Lei Yongfeng

Simaoting, which was under the jurisdiction of Pu'er Prefecture in the Qing Dynasty, has become a central distribution center for the production, processing and sales of Pu'er tea. According to relevant historical records, in the 30th year of Daoguang reign of the Qing Dynasty (AD 1850), there were 5,571 registered foreign households in Simao Hall, which was 4.5 times the 1,016 local indigenous households in Simao. Most of the registered foreign customers were businessmen. After the customs was established in Simao in the 23rd year of Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty (1897 AD), the processing, export and sales of Pu'er tea prospered year by year. During the Guangxu period, the most famous tea companies in Simao City were Tongrenli, Hengshenggong, Yutaifeng, and Xinheren. The famous tea-making masters in Simao at that time included Liu Kecheng, Zhu Genlin, Yan Yiqing, Yu Changfu, Zhou Xiaozhou and others. Each tea house has two tea stoves. Each stove can process about 500 tons of tea per year, while some can process more than 1,000 tons of tea. Pu'er tea processed and exported includes round tea, square tea, tight group tea, double happiness tea and other varieties. In the third year of the Republic of China (AD 1974), the Pu'er Road Administration moved from Pu'er to Simao, and Simao became the political, economic, and cultural center of Pu'er Road. The production, processing, sales, and export of Pu'er tea developed and flourished year by year. Annual Pu'er tea has become About 10,000 Dan. At that time, Simao Commercial Market was located at the south gate outside the city, and Jiaochangba was the place where Simao Customs submitted goods for inspection; Shuncheng Street along the city from the east gate to the south gate was full of guesthouses; the Xinxing Street connecting Shuncheng Street Most of the streets are handicrafts related to the Pu'er tea trade, such as carpenters, blacksmiths, cobblers and saddle racks, leather, steel products, etc. needed for running horse gangs. Most tea houses and tea houses had mules, horses and oxen, and the oxen became the main means of transportation to and from the tea mountains at that time. There are even thousands of horses from other places. Therefore, there are also many small manufacturers that produce cow and horse saddles, leather tartars, horse steel bells, and cow bells. The more famous Wang's saddles, Ma's leather tarts, Shi's steel bells, and Li's aristolochia and cow bells are both beautiful and loud. The Zhu family's scissors are beautiful, sharp, come in many styles and durable, and are famous far and wide. Silversmith shops produce a variety of silver tableware and ethnic ornaments, and silver pins, collars, longevity locks, etc. are very popular. Most silversmith shops are concentrated in Nancheng and Zhushi Street, such as the Baoxin Hao of Zhang Baochang's family, Baoxing Hao of Luo Hengshan's family, and Baoheng Hao of Su Wenguang's family. They produce silver tableware with superb skills, exquisite products and exquisite craftsmanship.

By the Republic of China, tea houses selling Simao-made Pu'er tea included Lei Yongfeng, Yuxingxiang, Dingchunli, Qingshengyuan, Dajixiang, Qianyixiang, Ruifenghao, and Jun There are 22 teahouses including Yixiang, Fuheyuan, Tonghexiang, Hengtaixiang, Dayouqing, and Lihua Tea House. Every year, more than 500 tons of raw tea are processed by Yunji Simao, the tea mountain where it is produced. In the tea processing process of these teahouses, the tea masters and workers divide the tea leaves into four grades: spring tip, grain flower, fine black and old yellow leaves, and then blend the tea leaves of each grade to make Pu'er tight tea. , Pu'er brick tea, which is exclusively sold in Tibetan areas; Pu'er round tea, which is exclusively sold in and outside the province; two types of bulk Pu'er tea, Chunjian and Guhua, which are not kneaded, are shipped to Kunming's tea houses for sale and then carefully selected, with jasmine and chrysanthemum added respectively. The first-class scented tea is then sold to various places inside and outside the province.

Simao Jun Yixiang Tea House specializes in beautifully packaged Pu'er tea. In addition to being sold to the mainland, it also has sales offices in Shiping, Mengzi, Kunming, Shanghai and Hong Kong; in Yangon, Myanmar, There are branches in Hsipaw, Mandeloitte, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Singapore and other places in Thailand. The Pu'er tea processed and sold by Junyixiang Tea House is exquisitely packaged, and the packaging instructions are unique and have distinctive commercial characteristics. The packaging instructions say: "The benefits of Yunnan Pu'er tea have been famous since the Qing Dynasty, and have been widely used in various countries at home and abroad. Everyone praised him, so the tribute tea brought to Beijing was regarded as a precious drink by the royal family, because this kind of tea can not only clear the mind and quench thirst, but also cure colds, food accumulation and other diseases. It is definitely not the tea from other places. Or the tea prepared with spices can be compared..., the owner of this village has always been engaged in the tea industry in Pu'er..., specializing in tender spring tea, using the latest roasting methods, and making every effort to be clean, and the work is top-notch. The tea is fragrant, delicious, and hygienic. It is very different from the old tea. It is a hundred times better than the new tea made by adding medicinal materials. , so that people all over the world have excellent drinks.

...," hundreds of words eloquently describe the essence and sales strategy of Pu'er tea. It is even a physical evidence for studying the history of Pu'er culture and a historical witness of Simao's role in the development of Pu'er tea.

Simao's recognized management The first well-known tea house of Pu'er tea is "Lei Yongfeng" tea house. "Lei Yongfeng" tea house ranks first in the history of Simao tea in the province. "Lei Yongping" tea house owner Lei Fengchun (also known as Lei). Langran), a native of Shiping. He came to Simao during the Guangxu period (1895 AD) when Simao was established as a treaty port. He first ran a haberdashery business and later developed into a tea house, making his own Tuocha, Qiziyuan tea and some gourd tea for tribute. "Lei Yongfeng" tea house was very particular about raw materials, formulas, production and packaging due to its sufficient funds and strong strength. During the tea production season, the tea house had collected enough raw tea according to the designated tea area and prepared it. After the firewood is fired, a series of processes are carried out, such as picking tea, preparing tea, banana tea, kneading tea, and herbal tea. The Qiziyuan tea is made by a famous master. The finished product is wrapped with soaked bamboo shoot leaves, tied with strips, and then wrapped in bamboo shoot leaves. Put a big cinnabar seal on it, put it in seven groups, and put in the "tea ticket", and it will be considered complete when the caravan comes to bundle the goods. The whole process is orderly, the materials are genuine, and the reputation is well-deserved. "Lei Yong." "Ping" tea house has many business branches. It has a "Yang Fuji" business on Zhengyi Road in Kunming, which mainly deals in tea industry, with annual sales of about 1,000 tons.

With the opening of the treaty port and the establishment of Simao Customs, Simao was once prosperous. The city developed day by day, with businesses spread throughout the streets and people passing by. The Ancient Tea Horse Road directly connected to various countries in Southeast Asia. Due to the development of tea production, the tea making industry was also established and developed, and dozens of tea houses were established. In the streets and alleys, various service industries, cultural undertakings, and handicraft industries have developed to a considerable extent. The name "Yin Simao" comes from this period, and the origin of Simao and Pu'er tea can be seen from this.