Be a healthy living practitioner in Pu'er

During the 7th China-South Asia Exposition (CSA Expo) and the 27th China Kunming Import and Export Fair, a group of journalists from Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, Nepal, Palestine and Vietnam visited southwest Yunnan’s Pu’er city on August 17. They explored the Ancient Tea-Horse Road section, while experiencing the pleasant coffee-tea life there. Pu'er is the right place for “healthy-living practitioners”.

Healthy living practitioner have morning coffee, evening tea

The international journalists visited two representative enterprises of coffee and Pu’er tea in Ning’er Hani and Yi autonomous county of Pu’er city.

Yunnanning Coffea Arabica Technology Co., Ltd. has its sales headquarter in Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang province, enabling Ning’er coffee to access the market in east China.

When talking about the business plans after the opening of the China-Laos railway, Zhu Yifan, the firm’s CEO, said that the railway has facilitated the exporting of coffee beans. “With the rising demand of coffee abroad, Ning’er, a transfer station on the railway, will be given a fuller play.

What’s more, Ning’er coffee is not only sold in Australia now, but also will be sold to South and Southeast Asia in the future through the railway. Singapore is accepting beans from Ning’er.

 

The reporters then visited Yunnan Pu’er Tea Group, a state-run Pu’er tea factory established in 1975. The group now has tea gardens covering 2,7000 mu (1,800 ha) in total. With the opening of the China-Laos railway, the group will embrace more opportunities for development.

“The railway is bringing enterprises tangible benefits,” said Gao Yongli, supply-chain director of Yunnan Pu’er Tea Group. Pu’er and Ning’er are both stations on the railway. With increasing number of passengers, merchants and tourists from China and even Laos and Myanmar often come to Pu’er. This is helpful to the sales of tea and corporate fame.

 

“Vietnam abounds with coffee, but now in Pu’er, I see more novel coffee varieties,” said Nguyen Thuy Trang.

Iraqi journalist Ali, who came to Pu’er for the first time, said that he was so fond of the deep tea culture and the coffee-producing technologies. He hoped he could bring friends here to experience this interesting stuff someday.

 

Healthy living practitioners are plain and open-minded

Themed Ancient Tea-Horse Road connecting with the Belt and Road, an English live-streaming was launched on social media on August 18. Chinese anchor Jerry and his Nepali friend Sarita Sapkota revisited the tea-horse road relics in Pu'er Tea Museum.

A map of the ancient trading route showed the history of prosperous tea trading, the rise of the trade and the development of caravan transportation. It also tells the audience how Yunnan’s Pu'er tea was sold to the world through Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam.

Thanks to the Yunnan-Tibet route, Pu'er tea was transported to Bhutan, Nepal and India. "In ancient times, tea trade between China and Nepal was close. Today, as a country along the Belt and Road, Nepal has a closer trade relation with China. It is tea that has promoted economic development, cultural exchange and mutual learning between the two countries,” said Sarita.

Via the Ancient Tea-Horse Road in south China, tea has bridged the gaps between ancient-modern times and national boundaries. Sarita added that this was her first time to Pu'er, and she knows more about China because of Pu'er. The eco-environment and traditional culture here are well protected, thus breeding a unique tea culture. I’d share the tea culture with my fellow folks in Nepal.”

Source: Yunnan Daily; editing by Guoyao; translating by Wang Shixue, Wang Yunya and Mo Yingyi