**: China Environment News.
Early in the morning, I was still in Xiangxi Oolong Camellia Manor, flying to Kunming through Enshi, Kunming to Lancang, taking a car on Jingmai Mountain in the middle of the night, and arriving at the Gupu Inn on the mountain at midnight. Kaixuan overlooks, the mountain breeze is blowing, although the night is deep, the mountains and fields are like ink, but the breath of the ancient tea forest is instantly blowing in the face, and the ancient cottage with sparks like a dream seems to float gently.
Thousands of miles away, just to worship tea. Located in the southern part of Lancang County, Pu'er City, southwest border of China, at the intersection of the Tropic of Cancer and the Lancang River, Jingmai Mountain is the center of the distribution of the large-leaf tea group of the world Camellia sinensis. In the primeval forest of Jingmai Mountain at an average altitude of 1,400 meters, there are nearly 1.2 million acres of wild ancient tea tree communities and 180,000 acres of ancient tea gardens cultivated almost naturally. Not long ago, the "Pu'er Jingmai Mountain Ancient Tea Forest Cultural Landscape" was successfully inscribed on the World Heritage List at the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee.
Shiver in front of the queen bee tree
Xiaoguang walked through the banyan trees around the inn, and Mangjing Village woke up in the mist. A large area of Huang Qiuying opposite the inn is opening selflessly, and the eyes are bright. Sure enough, this is a picturesque village hidden in the depths of Jingmai Mountain. Here, the forest, the tea forest and the tribe coexist, there is tea in the forest, there is a forest in the tea, and the towering ancient trees under the cover of clouds and mist are unique in the world. The first stop we went to was an ancient banyan tree known as the "Queen Bee Tree".
The bus bumps along the brick and gravel paved road. The driver told us that in order to ensure the quality of the organic ancient tea forest in Jingmai Mountain, the locals would rather bump on the motorbike than firmly refuse to pave the asphalt road, and they are willing to suffer a share of the tea plantations left by their ancestors. About a kilometer east of Mangjing Shangzhai, I leaned on the observation deck and saw the world's largest "queen bee tree".
The queen bee tree grows in the deep stream under the ridge, is an ancient banyan tree nearly 50 meters high, with lush branches and more than 70 beehives hanging densely on the stacked horizontal branches. It is said that at the end of February, when spring tea is mined, nearly 10,000 bees will fly from all directions to build nests and roost on the bee god tree. The bees that inhabit this tree are called big bees, also known as tree row bees, and Yunnan is commonly known as horse long bees and big hanging bees. The giant bee has strict living conditions, and can only be found in the pristine rainforest where there is no pollution and destruction, and the towering tree trunk and canopy like a green umbrella provide a natural shelter for this "bee kingdom". The trunk of this alpine banyan tree is thick and strong, which can resist strong winds and bring peace to the big bees, so the big bees like to build their nests on this banyan tree.
We held our breath and stared at the sacred tree a hundred meters away. Its canopy is roughly level with the observation deck, and under each branch hangs brown beehives, ranging from seven to eight and three to five. The shape of the hive is roughly the same, in the shape of a U-shape, and the size is quite different. The guide told us that the queen bee tree has been with the Brown Ancient Tea Forest for more than 1,000 years, and is the most spectacular insect chain in the Mangjing Brown Tea Forest.
Big bees play a role in collecting and transferring pollen to our tea plantations, and have the ability to improve the growth of tea trees. And it not only collects nectar and flowers, but also eats insects, helping us do things that many people can't. The fact that there are more bees shows that the lives of the people in the mountains are getting better and better. The guide said.
A queen bee tree hides the great wisdom of local villagers living in harmony with nature. The Brown people believe that all things are animistic, and the villagers strictly abide by the ancient teachings, they do not do anything harmful to the survival of bees, such as not collecting honey, not making loud noises under the trees, prohibiting tourists from too close, etc., with the wisdom and conventions passed down from generation to generation, guarding this fairytale ancient banyan tree, as well as the ecological balance of millions of acres of ancient tea forests.
The forest was quiet, and the buzzing of the big bees could still be heard. I know that in those huge honey hives, there are thousands of creatures that rise and fall, and they extract pollen from thousands of flowers, make honey, and feed the eternal years; They use their nectar to give birth to new life, add a mouth to the great banyan tree, and increase its armor and majesty.
Suddenly, a long and terrible howl came from the forest, with the might of the gods, and it was spread for a long time, and I couldn't help but shudder and be in awe.
Worship the ancient tea forest of Dapingzhang
The ancient tea forests in Jingmai Mountain are mainly concentrated in Jingmai Dazhai and Mangjing Village, and the best ancient tea land is in Dapingzhang.
Dapingzhang Ancient Tea Forest is located at the junction of Jingmai Dazhai, Nuogang and Wengji villages, and is the only ancient tea forest in the mountain basin on Jingmai Mountain. The tea garden is open, there are six stone tablets erected, engraved with "Jingmai Mountain Ancient Tea Forest", and the six characters are filled with green paint, showing its appearance and quality.
In the middle of the tea garden is a pebble-paved path, and some flowers and trees are used on both sides of the path to make a fence, which is both natural and harmonious. Entering the tea plantation, it is really a scene every step of the way. "Yunnan Provincial Chronicles and Cultural Chronicles" contains: Pu'er Jingmai Mountain Ancient Tea Forest Landscape is the world's oldest and largest contiguous area, the most well-preserved arbor forest artificial cultivation forest ancient tea garden. For thousands of years, the Brown and Dai ethnic groups have retained the traditional near-natural planting methods here, and explored the planting technology of "understory tea".
The ancient tea forest is about more than 3,000 acres, with the stone road as the axis to spread out to the gentle slopes on both sides, the tea forest is interspersed with planting Duoyi trees, Hanxiao, camphor trees and bamboo forests, constructing and cultivating the three-dimensional community structure of "arbor layer - tea tree layer - grass and tree layer", the ecosystem in the tea forest forms a miniature ecological park, and various biological species have found their own roles and play their own ecological functions.
In the tea garden, the sun is shining for a while, and the drizzle is sprinkled for a while, and we welcome each other calmly like ancient tea trees, and there is even a little comfort and joy in our hearts. Because the tea forest grows in the primeval forest, the trees tens of meters high are like green umbrellas on the roadside and hillside, and the essence of its dense branches and leaves can drive away pests and diseases in the forest, and can also shelter the wind, rain and strong light on the plateau. Not only the time, Dapingzhang also has a favorable location, the altitude of 1500 meters is the most suitable for the growth of ancient tea trees, the rushing Nanlang River under Jingmai Mountain is not idle, it raises a large amount of water, climbs along the river valley with a drop of nearly 2000 meters, stirs up a light gauzy mist in Dapingzhang. Between the white mist and the gap between the green trees, the sunlight is diffused, and the ancient tea trees stretch their branches and leaves in the soft light, accumulating their essence and sharpening.
In every tea garden in Jingmai Mountain, there is a tea god tree, which is to be worshiped before picking spring tea every year. However, the owner of the tea garden was not present, so we had to guess and take those stout and tall ancient tea trees, covered with white spots and moss, as the tea god trees in our hearts. There are also various epiphytes, parasitic plants and understory herbaceous plants on those vigorous tea trees, forming a near-natural community structure. In autumn and winter, the basin tea plantation will store more litter and leaves, and the fertility of the soil comes from nature, cultivating the unique mountain charm and rich orchid fragrance of the ancient tea trees.
In the Dapingzhang Tea Garden, squirrels are bouncing in the woods, showing off their skills; The flower spider laid a huge net between the tea trees and then pretended to sleep; Woodpeckers and red-billed blue magpies are invited to drum each other. When the local teacher enters Baoshan and does not return empty, he either picks a handful of "crab legs" in his hand, which is said to be a precious Chinese medicine; Or pinch a few yellowed Duoyi fruits, sniff them under your nose from time to time, and indulge in the fruity aroma. I have eyes and don't know "gold inlaid jade", and for a while I pick a wild pear on the tree, the size of a cherry, yellow, I dare not enter, I only feel novel; After a while, he fell into the dust and picked up the Bodhi that fell to the ground, and its hollow pattern has a mysterious beauty.
When I walked out of the Dapingzhang Tea Garden, I found that many of the big trees had nodules and pimples, as if they had been stung by poisonous bees. After asking, I learned that they were covered with scars for the ancient tea trees under the forest to protect them from the wind and rain. Once again, I felt the subtlety of the "understory tea planting technique". When I got into the car, I spit out a tea tree leaf that I had been choking in my mouth for a long time, drank a sip of mineral water, and after a period of slight bitterness, I quickly had a long aftertaste.
The road down the mountain from the Dapingzhang Tea Garden is still bumpy, and my heart is still looking for the "Tea God Tree" in the tea garden, and I want to express my sincere worship to it.
Moonlight white conjecture
From the Brown cottage in Wengji to the Dai village in Nuogang, I was attracted by a strange tea - moonlight white.
Because of my curiosity, every time I go to a tea shop, I can't help but take a few more glances at the moonlight white in the tea basket and ask for more advice. The moonlight white is really different, the fragrance is incomparable, the shape is strange, the upper piece is white, the lower piece is black, as if the moonlight shines on the tea buds. The color of the soup is first yellow, then red and then yellow, cool and clear. Once brewed, the aroma is overflowing, after the entrance, the aftertaste is endless, with the fragrance of oolong, and the mellow of Pu'er tea, the taste is peculiar.
Moonlight white is a special tea in Pu'er tea. The fact that its process is kept secret from the outside world adds to the mystery of this tea. Fortunately, there is an enthusiastic teacher attached to me, telling me that the picking of this tea must be selected on the night of the bright moon, only with young shoots as raw materials, and from the harvest to the completion of processing, can not see the sun, but only slowly dried in the moonlight, and the tea pickers are local beautiful young girls, so it is also known as "moonlight beauty".
I suddenly became enlightened and conjectured, isn't the moonlight white the personification of the woman of Jingmai Mountain, and the woman of Jingmai Mountain is not the personification of the moonlight white? Walking through the village on Jingmai Mountain, the most encountered is the tea lady. During the day, they are dressed in national costumes, sitting in front of the tea table surrounded by flowers and plants, the corners of their mouths are slightly raised, and they cook tea for the guests who come to the house for free. At dusk, they change into their working clothes and go up the mountain to assist their families in picking and harvesting tea; When they go home with the stars and the moon, they still refuse to rest, they want to spread tea, fry tea, knead tea, and pick tea, like a white moonlight to illuminate a home, and also see their hearts and dreams that they refuse to talk to others.
I am about to leave Jingmai Mountain and return to the Oolong Mountain Tea Manor to serve my one-acre three-third of the terrace tea. In the morning before leaving, I climbed the observation deck of Jingmai Dazhai and saw the wonders of the sea of clouds in Jingmai Mountain. This cloud, so white and bright, so calm and low-key, and so elegant and moving, like thousands of Dai women waving their white sleeves at the same time to bid farewell to us, filling the ravines under the village to the full, so those mountains and villages that lean out of the sea of clouds can be extraordinary, fairy-like.
I gently tossed a moonlight white in my hand into the sea of clouds, and folded my hands. The white cloud should be the moonlight crushed by the woman of Jingmai Mountain last night, and the sea of fog should be filled with the fragrance of the soul of the woman of Jingmai Mountain.
About the Author
Shang Yong works for the Longshan Branch of Xiangxi Ecological Environment Bureau in Hunan Province. He is a member of the Hunan Writers Association, a student of the first minority writers class in Hunan Province, and the chairman of the Longshan County Writers Association.