Yunnan Tea
About Yunnan
Yunnan Province is a province in southern China, located where China, Myanmar and Laos meet along the banks of the Mekong River. It is home to 25 different ethnic groups, making it one of the most diverse and fascinating parts of China.
It is also the historic heartland of tea.
Yunnan: The Heartland of Tea
Tea originated in Yunnan Province. Anthropologists surmise that the ancient inhabitants of the area may have chewed on tea leaves and later experimented with adding it to boiling water. All we know is that by the time of the Shang dynasty (1766-1050 BC), people were drinking tea in Yunnan Province, always combined with a range of other plants, seeds, barks and leaves as a medicinal concoction.
From Yunnan Province, the tea plant spread to neighbouring Sichuan Province, where it is speculated that people first began to make tea without adding any other leaves or herbs, using it as a stimulating, bitter drink rather than a medicinal concoction.
Yunnan Tea Today
Today, tea is grown around the world, from Africa and South America to Australia and Asia. The quality varies tremendously, as the majority of tea is mass-produced.
But Yunnan Province is still renowned for its teas. It produces some of the finest black teas available, including the delectable Yunnan Golden Buds. It is also the home of pu-erh tea, a unique fermented tea.
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Photo credit: Preetamrai
