RETREAT TO DALI VALLEY’S LINDEN CENTRE FOR A TASTE OF THE AUTHENTIC CHINA
Date:
24/03/2010
RETREAT TO DALI VALLEY’S LINDEN CENTRE FOR A TASTE OF THE AUTHENTIC CHINA
A journey through China can be a full-on experience involving a race against the clock to cover even the most limited of itineraries. But for those who want to take time out and immerse themselves in the country, the Linden Centre (or Xi Lin Yuan) provides the setting for a leisurely detour.
Located in Yunnan Province’s Dali Valley, the 14-room property – recently rated China’s “best boutique inn” – occupies a setting across four courtyards and has been painstakingly restored to its former dynastic elegance, featuring furniture designed by local craftsmen and communal areas of ponds, bamboo and native flowers.
But it is the ethos of the western owners that is gaining the Linden Centre a reputation as somewhere in which visitors can cross paths with the ‘old’ China that bypasses many, while experiencing an area that offers access to undisturbed cultures and to a melting pot of the region’s cultural, historical and ethnic influences.
In the foothills of the Himalayas and with a year-round spring climate, the centre’s aim is to preserve the cultural heritage of Asia’s timeless villages and to create and inspire opportunities for learning.
A typical three-day stay can include activities as diverse as Tai Chi, shopping for textiles produced by village families, tracing the steps of the ‘Flying Tigers’ or reliving the Buddhist pilgrimage to Jizu Mountain. Guests can also explore local markets and cook with the centre’s head chef, visit mountainside temple complexes, gain an insight into Chinese medicine, join a local family for lunch or trace the area’s tea growing industry.
Volunteering opportunities are also offered for anyone who might like to spend an hour or two in a school teaching English and reading to students, or taking to the waters in search of a catch with local fishermen.
South East Asia specialists Silk Steps can include a three-day stay at the Linden Centre as part of a 14-day itinerary that also includes Beijing, Kunming and Lijiang. The trip costs from £2175 per person based on two people travelling and includes international flights with Air China/Virgin Atlantic, internal transportation, all transfers, accommodation in superior hotels on a bed and breakfast basis, excursions and the services of local, English-speaking guides on private tour basis.
For further details call Silk Steps on 01278 722460. Visit Silk Steps online at www.silksteps.co.uk
-ends-
March 24, 2010
Issued on behalf of Silk Steps by David Leck Associates. Press enquiries to David Leck on 01322 528580/07710 326256.
