A pilgrimage to Yiwu(2)

After we had a lunch in Mr. Liang' home, we drove back to Mahei, passing Manxiu (曼秀) and Luo Shui Dong (落水洞) villages. We stopped over in Luo Shui Dong to see the legendary Tea Tree King said to be over 800-years old. Getting through a forest, we suddenly found half-way down the hill, a big tea tree in front of us. More than 10 meters in height, it isn't as spectacular as I imagined while if you want to harvest its leaves, it seems to be challenging and you may ask for the aid of a ladder.

In Mahei, with the help of Mr. Liang, we visited a few ancient tea gardens and enjoyed fresh Pu Erh teas in the homes of several local tea farmers.

We got to know that a large proportion of good quality Pu Erh was still produced from the Ancient Six Great Tea Mountains such as Yiwu(易武）, Yibang（倚邦）, Youle（筱乐）in Xishuang Banna even now while high-yield terraced tea bushes have been grown in Yiwu on a large scale since 1980s. Tea bushes about 50cm in height were densely grown in parts of Yiwu. Compared to the traditional local tea trees, such tea bushes have a very high production and they can be harvested almost throughout a whole year. Although Pu Erh made of such terraced tea bushes differ much in quality with that of ancient arbor tea trees, it is still sold in the name of Yiwu Pu Erh at high prices and mostly, said to be of ancient arbor tea trees to meet the huge demand of the market. Such behavior severely ruined the reputation of Yiwu PuErh Tea. In fact, it is estimated that tea gardens of ancient arbor tea trees is no more than 30% of the total tea gardens in Yiwu now.

At an altitude of 1300 meters, Yiwu is a small town surrounded by mountains. During the prosperous time of Pu Erh tea trade, it was recorded that it had a population of more than 20000 while the corrupt Qing government and the competition of Indian tea directly caused the comedown of Yiwu town in late 19th. Century, plus pestilence that spread in this region and destruction inflicted by rebellious ethnic tribes, Yiwu became more and more desolate and less populated, by degrees finally passed into silence at the beginning of the 20th. Century. Now wooden houses are thinly scattered on both side of the only narrow street of Yiwu. With the resuscitation of Pu Erh Tea in recent 10 years, more and more people were attracted to the remote small town again. At night, it is quite and we soon fell into sleep in a small hotel in Yiwu.

In the next morning, enjoying the fresh air, we wandered on the old street of Yiwu town in a good mood. It is a street with a long history while it doesn't look antique. With many underway constructions, all was in a mess and dust was swirling in the air. As it hasn't rain for a long time, everything looked dull and grey.

The famous tea businesses such as Tong Xing Hao(同兴号)、Che Shun Hao(车顺号) and Fu Yuan Chan Hao(福元昌号)are said to have once been located around the place where Yiwu Primary School is now at. On right side of its playground once was an ancient temple while it has been replaced with the Ancient Six Great Tea Mountain Museum.

Crossed the playground was a bluestone road with old run-down houses on its both sides. Looked closely, the prints of the horses’ hooves left during the ancient time can still be made out in the bluestone road, reminding us it was the starting point of the famous Tea-Horse Ancient Route. More than 200 years ago, ancient Chinese people with simple and crude equipment travelled along the long and dangerous road on the risk of their lives to bring Pu Erh tea to Tibet, Mongolia or South East Asia. It is just so numerous ordinary people who made the brilliant history of Pu Erh Tea.

Luo Shui Dong Village: 

Tea Tree King at Luo Shui Dong:

Mahei Village:

Yiwu Old Street:

 The Ancient Six Great Tea Mountain Museum:

  
The Bluestone Road:

Over

"Six Great Tea Mountains" and Their History

Six Great Tea Mountains were the most famous producing area of Pu-erh Tea in historical recordation. The first time they were mentioned was in Qing Dynasty, early 18th. Century, when development of Pu-erh Tea reached an outstanding position in its history, described by Tan Cui in his book as “ Pu-erh Tea is famous through whole country, produced in the region of Six Tea Mountains that belong to Pu’er Prefecture, of which the first mountain is called You Le, the second is called Ge Deng, the third Yi Ban, the forth Mang Zhi, the fifth Man Zhuang and the last is Man Sha, covering total an area of 800 square kilometers. ” 

The geographic locations of Six Tea Mountains are all in territory of today’s Xishuangbanna, on the east side of Mekong River, among the rest You Le was located around Ya Nuo Village, Ji Nuo Township of Jing Hong, Ge Deng, Mang Zhi, Yi Ban and Man Zhuang were situated in Xiang Ming Township of Meng La County, Man Sha usded to have its position around Man Sha Village of Man La Township, Meng La County, but Yi Wu, a former part of Man Sha Tea Mountain was marked off to be an independent township when county was regionalized. On the map of today, Six Tea Mountains are actually connected with each other; they form an integral region in the northeast of Xishuangbanna.

The first time Six Tea Mountains were mentioned was in 18th. Century, but it doesn’t mean the history of Six Tea Mountains started so late, early as 1000 years ago, Pu, who were the ancestors of Bulang Nationality living in Xishuangbanna today, began to domesticate wild tea plants for daily consumption, and 800 years ago, started mass plantations, but during that period, ethnic people undertook production mostly for self-sufficiency, not for trade, this situation remained unchanged till the end of Ming Dynasty, approximately 380 years ago, as the central government strengthened exploitation and control on frontier region, intercommunion with inland China got promoted, tea from this region gradually became known by more and more people. During the middle of Qing Dynasty, about 250 years ago, tea production and trade in Six Great Tea Mountains area reached the height, their products gathered and acted as leading role in tea market of Pu-erh, a town which used to be administrative capital of south Yunnan as well the distribution center of tea from this region, then spread around to Tibet, other provinces of China or southeast Asia. Salability of these tea products gained great fame for their producing area; Six Great Tea Mountains became the acknowledged cradle of famous Pu-erh Tea, even had the responsibility of supplying tribute tea to Chinese emperor on shoulders. From 19th. Century, British colonists began to develop tea planting on a large scale in India, intensive farming and efficient management achieved high yield at low cost, big quantity of cheap tea entered Tibet to vie for market, owing to behindhand way of production and primitive way of transportation, Pu-erh Tea couldn’t match against its new competitor from India, gradually lost the most important traditional market it had occupied for hundreds of years; on the other hand, countries around south Yunnan, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand or Myanmar became colonies of European, those countries once offered the shortest courses from origin to harbor, but under control of European, the former exporting routes of Pu-erh Tea were totally blocked; moreover, corrupt government officials of late Qing Dynasty laid exorbitant taxes and levies upon tea trade, farmers and merchants couldn’t bear the increasingly strengthened exploitation, changed professions and moved out one after another. These reasons directly caused the comedown of Six Great Tea Mountains in late 19th. Century, plus pestilence that spread in this region and destruction inflicted by rebellious ethnic tribes, Six Great Tea Mountains became more and more desolate and less populated, by degrees finally passed into silence at the beginning of the 20th. century.

For very long time in history, green tea produced in central China had been absolutely the dominant role on the stage of tea industry development, Pu’er Tea from Six Great Tea Mountains changed this situation, it offered tea drinkers a different option and step by step gained its own place in Chinese tea culture. Besides, prosperous tea trade of Six Tea Mountains attracted numerous Han people to move in, they brought advanced production technology and civilized culture, which greatly improved the productivity of frontier region and effectively helped ethnic people to develop local economy, it’s the first time that Han immigrants took part in construction of Xishuangbanna in great force, in a sense, Six Great Tea Mountains are a monument about intercommunion between Han and border ethnic groups.

As Pu-erh Tea is regaining popularity on the market in recent years, Six Great Tea Mountains are also recatching people’s attention.