During the Tourism boom of the Spring Festival holiday, Ning'er County of the Hani and Yi Autonomous County attracted many visitors with its unique Tea-horse culture. Leisure tours centered around Tea culture elements have brought new vitality to Ning'er's cultural tourism.

Since the first day of the Lunar New Year, the Nake Li Tea-Horse Post scenic area in Tongxin Town, Ning'er County, has been bustling with tourists. Visitors savor tea flavors, taste local delicacies, walk along ancient trails, take photos, and experience ethnic customs at farmhouses, enjoying themselves thoroughly.

Nake Li Village was once a crucial stop on the ancient tea-horse road that ran south from the old Pu'er Prefecture (Ning'er County). It served as an important hub for trade and cultural exchange by horse caravans during ancient times. The village boasts a rich history of tea-horse culture and diverse ethnic cultures. As an essential window into Ning'er's cultural tourism, elements of tea-horse culture are reflected in the village's roads, houses, walkways, covered bridges, and other structures, as well as in teahouse accommodations and dining establishments related to “tea.” Visitors can experience the charm of tea-horse culture from multiple angles while exploring the village.

“The people of Pu'er are very hospitable. No matter which teashop we enter, the shop owners warmly invite us to taste their tea. Here, children can not only experience the process of making Pu'er tribute tea, an intangible cultural heritage, but also take home the finished product. I find this very meaningful,” said visitor Xiang Yuxia from Guangdong after experiencing the Pu'er tribute tea-making process at the Pu'er Tribute Tea-Making Skills Experience Center.

Ning'er County is renowned worldwide as the birthplace and trading center of Pu'er tea. Historical records indicate that the ancestors living in Ning'er began cultivating and offering tribute tea as early as the Shang and Zhou dynasties. The techniques for making Pu'er tea (tribute tea) developed over thousands of years in line with the tradition of tribute tea. In June 2008, the Pu'er (tribute tea) making skills of Ning'er County were included in the list of representative projects of the second batch of national-level intangible cultural heritage.

In addition to the Nake Li Tea-Horse Post scenic area, various teahouses and tea culture spaces in Ning'er County display their own tea products and decorate according to their understanding of tea culture, blending the aroma of tea with the festive atmosphere. Visitors can enjoy good tea and experience the hospitality of the people of Ning'er at any teahouse they enter.

With the resurgence of tea-horse culture, Ning'er is attracting countless tourists and tea enthusiasts with its unique appeal. Through exchanges and interactions, it continues to promote the inheritance and development of tea-horse culture. (Yang Mei and Ren Yi)