Dongguo is often referred to as a famous village on the West Mountain, but it actually sits on a spur of the Bangma Snow Mountain at an altitude of 1,750 meters. Unlike Bingdao and Dahu Sai, which face the East Mountain, Dongguo faces the misty Snow Mountain all day long. This unique geographical location gives Dongguo Tea its remarkable quality of bitterness turning into sweetness, earning it the titles of “East Mountain in the West Mountain” and “the least like a Mengku tea of all Mengku teas.”

This feature article will delve into the four villages of Dongguo.

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The Strong Foundation of Large Dongguo Village

Dongguo has the largest tea garden area on the West Mountain and is made up of four villages: Yizhai (Inner Village), Waizhai (Outer Village), Molie, and Baqishan. The name Yizhai means “the village inside the outer village,” which can be understood as the inner village relative to the outer village. However, with economic development, these two largest natural villages in Dongguo are now almost connected and are also known as “Large Dongguo Village.” On the other hand, the scale of Baqishan and Molie is considerably smaller.

The Dongguo administrative committee has over 400 households, with tea fields covering around 6,000 mu. Old and new tea fields each account for roughly half of this, with more than 2,500 mu being ancient and large tea trees. In the Inner Village of Dongguo, there is also a sizable cultivated ancient tea garden that silently testifies to the long history of tea cultivation in Dongguo.

Notably, the ancient tea trees near the village grow tall and lush, while those in the mountain gardens are only a few tall trees, with most being short and sparse. This is because the mountain tea trees were previously pruned, and the current trunks have grown out from one side of the stumps. However, the unusually thick roots still reveal the age of the ancient tea trees.

Since the 20th century, Dongguo has been one of the largest tea-producing villages in Mengku. Originally a Lahu village, Han people started migrating here during the Daoguang period. From the beginning of the soil reformation in Shuangjiang County in 1904 until before the turmoil of the 1940s, a large number of Han people migrated to Dongguo and planted no less than 2,000 mu of tea trees here. Two generations of persistent cultivation laid a solid foundation for the tea industry here.

Nowadays, tea trees over 150 years old in Dongguo are mostly planted by the Lahu people, while those between 70 and 110 years old are mostly planted by the Han people. These large tea trees account for about half of the mountain tea garden area and provide around 15 tons of ancient tree Spring Tea annually, forming the backbone of Dongguo's tea income.

Due to the large tea garden area and high-quality tea production, the Yunnan Branch of China Tea Corporation established a tea purchasing point in Dongguo as early as 1953. According to historical records, the tea purchase volume in Dongguo reached 10.7 tons in 1954 and 15.2 tons in 1955. This outstanding performance led to Dongguo being recognized by the Yunnan Tea Research Institute and becoming one of the first good seedling breeding bases in Shuangjiang, alongside Bingdao. Until 1980, the tea seeds of Dongguo were considered first-class among the large-leafed varieties of Mengku and were directly distributed for planting.

However, despite having excellent potential in the tea industry, Dongguo remained relatively unknown due to its remote location until the last decade or so. Before the 1990s, there were only two narrow paths about a meter wide leading to the outside world. At that time, villagers had to cross two rivers and climb over five or six mountains to reach the Mengku basin, making travel very difficult.

It was not until 2000 that a larger dirt road was built in Dongguo, but it could only accommodate tractors. In 2007, when cars could finally reach Dongguo, the outside world gradually learned about this powerful tea village deep in the West Mountain, known for its well-balanced bitterness and sweetness, strong tea energy, and large output.

Today, the transportation conditions in Dongguo have greatly improved. The narrow mountain path that used to become impassable after landslides has been paved with neat gravel in recent years. When it rains, the water quickly seeps into the ground, providing slip resistance. It is now the best mountain road in the various villages of the West Mountain and is jokingly called the “highway” of the West Mountain.

“Mengku Banzhang” Molie Tea

If Bingdao tea ignited the entire Mengku tea region with its Bingdao charm, then Dongguo tea stands out with its quality of bitterness turning into sweetness. Among them, the Orchid fragrance of Molie ancient tree tea is highly sought after.

Molie is divided by a highway, with the area above the highway being Upper Molie and below it being Lower Molie. To the east, it borders Liangzi Village Committee, to the south, Gongnong Village Committee, and to the north, Bakar Village Committee. Although only three kilometers away from the Dongguo Village Committee, the route is a bumpy dirt road. The whole journey is too narrow for vehicles to pass each other, with dust flying in the dry season and mud in the rainy season. Unless you're a local, it's not easy to find this hidden Lahu village in the forest with just over 30 households.

Due to inconvenient transportation and remote location, until around 2004, tea farmers in Molie Village could only sell fresh leaves by carrying them on their backs or by horse. Later, when tractors could reach the village, transportation became relatively easier, but during the spring tea season, landslides frequently occurred, requiring the hiring of horse teams to transport through the landslide areas. Each trip required more than a dozen horses, making the transportation costs high. It wasn't until the rise of Bingdao tea that Molie had a Tea processing factory, and the tea farmers gradually began to live better lives.

In recent years, Molie has been the village with the highest tea prices among the four villages of Dongguo. While the price of the first spring tea from the Inner Village is around 500 yuan per kilogram, Molie's can sell for 3,000 yuan per kilogram. This is mainly due to the unique taste of Molie tea. We previously mentioned that teas from the East Mountain are often rich and fragrant, while those from the West Mountain are full-bodied and long-lasting. Bingdao tea combines the advantages of both the East and West Mountains, and similarly, Molie tea also possesses such qualities.

Molie tea has a strong bitter base, with a quick and lasting return to sweetness. The tea soup is rich and fragrant, with a lingering aroma. The return to sweetness and salivation is rapid, and the water flow is delicate. It also has an elegant “orchid fragrance.” This series of taste characteristics has earned it the reputation of “Mengku Banzhang.”

Hundred-Yuan Ancient Trees of Baqishan

Compared to the other four villages, Baqishan does not have the same level of production as Large Dongguo Village, nor the tea prices and fame of Molie. It is a relatively ordinary tea village. In fact, this is the real situation for most tea villages in Yunnan. After all, not everyone can command tea prices in the tens of thousands like Banzhang, Bingdao, and Bohetang. Such villages deserve more of our attention.

Baqishan is the most remote village under the Dongguo Village Committee. After passing through the relatively secluded Molie Village,