Red Rock Trek and Expedition Co Ltd
Location: Yunnan, China
Mission Statement
Red Rock Trek & Expedition Co. Ltd. explores and documents China’s ancient Tea & Horse Caravan Trail. This trading route once rivaled the Silk Road in importance, connecting China and Tibet with India and Southeast Asia, and ranges throughout the entire Himalayan region.
Our mission is to map the forgotten byways of this great interchange of cultures, record the Trail’s oral history, and offer visitors from other areas the chance to experience first-hand the wonder of these Trails. Our unique expeditions retrace the actual treks along the historical Tea & Horse Caravan Trail, using the original trails and the same types of mule teams used when the Trail was in daily use. We work actively with the indigenous people who live along trail routes to keep alive the traditions and community life that have existed for centuries along these ancient roads.
As an enterprise that relies on the magnificence and diversity of nature, Red Rock is keenly aware of the necessity of acting as conscientious stewards of the natural environment in all areas that we pass through. Thus, part of Red Rock’s goal is to try to provide a model for responsible and sustainable use of existing natural resources in the areas we explore which will also allow the local people to preserve their ethnic identities and heritage.
Activities of Organisation
Red Rock Trek leads small groups of (6-18 people) along the traditional tea road trails with mule-caravans, exploring culture, ecology, and history. The organization not only maps and studies these roads, but works to educate indigenous peoples and local governments about the potential economic rewards of protecting their environment and traditional cultures. The group retraces the course of the historic Long March in China, and regularly visiting the sources of major rivers and caravan routes. Expeditions avoid main roads wherever possible, encourage interaction with the local culture, and emphasize environmental stewardship. These experiences are truly once in a lifetime opportunities for most participants and highlight how far from nature urbanization has taken us.
Consensus Community Perspective
With nearly a dozen trips planned for the next two years, Red Rock Trek and Expedition Company works to share indigenous culture with the outside world through an economic model that is both economically and environmentally sustainable. By traveling along these historical roads, Red Rock demonstrates to local communities that their place in history is valued and remembered by others, and that their culture is valued. Beyond this empowering message, Red Rock helps demonstrate to these communities that as they integrate into a globalized world economy, their natural environments can be transformed into a marketable commodity without abandoning tradition or damaging the ecology. Throughout much of China, the development of the tourist infrastructure comes at the expense of the natural environment and the cultural wealth of ancillary communities and by providing an example of culturally sustainable tourism and exploration Red Rock Trekking manifests the goals of the Himalayan Consensus.
Contact Information
Address:
Ed Jocelyn, Yang Xiao
info@redrocktrek.com
The Red Rock Trek and Expedition Co, Ltd.
Huayang Jiayuan, Building 1-704, Liulitun Beili 17
Chaoyang District, Beijing, China
北京市朝阳区六里屯北里17号楼华阳家园1号楼704室
Website: Visit this community's website