We'll have a small bus to take us to all the sites we'll be visiting, some of which are difficult to get to, so our small bus will get us there. No visas are required, as China, for the year 2024, does not require visas to travel to China if the trip does not exceed 15 days. As for the plane ticket, you'll have to buy it yourself. It costs around 1,200 euros each way (including one piece of hold luggage), and I'll give you the exact flight details so that everyone leaves on the same plane. Your trip (excluding airfare) will cost 2,350 euros per person (with an additional 250 euros for a single room), and includes transportation (we'll have a driver with his bus to accompany us for the 14 days of our trip), catering, all overnight stays and all paying sites.
0 Thursday, October 10th
Departure from ROISSY CHARLES DE GAULLE in the early afternoon (12h25) on a direct flight by CHINA SOUTHERN AIRLINES for CANTON (GUANGZHOU) airport.
D + 1 Friday, October 11
Arriving in CANTON at 05:50 the next morning, we leave with our driver and his bus for the town of CHAO ZHOU in the north-east of GUANG DONG province, a 5-hour bus ride away. We'll arrive in the afternoon, and after dropping off our luggage at the hotel, we'll take time to stroll through the lively streets of this historic city. Night in CHAO ZHOU
D + 2 Saturday, October 12
We'll spend the whole day in CHAO ZHOU, in the old town where we'll be staying. CHAO ZHOU is a city steeped in history, with its ramparts, where many Chinese emigrated at the beginning of the 20th century to form a diaspora with a strong presence in SOUTH-EAST ASIA, EUROPE and AMERICA; it's also here that the art of tea, GONG FU CHA, was born. We'll visit the KAI YUAN temple and stroll through the narrow streets and old houses, with their many craftsmen, markets and local specialities. Overnight in CHAO ZHOU
D + 3 Sunday, October 13
In the morning, we'll head for FENG HUANG, an hour's drive away, the historic capital of OOLONGS Phoenix teas, home to the WEN family who produce my Phoenix teas; FENG HUANG is a tiny town, but steeped in history. We'll spend the afternoon with the WEN family, tasting their teas and seeing how they're made. Night in FENG HUANG
D + 4 Monday, October 14
We'll spend the whole day in FENG HUANG; in the morning, we'll have lunch in the local bouis bouis, tour the town's colorful markets and see the craftsmen who make the local specialty, tea caddies. In the afternoon, we visit the plantations and the FENG HUANG site, with its mountains sculpted entirely of tea gardens. Night in FENG HUANG
D + 5 Tuesday, October 15
We leave the Phoenix Mountains in the morning, changing regions to reach the south of FUJIAN, via small, green, mountainous roads, where grapefruit reigns, to arrive at a remarkable site, home to the famous giant arenas, terracotta dwellings of the HAKKA group. Overnight stay
D + 6 Wednesday, October 16
We spend the whole day at 2 sites, nestled in beautiful green mountains that have long been inaccessible. Overnight on site
D + 7 Thursday, October 17
We leave the HAKKAS in the morning for the capital of TIE GUAN YIN teas, ANXI. We'll spend the rest of the day in the bustling streets of this town entirely dedicated to tea. Overnight in ANXI
D + 8 Friday, October 18
Early in the morning, we'll visit the most famous OOLONGS market in CHINA, where many local tea producers come daily to sell their OOLONGS teas made the day before. We'll spend the afternoon in the lively streets specialized in tea supplies and porcelain at DE HUA, a well-known site in the region, where you'll find all the utensils and services related to tea. Overnight in ANXI
D + 9 Saturday, October 19
We leave for XI PING, less than an hour's drive away, to meet up with the LIN family who produce our TIE GUAN YIN teas. We'll spend the day with them, in the middle of tea production, visiting their plantations. Overnight stay
D + 10 Sunday, October 20
In the morning, we'll visit a site dedicated to GUAN YIN, the originator of the TIE GUAN YIN legend. After lunch, we'll head for QUAN ZHOU, a 2-hour drive away. Overnight in QUAN ZHOU
D + 11 Monday, October 21
We'll spend the day in the beautiful city of QUAN ZHOU, steeped in history and an important trading port since the 13th century, in the lively old streets, visiting one of the city's most important temples and strolling through the narrow streets crowded with mini boutiques and bouis bouis. Overnight in QUAN ZHOU
D + 12 Tuesday October 22nd
We leave in the morning for GUANG DONG province and the town of JIE YANG, a 4-hour drive away, a town with over 2200 years of history. We'll stroll through this town rich in handicrafts, capital of the jade trade throughout ASIA. Overnight in JIE YANG
D + 13 Wednesday, October 23
We'll spend most of the day in JIE YANG, visiting the JIE YANG palace and the old JIE YANG town center; in the afternoon, we'll head for GUANG ZHOU, a 4-hour bus ride away. Overnight in GUANG ZHOU
D + 14 Thursday, October 24
This is the last day of our stay, and we'll be spending it in GUANG ZHOU (CANTON), the capital of the GUANG DONG region and the capital of Cantonese gastronomy. We'll be visiting SHAMNIAN Island, which takes us back to the colonial architecture of the 19th century, when CANTON was the gateway to the West. We'll also visit the city's biggest market, the DONG SHAN market, a food paradise where everything can be bought.....we'll also visit the Temple of the 6 Banyan Trees, a Buddhist temple over 1400 years old. For dinner, after tasting the latest specialties of the world's most famous cuisine, we'll head for the airport for our return to FRANCE.
D + 15 Friday, October 25
Departure from CANTON airport at 00:20 on a return china southern airlines flight, arriving in Paris Charles de Gaulle at 06:50.
