Peng Fei

A Mid-autumn Festival tour to OCT East, scheduled Sept. 14, is open to up to 50 expatriates.

Located in Dameisha, Yantian District of Shenzhen, OCT East combines eco-tourism, outdoor sports, a hotel and spa, shows, dining and shopping and is considered an ideal resort for urban residents to escape from the bustle of city life.

Co-organized by Shenzhen Daily and OCT East, the tour aims to create a festival atmosphere for expat friends from various countries to experience Chinese culture while offering interactive activities to Shenzhen Daily readers.

With activities mainly arranged in the Tea Stream Valley, a major area of OCT East, participants can try picking, drying, frying and baking tea leaves in the town and drink a cup of tea they have prepared themselves.

The tour will also feature a tea-making competition, tea art show, English riddle quiz and moon cake tasting as well as a tea restaurant lunch and Tea Show. The Tea Show at the luxury Interlaken Theater is said to be something that no-one can afford to miss. Its multidimensional performance creates a spectacular audio-visual impact with one fantastic scene after another, taking you into a dreamy and mystic world of tea culture.

Shenzhen Daily is offering this whole trip including transport from the city center, lunch and activities for just 150 yuan per person. Expatriates who are interested in the tour can call our hotlines for seat reservation.

Participation hotline: 83519022, 83519911

Tour schedule:

Time: 9:30 a.m. on Sept. 14

Departure point: Shenzhen Press Group Building in Futian

10:30 a.m.: Arrive in the Tea Stream Valley of the OCT East

10:30---12:10 p.m.: Visit to the Tea Stream Valley

12:20---13:10 p.m.: Lunch

13:10---13:30 p.m.: English riddle guessing activity

13:40---15:40 p.m.: Tea-making activity and competition

15:50---17:00 p.m.: Tea Show at Interlaken Theater

17:10 p.m.: Return

Transportation: Free

Lunch: Free

Tea show: Free

OCT East getting you back to the nature

OCT East, a 3.5-billon-yuan investment supported by OCT Group, is a national ecological resort in eastern Shenzhen themed after the Swiss alpine village of Interlaken.

Overlooking the picturesque Dameisha beach, the 9-square-kilometer OCT East resort highlights Tea Stream Valley, a 2-square-kilometer tea-themed park situated at an altitude of 300 meters among the hills.

Offering visitors an opportunity to return to the nature, Tea Stream Valley combines eco-tourism, outdoor sports, a hotel and spa, shows, dining and shopping. It includes four tourist zones: Interlaken Town, Tea Ancient Town, Sanzhou Tea Garden and Wetland Garden.

Interlaken Town

The Interlaken Town features a vast array of theme districts such as ancient forest train, an elegant resort hotel, waterfront golf courses and tennis courts.

Tea Ancient Town

An ideal place to appreciate tea culture, Tea Ancient Town features Chinese tea ceremonies presented in Chinese-style buildings and delicacies made of tea leaves. Alternatively you may enjoy the experience in picking tea leaves, making tea and pottery.

Sanzhou Tea Garden

Surrounded by mountain, river, tea garden and wetland, Sanzhou Tea Garden allows visitors to hike through the tea garden to seek for serenity or to ride on horseback across the jungle to explore the nature.

"Tea Show"

The award-winning "Tea Show" at the luxury Interlaken Theater is another attraction. The effects of the performance are boosted by a 300-square-meter LED screen, the size of four standard badminton courts.

Set amid lake and mountain scenery, cliffs and waterfalls, Tea Stream Valley offers a rare opportunity to experience tea culture while enjoying the beauty of nature.

(Liu Mingxia)