(National Geographic magazine from the United States published a special report on Jingmai Mountain, Yunnan.)
The January 2025 issue of National Geographic from the United States published a special report on Jingmai Mountain, Yunnan. Simultaneously, Huaxia Geography released its Chinese version of the report. Both magazines independently offered high praise for the natural landscape, tea culture, and ethnic culture of Jingmai Mountain, once again placing this ancient tea mountain in Southwest China under the global spotlight.
(Huaxia Geography released a report on Jingmai Mountain, Yunnan.)
National Geographic from the United States hailed Jingmai Mountain as “one of China’s oldest cultural landscapes” and a “world natural museum of tea culture history,” expressing great admiration for its natural scenery. Jingmai Mountain possesses the world’s largest scale of ancient, man-made tea plantations; among approximately 1.13 million tea trees, the oldest date back 1,400 years. The Pu-erh tea from this region is renowned for its orchid fragrance, which remains even after long-term storage, making it a true treasure among teas. The magazine specifically noted that the tea trees in Jingmai Mountain grow alongside wild ancient trees, forming a unique ecosystem that not only protects tea tree resources but also allows this ancient tea garden to endure for millennia. Furthermore, the sea of clouds and the ecological environment of the ancient tea forests in Jingmai Mountain were described as a model of “interdependence between humans and tea, and harmony among all things,” while traditional festivals such as the tea soul sacrifice ceremony and the Shangkang Festival of ethnic minorities like the Blang and Dai people also showcase rich and colorful ethnic customs.
Huaxia Geography hailed Jingmai Mountain as a “natural museum of Chinese tea culture,” emphasizing its prominent position within the global landscape of tea culture. At the same time, focusing on the ecological protection measures in Jingmai Mountain, it praised the area as a model for practicing the concept that “lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets.” The magazine noted that Jingmai Mountain is not only a place of origin for tea but also a vivid witness to the inheritance and development of Chinese tea culture; it preserves ancient tea tree cultivation techniques and rich tea customs, demonstrating the wisdom of harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature. Furthermore, through scientific planning and community participation, Jingmai Mountain has achieved an organic integration of ecological preservation on the mountains with development and utilization at their base, becoming the world’s first tea-themed World Cultural Heritage site.
Photography by Zhu Yunkuan
Both magazines emphasized Jingmai Mountain’s achievements in sustainable development. National Geographic from the United States pointed out that while protecting ancient tea trees, Jingmai tea farmers have achieved economic growth, promoting the sustainable development of the heritage site. Huaxia Geography, on the other hand, emphasized that the “tea under forest” cultivation model preserves the forest ecosystem and promotes biodiversity, resulting in a unique tea flavor and providing valuable experience for global ecological protection.
By the author.
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Author: Lam Sam (LamSam), the Old Tea Head
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