Across western Yunnan in China, the Tropic of Cancer passes through, where the Lancang River and Nu River embrace each other, nurturing Lincang, a "rare biological optimal zone in the world." Praised by botanist Cai Xitao as "the land where the world's finest tea grows," this region has become the "respect of teas under heaven" in China's tea industry, relying on its unique geographical endowments, thousand-year historical context, rich product characteristics, profound humanistic value and vigorous industrial development.
Innate Geographical Advantages: The Foundation of Excellence
Lincang's tea excellence originates from its innate geographical genes. As the core area of the world's tea origin, it boasts low latitude, high altitude and abundant clouds and mist. The mild annual average temperature of 18.8℃ and sufficient precipitation provide an ideal environment for tea tree growth. Over 800,000 mu of wild tea tree communities and 246,000 mu of century-old ancient tea gardens take root here. The 3,200-year-old "Splendid Tea Respect" in Fengqing stands tall and vigorous; more than 1.8 million ancient tea trees in Baiying Mountain, Yunxian form a "natural museum of tea tree evolution"; the wild tea community in Mengku Snow Mountain is even rare in the world. The unique ecology nurtures high-quality tea with 34.7% tea polyphenols and 49.8% water extract, laying a solid foundation for the quality of Lincang tea.
Thousand-Year Tea History: Precipitated Historical Heritage
The thousand-year tea vein has accumulated profound historical heritage. As early as the period of King Wu of Zhou, the ancient Pu people planted tea trees here, initiating the tea history of Lincang. The "Taihua Tea" recorded by Xu Xiake in his "Travels of Xu Xiake" during the Ming Dynasty confirms its glory as an important node on the Ancient Tea Horse Road. In 1938, Feng Shaoqiu created Dianhong black tea in Fengqing, supporting national construction with the responsibility of "one ton of tea for ten tons of steel." Later, Dianhong black tea was twice presented as a national gift of China to the British royal family. In 2022, the production technique of Dianhong black tea was included in the intangible cultural heritage, bringing the historical glory of Lincang tea to the world stage.
Diverse Varieties: The Unique Charm
A wide variety of products is the unique charm of Lincang tea. It is not only a core producing area of Pu'er tea—one out of every three cups of Pu'er tea in China comes from Lincang—but also the birthplace of Dianhong black tea—one out of every five cups of black tea in China is produced here. Bingdao tea is sweet and mellow with rock sugar charm; Xigui tea breaks the cognition that "good tea only grows at high altitudes" and exudes a strong tea fragrance at an altitude of 730 meters. The richness of Mangfei tea, the freshness of Xiaohusai tea and the orchid fragrance of Molie tea outline a taste map of "one mountain, one flavor." Each of the 18 villages in Mengku has its own style, and the rich inner quality of large-leaf tea makes each type of tea a vivid representative of the local land.
Humanistic Value: Symbiosis of Tea and People
The symbiosis between tea and people endows Lincang tea with strong humanistic value. In Wa villages, tea is a sacred object for rituals; in Dai families, tea is a good way to receive guests. Tea-picking songs echo in the valleys, and tea-making techniques are passed down orally and through practice. Tea has long been integrated into the blood of Lincang people. Writer Mo Yan visited the "Splendid Tea Respect" out of admiration, and countless tea lovers traveled to the ancient tea forests for pilgrimage. This cross-time cultural resonance makes Lincang tea more than just a drink, but a spiritual symbol carrying nostalgia and faith.
Industrial Vitality: Blooming in the New Era
In the tide of the times, the Lincang tea industry has gained new vitality. In 2024, the city's 2.093 million mu of tea gardens produced 180,500 tons of tea, with a comprehensive output value of 35.359 billion yuan benefiting 1.336 million tea farmers. The "Lincang Tea" geographical indication leads brand upgrading, the Fengqing Dianhong Black Tea Industry Alliance forms a development synergy, and the live e-commerce in Shuangjiang achieves annual sales of over 115 million yuan. The integration of tea and tourism, the construction of traceability systems, and the empowerment of scientific and technological research and development have promoted Lincang tea from "tea leaves" to "tea industry," steadily moving towards the goal of 100 billion yuan output value by 2030.
From thousand-year-old ancient tea trees to modern industrial parks, from the Ancient Tea Horse Road to the global market, Lincang tea connects the past and the present with green veins and links the world with tea fragrance. This gift from nature, precipitation of history and nourishment of humanism will surely shine more brightly in the new era.
