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Yunnan is famous for its tobacco industry. In 1987,
when China National Tobacco Company announced 25top cigarette
brand names for the tobacco sector, seven brands produced in
Yunnan were included in the list. Tobacco growing and cigarette
making have become pillar industries of the province's economy.
More than 100 cigarette factories throughout China rely on Yunnan
for the supply of tobacco leaves. "Hongtashan," one
of the best known brands of cigarette in Yunnan, is now regarded
as the best value of all Chinese brands and has become a
nationally famous trade mark. The tobacco leaves, from which
Hongtashan cigarettes are made, are carefully grown by Yunnan
farmers using special techniques. Yunnan has been growing tobacco
leaves for around 800 years. Those grown in the south part of the
province are of superior quality with plump leaves and deep golden
color. They are flexible and have a moderate alkaline content,
high sugar content and a rich fragrance. Yuxi Cigarette Factory is
a leading enterprise in the Chinese tobacco industry and the
largest cigarette producer in Asia. It is equipped with the most
advanced cigarette making machinery and technology in the world.
The merger of Yunnan Hongta (Group) Company, founded in 1995,and
Yuxi Cigarette Factory last year marked a new era for this group
to begin its trans-industrial and trans-regional business
operations. The Yunnan Hongta Company Ltd, now a shareholding
company, is a powerful enterprise. Its most famous brand name, "Hongtashan,"
was valued at 38.6 billion yuan by a Beijing-based property
appraisal firm in 1998. Recent statistics show that
the flue-cured tobacco leaves prepared in Yunnan account for one
third of the country's total, while cigarettes account for one
fifth. The tax and profits of Yunnan's tobacco industry is
approximately half of the total for the whole sector in China. In
1997, the tobacco industry in Yunnan produced taxes and profits
worth 37.8 billion yuan,100 times more than that of 10 years ago.
Yunnan's tobacco industry ranks first, not only in the output of
flue-cured tobacco leaves and cigarette making, but also in
technology, equipment, profits and sales throughout China. It is a
strong pillar industry of Yunnan's economic development.
Yunnan is an ideal place for growing tea trees. On entering the
Tea Research Institute of Yunnan Province, located in Menghai
County in Xishuangbanna Prefecture, you feel you are entering a
tea museum. There are 749 species of tea trees belonging to 15
genera in the world, of which China has398.Yunnan is home
to270species which are distributed over120 counties and cities
throughout the province. Among the finest varieties, Pu'er tea,
one of the big-leaf species is a special variety because of its
high content of active ingredients and its strong, sweet flavor.
Many ancient tea trees are still growing in Yunnan. One such tree
has been growing for about 800 years according to scientists. It
still lives on the Nannuo Mountain in Menghai County. It is called
by local residents the " king of tea trees." Another wild tea
tree, 1,700 years old, was also found on the county's Dahei
Mountain. This tea tree, which is 32.12 meters tall, is still
covered with exuberant foliage and produces high quality tea. Just
recently, an even larger tea tree was found in the province. The
tree is 34 meters tall and 3.8 meters in circumference at its
base. It is believed to be the largest wild tea tree in the world.
Tea drinking customs differ from one ethnic group to another in
Yunnan. For example, people living in the cold northwest of the
province like to drink butter tea and chicken fat tea, while those
residing in the hot southwestern section are fond of sour tea or
drinking tea from bamboo tubes. Drinking toasted tea is the custom
of the people living in the mountainous areas in southern Yunnan.
The Bai ethnic group in Dali has a long-standing tradition of
drinking "three-courses tea". The taste of the first course is
bitter, the second sweet and finally mellow, rich taste.
The two largest tea producing centers are Fengqing and Menghai
counties, where green tea, black tea and pressed tea are grown and
processed. Yunnan black tea is a high quality tea, and one of
China's important exports. The famous Pu'er tea and Xiaguan-brand
Tuo tea are green teas. Xiaguan Tuo tea, mainly produced in Dali,
is made in the form of a ball. It is widely favored for its
pleasant flavor and color, and exported to more than 20 countries.
Yunnan's flatlands, river valleys and hills, mostly around 1,400
metres above sea level, are suitable for growing sugarcane with
plenty of sunshine and wide variations in temperature between
daytime and night time. Yunnan has a long history of growing
sugarcane. The brown sugars produced in Zhuyuan, Panxi, Yongsheng
and Qiaojia regions are very popular. Yunnan is one of the leading
sugar producing provinces in China.Its sugar output ranks third
among all the provinces. At present, land for growing sugarcane
covers over 6 million mu, while a further 3 million mu is being
prepared to extend the crops. Yunnan was the first
place in China to grow rubber trees. As early as 1904, a tribal
headsman in Dehong prefecture imported 3,000 saplings of rubber
trees from abroad and planted them in the Fenghuang Mountain area.
Large scale planting of rubber trees began in the early 1950s. Now
rubber trees have been successfully transplanted to areas at
latitude 21°-25°N and with altitude of 100-1,000 metres above sea
level. The yield per unit area is the highest in China. The rubber
industry in Yunnan now has a wealth of experience to call on.
Because of its varied climatic conditions, Yunnan is an ideal
place for growing many different fruit trees throughout the year.
More than 130 varieties of fruit grow in the province, putting
Yunnan first in fruit growing among all the provinces. Now fruit
production is on a large scale and is very profitable. Fruits of
many varieties are available all year round in Yunnan and are sent
to markets in many other provinces in China. |
