In pics: first tea culture world heritage in China's Yunnan

Tourists taste Pu'er tea at a traditional village of the Jingmai Mountain in Pu'er, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Sept. 14, 2023. (Xinhua/Hu Chao)

The Cultural Landscape of Old Tea Forests of Jingmai Mountain in Pu'er, southwest China's Yunnan Province, was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List on Sunday.

At its extended 45th session in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee examined the site nominated by China and added it to the list as a cultural property, making it China's 57th World Heritage site.

Jingmai Mountain is home to communities of well-preserved ancient tea trees, and the local history of the human cultivation of tea trees can be traced back more than 1,000 years.

Around the 10th century, the ancestors of the Bulang ethnic group migrated to Jingmai Mountain, where they discovered and built knowledge on wild tea trees.

Gradually, they adapted to the forest ecosystem along with the Dai people and other ethnic groups who came later to the region, to create the unique understory tea cultivation model, a traditional planting practice that has survived the widespread modern tea plantation technology.

While preserving natural landscape and the traditional village, local government and villagers have been striving for modern life jointly. With upgraded infrastructure, the locals have access to sell tea products via livestreaming or post their process of tea making on social media platforms to attract tourists. The growth in tourism benefits the local villagers by increasing their incomes.

This aerial photo taken on Sept. 17, 2023 shows a traditional village surrounded by forests and tea gardens of the Jingmai Mountain in Pu'er, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Xinhua/Hu Chao)

A tea farmer selects tea leaves at a traditional village of the Jingmai Mountain in Pu'er, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Sept. 16, 2023. (Xinhua/Hu Chao)

Villagers perform local song and dance for visitors at a traditional village of the Jingmai Mountain in Pu'er, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Sept. 16, 2023. (Xinhua/Tang Rufeng)

A villager (L) promotes her homemade Pu'er tea to a tourist at a traditional village of the Jingmai Mountain in Pu'er, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Sept. 14, 2023. (Xinhua/Hu Chao)

A villager pours tea for customers at a tea factory of the Jingmai Mountain in Pu'er, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Sept. 14, 2023. (Xinhua/Hu Chao)

This photo taken with a mobile phone on Sept. 18, 2023 shows a view of the Jingmai Mountain in Pu'er, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Xinhua/Tang Rufeng)

A villager pours tea for customers at a tea factory of the Jingmai Mountain in Pu'er, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Sept. 14, 2023. (Xinhua/Hu Chao)

This aerial panoramic photo taken on Sept. 14, 2023 shows a traditional village surrounded by forests and tea gardens of the Jingmai Mountain in Pu'er, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Xinhua/Hu Chao)

A villager promotes Pu'er tea products via livestreaming in an old tea forest of the Jingmai Mountain in Pu'er, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Sept. 14, 2023. (Xinhua/Hu Chao)

A tea farmer bakes tea around the fireplace at a village of the Jingmai Mountain in Pu'er, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Sept. 14, 2023. (Xinhua/Hu Chao)

Villagers chat at home in a traditional village of the Jingmai Mountain in Pu'er, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Sept. 17, 2023. (Xinhua/Tang Rufeng)

Villagers pick tea leaves in an old tea forest of the Jingmai Mountain in Pu'er, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Sept. 14, 2023. (Xinhua/Hu Chao)

Villagers promote Pu'er tea products via livestreaming in an old tea forest of the Jingmai Mountain in Pu'er, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Sept. 17, 2023. (Xinhua/Hu Chao)

Tourists visit a traditional village of the Jingmai Mountain in Pu'er, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Sept. 16, 2023. (Xinhua/Hu Chao)

A villager heats tea leaves at a tea factory of the Jingmai Mountain in Pu'er, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Sept. 15, 2023. (Xinhua/Hu Chao)

This aerial photo taken on Sept. 17, 2023 shows a traditional village in Jingmai Mountain in Pu'er, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Xinhua/Tang Rufeng)

This aerial panoramic photo taken on Sept. 14, 2023 shows a traditional village surrounded by forests and tea gardens of the Jingmai Mountain in Pu'er, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Xinhua/Hu Chao)