Bada Background
The Bada tea growing area is located approximately 60km to the west of Menghai in southwest Yunnan Province. Bada Mountain is at the border of Xishuangbanna and Myanmar. It is a mountain area in the truest sense, with 100% of its territory being mountainous. Its highest elevation reaches 2,249 meters, and its lowest is along the banks of the Nanlan River at 668 meters. The yearly average temperature is 17°C, and relative humidity is 85%. Bada’s high, empty mountains and deep rivers cover a vast area. Today it contains the largest old growth forest in Xishuangbanna. Bada’s Xiaohei Mountain is also one of the primary wild animal habitats in Xishuangbanna. The Bada wild tea tree in Hesong village has been proclaimed “the king of tea trees.” It is 34 meters tall and its primary trunk spreads out 3.8 meters and is approximately 1 meter in diameter. It is the largest currently known wild tea tree. The Bada ancient tea gardens are concentrated near Manmai Village and occupy nearly 2000mu. Every year between April and October, thick fog shrouds all of Bada Mountain. Tea can be harvested ten months out of the year. During the 1980’s, Menghai Tea Factory built a nearly 10,000mu tea plantation in Bada.