1000-Year Ancient Tea of Ailao Mountain in Xinping County, Yuxi
1000-Year Ancient Tea of Ailao Mountain in Xinping County, Yuxi/玉溪新平县哀牢山千年古茶树
In the middle of Ailao Mountain( 哀牢山) which called Damaoer Mountain(大帽儿山) has been found a thousand year old wild ancient tea tree, at the Xinping Country(新平县). Yu Fulian（虞富莲）, a researcher at the Tea Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences(中国农科院茶叶研究所), who has been engaged in research on germplasm resources of tea tree more than 50 years, said this discovery not only expanded people’s understanding of the growing area of wild tea, but also filed in the gap of the wild ancient tea tree in the central of Yunnan( 云南). It has important academic and research value.
Between May 16 to 20 in 2017, the Party committee and government of Xinping Country( 新平县), invited the expert group made of Yu Fulian（虞富莲), Su Fanghua(苏芳华), a senior engineer of Yunnan Tea Import and Export company, Wang Shengping(王盛平)，a researcher of tea research institute of Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences and Jiang Huibing(蒋会兵), an associate researcher. To visited the old tea tree in Ermao village(峨毛村), Damaoer Mountain(大帽儿山), Bangmai village(邦迈村), Suoshan village(梭山村). And they had been found an ancient tea tree with a height of about 20 meters (cut at the top) at the Damaoer Mountain(大帽儿山). The experts initially estimated the age of the tree at more than 1,000 years, it is a wild type ancient tea tree.
Damaoer Mountain(大帽儿山) is in the middle of the Ailao Mountain( 哀牢山), and adjacent to Yuanqianjia village (沅千家寨), Pu ‘er City(普洱). It belongs to Ailao Mountain( 哀牢山) National nature reserve, the region climate, soil suitable for the growth of tea trees. The expert group found a total of 7 wild tea plants, forming a wild tea tree colony. Yu Fulian（虞富莲）said, it is the most ancient, the largest, the most concentrated and the most species of wild tea trees were found in Southwest Yunnan. It is the first time in the central of Yunnan. In terms of population and species diversity of Damaoer Mountain(大帽儿山) and Suoshan village(梭山村), and the Xinping Country(新平县) as the central of the Yunnan(云南) also the origin area of tea trees. The tea germplasm resources are relatively rich.
The expert group also found a large number of artificially cultivated ancient tea trees. The tree is estimated to be between 100 and 600 years old. There is Mengku big leaf(猛库大叶种), Fengqing big leaf(凤庆大叶种), and the local Ermao bid leaf and middle leaf (峨毛大叶种和中叶种).
Ancient Teas in Zhongshan Village (中山小组) of Suoshan Village(梭山村) in Pingzhang Town(平掌乡)后
The expert said, the tea of Damaoer Mountain(大帽儿山) have a nice look, taste well and smell good, it is the high quality. As the Xinping Country( 新平县) have a lot of high quality tea trees, they suggestion establish the Resource Development and Utilization Research Group of central of the Yunnan(云南) tea tree. To development, tests, protection and use of high quality tea.
The tea experts are judging the tea from Longquan Tea company in Xinping County.
According to the statistics of the county agriculture bureau, the tea planting area of Xinping Country( 新平县) is up to 47,500 acres. It is mainly distributed in Ping zhang(平掌), Zhelong(者竜), Jianxing(建兴) and Shuitang(水塘). And tea income is one of the main economic income of the farmers in these four areas.
Translated by Yi Jianxi/尹建曦
Chinese Version
http://www.sohu.com/a/143650742_384558
