[Follow] Yunnan, the world's unique ancient tea tree kingdom!

◇ Data show that there are more than 56 million ancient tea trees in our country, about 97%distributed in Yunnan

◇ There are 31 species and 4 varieties in the global tea group, including 23 varieties of Yunnan, and 3 varieties named for the Yunnan tea trees are named.

◇ Yunnan not only has tens of millions of ancient tea trees, but also has a particularly rare ancient tea ecosystem -wild tea tree community

Wild Pu'er Tea Ancient Tea Tree in Malipo County, Yunnan Province (Photo taken in May 2022) He Qingyuan Photo

As the world's tea tree origin, Yunnan has a large number of wild tea trees, cultivated ancient tea gardens, and tens of millions of ancient tea trees. It is the world's unique ancient tea tree kingdom.

According to the Lincao Bureau of Yunnan Province, the preliminary resource survey results show that there are 910,000 acres of tea trees and about 54 million ancient tea trees in Yunnan. It is the largest number of ancient tea gardens in the world.

Ancient tea tree is an important resource basis for the development of the Yunnan tea industry. In 2021, the output of ancient tree tea in Yunnan was about 12,000 tons, with a comprehensive output value of 12 billion yuan. At present, the Yunnan tea industry has become a rich industry with an annual output value of over 100 billion yuan and involving nearly 10 million people.

Tens of millions of ancient tea trees

The tea industry has basically formed a consensus, and tea trees that are more than 100 years old can be called ancient tea trees.

Professor Lan Zengquan, Deputy Director of the Green Development Research Institute of Southwest Forestry University, and the executive deputy director of the Research Center of the Ancient Tea Tree Resources of Yunnan Province, introduced that there are more than 56 million ancient tea trees in my country, about 97% It is distributed in Yunnan, and Guizhou has more than 1.2 million plants. Guangxi, Sichuan, Chongqing, Fujian, Hainan, etc. also have a small amount.

"Yunnan is the origin of tea trees, diversity centers, and grooming resources. It is the unique ancient tea tree kingdom in the world." He Qingyuan, director of the Tea Research Institute of Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, introduced that there are 31 species and 4 varieties of tea groups worldwide, of which There are 23 varieties in Yunnan, and 2 varieties are named for the name specimen of the Yunnan tea tree.

He Qingyuan said that during the process of spreading from the origin to the origin of the place of origin, the tea tree occurred from a series of evolution from morphological level to cell level to molecular levels, thereby forming today's colorful germplasm resources. Yunnan tea tree resources are characterized by many types, large -leaf species, medium and leaflet types, and tropical, subtropical, temperate, and cold belts are distributed. Most of the tea species are mainly partial distribution. Dali tea species and Pu'er tea species are widely distributed in the province.

The distribution of ancient tea trees in Yunnan presents two characteristics: one is widely distributed, and 13 ancient tea trees in 16 states in the province; the other is densely distributed in the "first -class two mountains", namely Among them, the ancient tea trees in the Lancang River Basin account for more than 90%of the province, concentrated in the Dali to Xishuangbanna range of the Lancang River Basin.

Chinese tea and tea drinking have a long history. The first tea studies in the world, the Tang Dynasty Lu Yu's "Tea Scripture" recorded: Tea is drinking, it is about Shennong's family, and he smelled in Lu Zhougong.

According to Lan Zengquan, several typical ancient tea trees found in Yunnan are the representatives of wild, transition, and cultivation of ancient tea trees, which provides strong evidence for the proved that Yunnan is the origin of tea trees in the world. For example, in 1951, a cultivated ancient tea tree found in Nan Nuo Mountain, Erhai County, with a height of 8.8 meters and a base diameter of 138 cm, and the tree is about 800 years old. In 1961, the wild -type ancient tea trees found in Bada Mountain, Erhai County, with a height of 32 meters and a base diameter of 100.3 cm, and the tree age is about 1700 years. In 1991, the transition -type ancient tea tree found in Bangya Village, Lancang County. The tree is 11.8 meters high and the base diameter is 78.9 cm. The tree is more than 1,000 years old.

In addition, a ancient tea tree found in Xiangzhuyu, Fengqing County, Lincong City. The tree is 10.7 meters high, the base diameter is 185 cm, and the base is 582 cm. It is the largest ancient tea tree in the world. Only in order to be surrounded. Chen Lijun, the secretary of the Fengqing County Party Committee, said: "At present, this tree is still leafy, and it is protected every year."

Especially rare wild tea tree community

According to Lan Zengquan, Yunnan not only has tens of millions of ancient tea trees, but also has a particularly rare ancient tea ecosystem -wild tea tree community. At present, there are 88 reports.

It is rare for a tea tree to survive for thousands of years. The existence of a large number of wild tea trees is not only provided "living fossils" to prove that Yunnan is the origin of tea trees in the world, but also provides rich valuable germplasm resources for the development of the tea industry.

For example, Qianjiazhai Wild Tea Tree Crossing Zhen, Zhen, is located in the National Nature Reserve of the Aiushan National Nature Reserve. It is a typical representative of the east boundary and Aihanshan wild tea trees distributed by the Dali tea species. Resource survey shows that the distribution of the tea tree group is 23,000 mu, more than 470,000 wild tea trees with a diameter of 5 cm, 3,411 plants with a diameter of 30 cm or more, and 18 trees with a height of 30 meters. Its wild tea trees have a large density and large -diameter tea trees, which are extremely rare.

Bangma Daxue Mountain, Bangma Daxue Mountain, Shuangjiang County, was discovered by local villagers in 1997. The centralized distribution area is about 12,700 mu, 2200 meters to 2750 meters above sea level. Essence According to expert research, the group of tea trees is a Dali tea species, which is relatively primitive in evolution, but it has the entire shape characteristics of the tea tree and the functional ingredients of the tea, which can make tea and drink.

Coincidentally, the most widely cultivated tea tree varieties in Yunnan (belonging to Pu'er tea), which are originally produced in the Belomon Village and Gong Nong Village in the middle and lower part of Bangma Daxue Mountain. Experts believe that the community of wild tea trees and the big leaf tea of ​​Mengku are in the same mountain, which is of great value for studying the source, evolution, classification, and quality innovation of tea trees. At the same time, the wild tea trees of the Kuku have strong resistance to reverse resistance, especially the cold resistance, which is an important resource for resistance to breeding. For example, Ning'er County's trapped Lushan Ancient Tea Garden is a model of fine management of tea -breeding models. It is an example of tea cultivation from extensive, decentralized to intensive and large -scale. The ancient tea garden of the Luoshan tea garden has 327 ancient tea trees in a small area, with both large leaf species, medium and leafy species. It is a vivid case of tea seed resources and tea culture exchanges.

Lan Zengquan said that the Lancang River gave birth to tea civilization, and the ancient people in the Lancang River Basin first discovered and used tea. During the understanding of tea, the people first realized that tea could be "detoxified", so they discovered the medicinal value of tea. Later, they realized that tea can also be greasy and digested, and then discovered the value of tea. After extensive dissemination, tea eventually became popular in the world and became the world's three largest drinks with coffee and cocoa.

Written article: Wu Xiaoyang Yan Yong Zhao Caolin

Source: "Looking" News Weekly

Edit: Ma Zhenglin

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