Cultural Landscape of Old Tea Forests of the Jingmai Mountain in Pu’er
Cultural Landscape of Old Tea Forests of the Jingmai Mountain in Pu’er
Located on Jingmai Mountain in southwestern China, this cultural landscape was developed over a thousand years by the Blang and Dai peoples following practices that began in the 10th century. The property is a tea production area comprised of traditional villages within old tea groves surrounded by forests and tea plantations. The traditional understorey cultivation of old tea trees is a method that responds to the specific conditions of the mountain’s ecosystem and subtropical monsoon climate, combined with a governance system maintained by the local Indigenous communities. Traditional ceremonies and festivities relate to the Tea Ancestor belief that spirits live in the tea plantations and in the local fauna and flora, a belief that is at the core of this cultural tradition.Description is available under license CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0
Paysage culturel des forêts anciennes de théiers de la montagne Jingmai à Pu’er
Situé dans la montagne Jingmai dans le sud-ouest de la Chine, ce paysage culturel a été façonné sur une période de mille ans par les Blang et les Dai, selon des pratiques qui remontent au Xe siècle. Le bien consiste en une zone de production de thé composée de villages traditionnels situés dans d’anciens théiers entourés de forêts et de plantations de thé. La culture traditionnelle de théiers anciens en sous-bois est une méthode qui répond aux conditions spécifiques de l’écosystème montagneux et du climat de mousson subtropical, associée à un système de gouvernance assuré par les communautés autochtones. Les cérémonies et festivités traditionnelles sont liées à la croyance aux Ancêtres du thé, selon laquelle des esprits vivent dans les plantations de thé ainsi que dans la faune et la flore locales, croyance qui est au cœur de cette tradition culturelle.Description is available under license CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0
المنظر الطبيعي الثقافي لغابات الشاي القديمة على جبل جينغماي في بوير
يقع هذا المنظر الطبيعي الثقافي على جبل جينغماي جنوب غرب الصين، وساهمت شعوب الداي والبلانغ بصقل هيئته على مدار ألف عام لما كانت تتبعه من ممارسات بدأت في القرن العاشر. ويعتبر الموقع بمنزلة منطقة لإنتاج الشاي، ويتألف من قرى تقليدية داخل بساتين الشاي القديمة وتحيط به الغابات ومزارع الشاي. وتواجه طريقة الزراعة التقليدية لأشجار الشاي القديمة ظروف النظام البيئي للجبال ومناخ الرياح الموسمية شبه الاستوائية، وذلك بفضل نظام حوكمة تضطلع مجتمعات الشعوب الأصلية بالحفاظ عليه. إنّ الاحتفالات والمهرجانات التقليدية مرتبطة بأحد معتقدات الأسلاف عن الشاي، إذ كانوا يعتقدوا أنّ الأرواح تعيش في مزارع الشاي وفي الحيوانات والنباتات المحلية، ويتمحور هذا التقليد الثقافي حول هذا الاعتقاد.
source: UNESCO/CPE
Description is available under license CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0
普洱景迈山古茶林文化景观
该文化景观位于中国云南景迈山，由当地布朗族、傣族民众遵循始于10世纪的实践，历经千余年培育而成。这里是一片茶乡，森林和茶园环绕的多个传统村落掩映在古茶树间。古茶树的传统林下栽培方式，因应山区生态系统和亚热带季风气候的特点，并与当地社区维护的管理体系相结合。人们笃信“茶祖”，他们相信茶树有灵、自然有灵，这里的传统仪式和节庆活动与这一信仰密切相关。
source: UNESCO/CPE
Description is available under license CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0
Культурный ландшафт древних чайных лесов горы Цзинмай в Пуэре
Этот культурный ландшафт, раскинувшийся на горе Цзинмай на юго-западе Китая, в течение тысячи лет осваивали народы Бланг и Дай, следуя традициям, зародившимся в X веке. На территории объекта расположены традиционные деревни, расположенные в древних чайных рощах, окруженных лесами и чайными плантациями. Традиционное выращивание древних чайных деревьев в подлеске — это метод, отвечающий специфическим условиям горной экосистемы и субтропического муссонного климата, в сочетании с системой управления, поддерживаемой местными коренными общинами. Традиционные церемонии и праздники связаны с верой предков в то, что духи живут на чайных плантациях, в местной фауне и флоре, и эта вера является основой данной культурной традиции.
source: UNESCO/CPE
Description is available under license CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0
Paisaje cultural de los antiguos bosques de árboles del té de la montaña Jingmai en Pu'er
Situado en la montaña Jingmai, en el suroeste de China, este paisaje cultural fue desarrollado durante todo un milenio por los pueblos Blang y Dai, siguiendo prácticas que comenzaron en el siglo X. El sitio es una zona de producción de té compuesta por aldeas tradicionales que se encuentran dentro de antiguos bosques rodeados de vegetación y plantaciones de té. El cultivo tradicional de viejos árboles de té en el sotobosque es un método que responde a las condiciones específicas del ecosistema de la montaña y al clima monzónico subtropical, combinados con un sistema de gobernanza que conservan las comunidades indígenas locales. Las ceremonias y fiestas tradicionales se relacionan con la creencia de que los espíritus viven en las plantaciones de té, así como en la fauna y flora locales, una creencia que se halla en la base de esta tradición cultural.
source: UNESCO/CPE
Description is available under license CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0
Outstanding Universal Value
Brief synthesis
The Cultural Landscape of Old Tea Forests of the Jingmai Mountain in Pu’er is located in Huimin Town, Pu’er City, Yunnan Province, in southwestern China. This organically evolved cultural landscape consists of a tea production area of old tea groves, tea plantations, forests, and traditional villages on Jingmai Mountain. This land-use system has been developed over a thousand years by the Blang and Dai peoples following traditional practices that date back to the 10th century. The traditional understorey cultivation of old tea trees is a method that responds to the specific conditions of the mountain ecosystem and subtropical monsoon climate combined with a particular governance system maintained by the Indigenous communities residing in this area. Traditional ceremonies and festivities related to the Tea Ancestor belief that special spirits live in the tea plantations, local fauna, and flora are at the core of this cultural tradition.
Criterion (iii): The Cultural Landscape of Old Tea Forests of the Jingmai Mountain in Pu’er represents an exceptional testimony of the understorey tea cultivation traditions that enabled the development of a complementary spatial distribution of different land uses providing ecosystems and microclimates that support both the cultivation of old tea forests and the well-being of communities residing in this organically evolved cultural landscape. Blang and Dai peoples sustained these traditions for over thousand years by following a tripartite social governance system of tribe-government-religion that, based on the Tea Ancestor belief, has protected the natural resources and preserved the old tea forests. Traditional practices follow careful considerations of the mountain climate, topographic features, and local flora and fauna, demonstrating important local and traditional knowledge that safeguards cultural and biological diversity.
Criterion (v): The Cultural Landscape of Old Tea Forests of the Jingmai Mountain in Pu’er is an outstanding example of a sustainable land-use system based on a combination of horizontal and vertical land-use patterns. This land-use system permits the complementary use of natural resources in the mountainous environment of Jingmai Mountain and represents an exceptional example of a human interaction by Blang and Dai peoples with a challenging environment that is vulnerable to negative impacts of modernisation, urban development, and climate change. The location and layout of the traditional villages and the style of residential buildings represent the cultures and traditional knowledge of Blang and Dai peoples.
Integrity
The integrity of the property is based on the preservation of the social relationships and ecological interdependencies between the climate, the topographic features, and the cultural practices of the Blang and Dai peoples on Jingmai Mountain. All the key attributes are included within the boundaries, including the old tea forests, the protective partition forests, the tea plantations, the traditional villages, the traditional knowledge and governance system associated with the tea culture, and the cultural and spiritual expressions associated with that culture such as festivals, religious ceremonies, and traditional dances. The boundaries also encompass the immediate setting, thus reinforcing the integrity of the cultural landscape.
Traditional villages within the property are currently under pressure from urban development and could be negatively affected in the future by increased tourism development.
Authenticity
The authenticity of the property is based on the location, use, and function of the old tea forests; the location, form, and design of the traditional villages; the form and design of the traditional houses; and the form, function, and substance of the land-use system, including the horizontal and vertical patterns. It is also based on the continuity of traditions associated with the tea culture on Jingmai Mountain.
Sources of information include the continuous presence of the landscape elements and the continuous upkeep of the land-use system, the cultural practices associated with understorey tea cultivation, legends, oral history, traditional knowledge and the related belief and governance systems.
Protection and management requirements
The property is protected at the highest level by national laws for cultural property, ecology, environment, forests, animal and plant species, and intangible cultural heritage. In addition, the local authorities have prepared and announced laws and regulations tailored to its protection. The buffer zone adds a layer of protection to the property, containing forests, farms, and villages where development is regulated.
A protection and management system that involves all stakeholders, including the local authorities, villagers, and professional institutions, has been developed. This protection and management system, along with the tribe-government-religion tripartite social governance arrangement and relevant planning documents such as the Conservation Plan for the Cultural Heritage of Old Tea Plantations of Jingmai Mountain as a National Priority Protected Site (2017-2035), the Plan for Villages in the Jingmai Mountain (2019-2040), and the Conservation Management Plan for the Cultural Landscape of Old Tea Forests of the Jingmai Mountain in Pu’er (2020-2040) provide a robust mechanism for the conservation and management of the property and the sustainable development of its communities. The old tea forests, protective partition forests, villages, and entire environment of the property are the subjects of comprehensive monitoring, and a disaster preparedness mechanism has been developed.
