Getting ready for China

tea-map-china-lg[1]We're planning a visit to our Tea suppliers in China next month.  This is long overdue - we tried last year but the timing was wrong.  This year, if all goes well, we're scheduled for a September visit.  It hasn't escaped our attention that China is suffering through an excessive heat wave with temperatures well above 95 degrees in many areas.  People have fainted on the sidewalk and burned their bodies and the ubiquitous egg being fried on the sidewalk has made all the papers.  And yes, it also affects Tea.  In Zhejiang province, the famous Long Jing tea plants have withered and creeks are dry.  The astonishing thing is that China makes artificial rain.  This was news to me.  Our plan is to visit the South East portion of China - Fuzhou, Changsha, Wuyuan, Hangzhou - in the hope of seeing as much tea manufacture as possible including and take in the local tea culture.  We're fortunate that we have a very close associate in China who is co-ordinating all the ground arrangements for us.  If you follow along on the map, our trip will include the provinces of Jiangxi, Zheijang, Jiangxi and Fujian.