Sweet, Smooth, and Refreshingly Fresh: A Look at Mhei (Part I)

Sweet, Smooth, and Refreshingly Fresh: A Look at Mhei (Part I)-1

Mhei /

The conversation about Pu'er cannot proceed without mentioning , and when we talk about Yiwu tea, Mhei is an inescapable topic.

This village, situated at the intersection of Yiwu Mountain and the Mansa tea mountain, not only connects the transition from the ancient tea mountains of Mansa to those of Yiwu but also leaves its mark in many of the renowned Pu'er teas of yesteryear that we still speak of fondly today.

It is even more recognized for having the purest variety of Yiwu Lvxueya tea, with some going so far as to call Mhei the birthplace of Yiwu tea.

Sweet, Smooth, and Refreshingly Fresh: A Look at Mhei (Part I)-2

/Geography and Culture/

Mountain Name: Mhei. It has an area of approximately 2,500 mu of ancient tea gardens and around 5,000 mu of newer tea gardens, making it the largest and most productive natural village among the numerous ancient tea gardens in Yiwu. The ancient tea trees are mainly concentrated in areas such as Mhei Temple, Behind the Mountain, Shimenkan, Small Tea Garden, Xiaogucang, Shijiazhai, Zhongjia Chong, Banzhulin, and Jidong Tea Garden.

Location: The Mhei ancient tea garden is located in the northeast of Yiwu, within the Mhei Village Committee of Yiwu Town, Mengla County, Xishuangbanna Prefecture, 9 kilometers away from Yiwu Town, covering a territorial area of 4.96 square kilometers.

Elevation: 1,200 to 1,350 meters above sea level

Climate: Subtropical transitional climate with distinct vertical climatic characteristics. The annual average temperature is 17°C, and the annual precipitation is 1,950 millimeters.

Dominant Tree Species: Yiwu Lvxueya tea.

Soil Composition: The surface layer of soil in Mhei is a thick layer of humus, followed by brick-red soil, then yellow soil. This is what the locals refer to as unique “five-colored soil.” The well-developed root systems of the ancient tea trees can absorb nutrients and trace elements from different soil layers.

Etymology of Place Name: The origin of the name “Mhei” is now difficult to trace. Since Mhei Village was located along the ancient tea horse road leading to Laos, its original name was “Dalu Bian” (Big Roadside). In ancient times, when caravans returned to Yiwu from Laos along the ancient road and reached this place just as the sky was getting dim (“mhei mhei hei”), the name “Mhei” gradually replaced “Dalu Bian” as the place name.

Mhei is to Yiwu what Yiwu is to the ancient Six Great Tea Mountains – an inescapable presence.

Nestled beside the tea gardens and forests, Mhei is one of the oldest villages in Yiwu and a core mountain peak for Yiwu tea. To the entire Yiwu tea production region, Mhei became famous early on and has a long history of tea cultivation.

Perhaps due to its location between the ancient tea mountains of Mansa and Yiwu, before Yiwu truly flourished – that is, about 200 years ago during the Qing Jiaqing period – Mhei was already a large village with over 200 households. At that time, the Hui, Yi, and people lived together here and built the “Mhei Grand Temple.”

In the early Six Great Tea Mountains, Mansa was relatively small in scale and production. After Mansa was included in the tribute tea list in the 30th year of the Qianlong era (1765), banditry led to the dispersal of its residents. To fulfill the tribute tea quota, the Yiwu local ruler made an exception to allow the Han people to enter.

With the influx of Han people, Mansa became overcrowded, and they began to migrate to Yiwu, developing all the available land for tea cultivation. Geographically, the mountains of Mansa and Yiwu are interconnected, and during the process of Han people migrating to Yiwu and developing tea gardens, Yiwu emerged as a rising star, replacing the status of the Mansa tea mountain. Mhei is situated between Mansa and Yiwu.

Later, a conflict between the Hui and Han people occurred in Mansa and Wangu, affecting Mhei as well. During the height of the conflict, an epidemic broke out, causing all the Hui people living in Mhei to relocate. Since then, Mhei has become a village primarily inhabited by Han people, with a few Yi and Yao people.

The ancient tea gardens in Mhei Village cover an area of up to 2,500 mu, ranking among the top in all of Xishuangbanna. However, many of these ancient tea trees were pruned during specific historical periods.

In the 1960s, due to a lack of resources, the locals faced the predicament of not having enough food. Tea was not valuable at the time, and the tea industry in the Yiwu tea area had already lost its former glory. Guided by the principle of prioritizing grain production and learning from Dazhai agriculture, vigorously developing grain production was an inevitable choice. Thus, local tea farmers spontaneously cut down tea trees that were four to five meters tall, at ground level, to plant crops in suitable plots of land.

Starting from 1979, on the one hand, there was a need to increase tea production for export and foreign exchange earnings, and on the other hand, as a major tea-producing province, Yunnan mainly produced (Dian Green) and at the time. The thick-leaved ancient tea trees were obviously unsuitable for processing into green or black tea, while the neatly tender terrace tea was appropriate. Therefore, small-scale experiments to prune tea trees began.

In 1984, extensive pruning and stump cutting started, sparking a vigorous movement to prune tea trees across Yiwu.

In this tea tree pruning movement, the older and closer the ancient tea gardens were to the village, the greater the impact. This resulted in the complete pruning of the Laoshuidong and Mhei ancient tea gardens, which were conveniently accessible.

In 1994, the tea trees were pruned again after growing taller. These actions were in line with the prevailing tea production concepts and government policies at the time and were not to be criticized.

/Tea Mountain Resources/

Shimenkan, which divides Laoshuidong and Mhei, is both a place name and an ancient tea garden. This is a must-pass spot on the ancient tea horse road, and clear remnants of stone paths can still be seen on certain sections today.

Traversing Laoshuidong and crossing Shimenkan leads to Mhei.

Zhou Weihong, who accompanied me to Shimenkan, explained: Shimenkan is one of the highest-elevation and highest-quality ancient tea gardens in Mhei. Some parts belong to Laoshuidong, while most are part of Mhei.

Zhou Weihong, who has been deeply involved in Mhei tea for many years and established Fule Tea Production in Mhei, has his own unique insights and perspectives on Mhei tea and the entire Yiwu tea.

As we walked through the Shimenkan tea garden, Zhou Weihong introduced me to Mhei's tea resources, from Yiwu Lvxueya tea to the distribution of ancient Mhei tea trees and the natural ecology.

This was a return visit; back in 2015, he and I had once traversed this area. At that time, although the roots of the pruned Shimenkan ancient tea trees appeared ancient and stout, the tea trees recovering their vitality mostly seemed rather slender.

Occasionally, a few unpruned tea trees stood out, towering in the tea garden.

After seven to eight years, the entire tea garden has burst with vibrant life. Although the main trunks are still somewhat slender, the tea trees are now lush and have blended perfectly with the surrounding natural ecosystem.

Thanks to the well-developed root systems of the ancient

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