Shaxi, Yunnan

Shaxi, Yunnan | The Maker Retreat On Tea Horse Road

Dates: Dec 2026 – Sep 2027 · 3 departures | Guests per trip: 4 - 6

Find your hands, still your mind, & make something true

/In the timeless village of Shaxi, Yunnan, along the last remaining stretch of the ancient Tea Horse Road, this journey invites you to slow down, unburden, and rediscover the simple, grounding joy of creating with your hands.

/Designed for those seeking depth over output, this immersive retreat weaves together traditional craftsmanship, embodied practices, and the living rhythm of a creative community.

/Every moment becomes an invitation to reconnect—with the land, with others who have chosen a quieter path, and with the part of yourself that creates not for perfection, but for meaning.

Dates & Pricing

Highlights + Benefits

The People as the Place

+ Most retreats offer activities. This retreat offers relationships. Your guides are not staff delivering content; they are practitioners who have built lives in Shaxi and who share their practice as a form of hospitality.

The Arc of Making

+ Three-day indigo immersion in a traditional Bai craft is designed to give you the experience of sustained creative work. You will leave with a finished piece that carries the memory of its making, and the knowledge that comes from having participated in every stage of its creation.

The Body as Foundation

+ Each day begins with Qigong (Baduanjin) as a way of settling into the body before the mind takes over. This practice, led by a senior practitioner, becomes the rhythm of the retreat: a daily return to breath, movement, and presence that prepares you for the work and encounters to come.

The Living Landscape

+ Shaxi is not a preserved museum piece. It is a living community where people farm, trade, celebrate, and mourn. The retreat is designed to give you access to this living quality — through the Friday market, the family visit, the foraging walk, and the simple fact that you will be staying in the old town rather than observing it from a distance.

The Season as Teacher

+ Each season has its own character, and the retreat is designed to let you experience Shaxi as it actually is, not as a generic backdrop. In summer and autumn, the forest offers mushrooms and the work is outdoors. In winter, the focus shifts to indoor cooking and the particular beauty of the valley in cold weather — the mist on the Yujin Bridge.

Daily Program

Day 1: Arrival & Stillness / Private transfer to Shaxi from Dali. Settle into your courtyard room before an exploratory walk through Hualong Village. After a wholesome dinner, meet each other over a bonfire music party in a local courtyard.

Day 2: Forest & Heritage / Begin with dawn Baduanjin led by a senior practitioner. Head into the hills for a guided forest foraging walk, learning to read the landscape for what the season offers. Cook together — a wild mushroom feast in summer and autumn, or an indoor cooking class in the cooler months. The afternoon brings a slow walk through the old town, past the Ancient Stage and Xingjiao Temple, settling into the valley's centuries-old rhythm.

Day 3: The Maker's Vision / After morning movement, spend the morning learning the visual language of Bai textile traditions and designing your own unique pattern. In the afternoon, wander through the inspiring Pioneer bookstore and the artisan shops tucked into the old town's stone lanes. End the day watching the sunset from a boutique café as the valley turns gold.

Day 4: Craft & Connection / Awaken with flowing movement in the courtyard. Return to the studio for the meticulous work of sewing and tying your cloth before dyeing. In the afternoon, journey to Mapinguan for a fireside hearth dinner, a traditional mountain meal cooked over an open flame pit, shared with a local Bai family in the warmth of their ancestral home.

Day 5: Revelation & Making / Greet the morning with Baduanjin. Witness the magic of the indigo vat as your textile is dyed and revealed, unfolding the patterns created by your own hands. In the afternoon, join a flower pastry workshop to craft traditional Yunnan treats using local rose petals — a gentler making to close the creative arc.

Day 6: The Living Market / Experience the Gan Bai Friday market, the commercial and social heart of the valley for centuries. Walk through stalls of fresh produce, handmade goods, and the ordinary necessities of rural life. A final nourishing lunch before private transfers carry you onward, quietly changed by what you made and who you met.

See Detailed Program

Rather than polished hotels that could be anywhere, we look for places that feel like Shaxi: original, unhurried, and quietly beautiful. In summer and autumn, we stay at Heyuan, a serene traditional courtyard homestay nestled in Hualong Village. When our group reaches six guests, we take over the entire property — the courtyard, the garden, the common spaces — exclusively for the Puyu community. In winter, we move closer to the old town and stay at Mooncreek, a carefully designed boutique property steps from the famous Yujin Bridge, where morning mist rises from the Hei Hui River in the cold season. Both properties offer generous shared spaces — for morning practice, quiet reading, or simply sitting together as the day winds down.

Heyuan Homestay · 沙溪合院
A restored Bai courtyard house in Hualong Village.
合敬 · Héjìng 5 photos
合敬 · Héjìng
2 Twin Courtyard view 45 m²
Ground floor twin room with courtyard views
合硕 · Héshuo 5 photos
合硕 · Héshuo
King Courtyard view 45 m²
Ground floor room with courtyard views and a soaking tub
合悦 · Héyuè 5 photos
合悦 · Héyuè
Queen Mountain view 48 m²
Second floor room with mountain views and a large private terrace
合安 · Hé'ān 5 photos
合安 · Hé'ān
King Courtyard view 45 m²
Floor 2Second floor room with courtyard views and a soaking tub
合雅 · Héyǎ 5 photos
合雅 · Héyǎ
Queen Mountain view 46 m²
Second floor room with mountain views and a private terrace
合順 · Héshùn 5 photos
合順 · Héshùn
King Mountain view 36 m²
Second floor room with mountain views and a private terrace
Nov – Dec
Mooncreek · 半溪明月
Boutique courtyard hotel located at the edge of Shaxi Ancient Town, within walking distance to the historic center.
Shared Room 5 photos
Shared Room
2 Twin Garden view 35m²
Tatami-style twin room with natural light
Standard King Room 5 photos
Standard King Room
King Garden view 36 -40 m²
King room with underfloor heating and standard amenities; some rooms have windows facing an internal corridor
Terrace / Courtyard King Room 5 photos
Terrace / Courtyard King Room
King Private Couryard / Terrace 45–48m²
King room with either a private courtyard or terrace and a soaking tub.
Courtyard King Room 5 photos
Courtyard King Room
King Private courtyard 75–80m²
Spacious king room on ground floor with private courtyard and soaking tub.
Suite 5 photos
Suite
King Garden view 50–70m²
Suite-style layout with a seperate living area
Choose your dates ↓ Select a departure to see pricing on WeTravel

Every meal on this retreat is a small act of curation. At the hotel, the table is set with seasonal, locally sourced food — simple, nourishing, and reflective of what the valley grows at that time of year.

Beyond the courtyard, food becomes an adventure: we visit the local restaurants that Shaxi residents actually eat at, forage for wild mushrooms in the hills during summer season and cook them the same afternoon, learn to prepare Yunnan dishes in a hands-on cooking class, and share a hearthfire meal cooked together with a local Bai family in their ancestral home.

Nothing is staged for tourists. Every meal has a story — of the land it came from, the hands that prepared it, and the people you shared it with.

Shaxi is a small valley town in Dali Prefecture, Yunnan — tucked between mountains.

Step 1 — Fly into China
If you're coming from overseas, fly into one of China's major international hubs: Shanghai (PVG/SHA), Chengdu (CTU), or Guangzhou (CAN) are the most well-connected. From there, connect onward to Dali.

Step 2 — Get to Dali
Two options, both easy:

  • By air: Take a direct domestic flight to Dali Fengyi Airport (DLU). Flight time from major hubs is 1.5–2.5 hours.
  • By train: Fly into Kunming (KMG) and take the high-speed bullet train to Dali Railway Station (大理站). The train takes approximately 2 hours and is a scenic, comfortable ride through Yunnan's mountains.

Step 3 — We take it from here
Once you land or arrive at Dali Airport (DLU) or Dali Railway Station (大理站), your private transfer to Shaxi is included. Share your arrival details with us in advance and your driver will be waiting for you. The drive to Shaxi takes approximately 2 to 2.5 hours through the Yunnan countryside — a beautiful introduction to the landscape you'll be spending the week in.

    Add Lijiang Extension To Your Retreat.

    Shaxi will change the pace of your days. But if you have never been to Lijiang — and want to see it the way most visitors never do — we have designed a four-day extension that continues the journey northward.

    • From the serene highland lakes of Jianchuan to the stone village of Yuhu at the foot of the sacred Jade Dragon Snow Mountain;
    • From a free morning in the quiet lanes of Shuhe Old Town to an evening gathered around a Naxi fire;
    • From the glacial turquoise waters of Blue Moon Valley to the five-century murals of Baisha…

    This extension moves through one of China's most visited regions without touching its most commercial corners.

    No cable car queues. No bar streets.

    Just the landscapes, the cultures, and the living traditions that made people fall in love with this part of Yunnan in the first place.

    The extension is available to all retreat guests and you can add this as add-on during checkout.

    See Detailed Program
    Extension photo

    Choose Your Dates

    2026 departures

    2027 departures

    Selected departure December 27, 2026 – January 1, 2027
    Duration 5 nights · 6 days
    Location Shaxi, Yunnan
    Group Size Max 6 guests
    Early Bird
    USD 2,320
    USD2,320
    starting from · per person
    Reserve Your Place

    500 USD deposit secures your place

    Booking for this departure opens soon. We write to the list first.

    • 5 nights accommodation at boutique lodge
    • Daily meals with seasonal local ingredients
    • All scheduled internal transfers, inclusing private car transfers (from Dali to Shaxi on Day 1, and return on Day 6)
    • Daily curated activities listed in the itinerary (from morning Qigong, 3-day indigo workshop to bai family visit and dinner)
    • Bilingual lead accompanying the group throughout (English and Mandarin)
    • Flights or train to Dali
    • Personal expenses like shopping/merchandise
    • Travel insurance (required)
    • Visa fee (Check the specific regulations pertaining your country of origin)
    • Additional activities not included in the itinerary

    We understand that plans can change. To ensure fairness for all participants and to keep our retreats running smoothly, please review our cancellation and payment policy carefully before booking.

    Deposit Policy

    • A $500 deposit is required to secure your spot at the retreat.
    • 100% deposit refund for cancellations made 60+ days before the retreat start date.
    • 50% deposit refund for cancellations made 30–59 days before the retreat start date.
    • No deposit refund for cancellations made 0–29 days before the retreat start date.

    Remaining Balance

    • The remaining balance is due 30 days before the retreat start date.
    • Cancellations made 0–29 days before the retreat start date are non-refundable for the remaining balance.

    Retreat Minimum Attendance

    • We will notify you 30 days prior to the retreat start date whether the minimum participant requirement has been met.
    • If the retreat is canceled due to insufficient enrollment:
    • You will receive a full refund of your deposit and any paid balance, or
    • You may choose to transfer your payment to a future retreat.

    By paying your deposit, you acknowledge and agree to Puyu Retreat’ Terms & Conditions, including this cancellation and payment policy.

    FAQs

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Learn More Contact Us

    About Retreat

    1.What’s included in a Puyu retreat package?

    Every Puyu retreat is thoughtfully curated to immerse you in China’s serene landscapes and living traditions. Most retreats include boutique accommodations, daily wellness classes (such as yoga, meditation, or TCM workshops), nourishing local cuisine, and round-trip transfers from designated meeting points. Many also offer optional excursions, spa experiences, or personalized add-ons to enrich your journey.

    ✨ Please note: Inclusions may vary depending on the retreat. We encourage you to check the detailed itinerary for your chosen journey so you know exactly what’s included.
    2.Is this a group retreat, or can I attend solo?

    You are warmly welcomed whether traveling solo or with friends. Puyu retreat foster an intimate, supportive community, offering flexible, mindful programs for both solo adventurers and those seeking shared wellness journeys.
    3.Who would enjoy a Puyu retreat?

    Our retreats are ideal for curious souls looking for meaningful China visits, rest, and immersion in authentic Chinese culture, nature, and wellness. Guests often describe their experience as a holistic “reset”—physically, mentally, and emotionally.
    4.Do you arrange international flights for guests?

    No, international flights are not included. However, we provide detailed travel tips and support to ensure your arrival in China is smooth and stress-free.
    5.Should I purchase travel insurance?

    Yes. Travel insurance is required to join the retreat, as it offers peace of mind in case of unexpected changes, delays, or health-related issues.
    6.Is there any help with trip planning?

    Yes! As a Puyu retreat guest, you’ll receive our bespoke itinerary planning service completely free of charge — a benefit normally offered as a standalone program. We’ll help with visa guidance, route planning, and tailored recommendations so your journey through China feels effortless and deeply enriching.

    Learn more about our itinerary planning service.

    About Payment

    1.Which payment methods do you accept?

    We accept bank transfers and major credit or debit cards. Depending on your currency, local payment options (such as ACH in USD or SEPA in EUR) may also be available for your convenience.
    2.Are there any extra costs, like tips or hidden fees?

    Puyu pricing is transparent. All essential retreat elements are included. Gratuities are not expected in China but are always appreciated. Any optional upgrades or experiences will be clearly communicated before booking.
    3.What languages will guides and facilitators speak?

    Most retreats are conducted in English and Mandarin. If you need another language, please inform us in advance, and we’ll do our best to accommodate.
    Reserve Your Spot