A Tea Journey to South China--Green tea/ Yellow tea/ Oolong tea/ Black tea/ Pu-erh

Nihao! Welcome to Shanghai. After going through customs, meet your guide who is waiting at the arrival hall with your name sign and be transported to hotel in downtown area. Check in at your hotel.

• Hotels: Four Seasons Hotel Pudong Shanghai, JW Marriott Hotel Shanghai at Tomorrow Square, Hotel Indigo Shanghai on The Bund

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Are you ready to start your adventure? Today’s first stop is the Fuxing Park where you can immerse yourself into the local life. Head over to Shanghai City God Temple, an important Taoist temple in Shanghai. Walk to Yuyuan Garden and be amazed by this verdant classic Chinese garden. Yuyuan and Shanghai City God Temple scenic area has been the important business and tourist place that amuses both locals and tourists every day. Have some fun here.

After a local lunch, be escorted to Jade Buddha Temple which is famous for two jade Buddha. Though located in the busy downtown area, the temple remains quiet that you can get some peaceful moments. To get a bird view of the whole Shanghai city, you will ascend Shanghai’s tallest building – Shanghai Tower. End today’s tour with a light-hearted stroll along the Bund area. Return to your hotel after the tour.

Optional evening activity: Era Time, Shangcheng Acrobatic Show, Huangpu River night cruise

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,

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A half day is arranged for you to appreciate Shanghai on your own. If you enjoy visiting museums, Shanghai Museum is a good choice for you. In the afternoon, you guide and driver will pick you up from the hotel and drive you to the train station for your onward train to Hangzhou. Meet your Hangzhou guide and driver and head to your hotel in Hangzhou.

• Meals: Breakfast,
• Hotels: Banyan Tree Hangzhou, Grand Hyatt Hangzhou, Four Seasons Hotel Hangzhou at West Lake

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West Lake Dragon Well green tea (harvest from early April –early August)

Tea culture has a long history in Chinese culture, and today, you will visit a local tea farmer, partake in picking tea leave and learning how to brew tea. Pick the tea leaves in the tea plantation with the tea farmer. Immerse in the freshness of the surrounding. Then, the tea farmer will show you a tea ceremony and you will learn to make your own tea. Enjoy a special lunch nearby.

Tour continues with a visit to Peak Flown From Afar and Lingyin Temple. Lingyin Temple was constructed in 326 AD and holds a history of more than 1,700 years. Before entering the temple, you need to enter Peak Flown From Afar first. Essentially a national park, West Lake claims to have more than 100 tourist attractions, the majority of which are many centuries old. Then, take a boat cruise to appreciate the beauty of the Lake. Back to the hotel and enjoy a laidback night.

Optional evening activity: Enduring Memories of Hangzhou

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,

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After breakfast, be transferred to train station in Hangzhou to board the bullet train to Huangshan. Upon arrival, meet your Huangshan guide and drive to Huangshan Scenic Area. You may need to store your luggage at the entrance while taking only your shoulder bag packed with your valuables and necessities ascent the mountain. Take the shuttle bus and cable car up the Mountain. Be amazed by the dramatic peaks on the way to the hotel. Check in at your hotel at the summit. If time permits, watch the sunset, if lucky enough, accompany by sea of clouds.

Note:
Though cable car is available, a 1.5 to 2 hours’ walking to your hotels in the scenic area is still needed. Time differs by hotels. Recommended to wear comfortable clothes and shoes. Porters and sedan chairs are available based on advanced requests with an extra fee based on weight and distance.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner,
• Hotels: Huangshan Beihai Hotel, Huangshan Shilin Hotel, Xihai Hotel

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Huangshan Chrysanthemum Tea (harvest during November)

Ease into the day with an early rise to catch the sunrise at Cloud Dispelling Pavilion. Return to your hotel for breakfast. Then, head to western part of Huangshan Scenic Area, West Sea Grand Canyon. Start at Cloud Dispelling Pavilion and end at Buxian Bridge that creats a great circular sightseeing route. This spectacular circular route is a good option for the energetic ones. A better option for those who are not used to strenuous activity would be walking a small section of it rather than missing it altogether. After buffet lunch at the hotel, take Yungu cable car down and be transported to the hotel in the ancient villages nearby, which takes about 1 hour. On your way, stopover at a chrysanthemum plantation and learn how Chrysanthemum Tea is made, mainly the drying process. Stay at the hotel in the village. Take a relaxing walk or cycle to explore the ancient village after dinner.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,
• Hotels: Banyan Tree Huangshan, Pig's Heaven Inn, Pig's Heaven Inn Bishan

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After a sound sleep, head to Fuxi tea plantation where produces good green tea. Immerse yourself in the fresh smell of the tea leaves. Then, pay a visit to Xieyuda Tea Culture Museum, the first tea culture museum in Anhui Province, to learn more about local tea culture and history. After lunch, drive to Chengkan Ancient Village. It is one of the best-preserved ancient villages in China with beautiful scenery and the splendid Huizhou culture. Up to now, it owns a history of more than 1,800 years. At the end of the day, go back to the hotel for a rest.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,

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Keemun black tea (harvest during mid-April and from June to August)

After breakfast, wander through Xidi Village an ancient village filled with Hui style buildings and then continue your tea tour to Xiangyuan Keemun Black Tea Cultural Industry Exposition Park and Keemun Black Tea Museum to learn about the history of black tea and its making process. Opportunity to try picking tea leaves among waves of tea bushes is available if time permit. Lunch will be served at a local restaurant.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,

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Be escorted to the train station for your train to Wuyi Mountain. Your friendly guide will wait with your name sign to pick you up and guide you to tour Wuyi Mountain Scenic Area. Dahongpao Oolong Tea is considered to be the best tea from Wuyi Mountain. Visit Dahongpao Scenic Spot to know more about this tea. Tour followed with a visit to Shuilian Cave and Tianxin Yongle Temple. Tea is one of the mediums of Buddhist practice and enlightenment. Tea culture and Zen culture have something in common, both seek to enhance the spiritual realm and the pursuit of a pure heart. The name of Dahongpao Tea was originated from Harmonious Temple. Pay a visit here to find out more with your guide.

Optional evening activity: Impression Da Hong Pao

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,
• Hotels: CD Resort,Wuyi Mountain, Dahongpao Resort Wuyishan

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Today, keep up to discover Mount. Wuyi. It is one of the most spectacularly beautiful areas of southeastern China. Climb the 828 steep stone steps up to the top of the Tianyou Peak. Have a bird’s-eye view of the surrounding hills that are made up of red sandstone with very steep slopes but flat tops, including the 6th bend of the Nine Bend River below. Embark on a boat raft to drift down the Nine-bend River. Then, wander through the Street of Song Dynasty and Wuyi Palace which is an over 1,000 year old temple used to hold ceremony by Chinese emperors and kings. Return to your hotel afterwards.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,

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After freshening up and have had your breakfast, set off to visit the tea plantation of Wuyishan to learn about the Oolong Tea. After lunch, go to train station for your train to Xiamen and be greeted by your Xiamen guide upon arrival. Drive to your hotel and check in at the hotel with assistance from your guide.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,
• Hotels: Shangri-La Xiamen hotel, Hyatt Regency Xiamen Wuyuanwan, Pan Pacific Xiamen

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Gulangyu Island is a small island in the southwest of Xiamen with an area of only 1.78 square kilometers. Without seeing any motor vehicles and factories on the island make you feel as if travel back in time. Take a relaxing stroll to appreciate the beautiful buildings. A visit to Shuzhuang Garden and Piano Museum are included. After a local lunch, explore Hai Tian Tang Gou Mansion. A variety of architectural styles coexist in Hai Tian Tang Gou Mansion, mainly Chinese, combining with Western styles. Building No. 42 is a performing arts center for Nanyin and puppets show, with the first floor being the main performance stage. Stop for a rest to enjoy to the splendid Nanyin Music and puppet show.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,

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The 8th market is the busiest and largest market in Xiamen, filled with vegetables, fruit, seafood, snacks booths. The variability makes it the most popular market among locals. A wonderful place to experience the local life. Walk to Zhongshan Road, the oldest commercial street in Xiamen with lots of shops of snacks, and souvenirs. Followed a visit to South Putuo Temple, an important Buddhist temple in the Han minority area. The vegetarian food here is quite famous, attracting countless of visitors from afar. If you are a vegetarian, trying the dishes here is a good option. After lunch, drive to Hulishan Fortress. The existing Krupp Cannon was recorded by the Guinness Book of the Records as the world’s oldest and largest coastal artillery of the 19th century. Take a relaxing stroll along Xiamen Island Ring Road to end today’s tour.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,

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Take a half day rest after 2 weeks’ tour. Your guide and driver will pick you up from the hotel to the airport according to your flight schedule. Upon arrival in Kunming, meet your Kunming guide and be transported to the hotel.

• Meals: Breakfast,
• Hotels: Cachet Boutique Kunming Artime, Crowne Plaza Kunming City Centre, Intercontinental Kunming

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After breakfast, drive for about 2 hours out of Kunming to visit the Stone Forest. Covering an area of 350 square kilometers it is the largest existing intact Karst limestone formation. The tall sword-shaped, pillar-shaped, mushroom-shaped, tower-shaped and other limestone columns are the typical representatives of Stone Forest. Drive back to your hotel.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,

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After a sound sleep, take a leisure walk or enjoy the performance (playing Tai Chi, Mahjong and local opera) by local people in the picturesque Green Lake Park in downtown Kunming. Reputed as the Spring City, the environment in Kunming is quite suitable for growing all kinds of flowers. Wander through one of the flower market and get lost in the flowery world. Be escorted to the airport in Kunming after a local lunch. Your Pu’er guide is ready to pick you up upon your arrival at Pu’er.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,
• Hotels: New Century SPA and Resort Pu'er

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Pu’er City was named Simao City and changed its name to Pu’er with the Pu-erh Tea’s development here. Many parts of Yunnan produce tea and can be divided into four main producing areas: the Baoshan tea area, Lincang tea area, Simao tea area, and Xishuangbanna tea area. The present-day Pu’er City is only a part of the Simao tea area. During the day, you will visit tea plantations and tea villages along the way from Pu-erh to Xishuangbanna. Lunch will be served at a local restaurant.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,
• Hotels: Pullman Resort Xishuangbanna Hotel, Anantara Xishuangbanna Resort , InterContinental Xishuangbanna Resort

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Menghai Pu-erh tea (harvest in spring and autumn)

Today, continued your tea tour to Mount Nannuo. A tea experience in Menghai is arranged as well. During the experience, you will not only see tea picking and tea processing, but also learn how to make compressed tea cake with the guidance of the master. If you come during late March to April, get the chance of picking tea leave too. After lunch, you will explore Jingzhen Octagonal Pavilion. Harmoniously combined with southeast style and ancient Chinese style in architecture, it was built in the honor of Sakyamuni by the local Dai people. Tradition has it that the Dai Buddhists usually have meetings and some important religious activities here.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,

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Be escorted to the airport in Xishuangbanna to board your flight to Chengdu, and meet your tour guide and driver there. You will board your private transport from the Chengdu airport to your hotel in Chengdu city center. Enjoy a peaceful afternoon on your own after check in. Take some time to explore the night market nearby.

Optional evening activity: Shufengyayun Sichuan Opera & Tea

• Meals: Breakfast,
• Hotels: Buddha Zen Hotel Chengdu, JW Marriott Hotel Chengdu, The St. Regis Chengdu

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Mengding yellow tea (harvest from late March to May)

Drive for about 2 hours, you will reach Mengding Mounain in Ya’an City, where you will learn about yellow tea. As the altitude, soil and climate of Mengding Mountain are most suitable for the growth of tea, so as early as 2,000 years ago during the Western Han Dynasty, Wu Lizhen, the ancestor of Mengding Mountain tea, began to domesticate and plant wild tea trees in Mengding Mountain, beginning the history of tea farming. Up to now, the Yellow Tea here is still one of the top ten famous teas in China. Advice to come during harvesting season for the best quality of tea produced. Learn to pick tea leaves, dry them and brew the tea in the right way.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,

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The pandas are more active during the mornings. After an early breakfast, head over to Chengdu Panda Breeding Research Center, where you will meet those cute giant pandas. Then, go back to the city area to enjoy a delicious hot pot lunch. After lunch, take a leisurely walk along the Jinli Street and bend your steps towards Wuhou Ancestral Hall to learn about the history of the Romantic Three Kingdoms.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,

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This is the last day of your tour, your guide and driver will drive you to the airport in Chengdu. Hope you’ve learnt about the Chinese tea culture and bring home with your wonderful memories.

• Meals: Breakfast,

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