Ancient tea forests well-preserved at Jingmai Mountain in Pu’er
“Preserving tea trees is akin to safeguarding our vision.” The residents of Jingmai Mountain share an unbreakable bond with the mountain and, above all, with tea. The mountains foster lush forests, nurturing the growth of tea bushes that envelop the village. For centuries, the timeless tale of the interdependence between humans and tea unfolds in this sacred land.
Su Guowen
Su Guowen: An octogenarian protector of the ancient tea forest
“Our goal is to foster a wider appreciation of our tea culture.” People of all ages, gathered in the cultural room of Mangjing Village, Lancang Lahu Autonomous County, Pu’er City, listen attentively to Su Guowen. In his eighties, Su, belonging to the Bulang ethnic group, imparts his wisdom through a live broadcast on loudspeakers, as his voice drifts into the ancient tea forest shrouded in clouds and mist. Having been a primary school teacher before retirement, Su returned to Jingmai Mountain to devote himself to the development of tea culture, becoming a revered custodian of Pu’er tea rituals and ancestral customs.
“We deeply appreciate and embrace tea as an integral part of our lives,” Su passionately shares insights into the rich tea culture and history of Jingmai Mountain. “Approximately during the 10th century B.C., the ancestors of the Bulang ethnic group migrated to Jingmai Mountain, finding refuge in the wild tea trees that saved them from an epidemic.”
Since then, the Bulang ethnic group, along with the Dai and other ethnic groups who have resided there for generations, have honed the art of cultivating tea amidst the forested landscape. They have embraced tea planting, tea making, tea appreciation, and tea preservation as an intrinsic part of their lives in Jingmai Mountain. “The legacy of ancient tea was bequeathed to us by our ancestors a millennium ago, and it is our responsibility to nurture these age-old tea plantations for the generations yet to come,” Su said.
Cultural landscape of old tea forests of the Jingmai Mountain in Pu’er
Xianjin: A post-00 advocate of tea culture
In the ancient tea forest, a young Dai girl named Xianjin has established a live broadcasting setup. She skillfully brews a cup of freshly produced tea and leverages live streaming to sell her tea directly from the tea forest. In less than a year, she has closed an impressive 20,000 deals and generated over 800,000 yuan in sales revenue.
At first, Xianjin faced challenges on her entrepreneurial journey due to her limited knowledge about tea. When customers asked her, “What makes your tea special?”, she found herself unable to provide a satisfactory answer, despite being born and raised in the renowned tea region of Jingmai Mountain. Determined to improve her understanding of tea, she decided to leave Jingmai Mountain and work at a teahouse in Kunming. She eagerly seized any opportunity to visit tea mountains, immersing herself in the process of observing tea trees during the day and engaging in conversations with tea farmers to learn about tea plucking and production in the evenings. Throughout this period, Xianjin explored tea mountains of all sizes across Yunnan Province.
At the age of 18, armed with a deep knowledge of tea, Xianjin returned to her hometown from Kunming. She dedicated herself to transforming the ecological tea forest, aiming to enhance the quality of tea. Additionally, she established tea cooperatives to elevate the value of tea produced in the region. When she was 21, Xianjin embarked on the journey of selling tea through live streaming, utilizing the power of short videos to promote Jingmai Mountain. As the demand for her tea grew beyond the mountains, people from outside the region started flocking to Jingmai.
Standing inside the bamboo building and gazing at the tea mountain, Xianjin declared with determination, “This is where I belong. I’m determined to witness the flourishing of the ecological tea forest. Every blade of grass and every tree here is a legacy. It’s my duty to promote the culture and tea of Jingmai Mountain, cherished and safeguarded by my ancestors, and ensure that that they transcend boundaries.”