“If we leave you cattle and horses, I fear disaster will wipe you out; if we leave you gold and silver, they will be eaten and used up. Let us instead leave you this ancient tea garden and these tea trees, so that your descendants may have an inexhaustible and unending supply. You must cherish them as you would your own eyes, passing them from one generation to the next, never allowing them to be lost.” This is the ancestral instruction that the Blang people living in Jingmai Mountain for generations have steadfastly upheld, and it is also the shared life philosophy of the various ethnic tea farmers on Jingably Mountain.
One year after the successful application for World Heritage status, the “green effect” brought by the world’s first tea-themed World Cultural Heritage brand has been fully demonstrated. Entering Jingmai Mountain is like obtaining a “golden key” to green development; it opens a profound and vivid “Mountain Scripture” that interprets the ecological construction concept of “green mountains are gold mountains.”
The Essence of the Mountain: People do not fail the mountain, and the mountain does not fail the people.
The world grows late, and the mountains and rivers have turned to autumn. Yet, greenness and vitality remain the synonyms for Jingmai Mountain.
After several autumn rains, beneath the tall canopy trees, the moss-covered ancient tea trees sequentially sprout tender green buds, as Jingmai Mountain enters another annual picking season.
Taking advantage of the fine weather, Yue Pa Xian and her companions from Jingmai Village, Huimin Town, Lanchang Lacha Autonomous County, set out early in the morning with tea baskets on their backs, riding motorcycles and humming Dai tunes, chatting and laughing as they head to the Dapingzhang ancient tea forest to begin this year’s autumn tea harvest.
“Since the successful World Heritage application, more and more tourists and tea traders have come to Jingmai Mountain, increasing the villagers’ economic income. However, we all know that if we do not continue to protect Jingmai Mountain as our ancestors did, today’s happy life will also one day be lost,” Yue Pa Xian told reporters. Over the past year, although the market for tea leaves has further expanded, the tea farmers living on Jingmai Mountain still adhere to the ancient harvesting regulation of “only chasing spring and autumn, ignoring winter and summer,” allowing the ancient tea trees to recover and nourish themselves during the winter and summer seasons while continuously generating economic benefits.
The uniquely charming cultural landscape of the Jingmai Mountain ancient tea forest is a product of nature’s work, but it also benefits from generations of inheritance and long-term protection. From a relatively primitive state to being protected and developed according to World Heritage principles, local governments, enterprises, and the masses have all participated in carefully guarding this unparalleled cultural heritage.
In Jingmai Mountain, we can see protective measures everywhere—written on paper, hung on walls, remembered in hearts, and implemented in actions. Focusing on the new development requirements of Jingmai Mountain, strictly fulfilling the obligations of the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, comprehensively implementing the Regulations on the Protection of the Jingmai Mountain Ancient Tea Forest Cultural Landscape of Pu’er City, formulating and issuing the Technical Specifications for the Management and Care of the Jingmai Mountain Ancient Tea Forest, and strictly executing the Guidelines for Construction Activities in Jingmai Mountain. At the same time, through the “Company + Cooperative + Farmer” model, using professional ancient tea forest maintenance techniques, villagers are guided to scientifically protect the health of the ancient tea trees. A series of village regulations and agreements have been revised and improved, stipuring that ancient tea trees must be managed in a traditional manner, with no unauthorized construction or tea planting that destroys the forest, strictly preventing and controlling any behavior that harms the authenticity, integrity, and outstanding universal value of the Jingmai Mountain heritage.
In Jingmai Mountain, using care as our medium, we see the original heart of “people do not fail the green mountains, and the green mountains will certainly not fail the people.”
The Transformation of the Mountain: Humans empower the mountain, and the mountain empowers humans.
A millennium is a measure of time and a scale of development.
From the 10th century AD, when the ancestors of the Blang and Dai ethnic groups migrated to Jingmai Mountain, discovered wild tea trees, and settled to cultivate tea forests, for thousands of years, people have centered around the ancient tea forest, intensively utilizing mountain land and arranging it reasonably, creating a unique cultural landscape of forest-tea symbiosis and human-land harmony, along with a profound culture of tea cultivation, processing, consumption, and drinking, as well as customs, dwellings, arts, and religion.
For thousands of years, humans empower the mountain, and the mountain empowers humans; this is the eternal mutual empowerment of “I see the green mountains are so charming, and I believe thely green mountains see me in much the same way,” achieving a continuous inheritance and evolution.
“Jingmai Mountain is an organically evolving cultural landscape that possesses multi-dimensional values including history, culture, ecology, and economy.” Zou Yiqing, Director of the Institute of Sustainable Development of Heritage Sites at the Tsinghua Tongheng Urban Planning Design and Research Institute in Beijing, believes that the tangible cultural heritage—such as the ancient tea forests, forests, and ancient villages—and the intangible cultural heritage—including folk legends, tea ballads, religious beliefs, rituals and festivals, tea customs, and traditional tea cultivation and processing techniques—are all in a process of “organic continuity and continuous growth.”
The Wengji Blang ancient village in Mangjing Village and the Nuogang Dai ancient village in Jingjing Village are the most well-preserved settlements on Jingmai Mountain, almost completely retaining the form of the original architectural clusters of the Blang and Dai peoples. Most residential buildings in the villages are Ganlan-style houses, with elevated ground floors and tiled roofs, naturally distributed along the mountain ridges around the village centers. Walking through them, one can still feel the tranquility and antiquity of the ancient villages from a thousand years ago through the scenery of villages, Buddhist temples, village gates, village centers, and ancient cypress trees, as well as through conversations with local villagers.
The unique tea culture landscape created by the fusion and collision of ancient tea resources and ethnic culture has not only made Jingmai Mountain the world’s first tea-themed World Cultural Heritage site but also made these two ancient villages, established thousands of years ago, a destination for tourists. Homestays, tea rooms, tea-roasting around fires, and fire-pit song banquets have begun to emerge as experiential spaces in the ancient villages, while new projects such as ethnic photo shoots, Jingmai Mountain trekking, and youth study tours have also rapidly gained popularity. Local villagers have spontaneously organized a series of folk festivals, such as the “Mountain Health Tea Ancestor Festival,” “Opening Festival,” “Closing Festival,” “Hundred-Family Banquet,” “Hundred-Herb Banquet,” and “Cherry Blossom Tea Party,” which have gradually become local cultural calling cards for Jingmai Mountain, opening a new chapter of full public participation in the protection and utilization of the heritage site.
The Prosperity of the Mountain: Humans can enrich the mountain, and the mountain can enrich humans.
“Dai girls are busy picking tea, Blang girls make fragrant tea, every household is filled with guests, the village appearance has been renewed…” This is a widely circulated Blang folk song among the various tea farmers of Jingmai Mountain; its cheerful rhythm and beautiful lyrics express the brand-new, vibrant face of the beautiful villages and prosperous people of Jingmai Mountain.
“The successful World Heritage application for Jingmai Mountain has brought us huge traffic. Previously, even during peak season, there were only a few tables of business in the shop every day; now we can reach ten or more tables or even more.” Erken, a Blang woman born in the 1990s from Mangjing Village, has 28 mu of ancient tea garden and manages 43 mu of ecological tea gardens converted from “ancient-style tea forests.” Benefiting from the traffic dividend brought by the successful World Heritage application, the business of the “Blang Flavor Restaurant” run by her and her husband is getting better and better. In addition, Erken has built a local guide team of five people and opened a small ethnic costume rental shop, providing one-on-one service to tourists and groups visiting Jingmai Mountain, leading them through villages and settlements to experience the local customs of Jingmai Mountain in an immersive way.
“Tea income 150,000 yuan, catering income 170,000 yuan, guide income 20,000 yuan…” Calculating her economic accounts for the past year, a happy smile appeared on Erken’s face. She said that previously, villagers mainly relied on selling tea leaves, but since last year, the young people who went out to work have returned and opened homestays, tea shops, or restaurants based on their housing conditions; everyone’s income has doubled.
Erken’s case of getting rich right at her doorstep is not an isolated example in Jingmai Mountain. Relying on the continuous release of cultural and ecological dividends from the successful World Heritage application, the villagers’ income continues to increase, and their lives are becoming more prosperous. On October 27, 2023, Jingmai Mountain was named by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment as part of the seventh batch of “Green mountains are gold mountains” practice and innovation bases.
Over the past year, Jingmai Mountain has insisted on integrating the renovation and upgrading of ancient villages with the protection of historical relics and the preservation of historical context. 19.82 million yuan was invested to carry out external restoration and internal functional modernization of traditional dwellings in three traditional villages to better meet the production and living needs of the masses. Ecological transformation of 11,000 mu of “ancient-style tea forests” was implemented, 33,000 mu of ecological tea gardens obtained organic certification, 21 enterprises obtained food quality and safety production licenses, and tea farmers’ income increased from 1,000–2,000 yuan per mu to 6,000–8,000 yuan per mu. At the same time, the revitalization and utilization of cultural heritage sites were standardized, guiding the masses to actively participate in the development of the catering and service industries; currently, 98 homestays, 36 restaurants, and 1,062 tea rooms in Jingmai Mountain have been brought under management.
One Jingmai Mountain, one “Mountain Scripture.” The various ethnic groups love the mountain, protect the mountain, rely on the mountain, and prosper the mountain; humans and the mountain are in harmony as one, and the mountain and humans empower each other. The mountains of Jingmai will never run out, nor will this “Mountain Scripture” ever be finished; the beautiful stories of humans and the mountain, and the mountain and humans, will continue to be brilliantly performed…
Author.
“If we leave you cattle and horses, I fear disaster will wipe you out; if we leave you gold and silver, they will be eaten and used up. Let us instead leave you this ancient tea garden and these tea trees, so that your descendants may have an inexhaustable and unending supply. You must cherish them as you would your own eyes, passing them from one generation to the next, never allowing them to be lost.” This is the ancestral instruction that the Blang people living in Jingmai Mountain for generations have steadfastly upheld, and it is also the shared life philosophy of the various ethnic tea farmers on Jingmai Mountain.
One year after the successful application for World Heritage status, the “green effect” brought by the world’s first tea-themed World Cultural Heritage brand has been fully demonstrated. Entering Jingmai Mountain is like obtaining a “golden key” to green development; it opens a profound and vivid “Mountain Scripture” that interprets the ecological construction concept of “green mountains are gold mountains.”
The Essence of the Mountain: People do not fail the mountain, and the mountain does not fail the people.
The world grows late, and the mountains and rivers have turned to autumn. Yet, greenness and vitality remain the synonyms for Jingmai Mountain.
After several autumn rains, beneath the tall canopy trees, the moss-covered ancient tea trees sequentially sprout tender green buds, as Jingmai Mountain enters another annual picking season.
Taking advantage of the fine weather, Yue Paxian and her sisters from Jingmai Village, Huimin Town, Lancang Lahu Autonomous County, set out early in the morning with tea baskets on their backs, riding motorcycles and humming Dai tunes, chatting happily as they headed to the Dapingzhang ancient tea forest to begin this year’s autumn tea harvest.
“Since the successful application for World Heritage status, more and more tourists and tea traders have come to Jingmai Mountain, increasing the villagers’ economic income. However, we all know that if we do not continue to protect Jingmai Mountain as our ancestors did, today’s happy life will one day be lost,” Yue Paxian told reporters. Over the past year, although tea sales channels have further expanded, the tea farmers living on Jingmai Mountain still adhere to the ancient tea harvesting regulation of “only following spring and autumn, not asking winter or summer,” allowing the ancient tea trees to recover and nourish themselves during the winter and summer seasons while continuously generating economic benefits.
The charming Jingmai Mountain ancient tea forest cultural landscape is a product of nature’s work, but it also benefits from generations of inheritance and long-term protection. From a relatively primitive state to protection and sustainable development in accordance with World Heritage concepts, the local government, enterprises, and the masses have all participated, carefully guarding this unparalleled cultural heritage.
In Jingmai Mountain, we can see protective measures everywhere: written on paper, hung on walls, etched in hearts, and implemented in actions. Aiming at the new development requirements of Jingmai Mountain, strictly fulfilling the obligations of the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, comprehensively implementing the Regulations on the Protection of the Jingmai Mountain Ancient Tea Forest Cultural Landscape of Pu’er City, formulating the Technical Specifications for the Management and Care of the Jingmai Mountain Ancient Tea Forest in Pu’er, and strictly executing the Guidelines for Construction Activities in Jingmai Mountain. At the same time, through the “Company + Cooperative + Tea Farmer” cooperation model, using professional ancient tea forest maintenance techniques, villagers are guided to scientifically protect the health of ancient tea trees. A series of village regulations and agreements have been revised and improved, stipuring that the management of ancient tea trees must adhere to traditional methods, prohibiting unauthorized construction or tea planting that destroys the forest, and strictly preventing and controlling any behavior that harms the authenticity, integrity, and outstanding universal value of the Jingmai Mountain heritage.
In Jingmai Mountain, with care as our medium, we see the original heart: “People do not fail the green mountains, and the green mountains will surely not fail the people.”
The Mountain’s Transformation: People Empower the Mountain, the Mountain Empowers People
A millennium is a measure of time and a scale of development.
From the 10th century AD, when the ancestors of the Blang and Dai ethnic groups migrated to Jingmai Mountain, discovered wild tea trees, and settled to cultivate tea forests, for thousands of years, people have centered around the ancient tea forest, intensively utilizing mountain land and arranging it reasonably, creating a unique cultural landscape of forest-tea symbiosis and human-land harmony, along with a profound culture of tea cultivation, processing, consumption, and drinking, as well as folk customs, dwellings, arts, and religion.
For thousands of years, people empower the mountain, and the mountain empowers people; this is the eternal mutual empowerment of “I see the green mountains are so charming, I believe the green mountains see me in the same way,” achieving a continuous inheritance and evolution.
“Jingmai Mountain is an organically evolving cultural landscape that possesses multi-dimensional values including historical, cultural, ecological, and economic dimensions.” Zou Yiqing, Director of the Institute of Sustainable Development of Heritage Sites at the Tsinghua Tongheng Institute of Urban Design, believes that the tangible cultural heritage, such as the ancient tea forests, forests, and ancient villages, and the intangible cultural heritage, such as folk legends, tea ballads, religious beliefs, rituals, festivals, tea customs, and traditional tea cultivation and processing techniques, are all in a process of “organic continuity and continuous growth.”
Wengji, an ancient Blang village in Mangjing Village, and Nuogang, an ancient Dai village in Jingmai Village, are the most well-preserved settlements on Jingmai Mountain. They almost completely retain the form of primitive architectural clusters of the Blang and Dai ethnic groups. The residential buildings in the villages are mostly stilt houses with elevated ground floors and tiled roofs, naturally distributed along the mountain ridges around the village centers. Walking through them, one can still feel the tranquility and antiquity of the ancient villages from a thousand years ago through the scenery of villages, Buddhist temples, village gates, village centers, and ancient cypress trees, as well as through conversations with local villagers.
The unique tea culture landscape created by the fusion and collision of ancient tea resources and ethnic culture has not only made Jingmai Mountain the world’s first tea-themed World Cultural Heritage site but also turned these two ancient villages, established thousands of years ago, into highly sought-after destinations for tourists. Homestays, tea rooms, tea-roasting around a hearth, and fire-pit song banquets have begun to emerge within the ancient villages, while new projects such as ethnic photo shoots, Jingmai Mountain hiking, and youth study tours have also rapidly gained popularity. Local villagers have spontaneously organized a series of folk festivals, such as the “Mountain Health Tea Ancestor Festival,” “Opening Day,” “Closing Day,” “Hundred-Family Banquet,” “Hundred-Herb Banquet,” and “Cherry Blossom Tea Party,” which have gradually become the local cultural calling cards of Jingmai Mountain, opening a new chapter for the public’s participation in the protection and utilization of the heritage site.
The Mountain’s Prosperity: People Can Enrich the Mountain, the Mountain Can Enrich People
“Dai girls are busy picking tea, Blang girls make fragrant tea, every household is full of guests, the village appearance has been renewed…” This is a widely circulated Blang folk song among the various tea farmers in Jingmai Mountain; its cheerful rhythm and beautiful lyrics express the brand-new prosperity and vibrant atmosphere of the villages in Jingmai Mountain.
“Since the successful application for World Heritage status, more and more tourists and tea traders have come to Jingmai Mountain, increasing the villagers’ economic income. Previously, even during the peak season, there were only a few tables of business per day; now we can reach ten or even more tables.” Erken, a member of the post-90s generation, is an ordinary Blang woman from Mangjing Village. Her family owns 28 mu of ancient tea gardens and also manages 43 mu of ecological tea gardens transformed from “ancient-style tea forests.” Benefiting from the tourism dividend brought by Jingmai Mountain’s successful World Heritage application, her business at the “Blang Flavor Restaurant,” which she runs with her husband, is doing increasingly well. In addition, Erken has built a local guide team of five people and opened a small ethnic costume rental shop, providing one-on-one service to tourists visiting Jingmai Mountain, leading them through villages and settlements for an immersive experience of the local customs and traditions.
“Tea income 150,000 yuan, catering income 170,000 yuan, guide income 20,000 yuan…” Calculating her economic accounts for the past year, a happy smile appears on Erken’s face. She says that previously, villagers mainly relied on selling tea leaves, but since last year, the young people who went out to work have returned and opened homestays, tea shops, or restaurants based on their housing conditions, doubling everyone’s income.
Cases like Erken, who can prosper right at her doorstep, are not isolated in Jingmai Mountain. Relying on the continuous release of cultural and ecological dividends from the successful World Heritage application of Jingmai Mountain, villagers’ incomes continue to increase, and their lives become more prosperous. On October 27, 2023, Jingmai Mountain was named by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment as part of the seventh batch of “Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets” practice and innovation bases.
Over the past year, Jingmai Mountain has insisted on integrating the renovation and upgrading of ancient villages with the protection of historical relics and the preservation of historical context. 19.82 million yuan was invested to carry out external restoration and internal functional modernization for the traditional residences of three traditional villages to better meet the production and living needs of the masses. The ecological transformation of 11,000 mu of “ancient-style tea forests” has been implemented, 33,000 mu of ecological tea gardens have obtained organic certification, 21 enterprises have obtained food quality and safety production licenses, and tea farmers’ income has increased from 1,000–2,000 yuan per mu to 6,000–8,000 yuan. At the same time, the revitalization and utilization of cultural heritage sites are regulated, guiding the masses to actively participate in the development of the catering and service industries; currently, 9t8 homestays, 36 restaurants, and 1,062 tea rooms in Jingmai Mountain have been brought under management.
One Jingmai Mountain, one “Mountain Scripture.” The various ethnic groups love, protect, rely on, and prosper the mountain; people and mountains are harmoniously integrated, and mountains and people mutually empower each other. As long as Jingmai Mountain remains, this “Mountain Scripture” will never be finished, and the wonderful stories of people and mountains, and mountains and people, will continue to unfold beautifully…
Personal author.
“I leave you oxen and horses, for fear they might perish in a disaster; I leave you gold and silver, but they will also be eaten and used up. So, I leave you this ancient tea garden and these tea trees, so that your descendants may have an inexhaustible and endless supply. You must protect them as you would protect your own eyes, passing them from generation to generation; you must never let them be lost.” This is the ancestral instruction that the Blang people living on Jingmai Mountain for generations have always upheld, and it is also the life philosophy shared by all tea farmers of various ethnic groups on Jingmai Mountain.
One year after the successful application for World Heritage status, the “green effect” brought by the world’s first tea-themed World Cultural Heritage brand has been fully demonstrated. Entering Jingmai Mountain is like obtaining a “golden key” to green development; what opens is a thick and vivid “Mountain Scripture,” interpreting the ecological construction concept that “lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets.”
The Essence of the Mountain: People Do Not Fail the Mountain, the Mountain Does Not Fail People
The world grows late, and the mountains and rivers have turned to autumn. Yet, greenness and vitality remain the synonyms for Jingmai Mountain.
After several autumn rains, beneath the tall trees, the moss-covered ancient tea trees sequentially produced tender green new buds, as Jingmai Mountain welcomed another harvest season of the year.
Taking advantage of the fine weather, Yue Paxian and her sisters from Jingmai Village, Huimin Town, Lancang Lahu Autonomous County, set out early in the morning with tea baskets on their backs, riding motorcycles and humming Dai tunes, chatting happily as they headed to the Dapingzhang ancient tea forest to begin this year’s autumn tea harvest.
“Since the successful application for World Heritage status, more and more tourists and tea traders have come to Jingmai Mountain, increasing the villagers’ economic income. However, we all know that if we do not continue to protect Jingmai Mountain as our ancestors did, today’s happy life will one day be lost,” Yue Paxian told reporters. Over the past year, although tea sales channels have further expanded, the tea farmers living on Jingmai Mountain still adhere to the ancient tea harvesting regulation of “only following spring and autumn, not asking winter or summer,” allowing the ancient tea trees to recover and nourish themselves during the winter and summer seasons while continuously generating economic benefits.
The charming Jingmai Mountain ancient tea forest cultural landscape is a product of nature’s work, but it also benefits from generations of inheritance and long-term protection. From a relatively primitive state to protection and sustainable development in accordance with World Heritage concepts, the local government, enterprises, and the masses have all participated, carefully guarding this unparalleled cultural heritage.
In Jingmai Mountain, we can see protective measures everywhere: written on paper, hung on walls, etched in hearts, and implemented in actions. Aiming at the new development requirements of Jingmai Mountain, strictly fulfilling the obligations of the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, comprehensively implementing the Regulations on the Protection of the Jingmai Mountain Ancient Tea Forest Cultural Landscape of Pu’er City, formulating the Technical Specifications for the Management and Care of the Jingmai Mountain Ancient Tea Forest in Pu’er, and strictly executing the Guidelines for Construction Activities in Jingmai Mountain. At the same time, through the “Company + Cooperative + Tea Farmer” cooperation model, using professional ancient tea forest maintenance techniques, villagers are guided to scientifically protect the health of ancient tea trees. A series of village regulations and agreements have been revised and improved, stipulating that the management of ancient tea trees must adhere to traditional methods, prohibiting unauthorized construction or tea planting that destroys the forest, and strictly preventing and controlling any behavior that harms the authenticity, integrity, and outstanding universal value of the Jingmai Mountain heritage.
In Jingmai Mountain, with care as our medium, we see the original heart: “People do not fail the green mountains, and the green mountains will surely not fail the people.”
The Transformation of the Mountain: People Empower the Mountain, the Mountain Empowers People
A millennium is a yardstick of time and a scale of development.
From the 10th century AD, when the ancestors of the Blang and Dai ethnic groups migrated to Jingmai Mountain and discovered wild tea trees, to their settlement and cultivation of tea forests. For centuries, people have centered around these ancient tea forests, intensively utilizing mountain lands and planning them rationally, creating a unique cultural landscape of forest-tea symbiosis and harmony between humanity and land, along with a profound culture encompassing tea cultivation, processing, consumption, and drinking, as well as folklore, architecture, art, and religion.
For centuries, people have empowered the mountain, and the mountain has empowered the people; this is the eternal bidirectional empowerment of “I see the green mountains are so charming, I imagine the green mountains see me in much the same way,” achieving a legacy and evolution that remains ever-fresh.
“Jingmai Mountain is an organically evolving cultural landscape, possessing multi-dimensional values of history, culture, ecology, and economy.” Zou Yiqing, Director of the Institute for Sustainable Development of Heritage Sites at the Beijing Tsinghua Tongheng Urban Planning Design Institute, believes that the tangible cultural heritage—such as ancient tea forests, forests, and ancient villages—and the intangible cultural heritage—including folk legends, tea ballads, religious beliefs, rituals, festivals, tea customs, and traditional tea cultivation and processing techniques—are all in a process of “organic continuity and continuous growth.”
The Wengji Blang ethnic village in Mangjing Village and the Nuogang Dai ethnic village in Jingmai Village are the most well-preserved settlements on Jingmai Mountain, almost entirely retaining the original architectural forms of the Blang and Dai peoples. Most residential buildings in the villages are stilt houses with elevated ground floors and tiled roofs, naturally distributed along the ridges around the village centers. Walking through them, one can still feel the tranquility and antiquity of these ancient villages through the scenery of villages, Buddhist temples, village gates, village centers, and ancient cypress trees, as well and through conversations with local villagers.
The unique tea culture landscape created by the fusion of ancient tea resources and ethnic culture has not only made Jingmai Mountain the world’s first tea-themed World Cultural Heritage site but also turned these two ancient villages, founded centuries ago, into highly sought-after destinations for tourists. B&Bs, tea rooms, tea roasting around hearths, and fire-side song banquets have begun to emerge within the ancient villages, while new projects such as ethnic photo shoots, Jingmai Mountain hiking, and youth study tours have rapidly gained popularity. Local villagers have spontaneously organized a series of folk festivals, including the “Mountain Health Tea Ancestor Festival,” “Opening Ceremony,” “Closing Ceremony,” “Hundred-Family Banquet,” “Hundred-Herb Banquet,” and “Cherry Blossom Tea Party,” which are gradually becoming the local cultural calling cards of Jingmai Mountain, opening a new chapter in the public participation in the protection and utilization of heritage sites.
The Rise of the Mountain: People can enrich the mountain, the mountain can enrich people
“Dai girls are busy picking tea, Blang girls make fragrant tea, every household is even full of guests, and the village appearance has been renewed…” This is a widely circulated Blang folk song among the various ethnic tea farmers in Jingmai Mountain; its cheerful rhythm and beautiful lyrics reflect the brand-new, prosperous, and beautiful face of Jingmai Mountain’s villages.
“The successful UNESCO application has brought us huge traffic. Previously, even during peak season, we only had a few tables of business every day; now we can reach ten or more tables, or even more.” Erken, a 90s-born ordinary Blang woman from Mangjing Village, manages 28 mu of ancient tea gardens and also cares for 43 mu of ecological tea gardens converted from “ancient-style tea forests.” Benefiting from the traffic dividend brought by the successful UNESCO application of Jingmai Mountain, her and her husband’s “Blang Flavor Restaurant” is doing better and better. Additionally, Erken has built a local guide team of five people and opened a small ethnic costume rental shop, providing one-on-one services to tourists visiting Jingmai Mountain, leading them through the villages and settlements for an immersive experience of the local customs and traditions.
“Tea income 150,000 yuan, catering income 170,000 yuan, guide income 20,000 yuan…” Calculating her economic accounts for nearly the past year, a happy smile appears on Erken’s face. She says that previously, villagers mainly relied on selling tea leaves, but since last year, young people who went out to work have returned and opened B&Bs, tea shops, or restaurants based on their housing conditions, and everyone’s income has doubled.
Cases like Erken’s, where wealth can be generated right at one’s doorstep, are not isolated in Jingmai Mountain. Relying on the continuous release of cultural and ecological dividends from the successful UNESCO application of Jingmai Mountain, villagers’ incomes continue to increase, and their lives become more prosperous. On October 27, 2023, Jingmai Mountain was named by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment as the seventh batch of “Practice and Innovation Bases for ‘Green waters and lush mountains are gold and silver mountains’.”
Over the past year, Jingmai Mountain has insisted on integrating the renovation and upgrading of ancient villages with the protection of historical sites and the preservation of historical context. 19.82 million yuan was invested to perform external restoration and internal functional modernization for the traditional residences of three traditional villages to better meet the production and living needs of the masses. Ecological renovation of 11,000 mu of “ancient-style tea forests” was implemented, 33,000 mu of ecological tea gardens received organic certification, 21 enterprises obtained food quality and safety production licenses, and tea farmers’ income increased from 1,000–2,000 yuan per mu to 6,000–8,000 yuan per mu. At the same time, the revitalization and utilization of cultural heritage sites were regulated, guiding the masses to actively participate in the development of the catering and service industries; currently, Jingmai Mountain has 98 managed B&Bs, 36 restaurants, and 1,062 tea rooms under management.
One Jingmai Mountain, one “Mountain Scripture.” The various ethnic groups love the mountain, protect the mountain, rely on the mountain, and prosper through the mountain; humanity and the mountain are in harmony, and the mountain and humanity empower each other. As long as Jingmai Mountain remains, this “Mountain Scripture” will never be finished, and the wonderful stories of people and the mountain, and the mountain and people, will continue to unfold beautifully…
Author’s personal note.
“If we leave you cattle and horses, we fear disaster will wipe them all out; if we leave you gold and silver, they will also be eaten and used up. Let us only leave you this ancient tea garden and these tea trees, so that your descendants may have an inexhaustible and unending supply. You must cherish them as you would your own eyes, passing them from generation to generation; you must never let them be lost.” This is the ancestral instruction that the Blang people living in Jingmai Mountain for generations have always upheld, and it is also the life philosophy shared by all ethnic tea farmers on Jingmai Mountain.
One year after the successful UNESCO application, the “green effect” brought by the brand of the world’s first tea-themed World Cultural Heritage site has been fully demonstrated. Entering Jingmai Mountain is like obtaining a “golden key” to green development; what opens is a profound and vivid “Mountain Scripture,” interpreting the ecological construction concept that “Green waters and lush mountains are gold and silver mountains.”
The Essence of the Mountain: People do not fail the mountain, the mountain does not fail people
Evening falls upon the world, and autumn has arrived in the mountains and rivers. Yet, greenery and vitality remain the hallmarks of Jingmai Mountain.
After several autumn rains, beneath the tall trees, one by one, the moss-covered ancient tea trees gradually sprout tender green buds, as Jingmai Mountain welcomes another picking season of the year.
Taking advantage of the fine weather, Yue Paxian and her sisters from Jingmai Village, Huimin Town, Lancang Lahu Autonomous County, set out early in the morning with tea baskets on their backs, riding motorcycles and humming Dai tunes, chatting and laughing as they head to the Dapingzhang ancient tea forest to begin this year’s autumn tea picking.
“Since the successful UNESCO application, more and more tourists and tea merchants have come to Jingmai Mountain, increasing the villagers’ economic income. However, we all know that if we do not continue to protect Jingmai Mountain as our ancestors did, today’s happy life will also one day be lost.” Yue Paxian told reporters that over the past year, although the market for tea leaves has further expanded, the tea farmers living on Jingmai Mountain still follow the ancient tea-picking regulation of “only chasing spring and autumn, never asking of winter and summer,” allowing the ancient tea trees to recover and nourish themselves during the winter and summer seasons while continuously generating economic benefits.
The uniquely charming Jingmai Mountain ancient tea forest cultural landscape is a result of natural efforts, but even more so of generations of inheritance and long-term protection. From being relatively primitive to being protected and developed according to World Heritage concepts, the local government, enterprises, and the masses have all participated in carefully guarding this unparalleled cultural heritage.
In Jingmai Mountain, we can see protective measures everywhere—written on paper, hanging on walls, recorded in hearts, and implemented through actions. Aiming at the new requirements for Jingmai Mountain’s development, strictly fulfilling the obligations of the “Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage,” comprehensively implementing the “Regulations on the Protection of the Jingmai Mountain Ancient Tea Forest Cultural Landscape in Pu’er City,” and formulating the “Technical Specifications for the Management and Care of the Jingmai Mountain Ancient Tea Forest,” we strictly execute the “Guidelines for Construction Activities in Jingmai Mountain.” At the same time, through the “Company + Cooperative + Tea Farmer” cooperation model, using professional ancient tea forest maintenance techniques, we guide villagers to scientifically protect the health of ancient tea trees. A series of village regulations and agreements have been revised and perimted, stipulating that traditional methods must be maintained for managing ancient tea trees, with no unauthorized construction, no forest destruction for tea planting, and strict prevention and control of all behaviors that harm the authenticity, integrity, and outstanding universal value of the Jingmai Mountain heritage.
In Jingmai Mountain, with care as our medium, we see the original intention that “people will not fail the green mountains, and the green mountains will certainly not fail people.”
The Transformation of the Mountain: People Empower the Mountain, the Mountain Empowers People
A millennium is a yardstick of time and a scale of development.
From the 10th century AD, when the ancestors of the Blang and Dai ethnic groups migrated to Jingmai Mountain and discovered wild tea trees, to their settlement and cultivation of tea forests. For centuries, people have centered around these ancient tea forests, intensively utilizing mountain lands and planning them rationally, creating a unique cultural landscape of forest-tea symbiosis and harmony between humanity and land, along with a profound culture encompassing tea cultivation, processing, consumption, and drinking, as well as folklore, architecture, art, and religion.
For centuries, people have empowered the mountain, and the mountain has empowered the people; this is the eternal bidirectional empowerment of “I see the green mountains are so charming, I imagine the green mountains see me in much the same way,” achieving a legacy and evolution that remains ever-fresh.
“Jingmai Mountain is an organically evolving cultural landscape, possessing multi-dimensional values of history, culture, ecology, and economy.” Zou Yiqing, Director of the Institute for Sustainable Development of Heritage Sites at the Beijing Tsinghua Tongheng Urban Planning Design Institute, believes that the tangible cultural heritage—such as ancient tea forests, forests, and ancient villages—and the intangible cultural and social heritage—including folk legends, tea ballads, religious beliefs, rituals, festivals, tea customs, and traditional tea cultivation and processing techniques—are all in a process of “organic continuity and continuous growth.”
The Wengji Blang ethnic ancient village in Mangjing Village and the Nuogang Dai ethnic ancient village in Jingmai Village are the most well-preserved villages on Jingmai Mountain, almost completely retaining the original architectural clusters of the Blang and Dai ethnic groups. The residential houses in the villages mostly feature stilt-style architecture with elevated ground floors and tiled roofs, naturally distributed along the mountain ridges around the village centers. Walking through them, one can still sense the tranquility and antiquity of these ancient villages from a thousand years ago through the landscapes of villages, Buddhist temples, village gates, village centers, and ancient cypress trees, as well as through conversations with local villagers.
The unique tea culture landscape created by the fusion and collision of ancient tea resources and ethnic culture has not only made Jingmai Mountain the world’s first tea-themed World Cultural Heritage site but also turned these two ancient villages, established thousands of years ago, into a destination for travelers. The ancient villages have begun to feature experiential spaces such as B&Bs, tea rooms, hearthside tea roasting, and fire-pit song banquets; emerging projects like ethnic photo shoots, Jingmai Mountain trekking, and youth study tours have also rapidly gained popularity. Local villagers have spontaneously organized a series of folk festivals, including the “Tea Ancestor Festival,” “Opening Ceremony Festival,” “Closing Ceremony Festival,” “Hundred-Family Banquet,” “Hundred-Herb Banquet,” and “Cherry Blossom Tea Party.” These have gradually become the local cultural calling cards of Jingmai Mountain, opening a new chapter in the public’s participation in the protection and utilization of the heritage site.
The prosperity of the mountain: People can enrich the mountain, and the mountain can enrich people.
“Dai girls are busy picking tea, Blang girls make fragrant tea, every household is full of guests, the village appearance has been renewed…” This is a widely circulated Blang folk song among the various tea farmers of Jingmai Mountain; its cheerful rhythm and beautiful lyrics express the brand-new prosperity and vibrant atmosphere of the villages in Jingmai Mountain.
“The successful UNESCO World Heritage application for Jingmai Mountain has brought us massive traffic. Previously, even during the peak season, the shop only had a few tables of business per day; now we can reach over ten tables or even more.” Erken, born in the 1990s, is an ordinary Blang woman from Mangjing Village. Her family owns 28 mu of ancient tea gardens and also manages 43 mu of ecological tea gardens transformed from “ancient-style tea forests.” Benefiting from the traffic dividend brought by the successful UNESCO application, her and her husband’s business at their family-run Blang Flavor Restaurant is doing increasingly well. Additionally, Erken has built a local guide team of five people and opened a small ethnic costume rental shop, providing one-on-one services to tourists visiting Jingmai Mountain, leading them through various villages to experience the local customs and culture in an immersive way.
“Tea income is 150,000 yuan, catering income is 170,000 yuan, guiding income is 20,000 yuan…” Calculating her economic accounts for nearly the past year, a happy smile appears on Erken’s face. She said that previously, villagers mainly relied on selling tea leaves, but since last year, young people who went out to work have been returning and starting B&Bs, tea shops, or restaurants based on their home conditions, doubling everyone’s income.
Cases like Erken, who can achieve prosperity right at her doorstep, are not isolated incidents in Jingmai Mountain. Relying on the continuous release of cultural and ecological dividends from the successful UNESCO application for Jingmai Mountain, villagers’ incomes continue to increase, and their lives are becoming increasingly prosperous. On October 27, 2023, Jingmai Mountain was named by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment as part of the seventh batch of “Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets” practice and innovation bases.
Over the past year, Jingmai Mountain has insisted on integrating the renovation and upgrading of ancient villages with the protection of historical relics and the preservation of historical context. A total of 19.82 million yuan was invested to perform external restoration and internal functional modernization for the traditional residences of three traditional villages to better meet the production and living needs of the masses. The ecological transformation of 11,000 mu of “ancient-style tea forests” has been implemented, 33,000 mu of ecological tea gardens have obtained organic certification, 21 enterprises have obtained food quality and safety production licenses, and tea farmers’ income has increased from 1,000–2,000 yuan per mu to 6,000–8,000 yuan. At the same time, the revitalization and utilization of cultural heritage sites are being regulated, guiding the masses to actively participate in the development of the catering and service industries; currently, Jingmai Mountain has 98 managed B&Bs, 36 restaurants, and 1,062 tea rooms under management.
One Jingmai Mountain, one “Mountain Scripture.” The various ethnic groups love the mountain, protect the mountain, rely on the mountain, and prosper through the mountain; people and the mountain exist in harmony, empowering each other. The mountains of Jingmai Mountain are inexhaustible, and this “Mountain Scripture” is also inexhaustible; the beautiful stories of people and the mountain, and the mountain and the people, will continue to be brilliantly performed…
Personal author.
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Author: Lam Sam (LamSam), the Old Tea Head
ZENTEA MANOR
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