Jingmai Mountain: The Drinkable World Heritage Site
On September 17, 2023, at 3:33 PM, China’s “Cultural Landscape of Ancient Tea Forests of the Jingmai Mountain in Pu’er” was officially inscribed into the UNESCO World Heritage List. This milestone makes Jingmai Mountain the world’s first tea-themed cultural world heritage site. Let’s explore what makes this magical place so special.
1. Where is Jingmai Mountain?
Jingmai Mountain is located in Pu’er City, Yunnan Province, China, near Xishuangbanna and the border with Myanmar. Both Pu’er and Xishuangbanna are renowned regions for producing Pu-erh tea. It is also one of China’s six famous Pu-erh tea mountains.
Jingmai mountain is home to 14 villages, including two significant ancient villages: Wengji Ancient Village (Blang ethnic group) and Nuogan Ancient Village (Dai ethnic group). These villages house a diverse mix of ethnic groups, including the Blang, Dai, Hani, Lahu, Wa, and Han people.
Wengji Ancient Village (Blang ethnic group)
Nuogan Ancient Village (Dai ethnic group)
2. Jingmai Mountain and Tea
Ancient Tea Gardens
Jingmai Mountain boasts 28,000 acres of ancient tea gardens. The two main tea gardens are the Blang’s Aileng Peak Ancient Tea Garden and the Dai’s Jingmai Ancient Tea Garden. These gardens are characterized by ferralsol soil and subtropical evergreen broadleaf vegetation, which supports a rich diversity of plant and animal species. The tea trees here are interplanted within natural forests, preserving one of the oldest tea cultivation methods in history in this world heritage site. This is what make Jingmai Mountain Tea so natural and pure. The government has even prohibited the use of pesticides, and frankly after exploring these tea gardens, we noticed a natural defense system for pests, including a healthy amount of spiders!
Blang’s Aileng Peak Ancient Tea Garden
Dai’s Jingmai Ancient Tea Garden
Jingmai Tea
The ancient tea trees in Jingmai’s gardens are centuries old and grow untamed, blending naturally with the surrounding forest. This unique cultivation method gives Jingmai Mountain tea its distinct characteristics:
Aroma: A pronounced fragrance with a strong wild mountain flavor and a long-lasting orchid aroma. You can really smell the nature in each fairness cup!
Sweetness: A noticeable and enduring sweetness. We know firsthand that there is a rush of sweetness in the aftertaste of the raw puerh green tea. The sweetness comes from the high altitude tea trees which grow their leaves slower. Other Jingmai Mountain tea consists of notes of chocolate, caramel, cream, malt, fruit, and floral.
Bitterness and Astringency: Raw Pu-erh tea has a slight bitterness and astringency, which quickly transforms into a pleasant aftertaste.
3. The Blang People
Jingmai Mountain is one of the primary settlements of the Blang people. According to legend, the Blang leader Pa Aileng found the mountain’s elephant-shaped terrain ideal for settlement. The Blang have lived here ever since, cultivating tea trees and coexisting harmoniously with nature, forever preserving the world heritage site.
The Blang people, along with other ethnic groups, have worked together to protect the sanctity of the mountain. Their deep respect for the land and tea culture has created a unique blend of natural harmony and cultural world heritage. To learn more about the Blang people and Jingmai Mountain Tea, check out our article, “The Blang People: Guardians of the Tea Spirit.”
A Cultural and Natural Treasure
Jingmai Mountain’s unique natural conditions, spiritual beliefs, and the harmonious relationship between people and nature have made it an unparalleled global treasure and world heritage. As you savor Jingmai Mountain tea from Purcraftea shop, you can experience the collision of history and culture, a purity that has been preserved by generations of its people. Our own tea farmers are still using this knowledge in processing their jingmai Mountain tea. A natural treasure of a taste guaranteed!
Sources: Jingmai Mountain: Ancient Tea Forest Cultural Landscape by Zuo Jing.