Jeff Fuchs

Jeff Fuchs is a Canadian award-winning explorer, author, photographer, and tea purveyor who is based in Zhongdian (Shangri-La) in northwestern Yunnan, China. Fuchs came to prominence when he became the first westerner ever to travel and document the entire length of the Tea Horse Road; a journey that took more than seven months and ranged over 5,000 kilometers through Yunnan, Sichuan, Tibet, Nepal, and India. He serves as a Brand Ambassador or The North Face Asia and is a Scholar in Residence at the prestigious 'East-West Center' in Honolulu. Fuchs is described described by feature writer Bill Roberts in an expedition piece in Outpost Magazine, as a "charmingly volatile mix of Anglo-Hungarian genes", and a "languid hard man with a soft touch". Fuchs was awarded the 2011 Wild China Explorer of the Year for his first western documentation and expedition along a nomadic salt route in southern Qinghai, province (Amdo). His written and photographic work, which has been published on three continents, has repeatedly focused on the themes of oral narratives in the Himalayas, ancient trade routes, and tea culture. As well as acting as a mountain guide in Yunnan province, Fuchs is the co-founder of JalamTeas, which sources rare Puerh teas from southern Yunnan, and is a self-confessed tea addict. He works with Wild China running trips along the Tea Horse Road and deep into the eastern Himalayas. Himalayan trade routes and ancient tea culture sum up his two obsessions. He has been featured in articles in the Financial Times and the Huffington Post amongst others. His photos and stories have appeared on three continents in award-winning publications such as Kyoto Journal, TRVL, Outpost, South China Newspaper, The Earth, Silkroad Foundation, China Heritage Quarterly, amongst others. His photo work of indigenous people rests in private collections around the world. He is fluent in Mandarin and Tibetan. Jeff has worked with schools and universities, giving talks the importance of oral traditions, tea, and mountain cultures. He is currently at work preparing a paper for UNESCO on Tibetan nomad perceptions of climate change. http://www.jefffuchs.com/ http://www.tea-and-mountain-journals.com/ http://www.jalamteas.com/