Youle: Jinuo Mountain and the Jino People

Among the Six Ancient Tea Mountains, Youle (攸樂) is the only one not in Mengla County. Today it's called Jinuo Mountain, where the Jino people have lived for generations. From the Qing government office set up on the mountain to Jino tea salad and legends of the tea ancestor, Youle's tea is tightly bound up with the people and history of this place.

Is Youle Mountain the Same as Jinuo Mountain?

Yes. "Youle" was the old Chinese transliteration of "Jino." The ancestors of the Jino lived on this mountain, so Chinese records called it Youle Mountain. Later the ethnic name was standardized as "Jino" (基諾, Jinuo), and the mountain came to be called Jinuo Mountain; when the tea world discusses the Six Ancient Tea Mountains, it customarily keeps the "Youle" of Qing records.

Today's Youle Mountain is in Jinuo Mountain Jino Ethnic Township, Jinghong City, Xishuangbanna Prefecture, Yunnan. The township covers about 622.90 square kilometers and has seven village committees: Xinsitu, Baya, Situ, Balai, Luote, Baka, and Qiema. The altitude range often cited in the tea world is 575–1,691 meters, making it one of the lower, warmer, and more humid tea areas among the Six Ancient Mountains.

Estimates of its ancient garden area vary slightly; a common figure is about 2,700–2,900 mu of gardens over a hundred years old.

Why Is Youle in Jinghong and Not Mengla?

This comes down to "the Six Ancient Tea Mountains" and "today's county boundaries" being two different concepts.

• The Six Ancient Tea Mountains is a Qing dynasty name for a tea-producing region. Tan Cui's Dianhai Yuheng Zhi, completed in 1799, lists Youle, Gedeng, Yibang, Mangzhi, Manzhuan, and Mansa; today's counties didn't exist then.
• Today's county boundaries were drawn in the 20th century for administrative purposes. Jinuo Mountain is right next to downtown Jinghong, and Jinghong is the most convenient place to reach, so the Jino Ethnic Township was placed under Jinghong City; Yibang, Gedeng, Mangzhi, and Manzhuan all belong to Xiangming Township in Mengla County, and Yiwu is in Yiwu Town, Mengla County.

In fact, Youle had a distinctive administrative status of its own in the Qing dynasty. When Pu'er Prefecture was established in the seventh year of Yongzheng (1729), the court set up a Youle sub-prefect (tongzhi) on Youle Mountain and stationed Green Standard troops there to manage security and taxation on the tea mountains; only in the thirteenth year of Yongzheng (1735) did the Youle sub-prefect move to Simao. Youle was thus also one of the first places among the Six Tea Mountains where the Qing government stationed officials. For the establishment of Qing Pu'er Prefecture, read Pu'er Prefecture in the Qing Dynasty.

The Jino People and Tea

The Jino were officially recognized as a distinct ethnic group by the State Council in 1979, the 56th ethnic group recognized in China. In the 2020 census, the Jino numbered 26,025, living mainly on Jinuo Mountain.

Tea is everywhere in Jino life:

• Tea salad (liangban cha): The traditional Jino way of eating tea. Fresh tea leaves are crushed and mixed with chili, salt, herbs, and other seasonings; it's a dish, and also a gesture of hospitality.
• Tea ancestor legends: The Jino tell stories of Kongming's southern campaign and their ancestors; one says people left behind by Kongming settled here, and Kongming is also regarded as the one who brought tea trees. Legends like this are common across the Six Ancient Tea Mountains; Gedeng's tea king tree is also said to have been planted by Kongming.
• Growing and selling tea: Around the Ming–Qing transition, Youle tea drew Han merchants into the mountains to buy tea, and tea became an important product in the Jino people's dealings with the outside world.

Among Jinuo Mountain's old villages, Luote Old Village, Baka Old Village, Bapo, and Zhalü are all on the list of Chinese Traditional Villages; walking through them, you can still see the link between tea and daily life. More on the tea customs of Yunnan's ethnic groups is in Yunnan's Ethnic Tea Customs.

The Style of Youle Tea

Tea drinkers broadly describe Youle tea as:

• Appearance: Dark, glossy, tightly twisted leaves with visible white down.
• Liquor color: Golden and clear.
• Aroma: A clean, lifting fragrance with wild-mountain character.
• Taste: More noticeable bitterness and astringency on the tongue than Yiwu or Manzhuan, but a quick huigan, good salivation, and a smooth, thick liquor.

That's why Youle is often described as the "strongest" of the Six Ancient Mountains: not soft like Yiwu, but bitter and astringent first, followed by a quick huigan. People who like Menghai tea often find Youle familiar. Compare Menghai's style with Lao Banzhang.

To brew, use 5–6 grams in a 110 ml gaiwan, a little less leaf than for Yiwu, with boiling water, pouring off the first 3 infusions after 8–10 seconds so bitterness and astringency don't build up.

FAQ

Are Youle tea and Jinuo Mountain tea the same thing? Yes. Youle is the old transliteration of Jino, so Youle tea is Jinuo Mountain tea.

Why is Youle the only one of the Six Ancient Tea Mountains not in Mengla County? The Six Ancient Tea Mountains is a Qing dynasty regional name, while today's county boundaries were drawn later; Jinuo Mountain is right next to downtown Jinghong and the Jino Ethnic Township was placed under Jinghong City, so Youle belongs to Jinghong.

When were the Jino recognized as a distinct ethnic group? In 1979, the 56th ethnic group recognized in China.

Is Youle tea bitter? Somewhat more noticeably than Yiwu or Manzhuan, but with a quick huigan and good salivation. The other five of the Six Ancient Mountains are introduced in The Six Ancient Tea Mountains and Yiwu.