Zhangwai Village and Tea Plantation of Dongbanshan Mountain in Mengku Town, Lincang
Plan your Lincang Ethnic Villages Tour to Lincang? Visit Zhangwai Village and Tea Plantation of Dongbanshan Mountain in Shuangjiang County, Lincang which is one of the most fascinating ethnic villages in Lincang. Explore the local folk ethnic culture including History, Food and Dining, Clothing, Customs and Traditions, Architecture, Festivals, Crafts, Religion, Language of local ethnic people in Zhangwai Village and Tea Plantation of Dongbanshan Mountain in Shuangjiang County, Lincang.
Chinese Name: 勐库东半山：章外村
English Name: Zhangwai Village of Dongbanshan Mountain in Mengku Town, Lincang
Zhangwai tea area(章外茶区)
Zhangwai is an old tea district in Shuangjiang. Now there are many ancient tea gardens in Ming and Qing Dynasties and in the period of the Republic of China.
Zhang Wai was once under the jurisdiction of Mengku Town in the early days of the founding of New China. And then it was classified as Heliu Town (贺六乡) in the 1980s. Heliu Town was merged into Mengku town in 2006, and Zhang Wai was also classified as Mengku town. Zhang Wai is far from Mengba and closer to Mengku Basin. Because Zhangwai is close to Mengku and connected with Haigong, Zhangwai is assigned to the ancient tea garden in the eastern half of Mengku Mountain in the division of tea districts. Zhangwai is now a village committee in Mengmeng Town. There are more than 10 natural villages in size. The ancient tea gardens in Zhangwai are mainly distributed in Yingpan Village(营盘村), Shangzhangwai Village(上章外村) and Xia Zhangwai Village(下章外村), Shitouzhai(石头寨) and Xinzhai(新寨) . These ancient tea villages are connected by an earthen road.
Yingpan Village（营盘村）
Yingpan village is located on the high side of the road with an elevation of about 1800 meters. The earliest inhabitants of Yingpan village are Lahu people. Now it is a Han people’s village with 50 families. Lahu people planted many tea trees in Yingpan. Now there are more than 10 remaining trees. The tree circumference is more than 80 centimeters, and the growth is very good.
Shangzhangwai (上章外)
Shangzhangwai Village(上章外村) is the largest village in Zhangwai Village, with 80 families and only 3 Lahu families. Sporadic tall ancient tea trees with a tree circumference of more than 100 cm can be seen on the hillsides around Shangzhangwai. These tea king trees are planted by Lahu people. Zhangwaihe River flows through the middle of Shangzhangwai village. There are ancient tea gardens on the slopes of both sides of the river, which were planted by Han people in the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China.
Before 1949, Zhangwai Tea had become famous in Boshang Street(博尚街). Businessmen in Lincang Basin often rushed to buy tea in Zhangwai. The natural environment conditions in Shangzhangwai(上章外) are good, the land is rich in fertilizer and water, the fields are abundant, the tea garden is abundant, the economic strength is very strong. Although the villages are few, the people in the eastern and western half mountain not dare to look down on Shangzhangwai.
Shitouzhai Village(石头寨)
There are 18 families in Shitouzhai Village, one of which is Lahu ethnic people and the rest is Han. The ancient tea gardens in Stone Village are the most in several villages of Zhangwai. Most of them are left by Lahu people. After the second great uprising of Lahu people was suppressed by the Qing government in 1887, they moved out of Shitouzhai Village(石头寨). The Han people moved in and took over the remaining tea gardens. Some new tea gardens were planted. After 1958, Shangzhangwai and Shitouzhai Village(石头寨) planted another five or six hundred acres tea gardens. The tea gardens in the two villages were connected.
Xiazhangwai (下章外)
Xiazhangwai consists of two small villages, together with more than 60 families. The villages above are called the first group(Erzu/一组) and the villages below are called the second group(Erzu/二组). The first group, also known as Yang Jiazhai(杨家寨), has 21 families, mostly surnamed Yang(杨). Because there are many paddy fields, there are not many tea trees planted .
Several villages in Zhangwai have tea gardens planted in the early years of the Republic of China. There are a few old tea gardens planted on the hillside and in the middle of the new-style platform tea gardens. By 1950, the area of tea gardens had been very large. In 1954, Shuangjiang Tea Station had set up a purchasing point in Zhangwai. By 1955, 12,000 Jin tea was collected. At that time, there are only about 100 or so families in total in Zhangwai, so the output was not low.
Zhangwai is very close to Mengku, and once belonged to Mengku. Mengku people recognize Zhangwai tea(章外茶) as Mengku tea. Zhangwai tea is different from the tea in other villages in Mengku. One can feel sweet as soon as tasting it. Tea makers all like Zhangwai tea.
章外是双江的一个老茶区，现在还保存不少明清时期的古茶园和民国时期的老茶园。章外村位于云南省临沧市双江县勐库镇东半山东南，章外离勐库坝子仅15公里，平均海拔1800米，冬无严寒，夏无酷暑，干湿季分明，是孕育勐库大叶茶的摇篮。
Lincang
章外在新中国成立初期曾属勐库镇管辖，20世纪80年代被划入贺六乡，2006年贺六乡并入勐勐镇，章外也随之划入，章外距勐勐坝子较远，离勐库坝子较近。因章外离勐库近又与亥公相连，在茶区划分上，把章外划归勐库东半山古茶园。章外现在是勐勐镇的一个村委会，有大小自然村10来个，章外的古茶园主要分布在营盘村、上、下章外村、石头寨、新寨，这几个古茶村有条土公路相连接。
营盘村
营盘村在大路边地势高，海拔约1800米，营盘村最早的居民是拉祜族，现在是个汉族寨，有50户人家，拉祜族人在营盘时种过许多茶树，，现在保留下来的还有10多棵，，树围都超过80厘米，长势非常好。
上章外
上章外村是章外最大的村寨，有80户人家，拉祜族仅有3户，上章外四周的山坡可看到零星的又高又大树围超过100厘米的古茶树，这些茶王树是拉祜族人种下的。章外河从上章外村中间流过，河两岸的斜坡上有连片的百年左右的古茶园，是清末民初汉人种下的。
1949年以前章外茶在博尚街已有名气，临沧坝胡的商人经常赶着马帮来章外买茶。上章外自然环境条件好，地肥水足，田多，茶园多，经济实力很强，村子虽少，但东半山、西半山的人都不敢少看上章外。
下章外
下章外由两个小村组成，加起来有60多户人家，上边的村称一组，下边的称二组。一组又称杨家寨，有21户人家，大多姓杨。下章外由于水田多，没有种太多茶树。
章外老茶区
章外几个村寨都有民国初年种的茶园，山坡上和新式台地茶园中间分布着一少片的满天星栽种法的老茶园，1950时茶园面积已很大，1954年双江茶叶站已在章外设立收购点，到了1955年收干毛茶12000市斤，当时章外几个村加起来才仅有100多户人家，这个产量已经不低了。
章外离勐库很近，又曾经归勐库管辖，勐库人都将章外茶认可为勐库茶，章外茶与勐库其他村寨的茶有点不同，章外茶一入口回甘很快，做茶的老板都喜欢章外茶。
石头寨
石头寨现有18户人家，有一户是拉祜族，其余是汉族。石头寨的古茶园是章外几个村寨中最多的，大部分是拉祜族人留下来的，1887年拉祜族第二次大起义被清政府镇压后，迁离石头寨，汉人迁进来，接管了留下的茶园，又新种了一些茶园，1958年以后上章外和石头寨又种了五六百亩茶园，两个村的茶园是连接起来的。
章外古树茶外观条索紧结，芽肥叶壮，香气浓郁，汤质刚强，回甘持久，回甘快，茶性经足霸道而张扬，极具霸王之气。
