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.
One of the gems of old world Himalayan transport and the Tea Horse Road in particular was the yak hide ‘ferry’ that would take tea, salt, mules and journeyers across waterways where there were no bridges. It still does operate … Continue reading →
Posted in Mountains, Tea Horse Road
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Tagged Asian culture, Asian History, caravans, Cha Ma Gu Dao, Himalayan Trade, Himalayas, Jeff Fuchs, Pu'erh, Tea, tea and mountains, Tea Horse Road, tea horse road chronicles, tea travel
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Immersed in a hotspring that is tucked within a mountain cave, sitting beside the venerable and irrepressible Dorjè Kandro. Just days before, we began the fifty-two day walk from my – then – home in ‘Shangri-la’ (Gyalthang) in northwestern Yunnan, … Continue reading →
Dakpa and I had been rolling around tea forests, tea houses, and tea characters for months along strands and points of the Tea Horse Road at this point and though there were many ‘moments of the leaf’ upon our journey, … Continue reading →
Posted in Explorations, Tea, Tea Horse Road
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Tagged Cha Ma Gu Dao, China, Pan Frying, Pu'erh, puer, Tea, Tea Frying, tea horse road chronicles, the sourcing, Yiwu, yunnan
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This ‘moment’ was more accurately a series of moments and most of an afternoon, with an old muleteer and his wife. We interviewed the gentleman who lived near my home in Shangrila and he began (and ended) our chat with … Continue reading →
Posted in Explorations, Mountains, Tea, Tea Horse Road
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Tagged Asia, Cha Ma Gu Dao, China, Himalayan Portraits, Himalayas, Jeff Fuchs, Tea Horse Road, tea horse road chronicles, Travel, yunnan
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Legend, guardian of caravans, and hunter of ‘tea thieves’, Tenzin. We had heard of this legend but worried we wouldn’t track him down upon the route. Worried that we would not get time nor access to listen and take in … Continue reading →
A continuation of some of the embedded moments – both large and small – of our 7.5 month expedition to chart and document the Tea Horse Road. Along the Tea Horse Road, the careful daily ritual of loading and unloading … Continue reading →
The Coming Snow. A nomad tucks in amidst a coming snow storm at 4200 metres near Litang, western Sichuan. The Litangba (people of Li’thang) were revered and feared along portions of the Tea Horse Road for sometimes opposing reasons. Not … Continue reading →
Posted in Mountains, Tea
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Tagged Cha Ma Gu Dao, Explore, Himalayas, Jeff Fuchs, mountains, nikon, Nomads, portrait, Tea, Tea Horse Road, tea horse road chronicles
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In the coming weeks a trip back into the characters and moments of our journey along the Tea Horse Road (the first documented western journey along the magnificent highway through the sky). The first segment then begins here. — We … Continue reading →
Posted in Mountains, Tea
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Tagged Chamagudao, Himalayas, Jefftea, mountains, Nyalam, portrait, Tea, Tea Horse Road, The Ancient Tea Horse Road, The Tea Explorer, Tibet
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After many years of slight technological delinquency, I’ve spruced up my existing website and brought it into something resembling a 21st Century site. Still the images and characters and tea embed every post; now though there is more written content on … Continue reading →
Thinking about times past, lessons, and inspired moments and a little sun burned cheeks, few words, and a fearless countenance comes to mind. Thinking too about the importance of communities that still transfer their knowledge as a point of pride … Continue reading →
Posted in Explorations, Glaciers
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Tagged butter tea, climate, Culture, environment, Himalayas, Jeff Fuchs, mountains, Nomads, Qinghai, Water, water resources
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