixue Bingcheng in front of the Oriental Pearl Tower, greeted fans in Shanghainese ('Nong hao, Shanghai') from the White Magnolia Plaza observation deck on the Bund, and held a fan meeting at the Museum of Art Pudong attended by Chinese internationals Zhang Yuning and Kuai Jiwen.
Related Experiences on Pedri's Route
Mutianyu Great Wall Private Day Tour
Temple of Heaven Tai Chi Class
Shanghai Bund Architecture Walking Tour
Shanghai Classic City Walk: Bund & Yu Garden
Suzhou Classical Garden Architecture Tour
Suzhou Silk Culture Experience
Walk the Wall Like Pedri
Cable car up, watchtower walk, toboggan down — the Mutianyu Great Wall is the single most rewarding day trip from Beijing. 不到长城非好汉.
Do You Need a Visa for China?
Spanish passport holders — like Pedri — enjoy 30-day visa-free entry. Many other nationalities do too. Check yours before booking.