Zhang Baosan, president of the Yunnan Pu'er Tea Trade Association, said many people find that the taste, fragrance and health benefits of Pu'er get better after it matures.

"Pu'er tea used to be matured naturally while being transported on horseback from Yunnan to Tibet," Zhang said. "But now that maturing process can be controlled and standardized."

Pu'er is a big-leaf tea produced in Yunnan, especially in the Pu'er, Lincang, and Xishuangbanna areas. Records show it was drunk as long ago as the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 25-220). The tea is commonly packaged as a cake, brick or lump, to make storing and transportation convenient.

A Yi ethnic woman working at a Pu'er tea farm. Pu'er is a big-leaf tea produced in Yunnan, especially in the Pu'er, Lincang, and Xishuangbanna areas. Records show it was drunk as long ago as the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 25-220). The tea is commonly packaged as a cake, brick or lump, to make storing and transportation convenient. [Photo / China Daily]

The price of Pu'er tea leaves, which were given as a tribute to the imperial court during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), rose more than 500 yuan ($80.26) a kilogram on average, having been 20 yuan a kg in 2007. It has since fallen back.

One day you could exchange a pack of tea leaves at the market for a motorcycle then the next day it was worth nothing. That's how the market fluctuated, Liu said.

"After that we realized it won't help if we just improve output because it is not the quantity that decides the price but the quality," he added.

Almost half of the tea trees were grubbed up to give more space and nutrients to those saved.

"We reviewed the ancient planting methods and conducted experiments to find the optimal space between two trees and then persuaded the tea planters to adjust their over-densely planted tea gardens," Liu said.

Meanwhile, the Pu'er authority set up 646 special stores selling quality fertilizers and pesticides to ensure that all the tea leaves harvested in their region are free from any chemicals or pesticide residues that may harm health.

In some tea gardens, green manure has been introduced to replace common fertilizer.

"Ecological planting has helped to produce organic teas, which is a must if we want to increase exports or cooperate with giant companies such as Tasly," said Liu.

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