Cradle of K-tea
The year is 828. Kim Daeryeom, a royal envoy to the Tang Empire, comes back from China with tea seeds. By a decree of King Heugdeok of Silla, he plants them on the slopes of Hwagae Valley in Jiri Mountains. Nearly twelve centuries pass. Kasper, …
Hainan: tea vs coffee
China is an empire of tea. You normally don’t associate her with coffee, unlike the neighboring Vietnam. Yet, tucked nearby where these two countries border on the South China Sea, is an island where both Camellia leaves and Coffea beans play a culture-forming role: Hainan. …
Sea of tea
Imagine 40,000 acres of tea. Imagine, or just go to Guizhou and see it yourself! At 25 km of lenght and 4 km of width, the “Tea Sea” in Meitan county is hailed as the largest contiguous area of tea plantation in the world. Directions: …
Donglianhua 东莲花
An old Muslim settlement in central Yunnan. Here are some photographs from Donglianhua 东莲花, an ancient village near Weishan. It is inhabited by people of the Islam-adhering Hui minority (回族). The name of the village literally translates as “East Lotus Flower”. Historians generally assume that …
Macau. St Lazarus
The grid of streets around St. Lazarus’ Church seems to receive far less tourists than Senado Square and St. Paul’s Ruins. The area is also not a part of the World Heritage Site core zone. I reached it from Tap Seac Square and first headed …