Have you heard of the old tea forests of Jingmai Mountain? The mountain is in the city of Pu'er, Yunnan province, and it recently became part of the UNESCO World Heritage List (《世界遗产名录》) on September 17th. The area includes nine villages, three old tea farms and three forests.
In the tenth century, the ancestors (祖先) of the Blang people (布朗族) came to the mountain. They discovered wild tea trees and started to produce tea from them. Later, the Dai and some other ethnic groups (少数民族) also came to live here. Their colorful cultures added even more charm to the area. Here, the local people hold important festivals. For example, the Shankang Festival of the Blang people honors their "tea ancestors. " Another example is the Water Festival of the Dai people. During these festivals, they give their thanks to the tea trees. They also seek blessings(祝福) for the tea forests. In Blang culture, they believe that every tea tree has a spirit. For this reason, the locals do not use chemicals on their tea trees. They depend on nature to produce good tea.
In this place, the mountain nurtures (滋养) tea and tea nurtures people. Tea is an important part of the locals' lives. They are thankful for the gifts from nature!
