Tea TV

Viewers of public television may have been fortunate to catch recent episodes of Martin Yan's Hidden China and Travelscope featuring tea and travel. 

Martin Yan's Hidden China, Episode #10, "For All the Teas in Western China"

"Yunnan Province is well known for its tea production. Martin visits the famous Pu-erh tea region and gains some ‘hands-on’ experience at the tea plantations. In addition to picking tealeaves, Martin discovers how tea and tea products are processed and packaged. He learns to make the famous ‘tea cake’ – a brick of tea compressed into a round shape, which is then labeled, stamped and aged. At the tea museum, Martin views many historical teacakes and learns about their value and social significance. Finally, a local chef shows Martin how tea can be used as a cooking ingredient. He tastes and comments on two fabulous local tea dishes."

Joseph Rosendo's Travelscope, "Taiwan - The Culture of Tea"

"The mystery and majesty of tea is explored when Joseph spotlights the culture of this royal beverage on Taiwan. During this adventure he travels to Lujang to join in the creation of traditional tea snacks, visits an Assam tea farm in Nantou, participates in a formal tea ceremony in Tainan and tops it all off with a visit to the annual Lantern Festival in Chiayi. Along the way he meets the masters of Taiwan’s pottery, tin-sculpting and lantern-making arts."

Click for a 30-second trailer of the episode:
http://travelscope.net/episodes/view/taiwan_-_the_culture_of_tea/

"Fly to Japan!" Project Not Approved for Funding

We have been following the "Fly to Japan!" project in the news since October. I had mixed emotions about the promotion, but would have seriously considered it if given the chance. Here is the most recent update (Dec. 26, 2011):

The project titled Fly to Japan! (to offer flight tickets to 10,000 foreigners with high potential to communicate Japan’s attractions), which had been covered in a number of media in autumn this year, was not approved as a governmental draft budget of FY 2012. ...

Read the full story here: http://www.mlit.go.jp/kankocho/en/page08_000020.html

The ten million or so dollars that would have flown in tourists should go a long way to restoring the earthquake-damaged regions of Japan. Here's hoping they make it count.