The Lincang Tea Region: Shuangjiang, Linxiang, Fengqing, Yongde, Yunxian, Zhenkang, Cangyuan, Gengma

When it comes to pu'er regions, many people think first of Menghai and Yiwu in Xishuangbanna; head upstream along the Lancang River and you reach Lincang (臨滄). Bingdao and Xigui, the two names most talked about in recent years, are both here. The name Lincang itself means "beside the Lancang"; the river flows along the city's eastern side, carving the tea mountains into deep valleys.

Which Counties in Lincang Grow Tea?

Lincang City is in southwestern Yunnan, covering 23,621 square kilometers, with one district, four counties, and three autonomous counties, eight county-level units in all, every one of which grows tea:

For a closer look at each county, read Bingdao Old Village: The Sweetness of Mengku, Xigui: Ancient Tea Gardens on the Lancang River, Fengqing's Xiangzhuqing, Yongde's Mangfei, and Zhenkang, Cangyuan, and Gengma.

What Is Shuangjiang?

The "Shuangjiang" tea drinkers talk about is, in full, Shuangjiang Lahu, Va, Blang and Dai Autonomous County, established on December 30, 1985, covering 2,157 square kilometers. Its name includes four ethnic groups, making it one of the longest county-level names in the country. The Tropic of Cancer passes through the county, and the climate is warm and humid.

Shuangjiang's best-known place is Mengku Town. The native home of Mengku large-leaf tea is Bingdao Village in Mengku Town; the variety was approved in 1984 and registered in 1985 as a national-level improved variety, and was later introduced throughout Yunnan and even to Sichuan, Guizhou, Guangdong, Guangxi, and other provinces. The variety is introduced in Mengku, Menghai, Fengqing: Yunnan's Three National Large-Leaf Varieties.

How Much Tea Does Lincang Produce?

Lincang is Yunnan's largest tea-producing prefecture-level city. According to locally published figures, in 2023 the city had 2.093 million mu (about 139,500 hectares) of tea under cultivation, produced 172,000 tonnes of maocha, and 120,400 tonnes of finished tea. Locals often introduce themselves with this line: of every 3 cups of pu'er in China, 1 comes from Lincang; of every 5 cups of black tea, 1 is Lincang Dianhong. It's a local promotional claim, but it shows how much weight Lincang carries.

As for ancient trees, Lincang has regulations protecting ancient tea trees, and locally published figures recognize 321 ancient gardens covering 122,800 mu, plus 11,408 individually registered and protected ancient trees.

High output means most Lincang tea is terrace tea or ordinary large-tree tea, with famous-village ancient-tree tea making up only a small part. When you see "Lincang," it's worth asking further: which county, which village, what tree age?

How Lincang Tea Differs from Banna Tea

Both are Yunnan large-leaf tea made into pu'er, but Lincang and Xishuangbanna still differ in some ways:

• Geography: Banna is on the lower Lancang at a lower latitude; Lincang is on the middle reaches at a slightly higher latitude, and has three great snow mountains over 3,000 meters (Mengku, Bangdong, Yongde). Its gardens span a huge altitude range, from about 750 meters at riverside Xigui to wild tea communities above 2,700 meters on Mengku Daxueshan.
• Varieties: Lincang is dominated by Mengku large-leaf; Banna's gardens are more mixed, with each mountain having its own local population variety.
• Style: The common impression in the tea world is that Lincang tea has a high, lifting aroma, pronounced sweetness, and a full liquor, with Bingdao's sweetness and Xigui's fragrance as the classic examples; among Banna teas, the Menghai area is often described as having strong cha qi and pronounced bitter character, while the Yiwu area is known for softness and fragrance. These are general tendencies; villages within the same county differ a great deal too.

For a comparison of regional flavors, continue with Regional Flavor Profiles.

What Are Lincang's Famous Mountains?

Lincang has many famous mountains and villages; these are the ones mentioned most often:

• Bingdao (Mengku, Shuangjiang): Famous for sweetness; Bingdao Village has five natural villages, detailed in Bingdao's Five Villages.
• Mengku's East and West Half-Mountains (Mengku, Shuangjiang): Villages such as Dongguo, Dahusai, Baka, Banuo, Najiao, and Mangbang; see Mengku's East and West Half-Mountains.
• Mengku Daxueshan (Shuangjiang): Main peak 3,233 meters, with large wild ancient tea communities on the mountain; see Mengku Daxueshan.
• Xigui (Bangdong, Linxiang): Low-altitude ancient gardens on the Lancang River; the same township also has Nahan and Mangang; see Bangdong.
• Baiyingshan (Yunxian): More than ten tea varieties on a single mountain; see Baiyingshan.
• Mangfei (Yongde) and Xiangzhuqing (Fengqing): The former is known for strength, the latter for a great tea tree called the "Jinxiu Tea King."

FAQ

Q: How many tea-producing counties does Lincang have?
A: Lincang City comprises Linxiang District, Fengqing County, Yunxian County, Yongde County, Zhenkang County, and three autonomous counties, Shuangjiang, Gengma, and Cangyuan, eight counties and districts in all, and every one grows tea.

Q: How much tea does Lincang produce a year?
A: According to locally published figures, in 2023 Lincang had 2.093 million mu of tea gardens and produced 172,000 tonnes of maocha, making it Yunnan's largest tea-producing prefecture-level city.

Q: Where is Shuangjiang, and what does it have to do with Bingdao?
A: Shuangjiang is Lincang's Shuangjiang Lahu, Va, Blang and Dai Autonomous County. Bingdao Village is in Shuangjiang's Mengku Town, which is also the native home of Mengku large-leaf tea.

Q: Which is better, Lincang tea or Banna tea?
A: Neither is superior. The tea world often says Lincang tea is highly fragrant with pronounced sweetness, while Banna's Menghai tea has strong cha qi and Yiwu tea is soft and smooth; it depends which style you prefer.