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Beijing
3 Day Pre-tour Extension -
Our adventure begins in the capital city of Beijing, China's political and
cultural heart for over 800 years. The bustling metropolis incorporates
historical sights and relics along side modern architecture and
conveniences. After being met by our guides we transfer to our hotel and
rest from the flight.
Day 1 - Our first day begins with a
short orientation and welcome then we board our private coach and depart for
China's most notable landmark, the Great Wall.
After lunch we visit the Summer Palace, retreat
of the Qing Dynasty rulers. We stop for a guided tour through a
jade carving factory and shops before enjoying
our dinner at the Beijing Duck restaurant. Our
evening is topped when we take in the amazing performances at the
Spectacular Martial Arts stage show.
Day 2 - After
breakfast we take a walk through a Hu Tong, the
traditional Beijing-style home, now being razed to make way for modern
buildings. Before lunch we wander around the largest square in the world,
Tian An Men. Crossing under the busy Chang An
Ave., Beijing's main street, we arrive at the remarkable
Forbidden City, lavish residence of the
Emperors of three dynasties. At the Cloisonne factory
we'll have a chance to see the colorful art-craft being made. After dinner
we take a stroll along Wang Fu Jing, Beijing's
Rodeo Dr., and taste our way across the country at the lively food stalls.
Day 3 - This
morning we visit a tea supermarket. Shop after
shop of wonderful teas and treasures await. Next, we go to school and lean
some useful Chinese words and phrases at the Beijing
Language Institute. We'll also get a chance to learn some
calligraphy through practicing the character
for tea (cha). The rest of the afternoon you are free to explore or rest up
before our official welcome banquet followed by
a visit to a Beijing tea house.
China Tea Tour 2009 - Base Tour
- We continue our adventure with a full day of activities in Beijing. Day 1 -
We are up early today to take in the tranquility of the sprawling
Temple of Heaven park and join in some
tai chi, a popular morning exercise. After a
tour of the ancient compound we visit a local family's
home for a tasty lesson in dumpling making.
Next we learn a little about China's spiritual legacy with a visit to
White Cloud Taoist Temple. No tour of Beijing
is complete without a chance to hunt for treasures in the old
Liu Li Chang antique market street. After
dinner we board the overnight train to
Inner Mongolia, homeland of the Kahn's and the
vast Mongol Empire. Mongolians and Chinese have traded tea and horses for
centuries and this area is also one of the end points of the famous
Silk Road and Tea/Horse
trading routes.
Day 2 - Wake up at
out destination, the capital city of Hoh Hot,
and disembark from our cozy cabins. First we stop at a hotel for some
breakfast and to freshen up. Then, we board our coach and head off to
the grasslands. Mongolian culture is one of the
most colorful and robust and expressive of the minority groups.
Welcoming guests with spirits and song is a
heartfelt tradition. Settle in and relax for a while in our traditional
nomad tent and enjoy some nourishing
milk tea. After dinner, take in the song and
dance of a Mongolian culture show.
Day 3 - After a
night under the big sky and twinkling stars we saddle up our favorite
faithful steed and take a pleasure walk across
the wide open prairie. We'll attend the horse rodeo
and after dinner, sit around the campfire to
the serenade of Mongolian songs.
Day 4 - This
morning we bid farewell to the peacefulness of grasslands and coach back to
Hoh Hot to catch the plane to our next destination,
Kunming, capital of Southwestern Yunnan province and land of "eternal
spring." Yunnan is home to over 35 of China's colorful ethnic minority
groups and has been a major center of tea production
for 2000 years. We'll visit a giant tea market
and then enjoy a dinner of traditional local dishes including tea.
Day 5 - This
morning we board our coach to see one of natural the marvels of the world,
the Stone Forest; unique carst formations that
spire up from the ground. On our return to the city we'll stop to explore
the Dragon Gate temple which overlooks the
plains below. Our dinner tonight is at the Ethnic
Culture theater where we'll take in the beautiful performances and
taste a local favorite dish "over the bridge noodles"
soup.
Day 6 - We have
seen the end point of the Chinese silk and tea/horse road. Now it is time to
see the beginning. We catch the morning flight South to
Pu Erh City the gateway to the tea whose
namesake the city bears. We'll participate in a
lecture and taste some Pu Erh teas. With a visit to a
tea garden and tea factory we learn first hand
about production methods and have the chance to pick
and make our own tea. Renowned for it's unusual flavor and
aid to digestion, Pu Erh tea is one of the
oldest teas and one of the few that improves with age. Some well aged cakes
can sell for several hundred dollars.
Day 7 - This area,
known as Xi Shuang Ban Na is home to the
Dai minority group and the delicate fingers of
the young Dai girls have picked tea leaves for millenia. This morning we
trek to see the "King of Tea Trees," now over
1700 years old. Then, we board the plane back to Kunming for a meeting with
the provincial tea company executives.
Day 8 - After a
night to relax, we fly across the country to the eastern costal province of
Fujian. Arriving in the port city of
Xiamen, it is from the local dialect that
European traders took the name "tay" or "tea." There really is a
tea theme park and we will have a visit there
before driving North to De Hua, world famous
for its milky white porcelain. Meander through
the porcelain museum and then the
market, to find teapots, cups and other ware.
Day 9 - Our next
stop is the capital city of Fuzhou where we
will meet with one of the largest tea companies
in China and receive an introduction to and tasting
of some Fujian teas. Following lunch we learn about tea quality and safety
standards at the Tea Inspection Bureau.
Day 10 - Today we
are off to one of the most sensual parts of the tour, a
Jasmine Tea factory. Step into rooms filled
with ethereal fragrance and then sample the freshly
made tea. By day's end we'll be in Fuding,
another major jasmine tea producing area and also one of the original
sources for white teas such as
Silver
Needle and White Peony. Have the rare
chance to tour the factory and learn the closely guarded production methods.
Day 11 - Arise this
morning for a stroll through the lush greenery of the
tea garden and then hop aboard our coach to Wu
Yi Mts., legendary home of oolong teas.
Traveling past some breathtaking mountain ranges we arrive in time for a
special banquet of tea dishes.
Day 12 - After
breakfast step aboard a bamboo raft and take a
relaxing cruise down the 9 Bend Stream watching
the fabled "Fairy Tale Peaks" pass by around us. Later we hike up to see the
original Da Hong Pao (Big Red Robe) tea trees.
Their priceless leaves are legendary for their healing powers and are
reserved only for top level political officials. Tonight we relax in a
tea house and enjoy the captivating
presentation of the Tea Art / Dance Performers.
Day 13 - In the
heart of oolong country, we'll have an introduction to Wu Yi oolong teas as
well as instruction on the Chinese Gongfu Tea Ceremony.
This afternoon we enter the Wu Yi Nature Reserve
which encompasses one of the oldest tea factories making the smoky
Lapsang Souchong black tea. Tour the factory
and learn about how this tea is made as well as
tasting the different products of the factory.
Day 14 - Our last
day in Wu Yi Mts. includes a morning visit to a tea
house and then we hike up to Heavenly Peak,
over looking the stream. Departing by plane, we arrive in the cosmopolitan
city of Shanghai and have some time to wander
the famous shopping street of Nan Jing road. An
evening visit to the Mid Lake Pavilion Tea House
is a must for any visit to Shanghai. |
