October

Fall has shown its colors

Mountains are being formed

in magnificent fashion

ShanCha®, along with more than ten guests (hereafter referred to as “camellia guests”), in the season full of poetry, stepped onto mystical land — Xin County, Henan Province, in the hinterland of Dabie Mountains, to start the Camellia Wellness Ecotour!

Guests hail from the United States, Germany, Portugal, South Korea, Hong Kong area, and Taiwan area.

In this trip, they will:

Stroll through the mountains, courtyard, and lakeside — meditation and reflection

Visit picturesque villages and experience ethnic customs

Venture into the wild camellia forests, enjoying the stunning beauty of camellia flowers

Visit the modern oil mill, and witness the marvels of camellia oil production

Feel the bond between camellia trees and human beings, understanding the significance of protective development in this ecological environment

Fall has arrived: bright sunshine bursting through branches in a prism of colors, matching our spirits!

Oct 27th– Day 1

Day 1, arrival in Xin County ShanCha® Manor by Xiangshan Villa in the early morning. The welcome ceremony was brief but spectacular.

Mr. Peng Yu, Vice president of Lingrui Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., welcomed guests from afar and launched the Camellia Wellness Ecotour.

After the opening ceremony, ShanCha® guests drove to Dawan Village, Tianpu Township.

Along the road, the scene of camellia flowers all over the mountains and plains were spectacular, attracting everyone’s attention and awe.

Stop for flowers! Guests walked heading along the path into the camellia forests. In spite of the rugged road, pristine white camellia flowers resembling frost from a distance made them forget the arduous hike. The guests excitedly ran up to the hilltop and picked beautiful camellia flowers, taking in their scent and indulging in the fragrance, with the surreal scenery engraved into their memories.

Pressing forward, at last arriving at the destination — Dawan Village, Tianpu Township.

This is the village that ShanCha® guests loved most during the trip. Here, they got to interact with local farmers and experience their lives, while also enjoying themselves!

Seeing the villagers’ lifestyle as well as the ancient Chinese architecture allowed guests to be immersed in exoticism; there was never a dull moment.

Impressed by the exquisite house designs, they knocked on doors and asked to visit the farmhouse. The enthusiastic and curious farmers warmly welcomed their new international friends and gave them tours of their homes.

Stovetops, forge tongs, bamboo knives… daily life appliances and working tools bring guests a sense of novelty. They witnessed the process of creating hand-made tofu, as well as on-site bamboo weaving stunts from a bamboo artist.

On the stony road, an elderly couple was pulling a wooden cart with just sun-dried lumber, requiring a great deal of effort. Guests enthusiastically helped the old couple stroll up the hill and talked with them about their daily lives, wishing them well when they parted.

Saying farewell to Dawan Village in the sunny bright afternoon, they went to visit the ShanCha® production site. When guests walked up the hill and found camellia trees and flowers all over the mountains, they thought it was quite an amazing spectacle!

When they saw the exquisite wooden tag with their own names hanging on the camellia trees, the guests were deeply moved. Pieces of wooden tags, carved with love; ShanCha® guests felt that they themselves also had their share of contribution in helping local farmers.

On the way to the birthplace of ShanCha®camellia oil - Lvda Camellia Oil Co., Ltd., there were camellia farmers in the street drying or hand-peeling seeds. Guests could not help stopping for a moment, curious and excited to see a black shiny camellia seed being shelled out.

Arrival at Lvda Camellia Oil Co., Ltd.

General Manager, Mr. Yuanming Chen warmly welcomed the guests and held a presentation describing every step of production in detail. Guests listened intently as they visited each factory. In the aseptic workshop, guests were impressed by the specialization of the two-production-line using automatic packaging equipment, as well as the professionalism of the technicians. They all remarked that these were definitely high-quality products that would take the U.S. market by storm.

Oct 28th – Day 2

In the early morning, as dawn was breaking, ShanCha® guests came to the Xiangshan lakeside. Sunlight from dawn awakened sleeping creatures, and the mountains were backed with a heavenly white glow. Afar, the soft haze swirling in the air gave the place a mystical and otherworldly feel.

With the sound of music playing slowly, guests did Yoga by the rippling lakeside with their personal Yoga trainer. Flexible bodies and graceful postures in the foreground of the beautiful Xiangshan Lake form into a picture, capturing those wonderful moments forever.

From 9 to 11 in the morning, the First Dabie Mountains Camellia Flower Festival and Camellia Industry Specific Poverty Alleviation Seminar was held at the Ten Billion Patches exhibition hall of Lingrui Group in Xin County.

This event was hosted by Dabie Mountains Camellia Industry Development Association, organized by Lingrui Group, and co-planned by ShanCha Inc. ShanCha® guests participated in all the activities of this festival.

Visiting Lingrui headquarters building.

In front of Lingrui® products showcase, people were impressed by the diversity and elegant design of Lingrui® products.

Despite the language barriers at the opening ceremony and the seminar, ShanCha® guests still carefully listened to all the brilliant speeches being made on stage.

The ShanCha® guests visited the headquarters of Lingrui Group, sitting as they watched the documentary film detailing its development history. They were amazed by the rapid development of Lingrui, and were touched by the fact that Lingrui Group never forgot its original aspiration to give back to the community.

Product booths were set in the Ten Billion Patches Headquarter Square. The ShanCha® booth and its products attracted much attention. People streamed to the showcase for more information and scanned the QR code with their phones to stay updated on social media accounts. Chairman Mr. Weizheng Xiong himself even brought invited guests to the booth and personally pitched the displayed products.The ShanCha® guests visited the headquarters of Lingrui Group, sitting as they watched the documentary film detailing its development history. They were amazed by the rapid development of Lingrui, and were touched by the fact that Lingrui Group never forgot its original aspiration to give back to the community.

In the afternoon, ShanCha® guests enjoyed the Landing Ceremony in Xin County of Henan Province and theatrical performance “Love at the Village” held by China Central People’s Broadcasting Station “Voice of the Village in China”. They were pleasantly surprised by the wonderful programs one after another! The excellent programs attracted the attention of the ShanCha® guests. After the show, many locals came to take pictures of the guests.

Oct 29th - Day 3

In the early morning, guests came to traditional Chinese cultural village — Xihe Bay.

Xihe Bay is an ancient village full of modern sentiment. In the fall time, the sun hit on the ginkgo leaves with glitter; when the wind blows, it seems like oncoming ginkgo rain.

Standing under the ginkgo trees, people were enchanted by the scene and did not want to leave. Old ginkgo trees decorated with autumn scenery here, outlining the unique culture.

Using the local geographical advantages, Xihe Bay built stone arch bridges and stone steps, and created a chance for guests to have intimate contact with nature. They stood in stone steps, facing to clear mirror-like autumn water, and took pictures.

Ancient buildings of Xihe Bay are well-preserved, and every single one is full of history. One brick or one tile reflects the intelligence of people in the olden times.

Ancient villages also exude a few modern elements. Fine coffeeshops with handwritten menus make guests feel endless novelty. Guests ordered local traditional coffee and left their names on the white cement wall according to the customs of the shops. In the last, take a group photo with big smiles, for themselves, for the small shop, leaving a beautiful imprint.

Located in the Xihe Bay Oil Extraction Museum, an original ancient press displayed with hundreds of years of history. Villagers enthusiastically demonstrate the ancient-law pressing process. ShanCha® guests naturally became oil pressers, and excitedly experienced the joy of working.

Afternoon tea events pushed ShanCha® Wellness Ecotour to its climax.

Master Shi Xinggui had a speech on the philosophy of life and healthy living principles. Guests were frequently nodding and raising their hands with questions on how to keep the practice of maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Tai Chi performance by famous Tai Chi successor, Mr. Wu Sun impresses the audience.

At the request of guests, he patiently taught basic Tai Chi Boxing to every guest, and they actively followed the lesson. Moments later, they were warmed up from stretches and, feeling refreshed with their bodies’ meridians opening up.

After the practice of Tai Chi, people had developed appetites. Camellia oil gourmet session on the spot lifted spirits, as they participated in making sesame balls, pumpkin pies, crispy durian cake… When the food was ready, with a sweet aroma, the guests were not afraid of burning their mouths and could not wait to taste their fruits of their labor.

In front of the painting and calligraphy desk, Mr. Kim from South Korea gave a live painting to Ms. Tang, the wife of Chairman Mr. Weizheng Xiong, expressing his gratitude for the trip.

Local native painters and calligraphers distributed exquisite fans prepared in advance to guests and gave every guest live paintings or written works.

Guests were deeply impressed and picked up the brushes to mix their favorite colors. They co-created a beautiful painting on rice paper with a warm atmosphere.

During various activities sessions, tea ceremonies interspersed among them felt perfect -a pot full of fresh tea in leisure time.

This afternoon guest wandered by the lakeside of Xiangshan. Immersing in mountains and water; Cultivating body and mind. Merging mind with nature; Being as free as clouds in the sky. Inspiring through ShanCha® vision; Appreciating richness of age.

On behalf of the local government, Mr. Liangbin Li , the head of Xin County went to the ShanCha Villa personally to participate in the series activities with the guests as well as having dinner, taking pictures and bidding farewell.

Oct 30th - Day 4

ShanCha® guests left for home. They had such a short trip, but an unforgettable experience.

Visit camellia base and observe the production process of the original camellia oil; just in time for the Dabia Mountain Camellia Festival, witness Lingui’s commitment to poverty alleviation. Admire the landscape and experience the farmers’ simple and honest lifestyle; Be one with nature in a tranquil setting – clear your mind with yoga, express yourselves through painting and calligraphy, learn unique and mystical concepts in Tai Chi; Seek life wisdom in Buddhism Dharma. This is our camellia trip, truly a spiritual journey!

Mr. Dominik also expressed his gratitude to the people of Xin County. He said that every family warmly welcomed their arrival; and not only invited them to take a house tour, but also introduced their backyard; the mountains, and the beautiful lake. He hoped the Government of Xin County would do its utmost to maintain the status quo here; preserve ancient camellia trees, and protect traditional Chinese culture.

Mr. Donati showed his gratitude to the hospitality of the event organizers to ShanCha® guests. He emphasized that it was hard to pick a favorite place because everywhere was beautiful. Only one day and he had already deeply fallen in love with the land and the people. He appreciated and was very willing to introduce the best camellia oil to the world. In the meanwhile, he wishes that the local farmers could take the road to better lives with the help of industrial poverty alleviation from Lingrui Group.

Ms. Gia expressed her gratitude for ShanCha Inc. and Lingrui Group offering this opportunity to experience beautiful Xin County in China. In the past few days, what surprised her most was the breathtaking scenery and honest, hard working locals. Everyone was friendly, around every corner awaited a taste of traditional Chinese culture.

Goodbye, beautiful Dabie Mountains! We will be back during the next blossoming of camellia flowers！