According to historical records of China, the ethnic Pu people in Yunnan began to grow tea and served it as tribute to the emperors as early as in the Chinese Shang and Zhou Dynasties (1066 B.C.- 221 B.C.). In the West and East Han Dynasties (206 B.C.- 220 A.D.), tea was grown in river valleys and by the mountains trails of Yizhou. In the Three Kingdoms Period (220 - 280), the Nanzhong tea-seed was widely popularized. In the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907), tea produced in Xishuangbanna was marketed to Dali area and became the favorite drink of the noblemen of the Nanzhao Kingdom. In the Song Dynasty (960 - 1279), Pu-erh County became a famous market for trading tea and horses. In the Yuan Dynasty (1279 - 1368), tea had become the most important commodity in the transactions undertaken by people of all ethnic groups. In the former part of the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911), reputation of the Pu-erh tea reached its climax.

In accordance with historical documents on Xishuangbanna, Dai people living there planted tea trees some 1,700 years ago. A tea tree planted 800 years ago is still growing on Mountain Nannuo in Menghai county of Xishuangbanna. In 1961, a large wild tea tree was discovered in the primeval forest on Mountain Dahei of Menghai county. That tea tree is 32.1 m high with a diameter of 1.03 m, and its age is over 1,700 years old. Exuberant and verdant, it still can yield quality tealeaves.
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