Cloud tea is like life; life is learning, wisdom is cultivation.
The Sanduo Festival is a traditional Naxi celebration, held every year on the eighth day of the second lunar month in Lijiang. Sanduo is the Naxi protective deity, and the festival is the day for honouring Sanduo. This festival is as important to the Naxi as Spring Festival is to the Han Chinese. I, an old tea head, never go to Lijiang for Sanduo without bringing a pot of pu-erh tea to drink slowly at the foot of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.
Lijiang is one of Yunnan’s most famous tourist cities. It has an ancient town, snow-capped mountains, and lakes — the scenery is stunning. But for me, Lijiang’s greatest attraction is its tea culture. The Naxi people have a long history of drinking tea, with their own unique methods — roasted tea. Roasted tea is what the Naxi drink every day, as important to them as morning tea is to Cantonese people.
This year I went to Lijiang for Sanduo Festival. In the morning, I visited Baisha Old Town to watch the ritual ceremony. Baisha is one of the earliest Naxi settlements, preserving many traditional buildings and customs. The ceremony was held in a temple near the Baisha murals, solemn and dignified. The Naxi, dressed in traditional costume and carrying offerings, prayed to the Sanduo deity.
After the ceremony, several friends and I found a meadow at the foot of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and sat down. Before us the snow mountain, behind us the blue sky, beneath us green grass. I took out my tea set and brewed a pot of 2020 Yiwu Ancient Tree Raw Pu-erh. Yiwu tea is known for its prominent floral and honey aromas, warm on entry, with a long-lasting returning sweetness. Drinking Yiwu tea at the foot of a snow mountain feels fundamentally different — the air is crisp, the view is vast, and the tea fragrance seems richer.
Yiwu is a town in Mengla County, Banna, at about 1,300 metres elevation. Yiwu tea has a very long history — it is said to have been tribute tea during the Qing Dynasty. Yiwu tea is characterised by its gentleness — not bold like Banzhang, but arriving slowly. First the floral notes, then honeyed sweetness in the middle, and returning sweetness at the finish. This gentle personality is perfectly suited to the solemn yet peaceful atmosphere of the Sanduo Festival.
Drinking tea at the foot of a snow mountain offers a special feeling — you are closer to the sky. Jade Dragon Snow Mountain’s main peak rises to 5,596 metres, its slopes white with snow. Sitting at its foot with a cup of tea, you feel very small. Yet also very full — because you have a pot of good tea, fine weather, and a beautiful place. That is the magic nature brings to tea — it transforms an ordinary cup into something extraordinary.
During the Sanduo Festival, Lijiang’s old town buzzes with activities — song and dance performances, handicraft exhibitions, food festivals. But my favourite thing is to sit in one of the old town’s tea houses and drink tea. Lijiang’s tea houses are distinctive — usually run by Naxi people, stocking various local teas. I tried several local ancient tree teas, all of decent quality. Though they lack the fame of Banna or Lincang teas, they have their own character.
Tea has grades; all may enjoy it regardless of status.
On the evening of Sanduo Festival, lanterns of every colour lit up the old town. I sat inside a tea house, brewing a pot of Dian Hong (Yunnan black tea), watching people pass by. At that moment, all worries dissolved, leaving only tea fragrance and tranquillity.
When I left Lijiang, I took several local tea cakes as souvenirs. Though Lijiang is not a major tea-producing region, its tea culture is rich. The Sanduo Festival gave me more than a festival experience; it gave me the memory of a pot of good tea. The feeling of drinking tea at the foot of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain stays with me to this day. Next Sanduo Festival, I will return to Lijiang and drink another pot of tea.
Make friends through tea, please enjoy a cup.
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Author: Old Tea Head · Lin Shen (LamSam)
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