“Yunnan Rock Tea” is a precious variety that has recently emerged in the world of Pu'er tea in the 21st century.
“Yunnan Rock Tea” refers to tea produced from tea plantations and tea trees located in the core area of Bangdong Township and Matai Township in the Linxiang District, as well as Dazhaoxi Town in Yun County (formerly Dashixiang). These areas are at an altitude ranging from about 800 to 2,000 meters and radiate outwards to surrounding regions.
It is well known that the renowned Wuyi Rock Tea is highly valued for its irreplicable growing environment. Wuyi Rock Tea is a small-leaf variety; can we find rock tea in the large-leaf tea region of Yunnan? After extensive searches by tea enthusiasts, large-leaf “Yunnan Rock Tea” was found in the middle and lower reaches of the Lancang River, in Bangdong Township and Matai Township of the Linxiang District, as well as Dazhaoxi Town in Yun County. In fact, for thousands of years, locals have coexisted with tea and rocks, with tea sprouting between the crevices of stones. Upon being “rediscovered,” “Yunnan Rock Tea” immediately garnered widespread attention and became popular among tea lovers. What makes “Yunnan Rock Tea” especially precious is that it grows alongside rocks and all the trees are over a hundred years old.
The core area where “Yunnan Rock Tea” grows is characterized by blue skies, white clouds, misty mountains, and majestic rivers. The ancient tea trees that grow alongside rocks form a stunningly beautiful landscape. Due to tectonic movements, the area is strewn with jagged rocks, with massive boulders scattered everywhere like resting divine beasts, giant birds sleeping soundly, old turtles creeping, or dinosaur egg fossils. Ancient tea trees grow amidst these boulders, creating a spectacular scene of “ten thousand rocks forming an array and ten thousand tea plants forming a forest” that leaves one in awe.
In the ancient tea gardens, broken stones pile up, and beneath them lies a thick layer of soil. The roots of tea plants sink several meters deep to absorb abundant minerals and trace elements, making the “rock-grown old tree tea” rich in internal substances and exceptional in quality and taste. In his book, “The Classic of Tea,” Lu Yu, the tea sage of the Tang Dynasty, wrote: “As for the land, the best tea grows on broken stones, the medium on gravel and sandy soil, and the worst on yellow earth.” The land where “rock-grown old tree tea” grows undoubtedly falls into the category of “the best.”
In April 2021, in Bàngbāo Village of Bangdong Township, Mr. Liu Zifù led us to see a remarkable tea tree on the mountain. This tea tree grew in the crack of a huge rock, with its lateral roots extending and rooting along the stone crevice. Over time, the tree roots and the rock merged into one, giving the impression that the tree was growing right out of the rock.
From ancient times to the present, the production environment of top-quality, noble teas is often closely associated with rocks. Tea that grows from the cracks in rocks is considered an extremely rare resource among the finest teas. As early as the Northern Song Dynasty, people had discovered this rule, which Cai Xiang documented in “The Record of Tea”: “Tea that grows in the crevices of rocks is of high quality.” In “A History of Tea – Distribution of Tea,” Liu Yuanzhang of the Qing Dynasty came to a more direct conclusion: “…grown in ravines, cliffs, and rocky gaps, it is truly the essence of herbs and trees.”
The “rock-grown old tree tea” varieties in the Bangdong area are superior and belong to the Bangdong large-leaf type. In 1982, the National Agricultural Science Academy's Tea Research Institute and Yunnan Province's Tea Research Institute surveyed tea varieties in Lincang County (now Linxiang District) and confirmed that the tea varieties in Bangdong belong to the large-leaf group of Yunnan. The Bangdong large-leaf tea was listed as an excellent variety by the National Tea Research Institute.
Among these ancient tea gardens, the most representative specimens include the Nuwu Large Tea Tree, Zhishanqing Large Tea Tree, Mangang Large Tea Tree, and Beiyinzhai Large Tea Tree. These large tea trees stand over 10 meters tall and remain vigorous and robust to this day. The book “Overview of Ancient Tea Tree Resources in Lincang City, Yunnan Province” records the profile of the No. 1 Ancient Tea Tree in Nuwu Village. The No. 1 Ancient Tea Tree in Nuwu Village: “Cultivated ancient tea tree, Pu'er tea (C.sinensis var assamica). Located in Changputang Village, Dazhaoxi Town, Yun County, at longitude 100°36′11″ East, latitude 23°12′38″ North, and an altitude of 1,653 meters. A tall arbor, erect in posture, with dense branching, downy young shoots, a height of 11.8 meters, a canopy size of 6.9 x 5.7 meters, a base circumference of 2.3 meters, and the lowest branch at 0.3 meters above ground…”
This region has a long history of artificial tea cultivation, with preserved ancient tea gardens covering tens of thousands of acres. Among them, Xigui, Nahan, Mangang, and Zhishanqing are the most representative, and these teas have already established their reputations in the Pu'er tea world.
Xigui tea is now well-known. Xigui tea is produced at the foot of Manglu Mountain, which extends eastward from Mount Dalueshan in the Linxiang District. The tea garden is only 50 meters away from the Lancang River. Xigui tea had become a classic in the region's tea tradition and was recorded in the county annals during the Qing Dynasty. According to “The Annals of Mianning County”: “In Bangdong Township, Manlu (Manglu) and Xigui are particularly famous. The color and flavor of Manlu tea surpass those of other tea-producing areas.” Manlu tea, Manglu tea, and Xigui tea are now collectively referred to as Xigui.
Nahan tea is produced in the Nahan Group of Mangang Village in Bangdong Township, located on a slope 16 kilometers away from the township government. The tea garden is situated between 900 and 1,100 meters above sea level, southeast of Xigui Manglu Mountain, and borders Mangang to the north. The tea mountain faces south and is backed by the north, with red loamy soil interspersed with sandy gravel and is less than 2 kilometers away from the Lancang River in a straight line. Nahan tea belongs to the Yunnan Bangdong large-leaf variety, with an iron trunk and Silver branches. Most of the trees are over 300 years old. Exposed to sunlight during the day and bathed in river dew at night, the excellent natural ecological environment gives Nahan tea distinct personality characteristics. Its leaves are slender and dark green, lustrous, and the tea soup is full-bodied and smooth, with a high and lingering Orchid fragrance, soft yet firm, and full of flavor. It has a strong orchid aroma. “Nahan Ancient Tea” was said to have been presented as tribute to the imperial court. It is said that in the 24th year of the Jiaqing era (1819), Lin Zexu presided over the provincial examination in Yunnan, and Yang Guohan, a native of Dazhai in Yunzhou (today's Yun County), passed the exam and later took the palace examination in Beijing. In 1826, Yang Guohan returned home to bring his mother to Haiyan to serve her, and because his mother enjoyed drinking local tea, Yang Guohan chose the famous Nahan tea for her consumption. In 1828, Emperor Daoguang summoned Yang Guohan in Beijing, and Yang Guohan offered him Nahan tea cakes. After tasting the tea, Emperor Daoguang said, “Although this tea is light in color, it leaves a lingering fragrance in the mouth and a sweet aftertaste.” Yang Guohan replied, “Your Majesty, this is called the friendship of gentlemen being as light as water.” Emperor Daoguang then designated this tea as tribute and made it the standard tea for ministers participating in imperial discussions for 12 years. Nahan tea is small in quantity but exquisite, and it is hailed as the supreme tea of Bangdong.
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