Author Archives: JeffFuchs

About JeffFuchs

Having lived for a decade in Yunnan, Fuchs’ work has centred on indigenous mountain cultures, oral histories along with an obsessive interest in tea. Fuchs is the author of 'The Ancient Tea Horse Road' (Viking-Penguin) and he was the subject of 'The Tea Explorer' documentary based on his exploration of the Tea Horse Road. His photos and stories have appeared on three continents in publications such as Kyoto Journal, TRVL, and Outpost Magazine, as well as The Spanish Expedition Society, The Earth, Silkroad Foundation, The China Post Newspaper, The Toronto Star, The South China Morning Post, and UNESCO amongst others. Various pieces of his work are part of private collections in Europe, North America, and Asia. Fuchs served as Asian Editor at Large for five years at award-winning Outpost magazine. Jeff has worked with schools and universities, giving talks on both the importance of oral traditions, tea and mountain cultures. His recently released book ‘The Ancient Tea Horse Road’ (Penguin-Viking Publishers) details his 8-month groundbreaking journey traveling and chronicling one of the world’s great trade routes, The Tea Horse Road. Fuchs is the first westerner to have completed the entire route stretching almost six thousand kilometers through the Himalayas a dozen cultures. Fuchs partnered with Wild China to create a journey along the Tea Horse Road which National Geographic Traveler called one of the "50 Trips of a Lifetime". He is co-founder of Akahiao Nature Institute on the island of Hawai'i along with his wife, Julie Rogers.

Jalamteas Little Success Story Continues

With the New Year here in the present tense, we at Jalamteas wish to thank our sipping supporters who had a wonderful impact on our little venture of hand-sourcing rare Puerhs and getting them directly into your cups. We had … Continue reading →

Posted in Media, Tea | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Jalamteas Little Success Story Continues

Video Post Atop Sho’La Pass

A short clip of video shot atop the blustery Sho’La Pass here: http://youtu.be/oKGR8Xt0Lgw Yanpi, the wind, a huge sky and myself. Twenty minutes atop the pass to remember the two weeks to arrive here

Posted in Explorations, Mountains | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Video Post Atop Sho’La Pass

The Journey to Sho’La Pass – Part 5 – The Pass, The Wind, and a Daughter

  Up until the morning of our departure for the pass, our horseman has been a silent man, enjoying being with our group, and loving Yanpi’s bouts of sharp wit. He has done what any good horseman the world over … Continue reading →

Posted in Explorations, Mountains | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Journey to Sho’La Pass – Part 4 – The Smell of the Pass

Baima’s empty valleys and snow shards stare at us. We have left Benzilan behind and ‘Ngawa the Machine’ is no longer with us. Mountain air now thankfully dominates the heat infested valleys and the lethargy that heat brought, gives way … Continue reading →

Posted in Explorations, Mountains | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Journey to Sho’La Pass – Part 3 – A Route of Stone and Ngawa’s Wife

Heat and its lethargy inducing powers have long played havoc with my own senses and perspectives. I am not alone in this feeling. Exiting our safe cool forests, and descending into the hot valleys, I feel the itch of impatience … Continue reading →

Posted in Explorations, Mountains | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Journey to Sho’La Pass – Part 3 – A Route of Stone and Ngawa’s Wife

A Tea Lover’s Blog Post about Jalamteas November 7th Tea Event

Rare stories and rarer tea with Jeff Fuchs here. An evening of Jalamteas presenting a new model of Subscribing for rare teas.

Posted in Media | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on A Tea Lover’s Blog Post about Jalamteas November 7th Tea Event

The Journey to Sho’La Pass – Part 2 – Sandalwood and Heat

What is eternally rivetting about the mountains is their ability to hold traces of what has come before on their surfaces, while simultaneously holding unimaginable power. Tucked away, under forest cover, within valleys, and particularly on the stone, the trails … Continue reading →

Posted in Explorations, Mountains | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Journey to Sho’La Pass – Part 2 – Sandalwood and Heat

The Journey to Sho’La Pass – Part 1 – Horsemen Are Always Late…

Songjè the horseman is late. It isn’t unusual for this part of the world, but still the same, it is something that burrows its way into me. For moments it seems as though his absence will delay the entire expedition. … Continue reading →

Posted in Explorations, Mountains, Tea | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Journey to Sho’La Pass – Part 1 – Horsemen Are Always Late…

Expedition: Shangri-La to sacred Sho’La Pass Begins

A team of five of us begin the trek from Shangri-La to the sacred 4,815 metre Sho’La Pass tomorrow via an old trade route that wanders along the Yangtze and Mekong Rivers.

Posted in Explorations, Mountains | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Expedition: Shangri-La to sacred Sho’La Pass Begins

The Lion and the Descent – The Sacred Lakes in the Heights – Part lll of lll

Morning comes with smoke and the sounds of “pops” on my sleeping bag. The smoke is from our still-burning fire which Ngawa kept burning all night. Aniè has slept only intermittently and Ngawa worried about our old lion so he … Continue reading →

Posted in Explorations, Mountains | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Lion and the Descent – The Sacred Lakes in the Heights – Part lll of lll