Gaoxiang Yuncha Organic Tea Plantations in Eshan County, Yuxi

Chinese Name: 峨山县高香万亩生态茶文化园(云茶山庄)
English Name: Gaoxiang Organic Tea Plantations in Eshan County, Yuxi

Eshan Gaoxiang Ten-Thousand-Mu Ecological Tea Culture Garden

The Eshan Gaoxiang Ten-Thousand-Mu Ecological Tea Culture Garden preserves its original natural environment, featuring lush peaks, dense forests, towering ancient trees, and continuous streams. The tea garden and forest scenery complement each other beautifully, with the expansive tea garden resembling a jade belt winding through the mountains. The garden exhibits a stylized design with a "hat" (forest) at the top, a "belt" (tea garden) in the middle, and a "skirt" (grassland) at the bottom. Key attractions include the vast tea garden, Rhododendron Mountain, sea of clouds sunrise, Butterfly Valley, Waming Valley, and the High Fragrance Thirteen Guardians. It is the closest and largest ecological tea culture tourism area to the provincial capital, Kunming, integrating tea planting, sales, research, and tourism.

In spring, the tea mountains are filled with the aroma of fresh buds, attracting many visitors; the tea's international success has earned widespread acclaim. Entering the Yuxi Gaoxiang Ten-Thousand-Mu Ecological Tea Culture Tourism Area, you are greeted by nature's grand paintings of green mountains, mist, and tea gardens, resembling a paradise on earth. Amidst the heavenly sounds and the enveloping tea fragrance, you are met with rolling green waves, creating an immersive experience where the environment and tea blend seamlessly.

As the saying goes, "Good tea comes from high mountains and mist," and Eshan is a prime example. With an altitude of 1,900 to 2,300 meters, it belongs to the Ailao Mountain range. The garden was constructed following ecological principles, utilizing natural conditions in a highly scientific and perfect manner, making it unique among tea gardens. On the tea mountain, you’ll often see Yi ethnic girls in traditional dress carrying bamboo baskets, skillfully picking tea leaves. The sight of these baskets filling up with fresh tea leaves adds to the beauty of the landscape. Tea picking is both labor and joy, with the sound of cheerful laughter ringing out as the baskets fill. Visitors can also don straw hats and experience picking fresh tea leaves, feeling the intimate connection between people and nature. Once you’ve collected a good amount, you can try your hand at tea processing under the guidance of technicians, enjoying the pleasure of “picking the fragrance from the bud and savoring its diverse qualities in the cup.”

Yuntea Mountain Villa (Yuncha Shanzhuang)

Yuntea Mountain Villa is located in Eshan Yi Autonomous County, Yuxi City, adjacent to the Gaolushan County-level Nature Reserve. Surrounded by forests with a coverage rate of up to 95%, the area is enveloped in mist and abundant rainfall throughout the year, creating a natural forest oxygen bar rich in negative oxygen ions. The hotel is nestled among verdant hills and ancient trees, with the forest landscape and pristine tea gardens forming a unique and picturesque setting.

Developed and operated by Yuntea Group, Yuntea Mountain Villa is situated on Jinyin Mountain in Eshan County, Yuxi City, covering a total area of 2,256 acres. The average annual temperature is 16°C, with annual sunshine ranging from 2,100 to 2,300 hours. The region features beautiful scenery and a warm, humid climate, with a high concentration of negative oxygen ions in the pristine natural environment and forest coverage exceeding 95%.

The forest area contains vast tea gardens, rolling and lush, with exotic flowers, unique grasses, babbling streams, and the sounds of birds and insects. Yuntea Mountain Villa is located amidst this tea garden landscape. It is only 27 kilometers from Eshan County and about a 2.5-hour drive from Kunming, making it the closest and most ecological Pu'er tea mountain to Kunming. It is also one of the most tranquil, nature-integrated places where one can hear their own heartbeat.

The company utilizes high-quality resources such as ecological tea gardens and native forest lands to integrate and shape projects centered around renowned tea products and tea culture, focusing on ecological tourism, conference vacations, and forest economy. The aim is to build a “healthy lifestyle destination” combining organic high-end tea culture with mountainous ecological tourism. The project features a unique and picturesque landscape with “one axis, two gardens, two areas, and three views”:

• One Axis: Ecological tea production.
• Two Gardens: Ecological tea planting garden and tea culture experience garden.
• Two Areas: Hotel conference area and high-end resort area.
• Three Views: View of the tea garden cloud sea, view of the thousand mountains in blue, and view of the forested valleys.

The main planning includes areas for hotel meetings, high-end wellness, ecological tea gardens, tea culture gardens, and forest secrets, creating a diversified operational environment, enriching the product system, and establishing a green ecological mountain villa.

Yuntea Mountain Villa is now complete with 12 independent courtyard-style guest rooms in the Long Corridor Hotel and 10 family-style guest rooms in the Camellia Courtyard, all built overlooking the tea gardens. The facilities are fully equipped, including a buffet restaurant, private dining rooms, tea tasting rooms, a calligraphy and painting room, conference rooms, and a reception center. Yuntea Mountain Villa will become a new highlight for Yuxi City and even Yunnan Province.

The villa is constantly shrouded in mist, with abundant rainfall and fertile soil, providing optimal growth conditions for organic ecological tea. The tea leaves here are thick, with prominent buds and a tender sheen. Classic products like "High Fragrance Silver Needle" and "High Fragrance Pu'er" have won gold medals in the China Famous Tea Awards and represent distinguished Yunnan tea. Yuntea Mountain Villa’s tea has gained a strong reputation across Yuxi and Yunnan Province. The villa now has a modern tea factory with an annual production capacity of 30-40 tons. In the future, Yuntea Mountain Villa will integrate surrounding tea garden resources, build a tea brand, and establish a top domestic tea culture education and training base, introducing a complete tea-related industry chain. This will support the long-term development of the ecological tea garden and set new trends in Yunnan tourism.

Unique Eco-Environment

The tea plantations are strategically located within the Jinping Mountain Provincial Scenic Area, along the boundary between the Ailao Mountains and the Gaolushan Nature Reserve. The region is characterized by winding streams, enveloping clouds and mist, and year-round flowing springs. This unique geography creates a microclimate with significant temperature variation between day and night and high humidity levels, providing optimal conditions for tea cultivation.

Tea Garden Industry

The tea gardens adopt ecological principles, creating a vertical landscape of forest, tea gardens, and meadows. The main tea varieties have robust leaves with prominent buds, producing tea with the unique floral fragrance of the Ailao Mountains. The tea's liquor is bright yellow-green, with a rich, mellow flavor and a sweet aftertaste. Gaoxiang Yuncha's products have repeatedly won top scores in provincial competitions and are exported to Asia, Europe, and the Americas. These teas are also featured in the "China’s Major Export Products and Production Enterprises Encyclopedia."

Shared Tea Garden Project

In 2024, the plantation launched a Shared Tea Garden project, allowing visitors to adopt a personal 30-square-meter tea garden. Participants can engage in tea picking, hand-frying tea, and camping activities. The best tea-picking period is around the Qingming Festival (early April), and the plantation offers camping facilities with stargazing and outdoor barbecue services.

Tea Experience and Cultural Learning

The plantation offers tea ceremony training courses where visitors can learn the traditional art of brewing Pu’er tea. The culinary experience incorporates tea into dishes, such as cold tea salads and red tea stewed chicken, creating a unique "Tea Feast" experience that combines tea with local Yi ethnic food culture.

Accommodation and Facilities

The Tea Blossom Courtyard (茶花小院) is a traditional courtyard-style accommodation with seven rooms, a calligraphy room, and a tea-tasting area. The rooms are furnished with Burmese-imported teak furniture and meet five-star hotel standards. Public areas are equipped with full dining utensils and built-in ovens, allowing guests to cook their own meals. The villa area features mid- to low-tier rooms and recreational facilities such as a tennis court and a mahjong room. The main building is designed with blue tiles and white walls, with the courtyard floor adorned with Tai Chi-patterned cobblestones and antique palace lamps for night-time illumination.

Ecological Protection

The tea gardens are built according to the "zero pollution" principle, prohibiting the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Natural fertilizers, such as forest leaf litter, are used instead. Biological pest control techniques are employed throughout the plantation, and ancient tea tree groves are preserved as ecological samples. Data from 2015 shows that the region has excellent air quality, and the surface water is safe for direct consumption.

Tea Culture and Immersion Experience

Explore Tea and Nature

Gaoxiang Yuncha is not just a tea plantation but an immersive destination where tea culture meets nature. In the spring, when the first sunlight touches the tender green tea shoots, visitors can experience the joy of hand-picking tea leaves. With guidance from professional tea farmers, guests can learn the skills of picking the finest buds and leaves, which are essential for producing high-quality tea.

Tea Picking and Tea Making

From mid-March to late April, visitors can participate in the peak spring tea picking season. The experience starts with a tea knowledge class, where tea farmers explain the different characteristics of tea during various seasons and demonstrate how to pick the freshest leaves. Visitors then enter the gardens with their bamboo baskets to pick the tender leaves. The picking process is not just a physical activity, but a meditative experience that allows one to connect deeply with nature.

Tea Art and Photography

The plantation also offers a tea art experience, where guests can taste different varieties of Pu’er tea and learn about their brewing techniques and the flavors of different ages and processes. For outdoor enthusiasts, several hiking trails wind through the tea gardens, offering stunning views of the mountains and providing excellent opportunities for photography. Whether it's the morning sea of clouds, the evening sunset, or the starry night sky, every moment is perfect for a memorable photo.

A Tranquil Escape

Gaoxiang Yuncha provides more than just tea—it offers a return to simplicity and tranquility. With its serene landscape, high-quality tea, and cultural immersion experiences, this tea plantation is the perfect destination for those seeking peace and rejuvenation. In this idyllic setting, every breath feels like a gift from nature, and every visit is a moment to reconnect with oneself. If you're seeking a peaceful retreat from the hustle and bustle of daily life, Gaoxiang Yuncha is the place to be.