It was here at the ‘first bend of the Yangtze’ in Yunnan province that the Mongolian armies of the Yuan Dynasty crossed the great waterway and would ‘take’ the previously independent region into the greater fold of the Middle Kingdom 中国 (China).
This was also a key stopping point along the Tea Horse Road where our team would pass through. Wandering through an area of rough overgrown foliage just west of the village of Shigu, we would (with the help of locals) come upon a small grave site with old headstones which were engraved with various designs of the horse. Tiny and inconsequential, it was as if the site had been forgotten except by the mosses and the foliage that reclaimed the bit of space at the base of a mountain. These, we were told, were what was left of a small collection of muleteers and tea traders who had passed away at or near this point upon the trade route over the course of years. A final place of rest with a stunning view for a few who could go no further and for those whose homes and families were distant. Looking ‘up’ the Yangtze we could just begin to make out the snow peaks that marked the unofficial gateway into the Himalayas. As a aside, none of the teas we sipped in this region gave any satisfaction, except for a rippingly pungent bit of Puerh we had with us.
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.
