Shanghai, September 2nd

We welcome you to Shanghai from your country of departure: we arrange for a private pick-up for every traveller, greeting you in a gracious setting that will enable you to get the rest you need while sipping your first cup of tea in China.

It will be our first encounter with tea: it is time to just sip, and get ready for the next morning trip to Yixing.

Yixing, September 3rd

We leave in the morning from Shanghai heading south, towards Yixing and its precious clays. We visit local studios in the afternoon and make our first encounters with the artists and masters whose pieces are already owned by many of you.

The ancient ceramic production district is the vibrant heart of Yixing: artists, students, artisans and museums, with one of the liveliest food cultures on the East coast.

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Yixing, September 4th

We divide our time between the work of Yixing master Yuan Weixin and the historical landmarks of the area. Together with the masters Yuan Wexin and Lian Meiping, we discover - and touch - the different clays extracted in the famous mine No.4, right in front of their studio. We explore different shapes of teapots, and we follow them in their craft, to learn how a Yixing teapot is created.

During the day we visit several kilns, including a still active dragon kiln, observing all phases of the production process.

Yixing, September 5th

We start the day with a visit to the Yixing Museum, which features precious artifacts that chronicle the neighborhood's history across the ages and the Chinese dynasties that gave rise to clay culture.
Our guide is Lian Meiping, whose work was once hosted in the same museum.

In the afternoon it is time to put our ceramist skills to test: Yuan Weixin will guide us through the making of our own tea cup, following the traditional Yixing craft. We use his precious Benshan Lvni, the rare green clay, and the cup will be fired while our travel continues.

Wuyishan, September 6th

In the morning we will leave Yixing and take a train to northern Fujian, towards the long-awaited mountainous region of Wuyishan. In the late afternoon we will have a first broad taste of the surrounding landscape that frames our sunset, in a first overview of flavours, cultivars and colours.

Our guide in the "rock rhyme" is Pengbao, a farmer who owns a land in the core Zhengyan area right under the historically celebrated Yingzui 鹰嘴 peak, named after its resemblance to an eagle's beak.

Gallery: Wuyishan

Wuyishan, September 7th

Early in the morning we begin our journey among the rocks: thanks to Pengbao we have privileged access to the heart of Wuyi park. We cover all the most important areas, observing the cultivars, rock formations and having tea and lunch at two temples and a pagoda.

It is a day with a great variety of trees and different micro-environments: we will feel on our skin the variations in temperature and humidity, and we will have a complete horizontal tasting of the area's productions.

Tongmuguan, September 8th

We head towards the gorgeous peaks of the northwest, following the Jiuqu River upstream through canyons and waterfalls, to the ancient village of Tongumuguan where the origin of red tea is preserved.

In this breathtaking landscape surrounded by unspoiled nature, green bamboo and bees working on their flowers, we taste different cultivars of Zhengshan Xiaozhong, including a couple of samples smoked by master Wu Chongfa.

We visit the original production facility on the Jiuqu River and before leaving the mountain we taste an exceptional meal cooked with local raw materials and herbs.

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Jianyang, September 9th

In the morning we move in a south-east direction, towards the ancient Fujianese city of Jianyang, where Jianzhan pottery technique, today also popular in Japan with the name "Tenmoku", was crafted over 1,500 years ago, reaching its maximum popularity during the Song dynasty.

We visit a master's workshop, witness and understand the process of his craft. We will compare the original Song Dynasty cups with today's ones using an electronic enlarger, visit a dragon kiln, and try to glaze our own cups.
The meal is served in an old Fujianese courtyard.

In the afternoon we move to Fuzhou.

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Fuzhou, September 10th

Fuzhou is on the estuary of the Min River, historically famous for the production of flower tea: we visit a private studio featuring history and technique of flower teas, understanding the layers of culture behind these complex teas.

In the early afternoon we fly to Kunming, the capital of Yunnan, located at 2,100 meters above sea level between the tropical south and the Himalayan north.

We visit the local tea market for professionals, with multiple chances to review and enrich the leaf-based experiences we had during our travel. It is an important place to feel the contemporary tea-scene in Yunnan: here every notable company is represented, with the best of its production.

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Kunming, September 11th

We meet Li Haibo and Li Jiajia, the teachers who teache gongfucha practise and ceremony: we study technique and movements to brew Chinese teas properly, preparing some leaves from his impressive collections. 

After lunch with private cook, our tea practice will become richer and richer, including different spheres of our senses: in the morning we will study the history of the Tang-dynasty tea cakes, and we will learn how to produce our own with special tools, materials, and colours.

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Kunming, September 12th

We start our day learning with Lihaibo master and top teacher, for an in-depth seminar on Yixing clay; he will prepare several teas using different Yixing pieces from his collection, studying their history and most important shapes 

In the afternoon we study the history of incense through the Chinese dynasties, guided by one of the most prominent schools, and we learn how to prepare and fire our own traditional incense.

Kunming - Xishuangbanna, September 13th

In the morning we visit the main Kunming market, that is one with the biggest variety of food in China: we indulge in the stalls and we try as much food as possible, preparing ourself to head south.

In the afternoon we head towards the ancient Dai kingdom of Xishuangbanna, where most of the premium pu'er tea is produced and enjoyed.
We have been producing our teas here since 2014 and we will be honored to host you in the land we love so much.

Nannuo, September 14th

In the morning we plan a 10 Km walk to explore the height of Nannuo and reach its Bama side, the most prestigious and isolated; note: for whoever feels uncomfortable with the hike, most of the walk can be supported by SUV.

We will explore different tea-gardens and forests, cultivars and species, and we will picnic on the mountain.It is a unique chance to be immersed into the tea mountain, participating to its daily life and fragrances, step by step. 

Galleries: Nannuo mtn.

Menghai, September 15th

Menghai is the center of the most renowned - and busiest - area for the production of pu'er tea: it is surrounded by the Bulang area with Laobanzhang and Laoman'e, Pasha, Nannuo, Naka and many others, and brings together all the best professionals and factories. We visit a pu'er tea refining workshop and explore the local economy while dedicating our day to sampling the greatest teas.

In the afternoon we go to the outskirts of Jinghong, north of the Mekong River, to visit the traditional pottery workshop of Ms. Zhang Laoshi. She fully represents her Dai ethnic ceramic tradition by working with three different kilns: gas, wood and dragon kiln, and teaching to classes of students every year.

Galleries: Menghai, Zhang Laoshi

Bulang, September 16th

In the morning we head to Laoman’e village, the most historical and cultural village of the area, with a lively ancient temple that is the old keeper of the local culture and pu’er tea.

After lunch we climb the most famous mountain in the area, a symbol of the skyrocketing prices of pu'er tea: Laobanzhang, with its historic trees, evidence of ancient domestication, and the maximum security village that protects its treasure.
We also visit the neighbouring micro-valley of Hekai.

Galleries: Laobanzhang

Yiwu, Mengla, September 17th

We head southeast toward the border with Laos, with the Yiwu peaks as our destination. They are home to a diverse range of tastes, landscapes, and producers.

We visit two different tea villages and forests: Luoshuidong, with its remarkable trees, a sanctuary to its king, and the ancient road; and Mahei, an old Han culture village that determines what Yiwu means and taste.

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Yiwu, Mengla, September 18th

We wake up surrounded by the peaks and scents of Yiwu, and after a proper tea session we walk among the most historically significant homes and lanes, the square where pu'er tea was loaded and traded for generations, and the local museum, which is located at the first stop of the Ancient Tea Horse Road.We then head to one of the farthest villages, according to the weather and road conditions, that may be the prestigious Bohetang or Guafengzhai, surrounded by lush, green valleys.

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Xishuangbanna, September 19th

We wake up surrounded by the peaks and scents of Yiwu, and we head back to Xishuangbanna: it is the thousand-year old old capital of the Dai kingdom, and the Dai minority culture is still lively and spread until nowadays: we delve into the local fabrics, and we visit a Dai village.

We visit a lush tropical garden surrounded by forest, which houses the ceramic workshop of an innovative master we love: Qiu Laoshi and his creations. His work is deeply rooted in his territory: he uses only local sands and plant-based ashes for his glazes, and each of his production-season has a different hue.

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