Pu’er Tea and the Ancient Tea Horse Road in Ning’er

Today we continue walking in Yunnan. It was already 10:50 when we came out of Sanqi Market in Yanshan County, Wenshan Prefecture, and drove on the "Tianhou Expressway (Tianbao Port in Malipo County, Wenshan Prefecture, Yunnan Province, to Houqiao Port in Tengchong City, Baoshan City) "The road to Ning'er County in Pu'er City is about 500 kilometers. We drove from east to west in the morning and continued until about three o'clock in the afternoon. There were not many cars and the road conditions were very good.

It's just that this highway may be newly built, and the facilities along the way are not complete. Several gas stations are out of gas, and some service areas even have no food. We ate some fruit at noon to satisfy our hunger.

Later, I got off the expressway and drove to a place called Zhicun in Mengzi City, Honghe Prefecture to refuel. Then I drove on the expressway and wanted to find a place to eat at the refueling place, but found that the place was very shabby.

After turning onto the "Kunming Expressway" (from Kunming, Yunnan to Mohan Port, Mengla County, Xishuangbanna), drive from north to south. The traffic flow on this expressway is very large, and there are many steep slopes, tunnels, and curves. The speed limit signs on the road are constantly changing, and the limit is 60 for a while. The limit is 80, 100, and 120, which makes me dizzy, so I drive very carefully and concentrate on driving, which consumes a lot of energy.

Although the scenery in the mountainous areas in southeastern Yunnan is very beautiful, the white clouds in the sky form various shapes, the sun is dazzling, and the sky is blue.

But we all appreciate it impeccably and focus on driving. Passing by the beautiful Honghe Prefecture, we entered Pu'er City, where Pu'er tea is produced.

Finally arrived at Ning'er County in Pu'er City at around six o'clock.

On the Southern Yunnan Plateau, a piece of land across the Tropic of Cancer, due to the perennial blowing of the southwest monsoon from the Indian Ocean, has a pleasant climate and rich products. This is Ning'er County.

The full name of Ning'er is Ning'er Hani and Yi Autonomous County (hereinafter referred to as Ning'er). It is an autonomous county under the jurisdiction of Pu'er City. It is located in the south of Yunnan Province and in the middle of Pu'er City. It is a strategic hub in southern Yunnan. It is 370 kilometers away from Kunming City in the north and Simao City Government in the south. 33 km. Ning'er is connected by mountains and rivers to the five districts (counties) of Simao, Mojiang, Jiangcheng, Jinggu and Zhenyuan. It is the only place to go from Kunming to Pu'er and Xishuangbanna. Every year we drive along the "Kunming-Moh Expressway" to Xishuangbanna and pass through this small county.

When talking about Ning'er, you may not be familiar with it, but if you talk about its old county name - Pu'er, you may not be familiar with it. In the 13th year of Yongzheng's reign in the Qing Dynasty (1735), Pu'er City, now Ning'er Town, was established and is the seat of Pu'er Prefecture. In 1913, the name of the prefecture was changed to Pu'er, and Pu'er City was renamed Pu'er County. "Local Records of Ning'er County, Yunnan Province" of the Republic of China: "Because there are East and West Er rivers in the territory, it is named Ning'er to show the difference. It is called Ning, taking the meaning of stability." Later, because of the same name as Pu'er Road, in 1917 It was renamed Ning'er County in 2001. After the establishment of Simao Prefecture, it was renamed Pu'er County in 1951. The name of Ning'er County was changed several times, and finally on April 8, 2007, it was renamed Ning'er Hani and Yi County, and this name is still used today.

The county is mountainous, with Bazi (intermountain basin) in some areas. The geological structure is karst landform, and it has a south subtropical mountain monsoon climate, including tropical, mid-subtropical, south temperate and other climate types. The annual average temperature is 18.2℃, the average temperature in the hottest month (June) is 22℃, and the average temperature in the coldest month (January) is 12℃. The frost-free period is 334 days, and the average annual rainfall is 1414.9 mm. The rainy season is from May to October.

The Wuliang Mountains run across the north and south, forming a watershed and developing the Balbian River and the Xiaohei River facing east and west. The terrain is high in the north and low in the south, with a large altitude difference within the territory. The highest point is Ganbazi Mountain at the junction of Meizi Township and Jinggu County, with an altitude of 2851.1 meters; the lowest point is the Hejiang estuary of Yaofangbian River and Mengye River in Liming Township, with an altitude of only 551.7 meters. rice.

The county covers an area of ​​3,670 square kilometers and governs 6 towns: Ning'er Town, Mohei Town, Tongxin Town, Dehua Town, Mengxian Town, and Meizi Town, and 3 townships: Puyi Township, Liming Township, and De'an Township, with a population of about 19 Ten thousand people, with Hani, Yi and other ethnic minority populations accounting for more than 50% of the county's population.

Ning'er was awarded the title of "Top Ten Charming Tea Towns in the Country in 2017". There are scenic spots such as Pu'er Mountain, Jinpaoshan Park, National Unity Memorial Garden, Tea Source Square, Nakori and other Tea Horse Roads. In 2015, "Tea The Geographical Indication of the Source of Magu Road was officially completed in Ning'er.

Ning'er is rich in local specialties, including the most famous local Pu'er tea, Pu'er ethnic silver jewelry, ground black sausage, Ning'er coffee, Ning'er yam, ground black betel nut taro, Ning'er bait cubes, Ning'er cake, etc. As for tropical fruits, they are plentiful, fresh and delicious.

Intercepted by the Hengduan Mountains, the warm air of the Indian Ocean lingers on the land of Ning'er all year round, giving birth to the famous Pu'er tea.

Pu'er tea, as the name suggests, is a large-leaf tea produced in Pu'er, and the ancient place name of Ning'er is Pu'er, so Ning'er's Pu'er tea is very representative.

The knowledge of drinking Pu'er tea is very deep, and experts in the industry can taste the mountain top of the tea production area, the season of tea production, and the year of the tea cake from the bitter tea leaves.

It is said that Pu'er tea must be tasted carefully and sipped in order to get its true flavor. Although the tea soup is slightly bitter at the entrance, when the tea soup lingers between the mouthpiece for a while, you can feel the tea soup penetrate between the teeth and penetrate into the gums, and produce ganjin from the base of the tongue and send it back to the surface of the tongue. At this time, the mouth is full of fragrance, and the nectar "generates fluid" , it makes people feel refreshed and refreshed, and the body fluids overflow, lasting for a long time without leaving thirst. This is the best feeling of drinking tea - "returning to the rhyme". I have been exposed to Pu'er tea for six or seven years, but I still haven't really experienced this feeling.

It is said that Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty often drank this tea and found it delicious. When asked, he said that it came from Pu'er as tribute, so the fixed name of Pu'er tea came into being. In fact, not all Pu'er tea at that time was produced in Pu'er. Many teas from different origins were transported to Pu'er, and then transported from Pu'er to other places through the Ancient Tea Horse Road, so the name "tea from Pu'er" came into being. . But there seems to be no unified standard for which tea produced in the place can be called Pu'er tea.

Encyclopedia information introduction: Pu'er tea is a loose tea and pressed tea made from Yunnan large-leaf sun-dried green tea in a certain area of ​​Yunnan Province. Banna, Lincang and other places were distributed in Pu'er County, Simao City, Yunnan Province today, hence the name "Pu'er tea".

Speaking of the history of Pu'er tea spreading to the west, Yinsheng City must be mentioned, which is a famous ancient city name. The old site is in the area east of today's Jingdong. It was built during the Nanzhao period. It once housed the Yinshengjiedu government office. It was an important town in the south of Nanzhao and a place for trade with Brahmins, Persia, Jhapo, Boni, Kunlun and other places at that time. According to research, the tea in Yinshengcheng is a Yunnan large-leaf tea species, which is also a Pu'er tea species. Therefore, the tea produced in Yinsheng City should be the ancestor of Pu'er tea. Ruan Fu of the Qing Dynasty said in "Pu'er Tea Records": "Pu'er belonged to Yinsheng Prefecture in ancient times. The use of Pu'er in Western Tibet has been since the Tang Dynasty." Li Shi of the Song Dynasty wrote in his "Extended Natural History": "Tea came out of "Yin Sheng Zhushan, there is no time to pick it, cook it with ginger and drink it." It means " Tea is produced in the tea mountain under the jurisdiction of Yin Sheng Jiedu Prefecture in Nanzhao State in the early Tang Dynasty. There is no fixed time for picking it with Sichuan peppercorns. , ginger slices, cinnamon, etc., cook and drink together.

The formation of the Yinsheng Tea Area and the history of tea cultivation by the Di-Qiang Wuman and their descendants are important parts of the more than 1,000-year history of Pu'er tea. Later, with the decline of the Yinsheng Tea Area, the tea area in Cheche (today's Xishuangbanna area) The rise is influenced by various factors such as dynasty changes, regime changes, and ethnic migration.

There is Pu'er Mountain in Ning'er County, with an altitude of 1838.3 meters. Ning'er people often say: Pu'er Mountain came first, and Pu'er tea came later. According to "Yuanjiang Prefecture Chronicles", Pu'er Mountain was historically a famous mountain for producing Pu'er tribute tea. The tea produced was warm and strong in taste, which was different from other products. It was named Pu'er tea and was used by Taoist officials to pay tribute. It was called "Public Tea". crown".

Yesterday we stayed at the Tea Village Hotel in Ning'er County, Pu'er. In this place where Pu'er tea can be seen everywhere, we actually found tea paintings made of finely pressed high-quality Pu'er tea greens, as well as wall panels decorated with Pu'er tea. Regardless of the quality of the tea used for decoration, we feel that tea country people are still too extravagant.

Ning'er is the core origin of Pu'er tea. Wild tea trees are widely distributed and artificially cultivated ancient tea trees have a long history. There are 124,800 acres of wild ancient tea tree communities in the county, and 3,610 acres of cultivated ancient tea gardens, including: 1,500 acres of cultivated ancient tea trees that are 50 to 100 years old, and 2,110 acres of cultivated ancient tea trees that are over 100 years old.

The large wild tea tree in Meizi Luodong Mountain is 1,800 years old and is the oldest Dali tea tree discovered so far. The cultivated ancient tea trees in Kunlushan, Ning'er Town and the Dapingzhang cultivated ancient tea trees in Yongsheng Village, Meizi Town are more than 500 years old. This proves that Ning'er County is one of the important origins of Pu'er tea in history.

Kunlushan Ancient Tea Garden is located in the southern part of Wuliang Mountain. These mountains are the watershed of the Lancang River system and the Red River system. Kunlushan Ancient Tea Garden was historically a royal tribute tea garden. The picking and production of tribute tea were supervised by soldiers sent by the government. It is a typical representative of cultivated ancient tea trees. According to expert research in 2005, the Kunlushan Villagers' Group in Kuanhong Village, Ning'er Town has more than 400 cultivated ancient tree tea trees that are more than 500 years old, covering an area of ​​more than 400 acres. Currently, 16 farmers in Kunlushan manage their own picking and sales, and each year The output is about 500-600 kilograms. It is said that the price of fresh tea leaves in spring in recent years is 2,000 to 7,000 yuan/kg.

In the primeval forest area of ​​Kunlu Mountain with a maximum altitude of 2,271 meters and a total area of ​​10,122 acres, there are wild, transitional, cultivated and large-leaf, medium-leaf and small-leaf ancient tea trees that are more than a thousand years old. It can be called a tea natural museum. It is the largest ancient tea garden discovered in Ning'er County. It is also the ancient tea garden with the densest ancient tea trees and the best surrounding vegetation.

In order to protect this ancient tea garden, Ning'er ecologically migrated the people living in the Kunlu Mountain Ancient Tea Garden to the Shanshen Temple Forest about 1 kilometer away from the ancient tea garden, effectively protecting the Kunlu Mountain Ancient Tea Garden and its superior natural landscape and ecological environment. A tourist loop from the Kunlu Mountain Royal Ancient Tea Garden to the Zhaluo Valley Tea Garden in Mohei Town has also been built.

The textbook on Pu’er tea production technology says this:

Only one bud and one leaf or one bud and two leaves at the tip of the tea tree are selected for the best Pu'er. The collected leaves need to be of moderate color and uniform in age and tenderness, so that the subsequent tea making process can proceed smoothly.

The first step in making tea is to stir-fry it, which is the art of time. The hands of the tea fryer are the most sensitive thermometers. As the tea leaves are stir-fried quickly in the pot, each tea leaf will be lost evenly with each simmer. Moisture and enzyme activity are quickly inactivated, ensuring the taste of tea.

Rolling is the second step in making tea. With the movement of your palms, the broken tea leaves quickly decompose into aromatic substances such as tea polyphenols.

After rolling and drying, the color of the tea leaves changes from green to dark green, and the Pu'er tea is finished.

Maocha tastes astringent and needs to be steamed and pressed into tea cakes. After several years of natural fermentation, it finally becomes smooth Pu'er raw tea.

There are still five well-preserved Tea Horse Roads in Ning'er County, including the Nakoli Section, Cha'antang Section, and Kongqueping Section, with a total length of 83.5 kilometers, and are listed as national cultural relics protection units.

The ancient tea transport route was used by the Han and ethnic minorities in Yunnan to transport tea from the tea-producing areas to various other directions. Due to limited traffic conditions, horses were used to transport goods over mountains and ridges. These formed fixed delivery routes, which later generations called It's called the "Ancient Tea Horse Road".

These ancient tea-horse roads lead directly to the capital in the northeast; to the northwest over the Himalayas to Tibet and Nepal; to the south through the tropical rainforests of Xishuangbanna to Southeast Asia; and further roads connect to the Maritime Silk Road, across the ocean. sea ​​to reach Europe.

The tea transported at that time was Pu'er tea produced locally in Yunnan. After fermentation and pressing, it was made into brick, cake, and tuo shapes. It was well packaged and could be put in the two pockets on the side of the horse for easy transportation.

The seven cakes of round tea are integrated into a tube, and the Pu'er tea package is wrapped in bamboo shoot shells. It is called "Qizi Tea Cake". This specific packaging specification is related to the historical "one cent of silver for a standard tube of Pu'er tea". Because of this tax calculation system, the packaging method of seven cakes and round tea in one tube has become a standard implemented by the entire industry and is still used today.

For a long period of time in history, these ancient tea-horse roads have been the only transportation routes for business travelers and mules and horses to transport tea and salt. I don’t know how many dynasties and soldiers and horses have passed through, and how much materials and salt have been transported here and there. Tea.

Yunnan is crisscrossed by mountains, and transportation in the deep mountains and valleys is inconvenient. In the past few decades, some ethnic minorities used horse caravans to travel along the Tea Horse Road for transportation. Now that transportation has developed, the caravans have disappeared, and the Tea Horse Road has faded out of people's sight.

Located in Nakeli Village, Tongxin Township, Ning'er, it was an important post station on the Ancient Tea Horse Road in Pu'er Prefecture. The entire post station covers an area of ​​about 70 acres, surrounded by mountains and where two small rivers meet. Nakeli was one of the checkpoint flood ponds during the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty, and was called "Nakeli Pond". The government sent six soldiers to garrison here. According to legend, no matter whether the caravans coming down from Mohei Kongqueping to Yifang or coming up from Simao and entering Beijing via Guanfu Avenue, they must stop and spend the night at the "Rongfa Horse Inn" in Nakeli.

Caravans entering or leaving the "Rongfa Horse Shop" must wade across a small river in front of the horse shop. The tired or sleepy horses shed sad tears when facing the cold river water, hence the name "Ma Caili" . Ma Guotou, who regards horses as his life, wrote to the government several times, and the government fulfilled the wish of the horse gang and built a "Wind and Rain Bridge" more than 20 meters long. From then on, "Ma Caili" was renamed "Nakeli" .

Nakeli still has the relatively well-preserved Ancient Tea Horse Road, the century-old Rongfa Horse Shop, Nianzi House, Fengyu Bridge, as well as the horse lanterns used by the caravans, the horse drinking stone trough and other historical relics and relics. In September 2014, Nakori Village was rated as one of the most beautiful leisure villages (historic villages) in China by the Ministry of Agriculture.

Cha'antang was the first post station from Pu'er Prefecture to Kunming, the provincial capital, and the capital in ancient times. It was called "Cha'antang" because it had a Cha'an temple and was an important flood pond.

The Ancient Tea Horse Road in Cha'antang was built from about the 17th year of Jiaqing to the third year of Daoguang in the Qing Dynasty (1812 AD - 1824 AD). It was built with official funding to facilitate the tribute of Pu'er tea to Beijing. It is now Guanma Avenue. A relatively well-preserved section of it. The Qing government once stationed five soldiers to garrison the temple, and it also had a reception hall, Puji Temple, a monk temple, a nunnery, a teahouse and a horse shop.

Because of the steep slopes of Cha'an, the high peaks, dangerous roads, and towering ancient trees, it is said that only birds can fly over it, so it is also called the "Cha'an Bird Road". The ancient road is paved with large stones and rectangular strips along the hills covered by dense forests. Along the way, there are lush trees, chirping birds and insects, and unique scenery. It is one of the "Eight Scenic Spots of Puyang" in ancient times.

There is a village full of ancient charm in Mohei Town called Peacock Ping. There is a gauze-like mist floating here all year round. There are ancient horse shops and stone paths. The small village is full of the charm of ink paintings.

Peacock Ping belongs to Qingming Village, Mohei Town. It is located in the mid-mountain area 8 kilometers northeast of Mohei Town. It covers an area of ​​3.2 square kilometers, with an altitude of 1,320 meters and an average annual temperature of 16°C. The terrain is like a peacock spreading its tail. Because it is located far away from today's National Highway 213, the ruins of the Ancient Tea Horse Road are relatively intact.

The ruins of the Ancient Tea Horse Road in Kongqueping are 22 kilometers long. The ancient road passes through the village. Along the way, the road is circuitous and the pedaling road is empty. Due to the horses trampling on the people for many years, deep hoof prints are left on the bluestone steps. These hoofprints are like pictographic "characters", silently recording the difficult years of the Ancient Tea Horse Road.

There are three towering ancient trees on the mountain to the southeast. At the foot of the mountain is a dragon cave with water flowing all year round. Clear water as thick as a bowl gushes out from the cave. In the past, Peacock Screen used to be a prosperous place. At its peak, the population reached more than 300 households and more than 1,000 people. There are 43 horse shops and 3 hotels on the several hundred meters long street. Each horse shop can accommodate 120 horses.

At that time, due to the constant traffic and passing of caravans from various places, many traders were attracted to do business here (most people in Shiping, Xuanwei, Huaning, and Tonghai counties). Both sides of the streets were filled with a dazzling array of goods, including those selling cigarettes and sugar cane. There are restaurants, food sellers, etc. Noodle shops, dried rice shops, and restaurants have been opened for the horse drivers to dine. At the same time, gambling halls, opium dens, and pubs have been opened for the horse drivers to relax and entertain. The streets are very lively. Goods trading has also emerged. Not only can you buy food condiments such as pepper, star anise, grass fruits, liqueur and medicine, but you can also buy blankets, cloth, ceramics and other items at Peacock Ping. It can be said to be a transit place for foreign trade.

According to "Yunnan Stories", during the Qing Dynasty, the government purchased peacock feathers here to pay tribute to the court and used them as feathers for court officials to wear on their heads. It can be seen that there were many peacocks here at that time. It is not difficult to imagine the scene of peacocks flying all over the sky.

Caravans are teams that transport supplies to and from the Ancient Tea Horse Road. They travel in the mountains and canyons all year round and have to make do with simple meals.

The day is in the mountains and the night is in the plains. Wherever you go, you can light a fire and cook smoke. It is true that "three stones build a pot and stove, and a gong and pot can travel the world." This simple way of eating gradually formed a type of food with strong caravan characteristics - caravan rice.

The most important cooking utensil for caravan rice is the "gong pot". The gong pot made of pure copper was originally a military utensil. It was used for cooking during the day and reporting the shift at night. It was gradually used by the caravans because of its light and durable characteristics.

Driving horses to climb mountains and ford rivers, traveling hundreds of miles a day, consumes a lot of physical energy, but you can't carry a lot of fresh vegetables along the way; so how do you replenish your physical energy? The horse driver invented a food that was both easy to carry and provided a large amount of heat energy - gong pot rice. There are only three ingredients: rice, potatoes and ham (or bacon); this three-layer braised rice is very simple and convenient.

How to make the carabao gong pot rice: Place the washed rice on the bottom layer of the gong pot, place the washed and diced potatoes on the middle layer, place the ham (or bacon) slices on the top layer, then add an appropriate amount of water and salt to simmer the rice. During the cooking process, the potato pieces are slowly embedded into the rice due to the boiling effect, and the fat aroma of ham is also slowly penetrated into the rice. When it is cooked and the lid is opened, the whole pot will be full of fragrant aroma, which will greatly increase your appetite and make you salivate. .

Nowadays, gong pot rice (caravan rice) has become a delicacy on the Tea Horse Road. Tasting it opens people's memories of the caravan years.

In order to safely complete this difficult and dangerous road, the caravan gradually established a strict and complete organizational management system during the formation of history.

All members of the caravan have different professional identities according to the division of labor: one person from Daguotou is in charge of internal affairs and major matters encountered on the way, and is mostly held by people who can speak multiple ethnic languages; one person from Erguotou is responsible for accounting and is responsible for Daguotou. Assistant; one person at the head of the gang, who manages food and also handles internal punishment; two to six people on the outpost, who serve as bodyguards and escorts; one person on Qitou, who is a doctor for humans and animals; three to five people on the head of the gang, who are the "detachment workers" of the caravan; There are several people at the head of the group, the "group leader"; one person in the moguo, the liaison officer, who smoothes relations between the bandits externally, and is the wizard who solves problems internally; there are several assistants, the horse drivers, each of whom is responsible for one to three mules and horses. No wait.

I saw on the Internet the diary of someone who worked at the Pu'er District Transportation Company in 1951, describing some specific plots of the caravan.

"At that time, there were two squadrons with more than a hundred mules and horses, each driving five animals, called a "handful". The squadron leader was in charge of transportation, and the escort was in charge of finance, rationing horses and horses, and jointly leading the work of the entire squadron. There are animals that carry "pot baskets" with cooking utensils and food in them. The weight of each animal is about 60 kilograms. If the pack horse is sick or injured during the journey, the two people above will ride on it. and pot basket horse replacement.

The horse team is usually called the "horse gang". The horse driver will select the best two horses to be the lead horses, usually called the "first mule and the second mule". There is a saying: "If the first mule walks well, the second mule and the third mule will follow suit." The first mule and the second mule have red tassel bridles and other decorations. There is a small round mirror on the bridge of the nose to reflect light, and there is a small round mirror on the back of the pack. There are two triangular caravan flags with the words "Pu'er District Transportation Company Such-and-such Detachment" and other words.

The first mule carries two spherical iron bells as big as the mouth of a bowl on its chest, which makes a "clang, clatter" sound; the second mule wears a string of small oval-shaped copper bells on its chest, which makes a "chirp, clunk" sound. . The person who is driving the horses (five horses) at the head carries a copper "male hammer" and knocks it with one hand while walking, making a "clang, clang" sound; the person who is driving the horses at the end carries a copper "female hammer" while walking. Knocking makes a "dong, dong" sound; the two of them have to beat in rhythm, so they will make a harmony of "哐, 哐, 哐, 咚", which will then be played together with the above-mentioned iron and copper bells to create a majestic and sweet sound. The caravan symphony resounded throughout the valleys along the way. It can not only tell the caravan coming from the opposite direction not to meet in the narrow section of the road, so as not to miss the "crossing gang", but also scare away the wild animals from harming the people and horses.

Tea, potatoes, dried bamboo shoots, medicinal materials, etc. produced in villages deep in the mountains are transported out through caravans, and then the caravans bring in the salt, medicine, cloth, tobacco leaves and daily necessities needed by the people in the mountains. "

Insert video: Interlude of "The Bell Rings in the Mountains and the Caravan Comes"

After leaving Ning'er, we embarked on the final journey back to Xishuangbanna, starting from Ning'er County in Pu'er City and heading south to Jinghong.