Before we embark on journeys, you may have a few questions:
Firstly:
“Yunnan teaches inclusivity,
by measurement of history and geography.”
Located in the Southwestern corner of China, the province bridges the Tibetan plateau with tropical valleys.
Within the 7,000 meter altitude range, traders and pilgrims paved routes, exchanged tea and horses, and made their home along the way. Languages, faiths, and crafts have mingled here throughout millennia.
Bordering Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam, Yunnan continues to bear imprints of international influence:
Theravada Buddhist teachings entered Yunnan from the South and the West, ethnic minorities share languages and festivals across the borders.
The Red River runs into the Gulf of Tonkin and railways bridged into Kunming from Haiphong and Mandalay.
Today, the coffees and wines honour the techniques from France, and the black tea (Dian-hong) continues to recognise London as the city where it made its international debut…
All in all, Yunnan was never a monolithic destination.
Here, cultures of various time periods remain tangible and active in the contemporary: in meals, pieces of fabric, languages and more.
Because nature is the root of all cultures, the cultures are as inclusive as nature is; Because crafts are passed from hand to hand and generation to generation, heritage sustains for as long as lives do.
Hence, a trip to Yunnan may start as a getaway.
However, the traveller will always end up on a journey that began centuries ago, to become a part of a story that will always be in the making.
Secondly:
As a society, we are more linked up now than ever, to each other and to the knowledge of different worlds.
Nonetheless, the digital network has smoothened out the necessary experiences for forming real connections: whether it is time spent together with people face-to-face, or hand-felt practices of creativity, the means that used to define community and culture are undergoing transformation.
This is a historical juncture,
where everything seems to be moving at an unprecedented pace and yet, no answer has arisen to address the void that lies between people and cultures.
Amidst this time of change, we would like to use tourism as an entry point to re-explore the possibilities of connection and knowledge sharing.
On our trips, we begin with tangible daily elements to discover what life entails — for the people who have lived here through generations, and for you who may have been searching for an alternative perspective.
Further, we believe that travelling can communicate knowledge between the traveller and the community of the destination.
Together and through the medium of craftsmanship, we make the travelling experience influential for all, echoing what Yunnan has always been: a place of inclusivity, creativity and co-existence.
Thirdly:
Beginning as a family business，
our tour has evolved with Yunnan’s tourism sector.
My mom translating for tourists in the Dali Old City
Star Café opened on the ‘Foreigner Street’
As China welcomed the first wave of international tourists in the 1980s, my parents had been there as the first English tourist guides in Dali.
In a time where very few locals spoke English, they brought people into homes, shared meals, and translated not just language—but culture.
Shortly after, we opened the Star Café (太白楼) on the ‘foreigner street’ of the old city, serving drinks, dishes and even artworks for guests from all over the world.
Record of a childhood in the Old City of Dali
Years later, the Water‘s Edge resort was set up by the Erhai Lake and beneath Mt. Cang:
Water’s Edge resort by the lake
Resort interiors
Mountain breeze and fresh air in the room
Currently, we have matured our capacity to host personalised and group tours.
Rooted in the old city of Dali, we have also coerced our network of local artisans across various domains of craftsmanship. Together, the trips weave the crafts taught in London to their origin, completing the learning loop and feeds the knowledge back to the local community.
Throughout each tour, we reimagine what travelling can entail — bridging together the family’s legacy with a deeper focus on craft, culture, and human connection.
“Our journeys go beyond sightseeing.
They are about slowing down, learning with artisans, and stepping into a way of life that is rarely seen from the outside.
When you travel with us, you are not just visiting Yunnan.
You are becoming part of a story that began decades ago—and continues to evolve with every journey.”