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Here is a recent blog from Chelin Miller, AsiaTravel’s own yummy mummy blogger.  Here she talks about a fantastic new book on Tibetan Arts and Artisans.  Makes everyone at AsiaTravel want to add a Tibetan rug to their Christmas wish list!

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Living Hands: Tibetan Arts and Artisans, a book by Chris Buckley is an inspiring book. It gives an insightful description of the various aspects of Tibetan Arts and Crafts, about which there is so little written.

 

 

From weavers, dyers, metalworkers and thangka painters to mask makers, sculptors and carpenters. We can appreciate Chris Buckley’s passion for Tibet not only in the beautiful images (both by the author and by Mimi Kuo), but also in the knowledgeable description of each craft. But Living Hands is much more than a book about crafts. Because by portraying the artisans’ personal stories and anecdotes, their art comes to life; we feel closer to understanding their history, traditions and emotions. What drives them to create such beautiful objects: necessity, divine inspiration? Where do they source their materials? How did their techniques evolve through time and changing circumstances? What were these objects used for? How are modernity and globalisation affecting their traditional way of life?

 

I’ve had the privilege of meeting Chris Buckley personally and attending some of his talks about Chinese antiques in Beijing. He is one of the friendliest people I have ever come across, who will open up his home and share his collections, expertise and love for art and tradition. He is also an excellent photographer, designer and researcher, with a humanitarian drive to promote the preservation of Tibetan artisan products. To this end, in 2005 he established the Tanva Weaving workshop in Lhasa, helping to enhance the quality and value of rugs produced and sold by Tibetan weavers.

 

In September 2011 his gallery in Beijing, Torana, received a design award from Elle Decoration magazine for their colorshade rug range.  Living Hands: Tibetan Arts and Artisans is currently available direct from Torana Gallery in Europlaza, Beijing. The book will soon be available through Amazon.

 

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For additional questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch at info@wildchina.com.

Ladies and Gentleman, the moment has arrived! Today we announce the 2012 AsiaTravel Explorer Finalists. One of these three will be chosen and the winner will be announced in early January 2012!

The AsiaTravel Explorer Grant is an annual grant of up to USD 3,000 that is awarded to adventurers seeking to push the boundaries of responsible, off-the-beaten-path travel in China. Last week, AsiaTravel Founder Zhang Mei and the expert panel sat down to lunch at one of Beijing’s nicest hideaways– Capital M— to discuss the finalists.

The panel– Ed Wong of The New York Times, Li Bo of Friends of Nature and Yu Hui of National Geographic Traveler China– were blown away by the caliber of applications.  The panel mulled over amazing trekking trips in Gansu province by former Bowdoin College graduates, professional photographers who saught to travel to Jiangxi Province to learn more about Wuyuan County and a world famous journalist and author who desired to venture to Poyang Lake, the last wintering area for nearly all of the world’s critically endangered Siberian Cranes and some 400,000 other water birds.  We were so impressed.

However, tough decisions needed to be made.  And this is what the judges decided:

Announcing The 2012 AsiaTravel Explorer Grant Finalists…

Finalist # 3:  Yachen Monastery & Tibetan Buddhism: Exploring the lives of Tibetan Nuns by Yasmin Cho.

Yasmin, a former graduate student in Cultural Anthropology at Duke University, conducted preliminary field research over two summers focused on building relationships with non-Tibetan nuns and lay practioners. Yasmin is passionate about this subject as there has been no international coverage of the thousands of young Tibetan nuns who congregate in the Yachen monastery practicing Buddhism.  Yasmin hopes to explore the social impacts of this population in China.

Finalist # 2: Venturing to Ganzi Prefecture in Sichuan Province by Zhang Shanghua (张上华).

Ganzi Prefecture in Sichuan Province is some of the wildest parts of China. There are no roads, no cars and very few people.  As a result, Mr. Zhang wants to travel to experience this “primitive natural beauty and the most authentic religious atmosphere.” Mr. Zhang plans to use 25-30 days to explore in-depth this area to share with the outside world. Mr. Zhang lives in Chengdu Sichaun and works as a scientist at Chengdu ChemPartner Co., Ltd.

Finalist # 1: Trekking China’s Wilderness: Scouting a Route Along the Backbone of Ailao Shan & Connecting Routes by William Bleisch and Yan Lu.

With experiences such as the Program Director of China Exploration & Research Society, World Wildlife Federation China, Fauna & Flora International China Programme Office and Harvard University, this team of William and Yan is pretty dynamic.  In 2012, William and Yan propose to scout a route along the backbone of the Ailao Shan in Yunnan, through the nature reserves and up on to Dali where the route would connect with existing trekking routes.

Stay tuned to learn more about each of the explorers.  We will be doing a short feature on each of them in the coming weeks. One of these three will be chosen and the winner will be announced in early January 2012!

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For more information on the AsiaTravel Explorer Grant, please click here.

AsiaTravel would like to offer one complimentary night’s stay at your hotel in Beijing or Shanghai for travelers who book select themed journeys by December 31, 2011 (11:59 EST).

The following journeys apply:

China for Foodies: Explore China with local guides and a AsiaTravel Culinary Host. Learn to make all-time favorite, kungpao chicken, in a private kitchen. Take in the sights and sounds of Xi’an’s bustling night market, where savory lamb skewers roast over coals and sweet glutinous rice steam in bamboo. Learn how to select specialty red chilies and peppercorns after witnessing professional chefs artfully prepare Sichuanese dishes. Save these authentic recipes as treasured souvenirs.

Departures: Apr 14-25, May 12-23, Sep 8-19, Oct 20-31, 2012

Chinese Treasures: AsiaTravel Founder Mei Zhang handcrafted this itinerary for her closest friends in 2009. Travelers will explore the imperial capitals of Beijing and Xi’an, gaining access to an emperor’s childhood home at the Forbidden City, a largely un-restored section of the Great Wall and the famed Terracotta Warriors Museum. We then go off the beaten path, visiting villages and glaciers in the famed Tibetan area of Shangri-La and the UNESCO World Heritage site of Lijiang. Our journey ends in China’s bustling financial center of Shanghai – the “Paris of the East.”

Departures: Apr 11-23, Oct 12-24, 2012

Ancient Tea and Horse Road: The most daunting trade route in the world, passing through the mightiest mountain range on Earth, the Ancient Tea and Horse Caravan Road linked the fertile emerald teas of Yunnan and Sichuan to the arid landscapes of the Tibetan Plateau, serving as a vital route for isolated tribes who referred to it as the “Eternal Road.” Remaining a virtual mystery to the West for over a millennium, the Road, its history and cultures are now at long last revealed in all of its stunning diversity. Expert led by Canadian explorer Jeff Fuchs

Departure: Apr 11-20, Apr 11-23, Sep 12-21, Oct 12-24 2012

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Promotion applies to additional nights pre- or post-journeys listed only.  Departures for all journeys leave in spring and fall of 2012. To take advantage of this offer, please contact your AsiaTravel travel consultant or e-mail us at info@wildchina.com.
First and third photo by Michael Mudd

Featured in the January 2012 issue of Travel + Leisure as one of the “Hottest Travel Destinations for 2012“, AsiaTravel’s journey in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan made the cut!

 

Xishuangbanna (pronounced she-shwang-ban-na), in the southern part of China’s Yunnan Province, is in many ways overlooked by the Western tourist, cowed by the gems of Lijiang and Shangri-la to the north. In fact, Xishuangbanna is one of the province’s hidden gems.

Nestled between Laos and Myanmar in Yunnan’s south, Xishuangbanna seems a world away from the popular tourist destinations in the north. Home to a wide variety of tea plantations, and boasting the oldest tea tree in the world, Xishuangbanna was once the beginning of the ancient Tea and Horse caravan road, which brought tea from southern Yunnan up to Tibet. Tea production and cultivation has been part of Xishuangbanna’s history for hundreds of years, which can be seen throughout the minority villages that dot the countryside.

 

 

When traveling to Xishuangbanna and planning your trip, there are a few important highlights to keep in mind. First and foremost, it is important to get a sense of the minority culture in the region through visiting minority villages and interacting with the people. The largest ethnic minority in the area are the Dai people, and there are many easily accessible villages around the capital of the region, Jinghong. The region offers miles of excellent hiking through tea plantations between villages, and homestays can be arranged in various villages, for a more authentic experience. Another of Xishuangbanna’s highlights are the markets that dot the villages and towns. These range from animal markets, fruit and vegetable markets, and areas to buy goods. Just meandering through the aisles of these markets is an eye opening experience, as is purchasing some of the fares and sampling the local cuisine (anything from dried chilies to local pastries, to various cooked meats). AsiaTravel is thrilled

with the opening of the Anantara Xishuangbanna Resort & Spa and cannot wait to send guest there!

Trips can be arranged in Xishuangbanna any time of year, with spring, winter, and autumn being the best times to visit – just email info@wildchina.com for more information!

 

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Interested in traveling to Xishuangbanna? Take a look at Pushing China’s Southern Boundary: Trekking in Xishuangbanna, a six day trips that starts and ends in Jinghong or Ancient Tea and Horse Road, an expert led trip by Jeff Fuchs. If you book Ancient Tea and Horse Road before December 30th, 2011 (11:59 PM EST) you will receive a fantastic promotion!

Whether your goals for the Year of the Dragon are to eat your way through China through China for Foodies or to take the most memorable family vacation yet, AsiaTravel can help plan your journey. Highlights for the new year include new small group programs that feature intimate groups of just 16 travelers, with a dedicated AsiaTravel Tour Director throughout the journey.

AsiaTravel will shortly be launching some exciting cross-border trips. Stay tuned for a trip that travels from Guizhou in southern China into lush northern Vietnam as well as a trip that travels overland from Mongolia’s grasslands into China’s capital city.

 

Everyone at AsiaTravel is anticipating that Yunnan will be one of our most sought after travel destinations.  What we like about Yunnan is that there a bit of something for everyone. You are an avid hiker looking for a change of pace and a challenge? Take a look at Yunnan: South of the Clouds. Looking to travel on an ancient trade route to deepen your knowledge of tea? You will definitely drool over Ancient Tea and Horse Road. And our friends over at Travel + Leisure agree that Xishuangbanna is definitely one of the Hottest Travel Destinations of 2012.

 

We look forward to sharing another exciting year with you.  From everyone at AsiaTravel, hope 2012 is off to a great start!

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Photo credit (for 2nd photo): iLearn Culture

Earlier this week, The New York Times posted “The 45 Places to Go in 2012.” Everyone at AsiaTravel was excited to see that Lhasa, Tibet (#9) and Moganshan, a village outside of Shanghai (#18),  made the list!

Even if you have not yet traveled to Lhasa (which you should), mental images of dramatic Himalayan peaks, devout Buddhist worshipers and piercing blue skies immediately spring to mind.  If you have traveled to this wild part of the world, I am sure you can remember your first savory bite of a yak dumpling, known in Tibetan as momo. Yum.

In recent years, large luxury hotel players such as St. Regis Lhasa have entered the Tibetan landscape and the InterContinental Resort Lhasa Paradise and the 284-room Shangri-La are set to follow in 2013. We will make sure to keep you posted on who has the best breakfast…

Those less familiar with China may scrunch up their eyebrows and say, “Moganshan? What’s that like?”

 

A quick three hour zip out of Shanghai, Monganshan is a fantastic getaway from city living.  For guests who are already in the area, we often suggest including a restorative and romantic stay in Moganshan– especially while on AsiaTravel’s Chinese Classical Gardens, a trip that winds through Suzhou, Wuzhen and other beautiful water towns along the Grand Canal.

Whether your 2012 travel plans include Lhasa or Moganshan, you cannot go wrong!

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For more information on traveling to Moganshan and/or Lhasa, please contact info@wildchina.com

Photo credit: (2nd) myALN, (3rd) Naked Stables

 

AsiaTravel is thrilled to announce the 2012 AsiaTravel Explorer Grant awardees are… Zhang Shanghua AND team Bill Bleisch & Yan Lu! A split tie!

 

Shanghua, a scientist based in Chengdu, Sichuan province,  will explore the natural beauty and local cultures of Baiyu County in the Garze Tibetan autonomous prefecture. Along his journey, he will spend time in The Chaqingsongduo Nature Reserve which houses two-thirds of the world’s population of white-lipped deer or Thorold’s deer, the second largest glacier in the prefecture, and the sources of numerous streams and rivers, and the peak of the mighty Mount Gongga.

 

Bill Bleisch, Program Director of China Exploration & Research Society and Yan Lu of Fauna & Flora International will scout a route along the backbone of the Ailao Mountains through the Ailaoshan Nature Reserve.  They are excited about their expedition as it could be the start of a trekking trail along the Ailao Shan ridge and beyond, continuing north to Dali where it would connect with existing trekking routes, creating a long “through-trail.”

After receiving  fantastic applications from all over the world, the AsiaTravel Expert Panel, including AsiaTravel founder Zhang Mei had a tough job of selecting three finalists.  From everyone at AsiaTravel, we thank everyone who submitted fantastic applications and we look forward to keeping you posted on our 2012 AsiaTravel Explorers exciting adventures…

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For more questions about the AsiaTravel Explorer Grant, please click here or send a question to explorer@wildchina.com

Pictures by Shanghua Zhang and Art Fund

Hangzhou, located in the lower Yangzte region, has always been renowned for its excellent green tea, and is often associated with Chinese monks, intellectuals and scholars who spent their time meditating in temples and conversing in teahouses and beautifully landscaped gardens.

 

On a cold, snowy morning, we visited a tea farm in Longjing, in the hills of Hangzhou, also known as Dragon Well. From Longjing comes one of the best green teas in China. We went during Chinese New Year week celebrations, and although the area was packed with tourists, we managed to escape the huge crowds because Vincent, our AsiaTravel guide, took us to a private farmhouse, overlooking the tea plantations. We were welcomed with “Xin Nian Kuai Le” – Happy New Year greetings, as the farmer’s wife extended a glass of hot, fragrant Dragon Well green tea. We sat on the terrace, overlooking the tree plantation, sipping tea, talking and listening to Vincent play traditional Chinese music on the bamboo flute.

It was a sunny, cold, quiet morning. After enjoying the fresh air and warming up with our tea, we went on a short trek up the hills of Dragon Well, cloaked by a blanket of green bushes. The shaded areas were still covered with a thin layer of silver, shiny, sparkly snow that was beginning to melt with the first rays of sun timidly appearing behind the hills. I had to stop every few steps, not because the trek was difficult or treacherous, but because the breath-taking views deserved to be photographed.

Even on a winter’s day, the landscape is outstanding: lines of tea plants uniformly growing along the hillsides, with scattered trees bearing tiny red berries. And below, deep down in the valley, a small fairy-tale village – white houses with black roof tiles, smoke still coming out of their chimneys. After our walk we went to a local restaurant called Green Tea that, as the name suggests, serves a variety of dishes aromatised with the precious crop, as well as other specialities: Green tea handmade Tofu; Green tea roast pork, chicken or fish; Bread temptation, to name but a few local dishes.

The restaurant has a bucolic, folk atmosphere. Surrounded by a small lake, it is built out of warm, light, wood. It is decorated with rustic pottery vases, freshly cut flowers and ethnic textiles and its many windows allow visitors to appreciate the views. There is an air of congenial hospitality and joy. People sharing their dishes, chatting, laughing. ‘Green Tea’ restaurant is right next to China’s biggest and best Museum of Tea.

At the museum you will find a comprehensive exhibition of the history, cultivation, production and consumption of all sorts of teas. The museum is surrounded by carefully landscaped gardens, with little creeks and waterfalls scattered all over; ancient trees, exotic plants and beautiful birds … No wonder Marco Polo, upon arrival to this area, described it as ‘Paradise on Earth’.

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Interested in learning more about China’s tea culture? Drop a line to info@wildchina.com to experience a customized tea tour throughout the country or take a look at Tea & Horse Caravan, which has set-departures from April 11-20 and September 12-21, 2012. 

Words & Photos by Chelin Miller, AsiaTravel’s own Yummy Mummy.

 

It will come as no surprise that travel in China can be tricky.  Mountaineous terrain in the rugged western regions, booming cities of 18 and 20 million people, and a serious language barrier for those not fluent in Mandarin are all challenges one can face. In the words of Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, “We aren’t in Kansas anymore…” never rings truer when landing in China for the first time.

However, there are the rare moments when China travel becomes a bit easier.  One of AsiaTravel’s favorite off the beaten locations is Mt. Kailash in the Ngari prefecture of Tibet. Mt. Kailash is one of China’s most holy mountains and the three day circumnavigation around the base of the +21,000 ft. mountain is challenging, but moving. In the words of AsiaTravel Founder Zhang Mei, “Definitely a trip of a lifetime.”

 

Several years ago, arriving to the base of Mt. Kailash was an ordeal.  Three days of arduous car travel extended the trip significantly and turned many away who only had 7-10 days of holiday.  Fortunately, a flight from Lhasa to the Ngari prefecture has opened, allowing quicker access to Mt. Kailash. 

Earlier this morning, AsiaTravel received a travel request from a couple interested in traveling to this region and we were thrilled to tell them that the three day challenging drive could be reduced, allowing them to visit other places on their trip, allowing more time to explore the Guge Kingdom.

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Interested in traveling to Tibet in the near future? Summer is a fantastic time to go. Get in touch at info@wildchina.com

 

AsiaTravel, alongside Outpost Magazine, Revo, Mountain Hardwear, and ZoomerMedia, is sponsoring a once-in-a lifetime journey, The Kawa Karpo Expedition.  Leaving next week, AsiaTravel expert & good friend, Jeff Fuchs will be leading this expedition.

Fuchs, a longtime resident of Shangrila and Explorer Club member, has a longtime fascination with lost trade routes and sacred Tibetan mountains.  With this journey to Kawa Karpo, Fuchs, alongside Bill Roberts of Zoomermedia, aim to immerse in “a journey along an ancient pilgrimage-trade route, a journey to recapture and peek into an ancient route when mules and men (and mountains) were inseparable. ”

Speaking to Fuchs on the phone earlier today, he is hard at work putting on pre-expedition pounds and eagerly awaiting the arrival of Roberts and videographer Roberto Gibbon Gomez.  At the moment, Fuchs imagines the expedition will take 9-12 days to complete, depending on weather.

Stay tuned right here on the AsiaTravel blog to track the Kawa Karpo Expedition. Fuchs will be sending photos and stories via sat phone while on the trail!

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If Jeff Fuchs’ journey sounds right up your alley, AsiaTravel is offering an expert-led trip with Fuchs exploring The Ancient Tea and Horse Caravan from April 11-20, 2012. Sign up now!