有这么一个地方，中国茶叶流通协会2003年正式命名它为“中国茶城”。因为它是普洱茶的故乡，是世界著名的茶树种植和茶文化的起源地。1800年的沧桑历史，孕育出了博大精深的普洱茶文化。那条蜿蜒数千里的茶马古道的源头就在这里。

中国的茶城，普洱茶的故乡，拥有浓郁醉人的边地风情。这个地方，就是普洱。

Pu'er Tea in Pu'er City

Pu'er city in southwest China's Yunnan Province is home to the world famous tea of the same name, which originates in the area.

The history of Pu'er tea can be traced back over 1,800 years to the ancient Tea Horse trade route that starts from Simao District in Pu'er. This route, often referred to as Tea Horse Road, stretches from its southern end in Yunnan throughout Southeast Asia, connecting Beijing in the north with Tibet in the west.

It was along this trade route many eons ago that pu'er's unique post fermentation characteristic was accidentally discovered. The high humidity, hot rainfall and sunlight of the area imbued the tea with its unique qualities that have made the product world famous.

Often called "soft gold", pu'er tea is like an antique - the more it ages, the more valuable it becomes. There are two main varieties of pu'er: raw, or green tea, and ripened, or fermented tea. The green tea variety helps lower the body's temperature and is pleasant to drink in the summer.

Fermented tea is good for ladies because it helps with weight loss and is very good for the skin. In fact most people prefer this variety of pu'er as it is more distinct from most other green teas, especially the broad-leaf variety.

"Longjing and Tieguanyin are small-leaf teas that can only be brewed ten times. But pu'er tea can be brewed over 30 times."

Pu'er tea dates back over 3,000 years. There is a 2,700-year-old wild tea tree that still produces tea leaves today and thrives in the city of its namesake. Every spring, locals pick leaves in the tea fields.

"It's important not to pick tea leaves too early or too late in the day. Usually we start at 9 a.m. and finish by 3 p.m. from February to December. Spring tea leaves are the best of the whole year."

They pick tender leaves and handle them gingerly to prevent bruising and unwanted oxidation. Weather permitting, they'll spread the leaves in the sun or a ventilated space to wilt and reduce water content. Following that a process called "shaqing," or literally "kill green," takes place.

"Both green tea and pu'er tea need this procedure. It takes high temperatures to bake the tea leaves during the "kill green" process. This stops any enzyme activity in the leaf and prevents further oxidation."

The tea ferments quickly under conditions manipulated to approximate the aging process in a humid environment. The fermented tea, which resembles black tea and tastes very mild, is then shaped into cakes or bricks.

Medical analysis has shown proven health benefits of pu'er tea in recent years and led to its recognition as a "medicinal tea" or "wonder tonic." Long-standing consumers of pu'er believe it also has anti-aging properties and can prolong one's life.

Accounts of the truly astonishing health benefits and medical use of pu'er tea have been documented in various ancient scripts and famous books throughout Chinese history. This tea is strongly believed to have wide-ranging health benefits including diabetic control, prevention of heart disease, improved digestion and aiding weight loss.

Pu'er city has held a tea festival since 1993, and often hosts international seminars on the drink.

"We've cooperated with Beijing Normal University, Tsinghua University, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the University of Maryland in the US to conduct research on the medicinal use of pu'er tea. We also invited experts on diabetes to help us with our work. At a press conference this April, we released news that pu'er tea can help reduce blood sugar levels."

Now, the Pu'er city has been granted five patents related to the tea. Its products have been welcomed not only across China but also several European countries including France, Britain, Sweden and Germany. Tea planting and production is the life blood of Pu'er. The city boasts 200,000 hectares of tea plantations and about half of the city's population is somehow involved in the tea industry.

"The tea industry is the main source of our family's income; we now have 30 hectares of tea gardens. We make over 3,000 yuan in net profit per hectare every year. Now life is much better than before. We've built a house, and bought a refrigerator, sofa, and motorcycle. We plan to buy a car in the future."

This song is called "Love Song of Longlong." It describes the pleasure of tea picking, and is based on the real-life romance of a young man and woman who tie the knot through their association with tea.

"In Longlong Village, because of the natural conditions, only one out of ten newborn kids are boys, so the girls that come from there to pick the tea have a better chance of meeting members of the opposite sex."

"I came to Longlong village with my boss in 2006. I stayed here and eventually married."

Now 25-year-old Shi Yinghua is mother to a 3-year-old and earns over 100,000 yuan per year through her business, which employs 40 people.

Pu'er has also cooperated with companies in Tianjin to increase production and diversify the assortment of tea products it produces. To cater to a larger group of tea drinkers, they've developed tea powder, tea bags, medicinal tea products and even new methods of brewing tea. In the first half of this year, the industry pulled in over 500 million yuan in profit.

Aside from its contribution to the local economy, the development of the industry has generated enthusiasm within the local population for the culture of pu'er tea.

(Subtitle: Making pu'er tea takes five steps: select the tea leaves, prepare the materials, select water and brew in hot water. Ancient people said no matter what tea you are making, you must use hot water to warm up the tea-making tools...)

In a vocational school in Pu'er, primary school students learn about tea, including the history and the correct etiquette of serving the drink.

The fourth tea-making class to be held attracted 100 participants, including 11-year-old trainee Song Qiurui.

"I'm a sixth-year student. I love learning about the art of tea. I drink pu'er tea and have asked my parents to register me in this class. Here, teachers told us about the varieties of pu'er and how to appreciate it. After I learned the skills required to serve the tea, I practiced at home a lot. Now my parents want to register in these classes, too."

Sun Rongzu, director of the Committee for the Wellbeing of the Youth of Pu'er and also an organizer of the training classes, says the limited number of classes can't meet the increasing demand from locals.

"Many Pu'er natives studying in colleges in Kunming and Beijing want to join the kids to learn the art of pu'er tea. They think as Pu'er natives, it's a shame not to know about their city's most famous product. Some trainees in the classes even work in markets and teahouses as far away as Shanghai and Guangdong."

Local officials are confident that with the development of the medicinal value of pu'er tea, the drink will gain even more popularity in the future. In the next five to ten years, there are plans to develop pu'er production into an industry worth around 30 billion yuan. Local people also hope more people outside the city of Pu'er can learn about the culture of this special product.