During the Qing Dynasty, the local society of the Six Great Tea Mountains was a mix of officials, merchants, indigenous people, and others, all dependent on the tea mountains for their livelihood. These diverse groups were like individual notes that together composed the symphony of Pu'er tea's destiny.
Old Yibang Street
After the establishment of the Pu'er Prefecture through the replacement of native administration with imperial rule, the barriers between the Six Great Tea Mountains and the outside world were broken down, and an influx of merchants from outside entered the tea mountains. There were conflicts and mutual benefits between these newcomers and the local inhabitants, and over time they gradually blended together, painting a colorful picture of life in the tea mountains.
The Qing government formally appointed local officials such as Wu Zhaohu of Yiwu, Cao Dangzai of Yibang, Ba Longfu and La Zha Bian of Bulang. The indigenous people living in the Six Great Tea Mountains at the time were primarily the Woni and Puman tribes, and there were also some local chieftains active between the native officials and the indigenous people. The leaders of the incoming merchants were called presidents, heads, chiefs, or leaders, serving to bridge the gap between the inside and outside.
Lion Statue of Shaping Guildhall (Yibang)
In 1741, during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor, the Manzhuan Guildhall was constructed in the Manzhuan village under the jurisdiction of Yibang's native official. The construction was overseen by the guildhall president Gao Banzhu and Yan Zhen, who likely commissioned Zhang Han, an official from Shaping, to write the inscription, and Luo Fengcai, another official from Shaping, to compose the text. The first name listed among the contributors was “Cao Dangzai, the Native Official who oversees military affairs in the tea mountains, donated four taels of Silver.” Following him was “Feng Dayi, a scholar, donated thirty-three taels of silver.” There were also other surnames, such as Wei and Quan, which indirectly confirmed the local saying that “three Fengs, four Weis, and one Quan” were prominent in the Manzhuan tea mountains. The Quan family and Feng family were Jiangxi merchants, while the Wei family were Shaping merchants. There were also names that seemed to belong to the indigenous people. It appears that the relationship between the native officials and the merchants was relatively harmonious, and they both contributed to public works in the tea mountains.
Qianlong Inscription of Merit for the Manzhuan Guildhall (Manzhuan Village)
In 1747, Yunnan-Guizhou Viceroy Zhang Yun issued administrative orders concerning tea policies. In the following year, Cao Dangzai, the native official overseeing the tea mountains, ordered his subordinates in the four mountains to engrave the orders onto a stone tablet. The main content of the inscriptions prohibited three malpractices: officials selling private tea, soldiers harassing the locals, and merchants exploiting them. The inscriptions depicted a bleak social landscape, where the lives of the indigenous people in the tea mountains were filled with hardship. One of the issues mentioned was the conflict caused by merchants lending money at high interest rates, which was a persistent problem between the merchants and the indigenous people throughout the Qing Dynasty. This time, Cao Dangzai and his subordinates stood up for the rights of the indigenous people.
In 1759, the chieftain of Longde, Ni Zhe, after winning a land dispute against the chief of Zhendong, had the court's decision engraved on a stone tablet. From the names, it seems that the chieftain of Longde was still an indigenous person at the time.
In 1766, Ye Yaodian, who was familiar with the indigenous culture, was appointed as a native official and his descendants would succeed him. Just from his name, Ye Yaodian appears to be closer to Han culture.
In 1786 and 1789, the Yiwu native official and the Cheli Prefect issued two documents. The contents of the documents were about the same issue. At that time, the indigenous population of Mansa was sparse, and there was no one to handle the tribute tea, taxes, and labor services that should have been paid by the indigenous people. Therefore, these responsibilities were transferred to the resident households, who then requested confirmation of their land rights. The late head of Mansa village was named Lu Pei and Lu Hao, and the successor was named Zhe Xijing. The head of the resident households in Mansa and Manbie was named Shang Wenhui, to whom the document was issued. As a result, Han and indigenous people were organized into ten households, responsible for handling tribute tea, paying taxes, providing labor services, and performing other duties. This meant that the resident households replaced the indigenous people as the main group in Mansa, and the responsibility for handling tribute tea, taxes, and labor services shifted from the indigenous head of Mansa village to the leader of the resident households.
Qianlong Temporary Certificate for Resident Households in Mansa (Yiwu Tea culture Museum)
In 1822, Yiwu native official Wu Rong resolved a dispute between Yiwu and Yibi villages. According to the contract signed by both parties the previous year, the two villages were combined into one, and taxes and labor services were shared based on household numbers. Encouragement was given to those who could cultivate more tea gardens, and they would be responsible for taxes. The document mentioned multiple leaders of the mountainous areas, each village having its own leader.
In 1823, the combined villages of Yiwu and Yibi agreed that the costs of offerings and silver for fertilizers should be equally divided among households. For matters related to Yibi, the president of Yibi was responsible for collecting money and goods from each household without delay.
As residents settled in the tea mountains, the payment of tribute tea, taxes, and labor services became established practices, and they also had to bear the expenses of public matters such as folk worship.
In 1836, the Yong'an Bridge across the Mazer River between Yiwu and Yibang was completed. Among the contributors listed were Simalao Prefect Cheng Bin, Cheli Prefect Dao Zhengzong, Simalao Scholar Zhao Liangxiang, Yibang native official Cao Ming, and associate native official Cao Huiting. The largest contributors were four people from Shaping. It can be seen that the leaders of Yibang were actively involved in public works.
In 1838, Zhang Yingzhao won a lawsuit against Yiwu native official Wu Rong and his subordinates, and the reasons and the judgment were engraved on a stone tablet. It can be seen that since the Qianlong era, Shaping residents had already taken root in Yiwu, sharing the responsibility of tribute tea, taxes, and labor services. In addition, they faced extra payments, goods, tea, and manpower imposed by Yiwu native official Wu Rong and his subordinates, as well as extortion and coercion. Facing the tyrannical native official and his henchmen, Zhang Yingzhao and other Shaping residents rose up in rebellion. Prefect Huang Zhongwei of Pu'er and Simalao Prefect ruled in favor of Zhang Yingzhao's reasonable claims to a large extent. Even after eliminating unreasonable items, the burden on the residents of Yiwu was still quite heavy, and the leaders of the residents who were responsible for levying taxes often found themselves in difficult situations.
Daoguang Judgment Stone (Yiwu Tea Culture Museum)
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