Chongqing: Day 17, Part 2 – to Guilin Tea Plantation

February 6, 2015 by Let's CUT the Crap! 107 Comments

I felt rushed through the zoo and we were. Next on the agenda was a local flight to Guilin. We had to get our luggage checked and be ready to board by 11:10 a.m. for an hour flight. There were no unexpected surprises at the airport this time: no wands shrieked, nor gongs rung; no high-pitched voices nor thumping feet. Everyone had packed properly and wore no heavy metal.

A boxed lunch was served on board again, but I don’t recall what had been on offer.

Upon landing, our new tour guide, thirty-something Lily, met us at the airport. She was an attractive young woman, who appeared reserved, but approachable.

• Population Guilin: 1 million, includes 5 urban districts. Total equals 4.7 million
• Lots of Limestone mountains
• Yao Mountain only earth mountain, also the highest

• Small buildings only up to five storys high
• Lakes and two rivers
• Have 4 seasons
• Living standard is okay
• Tourism main source of revenue
• Tax-free for business
• Minority regions, tax tree
• Good transportation
• Major fashion manufacturers: Shanghai & Kenton
• Southern port of China

We were surrounded by limestone mountains from the airport to Guilin. What a sight to see.

• Specialty chili paste: local taste is hot
• Herbal medicine
• Fermented tofu
• Persimmons, kumquats, oranges
• Local wine (53% made from rice), named: Three Flower
• Natural wine quarry
• Local beer: Lee Cham
• Hometown of local painting
• Ocean pearls about 300 miles (km) from Guilin
• 10 army bases present because close to Vietnam border
• Rice has two crops a year. Ninety percent of rice farmers suffer rheumatism and arthritis

Frolicking in a tea field. I couldn’t balance the hat on my head.

Tea Quick Facts:

• Guilin area known for Chinese Tea
• Tea Institute does research on tea properties (founded in 1965 near Yao Mountain)
• Same tea bush, different tea from different parts of the bush
• Tea picking is in the morning
• Osmanthus tree, a relative of cinnamon (use only flowers not bark for tea)
• Flower tea: Jasmine, Osmanthus
• Green tea has caffeine, radiation-resistant for people use computers for long hours
• White tea regulated and produced in limited quantities for export
• Oolong tea, you must have clay pot (colour is red but like black tea) but different taste

Tea Disruption

• Most popular tea? Depends on age and type of job (social standing)
• Tea for modern people: “Puer” tea compressed into a hard block
• Puer tea (expensive) you cut off a piece to make tea
• Puer tea: good for stomach, detox high cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis, rheumatism and good for losing weight

We were invited to a tea tasting after the tour. I wasn’t fond of much of the tea. One couple liked the Puer tea and bought a box.

~ * ~

Additional Information:

Tea farm outside Guilin:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_Bzr8s45i8

How do they make it? Puer Tea Production:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6mewXlWlmY

 ~ * ~

Next on February 13^th, To Yangshuo: Day 17, Part 3 – Countryside

For more related posts, click on China tab at the top of the page

© 2015 All Rights Reserved Tess @ How the Cookie Crumbles