We are proud to announce that Canadian explorer and tea expert, Jeff Fuchs, will be joining us this year as one of the WildChina Explorer Grant judges. Having won the grant himself in 2011, Jeff has dedicated his life to adventure and discovery. He is most well known as the first westerner to travel the full length of the Ancient Tea and Horse road that was used for centuries as a trade route between China, Tibet, Nepal, and India. This expedition was extraordinary in that it brought to light a major piece of cultural history and gave voice to the stories of the remaining “muleteers” who would make this arduous journey before the building of roads began to replace this means of transport.
His fascination with old trade routes did not stop there, however, and in 2011 Jeff received a WildChina Explorer Grant to retrace a portion of the old Tsalam Salt Road. Located in the remote highlands of southern Qinghai province (Amdo), this passage sustained many of the nomadic communities that occupy the region which, as Jeff explains, “remains culturally, historically and geographically one of the least documented portions on earth.” In traveling to these lost channels of cultural and commercial exchange, Jeff Fuchs has consistently demonstrated the power of exploration to shed light on the amazing human histories that are embedded in the landscape.
For the chance to win $3000 of funding for your own Chinese adventure, don’t forget to apply for the 2014 WildChina Explorer Grant!
