Cultural Landscape of Old Tea Forests of the Jingmai Mountain in Pu’er

The Jingmai Mountain cultural landscape is a system of tea forests that descend the hillside in stepped patterns, mixing cultivated plants with natural vegetation. Water channels run through the overall layout to distribute moisture across the different levels.

Tea culture at Jingmai stretches back more than a thousand years, making the region one of the oldest farming areas. This long-term engagement with the land shaped the systems visible today.

The Blang community here maintains practices passed down through generations that shape how people interact with the land. Harvest times follow a rhythm deeply rooted in local life.

This place is best explored by taking time to move through different elevations and observe differences between areas. Visitors should prepare for uneven terrain and trails that wind through the wooded sections.

Different elevations create varying climate conditions that give tea from higher fields a different character than tea from lower areas. This natural difference was learned and used by farmers over centuries rather than by chance.