Shanghai, May 11th

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, May 12th

We leave in the morning from Shanghai, heading south towards Yixing and its precious clays. Our first stop is the Huanglong Mountain Zisha Mineral Source Museum, an architectural project by Atelier XÜK built above the famous Mine No. 4, reflecting the rich colours of its surrounding ores.
Here we trace the geological and cultural origins of Yixing’s purple clay before immersing ourselves in the local studio scene, meeting the artists and masters whose teapots already grace many of your collections.

The ancient ceramic district remains the vibrant heart of Yixing, alive with artists, students, and artisans, and surrounded by one of the liveliest food cultures on China’s East Coast.

Gallery: Yixing

Yixing, May 13th

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 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.

Gallery: Yixing

Yixing, May 14th

In the morning we visit the Yixing museum, which tells the history of the neighborhood through the centuries, with priceless pieces and the origin of clay through the Chinese dynasties.
Our guide is Lian Meiping, whose work was once hosted in the same museum - a rare opportunity to hear first-hand reflections on tradition and innovation in Yixing ceramics.

Later, we move from history to practice with Master Yuan Weixin, who will guide us through the making of a cup in Yixing clay. Under his direction, we experience the tactile rhythm of shaping, smoothing, and refining the clay, gaining a deeper understanding of the material’s life and the quiet precision behind every teapot and vessel.

Gallery: Yixing

Yixing to Wuyishan, May 15th

In the afternoon we 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, May 16th

Early in the morning we begin our journey through the iconic rock formations of Wuyi Park. Thanks to Pengbao, we enjoy privileged access to the heart of the park, exploring its most important areas while observing the local tea cultivars and micro-environments.

Throughout the day, we taste and learn about the teas directly on site, with tea sessions and lunch held at two temples and a pagoda, experiencing the connection between landscape, climate, and flavour. In a hands-on session guided by Pengbao, we also participate in tea-making, learning the techniques that bring Wuyishan’s rock teas to life.

This day offers a remarkable variety of trees and environments: we feel on our skin the subtle variations in temperature and humidity, and complete a horizontal tasting of the area’s productions.

Gallery: Wuyishan

Tongmuguan, May 17th

We head towards the stunning peaks of the northwest, following the Jiuqu River upstream through canyons and waterfalls to the ancient village of Tongmuguan, where the origins of red tea are preserved. Arriving during the harvest season, we witness the local tea picking and processing firsthand, gaining insight into the rhythms and techniques that shape the region’s celebrated teas.

In this breathtaking landscape of green bamboo and unspoiled nature, buzzing with bees at work, we taste different cultivars of Zhengshan Xiaozhong, including samples smoked by Master Wu Chongfa. We also visit the original production facility along the Jiuqu River and enjoy an exceptional meal prepared with local raw materials and herbs before descending from the mountain.

In the evening, we attend the theatre show Impressions Wuyishan by Zhang Yimou, an extraordinary artistic performance that brings the mountains, rivers, and tea culture of Wuyishan to life.

Gallery: Tongmuguan

Jianyang, May 18th

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, and afterwards we move to Fuzhou for the night.

Gallery: Jianzhang

Fuzhou to Kunming, May 19th

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 cross southern China from east to west, moving from the East China Sea to the heights of Yunnan, from the hot humid climate of Fujian to the freshness of Spring City, the capital of pu'er tea, where 25 cultural groups still live and thrive.

We meet Li Haibo, master and top teacher, for an in-depth seminar on the gongfucha practise and ceremony: we study technique and movements to brew properly Chinese teas, preparing some leaves from his impressive collections.

Gallery: Kunming

Kunming, May 20th

We spend the day at a renowned incense school and workshop in Kunming, home to an extraordinary private collection of agarwood from across Asia, along with rare woods and natural raw materials used in traditional incense making.

Through guided sessions, we explore the theory, history, and practice of incense—from its spiritual and medicinal roots to the refined aesthetics of blending and heating. We also connect incense and tea, two arts that evolved side by side: both follow principles of balance and harmony and meet in moments of shared contemplation. We experience their union through blends that pair fine teas with delicate incense compositions, awakening the senses to their mutual resonance.

Lunch and dinner are enjoyed in the heart of Kunming, tasting local dishes that reflect the city’s rich and diverse Yunnanese food culture, where mountain herbs, flowers, and spices meet centuries of culinary tradition.

Gallery: Kunming

Kunming to Xishuangbanna, May 21st

In the morning we head south towards Xishuangbanna, the heart of the ancient Dai kingdom and one of China’s most biodiverse regions, where premium pu’er tea is both produced and celebrated. The landscape, a mosaic of subtropical forests, sets the stage for a deep immersion into tea culture.

After checking in, we enjoy a quiet lunch before dedicating the afternoon to exploring the region’s unique teas. Xishuangbanna is the cradle of pu’er, home to towering ancient trees, flourishing small gardens, and plantations producing rare aged white teas. We also study the evolving Dianhong red teas, gaining insight into their cultivation, processing, and tasting notes under the guidance of local experts. This hands-on experience allows us to understand not only the flavour but the culture, history, and environment that shape every leaf.

Gallery: Xishuangbanna

Nannuo forest, May 22nd

Nannuo mountain has a thousand-year history with tea, and due to its wilder history has an incomparable richness of tea forests: our travel into pu’er starts from here, walking to pay homage to the oldest 800-year-old tree, which is considered the king of Nannuo mountain, and whose location and story are so meaningful for our travel into pu’er tea.

After a typical Hani culture lunch in the mountain, with locally grown raw material, herbs, and spices, we visit an abandoned factory from the late '30s and we then head back to Xishuangbanna for an incense workshop and seminar: we go through 2000 years of fragrant history, actively studying the most important components, benefits, and interaction of different agarwood with different teas.

Gallery: Nannuo mountain