Nannuoshan is an ancient tea area located south of the Lancang River, belonging to Gelanghe Township, Menghai County, Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province. It is a significant source of high-quality raw materials for Pu'er tea. The saying goes, “The best tea comes from high mountains shrouded in clouds and mist.” Nannuoshan has an average elevation of 1,400 meters, with towering peaks, deep valleys, and dense vegetation, providing the ideal environment for large-leaf tea trees. It is often enveloped in clouds and mist, resulting in exceptional tea quality. Its buds are plump, leaves robust, and white down prominent, characterized by a high aroma, mild bitterness, and pronounced sweetness.
The history of tea cultivation in Nannuoshan dates back a long time. According to legend, the ancestors of Nannuoshan began planting tea during the Three Kingdoms period, learning the technique from Zhuge Liang during his southern campaign, over 1,700 years ago. The Nannuoshan tea mountain has always been cultivated and utilized by the ancestors of the Bulang people (Pu people, Pu barbarians). More than 1,100 years ago, the ancestors of the Bulang people migrated away from Nannuoshan, leaving their tea trees to be inherited by the Aini people who later arrived. Nannuoshan boasts the largest area of ancient tea gardens in Menghai, being the oldest and largest ancient tea area in Xishuangbanna, covering 12,000 mu of ancient tea trees primarily distributed in areas such as Banpo Old Village and Stone Village. Most of these trees are between 200 and 500 years old, making it the largest existing cultivated ancient tea garden in Yunnan.
Nannuoshan's Ancient Tea Trees Over 800 Years Old
Over the centuries, the Aini people have protected, utilized, and continually replanted and improved the tea trees in Nannuoshan, leading to the continuous development of tea production. By the Qing Dynasty, the annual output of dried rough tea reached more than 300 tons, which was transported to Fohai, Yiwu, and other places for processing into various compressed Pu'er teas, then sold both domestically and abroad. At the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic era, due to social unrest, poor sales channels, and heavy taxation, the six major tea mountains north of the river gradually declined. Simultaneously, the Che (Li), Fohai, and Nanqiao tea areas south of the Lancang River became the center of Pu'er tea production, among which the status of Nannuoshan grew increasingly prominent. The tea produced here was processed by various tea houses in Fohai into different types of compressed teas, then exported to Tibet through Myanmar and India, or to Southeast Asia via Myanmar and Thailand.
In the early 1950s, a tea tree over 800 years old, known as the “Tea King Tree,” was discovered in Nannuoshan, confirming its long history of tea cultivation. This “Tea King Tree” attracted numerous experts, scholars, and tourists from around the world for research, sightseeing, and worship. In addition, in 1938, the Sipu Enterprise Bureau established a tea experimental field in Nannuoshan, planting over 2,000 mu of new-style tea gardens, marking the beginning of modern tea plantation in Nannuoshan. In 1939, the “Nannuoshan Tea Factory” was built, becoming the start of modern tea production in China. In 1951, the Yunnan Provincial Tea Research Institute was founded in Nannuoshan, making it the cradle of tea research in Yunnan. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Nannuoshan remained a key area for tea development in Menghai County. Starting in 1955, efforts were made to improve the yield of old tea gardens. In 1986, under the national science and technology poverty alleviation project “Spark Program,” farmers were trained and guided to plant over 8,000 mu of new tea gardens over three years, once again enriching tea farmers and revitalizing the tea industry in Nannuoshan. Today, Nannuoshan preserves many valuable ancient tea tree resources. Large tea trees with diameters over 30 centimeters and heights of 3 to 5 meters can be seen everywhere, and the ancient tea gardens remain vibrant and full of life.