“My name is Erpa. In our Hani tradition, names are linked between father and son, so my child could be called Pagushu.” Speaking about his connection with ancient Tea trees, Erpa vividly recounts that besides catching fish and shrimp in ponds with a few friends, his most vivid childhood memory was following his parents through mountain paths, climbing ancient trees, and picking ancient tea leaves. “In 2003, when I was five years old, I started walking six to seven kilometers with my parents to the tea mountains.”

Distant view of He Kai Ancient Tea Mountain

“Tea isn't selling, we're losing too much money, life has become unbearable.” These were the words Erpa heard most often from his elders in 2007. “I must find a way to sell it, and if possible, sell the village's tea further afield.” From then on, this became a small flame in Erpa's heart; the development of his hometown's tea became his concern, and he tied his own future to this tea mountain.

One of the challenges faced by the tea mountain is a shortage of “youth power”; “Very few young people are willing to return, and two very real issues are low wages and limited learning opportunities in small places,” Erpa frankly states. “But without the addition of young power, the entire mountain's development is affected. Our generation of new young people can bring hearts together.”

“He Kai is a wonderful place, a true home for Pu'er tea.” “The tea farmers are simple and isolated, but even after education, you can try to contribute a little.” His father's teachings took root in Erpa's heart, and after university, he returned to his hometown, back to He Kai.

“Erpa is a conscientious young man who excels at new technologies.” After Erpa returned to his hometown, Deputy Head of He Kai Village, Zhaluo, found him and encouraged him to contribute to the village's development on new platforms. Being on the front lines, Erpa felt more acutely the difficulties and helplessness of the tea farmers.

After e-commerce developed, villagers lacked relevant knowledge, and despite having genuine ancient tea, they faced the challenge of “good wine also fears a deep alley.” Many fake and inferior products were sold at low prices in the market, and in such price wars, He Kai's tea farmers found themselves unable to prove their authenticity and suffered reduced incomes.

He Kai Ancient Tea Mountain amidst dense forests

In response to the “pirated” He Kai ancient tea appearing in the market, “The next step for He Kai officially will be to create a traceability system. Through the traceability code on the tea handle, the authenticity of the tea can be quickly traced,” explains Erpa.

Facing the real problems of tea farmers and the current state of the market, how to achieve diversified income for tea farmers, expand sales channels for tea, and integrate the tea tree industry are pressing issues for He Kai Ancient Tea Mountain. These are also common and inevitable questions facing traditional economies in the era of transformation.

With support from the government, Erpa and others organized the official He Kai Ancient Tea Mountain live stream room and built a matrix of “Cloud He Kai” accounts across various media platforms, promoting local agricultural products and customs. Erpa reveals that “Since the official account started broadcasting, the results have been quite good,” not only achieving economic success but also boosting the confidence of tea farmers, encouraging them to support and work together for the development of He Kai Ancient Tea Mountain. “In the two months since the opening of the Cloud Market (the official live stream room), we've helped increase farmers' incomes by approximately 250,000 yuan.”

Currently, He Kai Ancient Tea Mountain is advancing an industrial ecosystem combining tea tourism and research. Erpa recalls that just the day before, a children's study tour group came to He Kai Ancient Tea Mountain, experiencing tea picking and processing, even continuing until 7 PM in the evening, thoroughly enjoying themselves. This has given Erpa a glimpse of the vibrant future for He Kai Ancient Tea Mountain. Standing on the viewing platform, Erpa introduces us to the future road planning for better supporting the development of tea tourism and research projects. Regarding ecological restoration and surrounding infrastructure, Erpa analyzes that these two aspects do not conflict.

Recently, Erpa's team has been evaluating a Pu'er tea company, aiming to expand the tea economy. During his sophomore year, he had worked on a Pu'er tea wine project, using tea leaves to make wine, but due to objective factors, it did not progress further. In the future, such value-added products derived from ancient tea will again be placed on the agenda.

Opening of the Cloud Market, tea farmers brewing tea for customers

Menghai is one of China's main Pu'er tea production areas. He Kai Ancient Tea Mountain is located in the southeast of Menghai County, and its tea garden distribution area is one of the largest contiguous ancient tea gardens discovered to date, covering 16,700 mu (approximately 1,113 hectares) with over 2.3 million ancient tea trees over a hundred years old. It is one of the ancient tea regions with relatively intact ecological protection.

The new generation of managers, represented by Erpa, deeply understand that ancient tea trees are ancient in terms of their age and growing environment. “As descendants of tea, ancient tea trees are the legacy passed down from generation to generation, they cannot disappear, not on our watch.”

The idea of sacrificing ecological protection for economic gain is wrong. To address this, official departments, village collectives, and villagers carry out joint protection measures: first, by establishing village rules and regulations prohibiting the use of fertilizers and pesticides by tea farmers; second, by seasonal picking, with winter picking and summer maintenance; and third, by joint management, with guidance from tea science institutes on scientifically managing ancient tea trees, training farmers in everything from pruning to moss handling, from rotten branches and leaves to soil oxygenation.

“Not only do I want to bring the tea from here overseas, I want them to find the source of the tea, which is my ultimate goal.” Erpa firmly speaks of his vision, a desire shared by countless tea farmers.

Authors: Zhang Xin, Qian Jiangyue, Zhang Hongping, Chen Yiqing (Yunnan Normal University)

Supervising Teacher: Wang Lin

General Planners: Sun Yuting, Chen Yuyi, Sun Hao

Coordinators: Tang Lina, Zhao Wei, Li Yi, Li Zhixing, Gao Xian, Li Xiaolu

Reporters: Gu Zhen, Dai Zhenhua, Yang Zishuang, Zhang Shunqun, Duan Xiaozhao, Xu Zhaohao, Li Yafan