Yunnan Province once boasted an elephant population of more than 100,000, but human intrusion over the centuries and the environmental impact have seen that number dwindle to the 200-odd who now live in Wild Elephant Valley Park.

 

Yunnan Province is renowned for its breathtaking natural beauty where rolling mountains covered in large colorful tropical flowers provide a picturesque backdrop for tourists keen to discover the area's unique history and culture.

 

But visitors should not expect to be awestruck on first arriving in Yunnan's provincial capital of Kunming.

 

A typical medium-sized Chinese city going through rapid economic development, Kunming's characteristic historic architecture has been knocked down to make way for modern residential buildings.

 

That means the most stunning scenery is found outside Kunming becoming increasingly beautiful as travelers approach the Vietnam and Myanmar borders.

 

The area is abundant with tropical flowers and fruit and tea and coffee tree-covered mountains. The tall trees are nothing short of fascinating growing in all manner of strange shapes. Some even resemble human silhouettes with long mustaches.

 

For those accustomed to living in a big city, Yunnan's clear, blue skies and sweet, fresh air provide a welcome relief.

 

The Wild Elephant Valley Park is a travel hot spot here known for its population of about 200-odd wild elephants. The area was once home to more than 100,000 elephants which was the largest wild elephant population in China.

 

But human and environmental factors have taken a dreadful toll on their number and now the small population that remains is extremely wary of humans and notoriously hard to spot. During our visit we caught a glimpse of a "wild" elephant on the 35-minute cable car tour, but it looked suspiciously like it was chained to a tree to satisfy tourist curiosity.

 

The stunning view of lush, green mountains from the cable car was beautiful but for the occasional plastic bag and litter hanging from trees.

 

While elephants are hard to spot, the park is filled with a vast array of other creatures including lizards, snakes, butterflies and birds.

 

Besides its wildlife and beautiful scenery, Yunnan Province is also famous for producing Pu'er tea and is the only place in China suitable for planting Arabica coffee. About 70 percent of the world's coffee production is Arabica.

 

Pu'er tea is one of the most famous and ancient types of Chinese tea. The first record of Pu'er planting can be found in the Three Kingdoms (220-280 AD) about 1,700 years ago. The area has been a significant tea production base since the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD).

 

Pu'er tea was often given as a present to Chinese emperors and was renowned for its medicinal powers. Historical records show that ancient residents in the area around Pu'er city cooked the tea leaf with ginger and pepper as a medicine to treat people suffering from fever.

 

Many ancient books about traditional Chinese medicine also make reference to Pu'er tea as an effective medicine to help remove harmful elements from the human body, to help the digestive system and even as a tonic to sober up people who might have had too much to drink.

 

Pu'er tea is sometimes called a "drinkable antique" as it allegedly gets better as it ages. But like Shanghai's antique market, buyers don't always get what they pay for.

 

There is no scientific way of evaluating the accurate age of Pu'er tea. Canny buyers inspect the packing paper and the look and smell of the tea to try and guage its age. But many Pu'er tea dealers try all kinds of measures to make the tea look older like using use old packing paper or by adding smell to the tea brick.

 

For the true coinnoiseur the only reliable way to pick an aged tea is to try it.

 

Pu'er is also a significant stop on the Ancient Tea-horse Road (cha ma gu dao) - an unpaved, rugged pathway forged by ancient merchants transporting goods like tea, salt and sugar.

 

The road stretched more than 4,000 kilometers through China's southwestern areas including Yunnan Province, Sichuan Province and the Tibet Autonomous Region.

 

The old commercial passage was first used during the Tang Dynasty and helped encourage exchanges of different cultures and religions just like the famous Silk Road.

 

All the coffee beans used by international conglomerate Nescafe in China are purchased from coffee farmers in Yunnan Province. Since the late 1980s, many farmers have been encouraged to plant coffee beans. During that time Nescafe set up a laboratory in the area to help solve technical problems for coffee farmers.

 

The pinkish red fruit of the coffee tree looks like a cherry and the fresh coffee bean lies inside. When first harvested the fruit has a harsh, bitter taste and no smell. It has to be peeled and dried for days to be ready for roasting.

 

In April last year, in an effort to stimulate economic development, the local government changed the name of the city from Simao to Pu'er.

 

The tea and coffee industries are the mainstays of the local economy providing jobs for many locals.

 

Some farmers, like 48-year-old Chen Jiahua, have their own planting land. They plant Pu'er tea, coffee trees, or tobacco. Chen and his wife have planted coffee trees since 1989.

 

During that time they have witnessed the price for coffee beans rising from seven yuan (US$1) a kilogram to a recent high of nearly 20 yuan a kilogram. The sharp rise in coffee has meant that the couple can generate between 40,000 yuan and 50,000 yuan profit from about 26 hectares of land a year. The good times in coffee have allowed the couple lead what they describe as a "pleasant" life and they are building a new two-story house to welcome the Chinese New Year.

 

Other locals like Li Fang don't have lands to plant so they work for tea or coffee farmers or producers.

 

Li has a husband and a son and it costs her family about 1,000 yuan per month to "lead a pleasant life for all family members."

 

Li's husband works in a Pu'er tea processing factory and helps to dry the fresh tea leaf. The fresh tea leaf has to be demoisturized, dried, shaped and picked before further processing. Although it depends on his workload, he makes about 1,500 yuan to 2,000 yuan a month.

 

Li's work schedule is a little more complicated. Her main income comes from picking tea leaves from April to December.

 

Li is a quick worker so she can earn about 60 yuan a day. When she has no tea leaf to pick she works for coffee farmers and, depending on her workload, Li can make about 30 yuan a day for 10 hours' work.

 

(Shanghai Daily by Yao Mingjin February 18, 2008)