Author Archives: JeffFuchs

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.

Sacred Lakes Expedition – Led by a Memory

Preparations are in full mode here in Shangri-La to ascend to the sacred Tibetan high altitude ‘White&Black’ sister lakes, here in northwestern Yunnan. Known in ancient times as bodies of water where divinities resided, the lakes were consulted by locals … Continue reading

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November – Tea Horse Road, Jalamteas Event in Toronto – November 7th, 10th

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Mupa, Nyima, and Songjè – (Cloud, Sun, and Songjè)

The word for mist, clouds, and fog in many Tibetan regions is the same: mupa. Mupa is what engulfs us and sucks us all into itself and into a world of soft focused hues and biting wind. Rain slices in … Continue reading

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Songjè and a Sacred Lake – Part l of ll

Bells chime through the wet air and the odd manic high-pitched wail of urging in Tibetan rips over the grassland. Plodding through the pine and spruce are the sagging, deflated bodies of mules lugging packs that dwarf them. Their day … Continue reading

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A Sacred Lake and the Horseman

 Upcoming post is based on a recently completed journey up a mountain in northwestern Yunnan with a brilliant group of students…and an icon of the mountains, local horseman Sangjè. Hands of steel, a voice that silences and the requisite face … Continue reading

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Doctor ‘Mountain’ and the Temple – Part ll of ll

With the doctor behind me, but very much still in the mind, I head north towards this “little temple on a mountain”. His words about the ills of the mind resonate but my philosophy has always been, ‘as long as … Continue reading

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Doctor ‘Mountain’ and the Temple – Part l of ll

  Within a valley west of Shangri-La’s vaunted title and grasslands, over the Shika range of mountains, around 40 bends, heat rages even as autumn and winter start to claw their way into the geography. It is a region that … Continue reading

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Kora – Sustainable yak wool, high performance wear from the top of the world

Excited to see great friend, and trek-mate-for-all-seasons, Michael Kleinwort, finally release his ‘Kora‘ line of sustainable high-performance, yak wool clothing to the world. Excited too to be a part of it as a product tester on my various mountain wanderings.

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“Yunnan Tea Road” Article in award winning TRVL

Arriving back to Zhongdian (aka Shangri-La) to wet, hints of snow in the surrounding mountains, and the usual fun and games getting up-to-date with the goings on in our old town.  Building goes on, buildings go up and the sound … Continue reading

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Salt Road Talk at Shanghai’s Capital M

Speaking on September 6th at ‘M on the Bund’ in Shanghai about another of Asia’s timeless commodities, ‘salt’ and our first (and the first ever) expedition in 2011 to retrace the nomadic salt road (‘Tsa’lam’). Our journey ultimately sourced  the … Continue reading

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