Nakeli is located in the Tongxin Town of Ning'er County, Pu'er City. It was an important stop on the ancient Tea Horse Road and the birthplace of the “Caravan Love Song.” In recent years, Ning'er has implemented the “Tourism Culture Vitalizes the County” development strategy, focusing on multiple dimensions including industry, ecology, culture, and living environment to highlight Nakeli. Today, Nakeli has become a famous tourist destination known for its rich ethnic characteristics, profound ethnic culture, and authentic ethnic customs. It has established a brand of rural eco-leisure tourism characterized by Tea Horse Road culture, caravan culture, and ethnic customs, with increasing reputation and popularity.
Protection and Utilization Hand in Hand, Polishing the Ancient Road Brand
Ning'er County adheres to the principle of “prioritizing protection and rational utilization,” conducting comprehensive investigations and successfully implementing the protection and utilization facility construction project for the Pu'er section of the Yunnan Tea Horse Road (Ning'er section). The project secured 12 million yuan in central funding, building facilities such as a parking lot in Nakeli, connecting roads around the Tea Horse Road site in Nakeli, and an identification system for the ancient road's remains. The successful implementation of this project created conditions for the protection, monitoring, and management of the Tea Horse Road, particularly the Nakeli section.
At the same time, Ning'er County, in conjunction with the “Pu'er City Tea Horse Road Protection Regulations,” further increases financial input into heritage protection. Under the premise of ensuring state ownership and legally strengthening management, it establishes financing platforms, broadens funding channels, raises funds from various sources, and actively guides and supports social forces to participate in the protection and development of the Tea Horse Road. This promotes the revitalization of cultural heritage, giving new life to the “cultural relics” cause.
Utilizing Cultural Symbols, Promoting Tourism-Culture Integration
In history, Nakeli was a “golden stop” on the Tea Horse Road and the “first station” for Pu'er tea entering Southeast Asian countries. In recent years, Nakeli, centered around the Tea Horse station and along the axis of the Tea Horse Road, has developed rural tourism, significantly boosting local residents' income. Annual revenue can reach over 10 million yuan, achieving a successful integration of agriculture, tourism, and culture industries.
Nakeli actively integrates Tea Horse Road culture, Pu'er Tea culture, ethnic culture, and nostalgia culture. It encourages merchants within the scenic area to provide experiences like tea-making, tea-tasting, horse riding, and making ethnic Pottery, further enriching the tourism offerings. Since 2025, five fire-pit tea roasting shops, six Coffee shops, three handicraft stores, and one photography studio have been added to the core area of the scenic spot. Nearly ten half-day and full-day tours within Ning'er County all include stops at Nakeli and nearby attractions, with A-grade scenic area shuttle buses and pre-booking services available, providing warm tourism services to visitors.
Laying Foundations for Development, Diversifying Tourism Offerings
To recreate the prosperous scene of the Nakeli Tea Horse station, Ning'er County fully taps into its tourism and cultural resources. Through the “combination + integration + improvement = brand” tourism development model, it combines the construction of beautiful villages with the development of tourism and cultural industries, efficiently integrating reconstruction, rural environmental improvement, and other project funds. It has completed the “ten major projects” including roads, pipelines, water supply, sewage treatment, beautification, style control, landscape enhancement, and smart scenic area creation, allowing the mechanism of shared benefits among the people in the scenic area to take root and flourish.
In 2025, the Nakeli section of the Tea Horse Road hosted a series of events retracing the Tea Horse Road, organized jointly by the Belt and Road China Tea Civilization Journey Organizing Committee, the Pu'er City Culture and Tourism Bureau, and the Ning'er County People's Government, as well as promotional activities for the “Retracing the Tea Horse Road” tourism route during the 2025 China International Tourism Fair Pu'er special event. These activities further enhanced Ning'er's tourism profile.
Visiting the Nakeli Tea Horse station, you can experience the pottery-making craft of Banhai, learn about the process of making pottery, and even try your hand at creating pottery products. You can taste traditional Pu'er dishes, savoring intangible cultural heritage with your palate. You can also experience the unique woodblock printing that cannot be replicated, exploring the “new stories” along the Tea Horse Road. By enhancing the aesthetics of the scenery and delving into the cultural depth, Nakeli ensures that the setting aligns with history, nature, local customs, and consumer offerings, not only improving tourists' travel experience but also breathing new life into the Tea Horse Road in the new era.
(Contributors: ZHU Zheng, SUN Lin, Pu'er City Culture and Tourism Bureau, Ning'er County Culture and Tourism Bureau, Tongxin Town, DENG Bin)