Discover the Hidden Imperial Tea Garden of Kunlu Shan
Alvin Wee
Why people are talking about those Imperial Tribute Tea Gardens? In the Qing dynasty era, there were specially selected gardens in the tea producing regions of Yunnan, for producing an elegant tea that could satisfy the person with the most discerning taste, the emperor. In the Puerh tea world, where each region has it’s distinct terroir, the Imperial Tea gardens are seen as the crown Jewel of them. These gardens could be said to have pioneered an early concept of single-origin Puerh, in that a specific micro-area was recognized for its superlative terroir, and tea produced specifically from this area without blending. One of the heritage site of those Imperial Tea Gardens was discovered in Kunlu Shan mountain, in the Simao region of Yunnan, the south western province of China.
During our harvesting trips to those Imperial gardens, Kunlu Shan has become our favorite estate to visit, for many good reasons. We are going to share our first hand experience of getting around to the region, especially as the tea producers. There are absolutely some of our favorite routes to recommend. Some of the photos we provides here were taken in 2022 and 2023.
Where is Kunlu Shan?
Kunlu Shan of Ning'Er County, under Simao district (Pu'Er city), is part of the middle section of the Wuliang Mountain range. Ning'Er county has ancient tea groves of 1133 hectares, in Ning'Er town, Mohei, Mengxian, amongst this area, the groves of Kunlu Shan Imperial Garden are probably the most famous. It sits between 1090 ~ 1640 meters above sea-level.
In 2007, there was a renaming of city and districts: （1）
• Simao city was renamed as Pu-er city
• Pu-er county was renamed as Ninger county
• The old municipal government in Ninger county, was also renamed from Cuiyun district to Simao district
How to get there?
Our usual trip starts from a traditional local breakfast of rice noodle in Pu'Er city.
Thus fortified, we brace ourselves for a road trip of highway and winding mountain roads,
Our route: Pu'Er city -- Ning'Er -- Kunlu Shan Imperial Tea Garden
The roads entering the mountain starts with rough potholes, where car tires risk frequent punctures. We strongly recommend driving slowly to avoid these. As frequent travelers in the tea mountains, we hang strings of beads in the car as a blessing for safety and smooth travels.
As we ascend, the stunning view of Kunlu mountain and other parts of the Wuliang mountain range starts to reveal itself. 
We drive past villages, houses, until we come to a broad fork in the road marked by a familiar group of signs, a signal for us to turn right and head further up the mountain.
The official designated Kunlu Shan Imperial Gardens are 12 kilometers past the landmark brown road sign which gives directions to the “Imperial Family’s Tea Plantation”, authorized by Ning-er Town Tourist Bureau.
The heritage site of the official Imperial Gardens has been preserved by the Ning-er Tourist Bureau with strict ecological preservation policies. A carefully designed walkway has been constructed for visitors to enter the Imperial Gardens respectfully, without coming into direct contact with the trees. It is a scenic walk with other mountain ranges and valleys on one side, and the pristine Gardens on the other side. Walking through the garden ring, one can notice the mix of tea tree cultivars: the small leaf varietals, dominant in this area, which the locals call Bai Mao Cha (white hair tea), and the big-leaf varietals (assamica and other hybrids).
Our trips to Kunlu Shan in both Spring and Autum allows us to observe the change through seasons. Each year, the first flush spring harvest starts in early April, which is where activity in the gardens is highest. The best season to visit Kunlu Shan however, might be from May to October, when the gardens look more lushly green and are quieter compared to early Spring. 
These core gardens are where we sourced our 2023 Kunlu Shan Imperial Tribute Tea from, via farmer Li whose family is one of the remaining few that reside directly in these gardens. A true honor for us as a Puerh producer, to be able to offer an authentic Tribute Tea to the Puerh world.
*1. Market price for Kunlu Shan
*2. Kunlu Shan Gushu Grading System
*3. Kunlu Shan Puerh has 2 different quality system: imperial garden tea vs young tea tree from non-imperial garden
*4.
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