Cultural route

Beijing Capital Airlines heralded its latest adventure – a new air route from Hangzhou to Melbourne. The inaugural flight was feted with at the Yugen Tea Bar in South Yarra. The plane, an Airbus A330 (a majestic bird of the skies), touched down in Melbourne at the ungodly hour of 5am, disgorging 264 bleary-eyed souls who’d likely never been so thrilled to see a coffee bean in their lives.

The return flight winged its way back to Hangzhou at 7am, presumably with the same eager anticipation for tea.

Labelling this venture a mere ‘flight route’ would be a dire understatement. It’s a cultural bridging of hemispheres: Australia’s coffee capital shaking hands with China’s tea capital.

Cultural route

Cultural route

Cultural route

Cultural route

Cultural route