Bulang people

There is a saying in the Pu'er tea world: “If you don’t understand Bulang Mountain, you don’t understand Pu'er tea.” Many newcomers to the world of tea may wonder: Why does one need to understand Bulang Mountain to truly understand Pu'er tea? Bulang Mountain has become renowned worldwide for its tea. This ancient tea mountain, located within Menghai County, Xishuangbanna, is situated in the southwestern border region of China, closer to the Myanmar border than other famous mountains. It is a well-known Pu'er tea production area and one of the regions with the most preserved ancient tea gardens. The existence of Bulang Mountain and the age-old tea trees upon it are shrouded in mystery. Whether the mountain predates the ancient tea trees or vice versa remains unknown; however, the teas from Bulang Mountain have certainly gained global recognition. Bulang Mountain is named after the ethnic minority that resides there. The Bulang people have lived in the mountain and cultivated tea for over a thousand years. They are among the earliest known cultivators, processors, and consumers of tea in the world. The absolute elevation of Bulang Mountain ranges from 1,000 to 2,200 meters, with relative height differences of 500 to 1,000…

The tea mountains are fresh and clean after the rain; the summer heat does not deter the tea farmers from their diligent work. In the verdant tea gardens, villagers can be seen everywhere, busy picking tea leaves. Recently, when reporters visited Mannuodazhai in Mangwang Township, Manghai County, Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, known for its ancient tea trees, they saw Yu Bing, a 100-year-old resident living at No. 33, sitting under her eaves, carefully sorting out yellowed leaves from raw tea. "In the past two to three years, we haven't let her do any work, but she still thinks we're not serious enough in our sorting and insists on doing it herself," said Tao Haiying, the elderly woman's daughter-in-law. Currently, her family has an annual income of more than 400,000 yuan. Not only have they moved into a spacious house, but they also own two cars. Their life is prosperous, and they don't lack for labor. Although her mother-in-law now has seven generations under one roof, she can still see well enough to thread a needle and do needlework. The clothes she wears, traditional Bulang attire, are made by herself. "I'm 86 this year, and I still go up the mountain…

Sour tea is an important component of the tea culture of Yunnan's ethnic minorities. Many ethnic minorities have a history of making sour tea. The Bulang people living in Lancang Lahu Autonomous County, in Hemin Town on Jingmai Mountain, are no exception. ▼ When wild tea has not been “tamed,” its taste is relatively bitter and astringent; processing it into sour tea can alleviate this bitterness and astringency. After picking fresh tea leaves, they go through the processes of steaming and killing the green, then are naturally cooled. They are placed layer by layer into bamboo tubes until they are full and tightly packed without any gaps. Then, the opening of the bamboo tube is sealed with banana leaves and buried in the ground to ferment for about two months... In Pu'er's Jingmai Mountain, during the spring tea harvest activities in 2024, we captured the complete process of sour tea production by the Bulang people. ▼ △ Using hot water to kill the green; once the tea buds are bent, they are ready (the water here is not boiling). △ Removing the tea. △ Straining the tea. △ Drying after straining. △ Drying. △ Drying in the sun for one…