🌅 At dawn, golden sunlight kisses Erhai Lake as Fudan MBA explorers step into Dali’s tea mountains. 🌿 Ancient trees, some over a thousand years old, whisper stories of history and friendship. 🌳 From the legendary Five-Stump Tea King 🐉 to the Xiao Qing Lian tree 🎗️, this journey blends nature, tea 🍵, and lasting bonds into an unforgettable adventure.
🌅 Dawn at Erhai Lake · Welcoming Ceremony
At the end of 2024, as night settled over Erhai Lake, Fudan MBA Qinggan Camp participants gathered along the lakeshore.
✨ When the first golden-red ray pierced the clouds, the water instantly melted into flowing sheets of gold. Cameras clicked in unison, capturing the dancing reflections as if Cangshan Mountain and Erhai Lake had jointly stamped the new year with gilded blessings. 📸
🏯 Temporal Dialogue under Chongsheng Pagoda
On New Year’s Day, the three pagodas of Chongsheng Temple revealed their grandeur in the morning light.
-
The main Qianxun Pagoda, standing 69.13 meters tall, curves elegantly like a Tang dynasty calligraphy stroke across the backdrop of Cangshan.
-
Tapping the weathered surface, one can feel the wisdom of Nanzhao craftsmen embedded in every arc: a broad foundation like solid rock, a waistline tapering like a Bai woman’s embroidered sash.
-
Even during the 1825 earthquake, the three pagodas only lost their bronze bells atop. 🔔
📖 “Located north of Zhongyue Peak in Cangshan Mountain, the official name of Tianlong Temple is Chongsheng Temple. Locals, however, continue to call it Tianlong Temple. As described in Jin Yong’s Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, Dali’s founder Duan Siping once ordained here, renowned for his martial arts mastery and moral integrity, and custodian of the Six Meridian Sword manual.”
🌳 The Legendary Five-Stump Ancient Tea Trees
Entering Yinsheng Ancient City in Jingdong, picturesque scenery unfolds along the way: towering trees, fragrant tea, and gentle mountain breezes. 🍃
By dusk, we reached the legendary ancient tea garden:
-
Each tea tree seemed to whisper its own story, quietly recounting centuries of history.
-
Venturing through dense primeval forest, we finally encountered the 1,400-year-old “Five-Stump Tea King”.
-
Its gnarled branches twisted like dragon claws 🐉, moss-covered trunk etched with time’s cipher.
❤️ At this extraordinary tree, where roots separated yet crowns intertwined, we tied red ribbons to its branches—our camaraderie flowing silently among us, rooted as deeply as the ancient tree itself. 🎗️
🔥 Wild Feast on the Broken Trail
The third day’s expedition halted at a fractured mountain path, yet undeterred, we chose the rugged climb. Facing the boundless wild forest, our team transformed into jungle operatives: swinging from vines like monkeys 🐒, clinging to cliffs like geckos 🦎.
Bamboo was split into pots, firewood gathered, and a makeshift stove filled the forest with smoke. 🍲 Golden chicken broth swirled with pine fragrance in paper bowls, captivating all senses. One teammate laughed:
“Even a Michelin chef would struggle to earn the ‘Wild Gourmet’ certification here!”
🌱 Oath of the “Xiao Qing Lian”
Amid lush greenery, we discovered a unique solitary tree—roots branched, leaves clinging together, symbolizing unity and connection. 🌿
In that moment, we decided to adopt this tree and named it “Xiao Qing Lian”:
-
Qing represents Qinggan Camp, our shared place of growth and effort.
-
Lian signifies that, like this tree’s intertwined leaves, our bonds—though rooted in different origins—grow upward together, resilient and inseparable through every storm. 🌳🤝
🌫️ Epilogue · A Promise in the Mountain Mist
Descending through forests scented with fir 🌲, one teammate inhaled deeply:
“This must be ancient tree-brewed oxygen tea!”
Looking back at the mist-shrouded Wuliang Mountains, the camera froze on fluttering red ribbons. A voice carried by the mountain wind echoed:
“When Xiao Qing Lian sprouts its first new leaves, it will signal our reunion—come mid-April, we will harvest tea and continue our story through its aroma.” 🍵
(This article records the immersive tea journey of Fudan University MBA students from the 21st to 23rd cohorts in Yinsheng Ancient City. More details on ancient tree adoption and spring tea-harvesting events will be released soon.)
Fudan University, located in Shanghai, China 🇨🇳, is renowned for world-class academic excellence. Ranked 39th globally in the 2025 QS World University Rankings, its international reputation places it among the top 30 worldwide and third in mainland China. In the fifth national discipline evaluation, its achievements span literature, social sciences, science, engineering, and medicine, all ranking within the top 100 globally.
Amid these ancient trees and timeless landscapes, the journey resonates with the spirit of Mr.Cha Tea, blending heritage, nature, and friendship in every leaf. 🍃🍵
0 comments