Xiaohusai Tea Village

Xiaohusa village or Xiao Hu Sai (Chinese: 小户赛, pinyin: xiǎohùsài) is located on the northern side Mengku , 18 km from the administrative center. The altitude is 1800 m, the area is 0.83 square kilometers, the average annual temperature is 20 degrees, the amount of precipitation is 1750 mm. This village is very famous in Lincang because it has the largest area of ancient tea plantations, and also the most ancient puer trees and villages.

Xiaohusa has 200 households and consists of 3 small villages, one of which is inhabited by the Han people, the other two are inhabited by the Lahu people. The Han village is higher. The tea plantations are 1,150 mu, half of which are ancient trees (about 600 mu). The leaves are round, dense, the taste is soft, thick, considered the best tea on the western slope.

Xiaohusaei belongs to the Gonglong village committee, but the fame of this village is great, so it is spoken of separately. The village is separated from Gonglong by a mountain gorge. There is a 12 km dirt road, but it is very difficult to get there during the rainy season. Three villages are located one after another on the main peak of Bangmada Xueshan. There are two full-flowing mountain streams flowing here, which are called Chashangou (Chinese: 茶山沟, pinyin: Chá shāngōu) and Chashanhe (Chinese: 茶山河, pinyin: Chá shānhé). These names have been passed down since ancient times. At such an altitude, water sources, climate and other conditions create a unique environment for growing tea.

Xiaohusa is the most hospitable village in Shuangjiang County. During the early Manchu (Qing) Dynasty (1644-1911), there were no Han here, only the Lahu people, and before them, the Bulan people inhabited this area. The Bulan people were the first people to produce tea in Yunnan Province. They were also the first to plant the trees. There are several dozen particularly large trees here, the circumference of which exceeds that of the famous Tea King Bingdao (Chinese: 茶王树, pinyin: Chá wáng shù). The history of this place is recorded in the ethnographic description of Shuangjiang (Chinese: 双江县志, pinyin: Shuāng jiāng xiànzhì), which indicates that tea was grown here earlier than in Bingdao.

The Han village of Xiaohusaei has a history of only 100 years. During the Daoguang era (the reign of 1821-1850), the Han came from Doufu Zhai (Chinese: 豆腐寨, pinyin: Dòufu zhài) and began to build 1 km away from the Lahu villages, this village was founded by the Yang, Li and Tang families. Lahu called the Han settlement the inner village of Yizhai (Chinese: 以寨, pinyin: Yǐ zhài). There were few Han, they mainly helped to plow the land, build houses. The two peoples coexisted peacefully together, Lahu never ignored or oppressed the Han. The stream flowing through the village helped to organize a paddy field with rice, which provided food for the Han. At that time, the Lahu had their own tea plantations, and the Hans also wanted to produce tea. They approached the elder with an exchange of rice and wine for the right to establish their own tea plantation.

Currently, the Lahu people make up 70% of the population of Xiaohusa, and they mainly live in the two largest villages of Liangzi (Chinese: 梁子寨, pinyin: Liángzi zhài) and Wazi (Chinese: 洼子寨, pinyin: Wā zi zhài). Liangzi is famous for its best and largest tea forests. The circumference of the trees exceeds 1 m, the height is more than 5 m, and there are very old trees. Large tea factories buy tea from here in the spring and autumn seasons. Almost every yard has trees, so it seems as if the village is built in a forest. Local residents can always enjoy the aroma of tea.

The second largest tea plantation is located near the Chashangou Stream, to here from Liangzi there is an ancient path 3 km long, along which tea also grows planted after 1958, but these trees have already been trimmed. They look like stumps with many thin branches with delicate buds and leaves. The Xiaohusai tea plantations are huge, you can’t get around them even in a few hours, they gradually turn into virgin forests. The preservation of such wealth is due to poor transport links. The path to them is blocked by rivers on all sides, every year during the rains from the 6th to the 9th lunar months the streams become full-flowing and these places are impassable for people, horses and cars.

Despite all the inconveniences, these 2 rivers are respected and revered, thanks to them the fields do not dry out, in the dry season they are only 5-6 m wide, and bridges made of logs are thrown across them.

Puer from Xiaohuxai is not only an example of excellent tea, but just as the Puer from Bingdao is the pride and pinnacle of the Dai people, Xiaohuxai has the same significance for the Lahu people. The price of tea raw materials from this region is steadily increasing from year to year.

Xiaohusa is known in Puer circles as one of the oldest settlements in Shuangjiang County. The Dai and Lahu have lived here for over 100 years, 2000 years ago the ancestors of the Bulan, Wa and Pu peoples already lived in these places, the most ancient plantings belong to Pu. Subsequently, the Lahu expanded the planting of tea trees and took care of them. The Dai and Han people were the last to show interest in tea.

The trees here are called purebred trees among the Daxueshan Mountains. When people think of Mengku, they first think of the Puer King Bingdao and Xiaohusai.

Puer created in Xiaohusa is strong and dense, round branches, dense leaves, pale yellow tea infusion with honey aroma, the bottom of the cup retains the aroma for a long time. The tea is fresh and sweet with a bright sweet aftertaste, the infusion is clean and thick, the tea melody is long, leaves a pleasant sensation in the mouth and throat and a taste on the root of the tongue and cheeks. Resistant to repeated brewing. To summarize, the main features can be noted: the infusion is pleasant, accompanied by a thick and bright aftertaste, a taste remains on the lips and teeth. In dry form, thick and long, dense buds, heavy tea aroma, strong viscosity, high caffeine content, bright tea melody of wild mountain trees.