Xishuangbanna (西双版纳, Sipsongpanna in Dai language) is a prefecture in the extreme south of Yunnan Province, bordering Myanmar and Laos. It is the heartland of puerh tea production and home to some of the world’s most famous tea mountains, including Yiwu, Bulang, Banzhang, and Jingmai.

Full coverage of this region is in Xishuangbanna Overview.

Why It Matters for Tea

Xishuangbanna contains:

• Ancient tea tree populations (some estimated at several hundred to over a thousand years old) used for premium gushu puerh
• Traditional Dai, Bulang, Hani, and other ethnic minority communities with multi-generational relationships with wild tea trees
• The famous Bulang Mountain villages (Lao Banzhang, Lao Mangu) producing some of the world’s most sought-after — and most counterfeited — puerh
• Yiwu Mountain, historically associated with imperial tribute tea and much of the nineteenth-century puerh trade

Climate and Terrain

The sub-tropical rainforest climate — warm, humid, with seasonal monsoons and no frost — creates ideal conditions for the large-leaf Camellia sinensis var. assamica trees. The dramatic elevation changes across the region mean that higher-altitude gardens (such as those on Bulang or Yiwu) produce teas with more complexity and lower temperatures during growth.

Related Terms

• Xishuangbanna Overview: Full regional profile
• Puerh: The tea category centred on this region
• Gushu Puerh: Old-arbor tea from ancient Xishuangbanna trees
• Yiwu Mountain: One of the most famous tea mountains in the prefecture
• Banzhang Puerh: The prestigious Bulang Mountain production