About JeffFuchs
Bio
Having lived for most of the past decade in Asia, Fuchs’ work has centered on indigenous mountain cultures, oral histories with an obsessive interest in tea. His photos and stories have appeared on three continents in award-winning publications 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 Traveler amongst others. Various pieces of his work are part of private collections in Europe, North America and Asia and he serves as the Asian Editor at Large for Canada’s award-winning Outpost magazine.
Fuchs is the Wild China Explorer of the Year for 2011 for sustainable exploration of the Himalayan Trade Routes. He recently completed a month long expedition a previously undocumented ancient nomadic salt route at 4,000 metres becoming the first westerner to travel the Tsa’lam ‘salt road’ through Qinghai.
Fuchs has written on indigenous perspectives for UNESCO, and has having consulted for National Geographic. Fuchs is a member of the fabled Explorers Club, which supports sustainable exploration and research.
Jeff has worked with schools and universities, giving talks on both the importance of oral traditions, tea and mountain cultures. He has spoken to the prestigious Spanish Geographic Society in Madrid on culture and trade through the Himalayas and his sold out talk at the Museum of Nature in Canada focused on the enduring importance of oral narratives and the Himalayan trade routes.
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.
He makes his home in ‘Shangrila’, northwestern Yunnan upon the eastern extension of the Himalayan range where tea and mountains abound; and where he leads expeditions the award winning ‘Tea Horse Road Journey’ with Wild China along portions of the Ancient Tea Horse Road.
To keep fueled up for life Fuchs co-founded JalamTeas which keeps him deep in the green while high in the hills.
Bent over, with the smell of freshly fried tea literally steaming into me I am struck that the wafts emanating upwards seem a combination of sweet corn and spinach. Not that it matters really, but I do spend an inordinate … Continue reading →
Posted in Explorations, Tea, Uncategorized
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Tagged Ancient tea trees, China travel, chinese tea, indigenous tea history, Jeff Fuchs, Pu'erh, puer, Puerh tea, Rare Puers, tea history, Yunnan tea, Yunnan Travel
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Those who enjoy tea’s ability to “lay the hammer down softly” have always held Jing Mai teas in regard. These words were used once by a Guangdong friend of mine whose abilities to discern teas – despite a ferocious … Continue reading →
Posted in Explorations, Tea
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Tagged Ancient Tea Horse Road, Chinese tea culture, Famous Puerh tea, hani, Indigenous tea culture, Jeff Fuchs, Jing Mai, Lao Banzhang, Puerh tea, Spring Tea Harvest, Tea Horse Road, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan tea, Yunnan Travel
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Meals seem to at times provide the only respite from the luscious infusions of tea which hit from everywhere at once. We sit in Dafa’s dark wooden kitchen on the second floor of his home deep into Nan Nuo’s … Continue reading →
Posted in Explorations, Mountains, Tea
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Tagged Ancient tea trees, China tea culture, China travel, Indigenous tea culture, Jeff Fuchs, Pu'erh, puer, Tea, Tea Horse Road, Yunnan tea
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Marco Antonio Zamboni Zalamena and his matè bag have arrived but I cannot find either. Three different bus stations in southern Yunnan’s hot capital of Jinghong are empty of him. I’m ripped on far too much tea, slightly manic, … Continue reading →
Posted in Tea
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Tagged Ancient Tea Horse Road, Ancient tea trees, China tea culture, China travel, Indigenous tea culture, Jeff Fuchs, Jinghong, Menghai, Pu'erh, puer, Puerh tea culture, Tea, yunnan, Yunnan tea, Yunnan Travel
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It is said amidst the Himalayas that it takes but a whiff of mountain air to know what is coming weather-wise. Neither Fred, Fik, nor I have a nose quite capable of detecting what is to come, though there are … Continue reading →
Posted in Explorations, Mountains
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Tagged Ancient Tea Horse Road, caravan routes of Yunnan, China travel, Chinese History, Expedition, Himalayas, Jeff Fuchs, Mountain Camping, mountain travel, Shangri-La Yunnan, Tea and Horse Road, Tea Horse Road, Yunnan Travel
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This Paiwan elder and I both apologize for the temporary state of this blog. Dealing with a dreaded – temporary – technological glitch. Thanks
Goes without say that the article (titled “Ancient Green Wisdom“) is best read with a cup of tea and perhaps a good deal more than simply “a” cup
Posted in Media, Tea
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Tagged China Tea, Indigenous tea culture, Jeff Fuchs, Puerh tea, Puerh tea culture, sustainable tea culture, Tea, Tea - Jeff Fuchs, tea culture, tea traditions in China, UNESCO, UNESCO - Jeff Fuchs, UNESCO tea, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan tea
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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
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Tagged ancient tea forests, China Tea, China travel, Indigenous tea culture, Jalamteas, Jeff Fuchs, Puer tea, Puerh tea, Sourcing teas, Tea, Yunnan tea, Yunnan Travel
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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
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Tagged China travel, Himalayas, Jeff Fuchs, Kawa Karpo, kora, pilgrim route, sacred mountain, Shola pass, Tea Horse Road, tibet travel, Yunnan Expedition, Yunnan Travel
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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
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Tagged China travel, Expedition, Himalayan travel, Jeff Fuchs, Jeff Fuchs Travels, sacred mountain, Shola pass, Tea Caravan Routes, tea caravans, Tea Horse Road, tibet travel, Yunnan Travel
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