Menghai has a long history of Tea cultivation, processing, and consumption, dating back to the Western Han Dynasty, flourishing during the Tang and Song dynasties, and reaching its peak in the Qing Dynasty and Republican era. According to “The Grand Historian's Records: The Column on Dayuan” by Sima Qian: “The Kunming tribes had no rulers or leaders and were prone to banditry, often killing and plundering Chinese envoys, making communication impossible. However, it was heard that about a thousand miles westward, there was an elephant-riding country called Dianyue, which some traders from Shu (Sichuan) managed to reach.” According to “Records of Nanzhong in Huayang Guo Zhi” compiled by Chang Qu of the Jin dynasty: “In Yongchang Commandery, there were people of the chest-piercing tribe, the ear-piercing tribe, Minyue Pu, Jiuliao, Min Pu, Pi Yue, naked Pu, and Shendu.” As recorded in “The Annals of Xishuangbanna Prefecture”: “In 69 AD (the twelfth year of Yongping in the Eastern Han Dynasty), Yongchang Commandery was established, and the region of Xishuangbanna came under its jurisdiction.” Therefore, this land of Menghai has been an integral part of the sacred territory of China since ancient times.

From the Jin to the Tang dynasties, the central government did not establish administration in Yunnan. During this period, the tea industry in Bashu and Jiangnan made significant advancements, transitioning from sun-dried tea to steamed and Compressed tea cakes, while the Pu'er tea region lagged behind due to its lack of interaction with mainstream Chinese Tea culture. After the Mongshe tribe's Pi clan defeated the Tang army and established an independent kingdom of Nanzhao in Yunnan, the Tang envoy Fan Que visited Nanzhao and recorded in “The Book of the Barbarians”: “Tea is produced in the mountains within the borders of Yinzhang City, collected without any processing methods, and the Mongshe tribespeople mix it with pepper, ginger, and cassia before brewing and drinking it.” During the Tang and Song dynasties, the Pu'er tea region was under the jurisdiction of the Yinzhang Prefecture of the Kingdom of Yunnan, and Pu'er tea developed slowly in isolation from the rest of the world.

In the Ming dynasty, the government gradually implemented policies of replacing local officials with imperial appointees and military settlements in Yunnan. Large numbers of Han people migrated to Yunnan, strengthening the spread of Central Plain culture and promoting the development of tea production towards compressed cakes. However, due to the rich content and strong, bitter taste of large-leaf tea in Yunnan, it did not receive much attention from the central government at the time and continued to develop freely.

In 1729 (the seventh year of the Yongzheng reign), Yunnan's governor Eertai established an imperial tea plantation in the Pu'er tea region, expelled new and old merchants and residents, and set up a general tea store to monopolize the profits. This, coupled with the disturbance caused by official tea, led to the neglect of the tea mountains. In 1734 (the twelfth year of the Yongzheng reign), regulations were issued to ban the forced purchase of official tea and curb corruption in tea administration, reducing the quota for tribute tea and restoring free trade. Pu'er tea began to enter Beijing in large quantities, gaining favor in the imperial court and promoting its production and sales. According to “Comprehensive Annals of the Qing Dynasty”: “In Yunnan, the tea tax is based on three thousand licenses, with a quota of nine hundred and sixty taels of silver to be collected,” marking the gradual entry of Pu'er tea production into its historical peak period.

According to “Six Tea Mountains' Relics” in the Daoguang “Annals of Pu'er Prefecture”: “The relics of the six tea mountains are all located in the southern part of the city. It is said that Zhuge Liang (Wuhou) traveled through the six mountains, leaving a copper gong in Youle, placing a spearhead in Mangzhi, burying iron bricks in Manzuan, leaving wooden clappers in Yibang, burying stirrups in Gedeng, and placing a carrying bag in Mansa, thus naming the mountains after these artifacts. There is also a tea king tree in Mangzhi, larger than the tea trees in the other five mountains. It is traditionally believed to have been planted by Zhuge Liang and is still worshipped by the local people today.”

The six tea mountains can be divided into those outside and inside the river. These tea mountains were already the main production areas of Yinzhang tea during the Nanzhao period. Yinzhang tea was the predecessor of Pu'er tea, which developed from it over time. By the late Qing dynasty, Pu'er tea processing techniques gradually shifted from Pu'er and Simao to the tea regions around Mengla, Yiwu, and Fohai (today's Menghai). In the late 1930s, due to political corruption, social unrest, transportation difficulties, heavy taxes, and other factors, the six tea mountains gradually declined, affecting the tea industry in Simao. Coupled with the outbreak of epidemics, the tea industry in the Simao area suffered a severe blow. On the other hand, the Fohai tea region attracted state-owned enterprises and numerous tea merchants due to its abundant raw materials and convenient overseas transportation channels. They set up tea factories and tea shops to purchase sun-dried Green Tea leaves and process them into various compressed teas, thereby promoting the prosperity of the Fohai tea industry. The round tea produced in Fohai was sold to Burma in quantities ranging from eight hundred to one thousand five hundred piculs. Brick tea was “exclusively sold to Tibet, with a small amount sold to Bhutan and Nepal, amounting to about two hundred to three hundred piculs per year.” Tight tea was “exclusively sold to Tibet, with a small amount sold to Nepal, Bhutan, and Sikkim, with annual sales of sixteen thousand piculs” (from Li Fuyi's “Overview of the Tea Industry in Fohai”). Therefore, during that period, Fohai became the center for raw materials, processing, and trade for Pu'er tea.