13 Jan – 19 Mar 2024
First impression is everything. The moment I arrived at Pu’er (普洱), I was struck by how warm and pleasant it was and we decided to take a longer break to enjoy the warmer climate. Many people from the northern China “migrate” to the southern part of Yunnan in winter time. We saw all kinds of vans at the service station on the way to Pu’er. Some even buy an apartment here and come every winter.
We knew next to nothing about Pu’er except it is famous for the dark tea we drink when we have dim sum in Hong Kong. We soon learned what an important role Pu’er tea plays both in the past and present.
The history of Pu’er tea goes back a long way and it is first grown by the indigenous tribe people in the mountain region of southern Yunnan. It became a key commodity in the Tang Dynasty and was traded in exchange for Tibetan horses and transported via the ancient Tea Horse Road (茶馬古道) – a network of caravan tracks from Tibet covering Sichuan, Yunnan, and Guizhou. It was an important route where silk and salt were also transported.
In Qing Dynasty, Pu’er tea was collected and sent to what is nowadays called Pu’er city (previously called Simao 思茅) to be weighed and classified – before being distributed to the royal court as tributes as well as to various parts of the country.
Over 60% of the local population is made up of 14 ethnic tribes (Hani 哈尼族, Yi 彝族, Dai傣族, Wa 佤族, Lafu拉祜族, Muslim回族, etc). There’s an interesting mix of ethnic cuisine and lots of barbecue places that are open till late hours. The Dai cuisine at first glance resembles Thai food with its use of chillies, lime juice and zesty herbs while the Wa cuisine is famous for its tasty roast black chicken and chicken thick congee.
Our Yangzhou friend Niu Niu (妞妞) came to visit us a few days after we arrived. It was her first time in Yunnan and coming from the cold wintry Yangzhou, she immediately fell in love with Puer. She even said that she wants to retire here.
The first evening Niu Niu arrived, we had dinner at the Tea-Horse Old Town (茶馬古鎮) and there are many tea shops. We went past an elegant tea shop after dinner and a young petite woman Shuang Shuang (霜霜) invited us in to drink tea. We tried some tea and more people joined.
It was an eye-opening night as we learned how to appreciate tea in a proper way and the different processes of tea making. There are two main types – unfermented and fermented. Many people prefer the unfermented type which is more fragrant and light in colour. It can fetch much higher prices (especially those from the wild old trees) than fermented ones. I personally prefer the fermented Pu’er as they have less caffeine than unfermented ones. We tasted a few different teas and even to our unsophisticated palate, we could discern different delicate flavours and after taste.
Shuang Shuang and Xiaoyang weighed and brewed tea with such elegant poise that it’s soothing to watch the whole tea preparing ritual. They explained how different teas need different water temperature and the colour of good tea and how the flavour of each brew changes.
We couldn’t help feeling a little embarrassed as we didn’t buy anything after all the tea tasting. The next day, Shuang Shuang invited us again. She even made dinner reservation. Through her, we also met a twenty-something young man Zhang Dong (張棟) who runs an unconventional coffee shop on top of a steep slope amidst the local two-storey dwellings. His place soon becomes our hang out spot.
For most tourists, Pu’er is a mere pitstop to stay overnight or one day before heading south to the more exotic Xishuangbana (西雙版納). But as we spent more time here, we increasingly appreciated the subtle charm of Pu’er – just like appreciating the delicate hue and taste of tea, it takes time to discern the elusive attractiveness of the place.
One morning, we discovered a trail of bloody spots in the apartment and noticed that Daisy was acting strange and peed frequently. Luckily, we found a very good young vet Dr. Xiao (肖醫生). After a few rounds of examination, we confirmed that she had urinary infection. Dr. Xiao opened his own clinic in his early twenties and is super hard-working. He invited us to have tea and we would see him whenever we went to the Walmart supermarket near his clinic.
Often, it’s serendipity that spurred us to stay longer in one place. Over two years ago, we met Niu Niu and the blossoming friendship was the main reason that we stayed in Yangzhou for eight months. In Pu’er, serendipity again worked its magic and we met Shuang Shuang and Zhangdong. Through them and their friends, we got to get a glimpse of the way of life in Pu’er.
For us, tea drinking is merely a means to an end – to quench thirst or to aid digestion when we have greasy food. But in Pu’er, tea drinking means sharing and bringing people together. We met a young woman Waiwai (歪歪) who’s from Guangdong and has just opened a guesthouse with her boyfriend. She took us to her friends who run tea shops. Going to a tea shop is a social occasion to meet old friends and making new friends.
In Hong Kong, we are always busy and try to get as many tasks done within the shortest time. It’s hard to find a moment to catch one’s breath. We go to great length such as going to yoga or meditation classes to relax. In Pu’er, one doesn’t need yoga because drinking tea itself is a natural act of meditation and the best way to relax. One doesn’t rush it and only focuses on the present and its taste.
With Shuang Shuang’s generous help, we were able to stay in Pu’er for another month. She saw someone in WeChat posted a studio apartment for lease. She called the landlady and helped us arrange to see the apartment. Without her help, we wouldn’t have been able to contact the landlady as she screens non-local calls.
We saw the apartment and paid a month’s rent and deposit on the spot. The landlady is very kind and she didn’t raise the rent even though we only rented for one month. Not only did we avoid the inflated accommodation prices during Chinese New Year, we were able to enjoy the much lower rent which normally is possible for long lease only. She also let us extend for 10 days and charged us an even cheaper daily rate. She insisted that it could be taken out from the deposit as we are friends. We were always impressed by how trusting the locals are.
Pu’er is a quiet place but there was never a dull moment as we were either meeting new people or reuniting with old friends. Another friend Xiaozhong (小鍾) whom we met in Inner Mongolia in the summer of 2021 came to see us and we spent two weeks together.
Xiaozhong is an independent and free-spirited girl who loves travelling. As part of the digital nomadic generation, she works and travels all over China. Now that many places in South East Asia waive visa application for Chinese tourists, she went to Thailand last year. This time, she planned to go to Laos by train from Puer and then visit Thailand again.
Every day, we met her at Zhangdong’s coffee shop where she stayed in the spare room upstairs. When she finished work, the four of us had dinner and sometimes went to the night market. Xiaozhong sometimes came to our apartment to watch movies. We spent hours talking till small hours. We treasured this chance to catch up.
What we cherished most in Pu’er is not only the new people we met, but more remarkably catching up with the friends we met before in our travel. It’s wonderful to see how these young friends finding their own path and blossom. We admire their tenacity to follow their dreams and discover the meaning of life.
