The Development of Coffee in China the Biography of Coffee in Zhukula Village, Yunnan Province

When it comes to the history of Chinese coffee, we have to mention Yunnan Dali Zhukula coffee, which plays a vital role in the process of Chinese coffee history. The ancient coffee forest in Zhukula Village belongs to the unique variety of Arabica coffee in Yunnan Province, which is very rare and excellent in quality. It can be called the "living fossil" of Chinese coffee. Let's explore the century-old coffee legend of Zhukula Village.

Zhukula, located in the deep mountain northeast of Pingchuan Town, Binchuan County, Yunnan Province, is the junction of Chuxiong, Dali and Lijiang, surrounded by Yupao River, a tributary of Jinsha River. Due to inconvenient transportation, Zhukula is almost isolated from the world, so it is a little-known Yi stronghold.

Tan Jialin, a local, said: "The reason why the 13 mu ancient coffee forest in Zhukula area is listed as the oldest coffee forest in China is that there are 24 ancient coffee trees more than 100 years old. The tree species are pure Yunnan Arabica coffee. Its superior quality is very rare. It is the ancestor of Chinese coffee, especially Yunnan Arabica coffee. It has extremely high scientific research value and industrial development value."

Yunnan has a long tradition of coffee cultivation and unique climatic advantages. Yunnan Arabica coffee has the characteristics of strong but not bitter, fragrant but not greasy, slightly acidic taste, etc. According to the International Coffee Organization, Yunnan Arabica coffee and Colombia Arabica coffee have similar quality and strong market competitiveness. At present, 95% of China's coffee raw materials are produced in Yunnan. Therefore, Yunnan's coffee industry has a profound impact on the development of China's coffee industry.

Zhukula Village is located on the hillside beside Yupao River, surrounded by green coffee forest. The clear sunlight of late autumn was shining warmly on the whole small mountain village at this time, as if it was plated with a layer of gold, and there was still mist on the top of the mountain. This was Zhu Kula, which was regarded as a peach garden outside the world.

Entering Zhukula Village, a unique coffee aroma hit. It turned out that after a hundred years of edification, drinking coffee has long become the living habit of local Yi villagers. Qi Fenghua, a villager, said that no matter men, women and children in the village, they like to drink coffee, grind with iron pan stone, fry and grind themselves. However, the coffee brewing process is confidential, not passed on to wives, not daughters.

After drinking the original, quaint coffee, we approached this so-called China's oldest coffee forest. At this time, the ancient coffee tree has already produced strings of coffee beans. Although it will mature next month, there will be coffee beans showing bright red color. Qi Fenghua said that this forest is recognized as the oldest ancient coffee forest in China. There are 1134 plants in 13 mu, 24 of which have a history of more than 100 years. They were introduced and planted by French missionaries in 1892 when they built churches in Chukula.

In 1892, French Catholic missionaries could leave such a legacy. He went to Jukula to preach, built a church there, and introduced the habit of drinking coffee to Jukula. He planted a coffee forest and taught local villagers to grow coffee, drink coffee and sell coffee. From then on, local villagers began to have the habit of planting, grinding and drinking coffee by themselves, which continues to this day.

Li Fusheng, an 86-year-old villager from Zhukula Village, said: "The coffee was planted by Father Tian for 117 years. I remember when there was a house tall. There was such a shed. The roots were not as big as this."

Old man Li Fusheng is the first president of the village. The old man witnessed the history of coffee trees in Zhukula Village. In 1948, President Li Fusheng mobilized villagers to plant coffee in a large area, which once developed to more than 80 mu. However, a heavy snow in 1983 froze coffee trees far away from the village. The 13 mu coffee trees around the village basically survived, leaving only 1134 at present.

Yunnan Province cultural scholar Ms. Huang Shuyun said: "A Malaysian coffee expert once said that to keep the old varieties of Yunnan coffee, to keep the Chinese coffee in the history of the world coffee status." Zhukula coffee belongs to Yunnan small-grain Bobang Tiekka coffee, this kind of coffee is already very rare in Yunnan, so it is necessary for us to carry out rescue protection and development."

In recent years, the local government has fully realized the importance of protecting and developing ancient coffee varieties in Yunnan, and has protected and developed coffee as a key industry. The finance department of Binchuan County allocates 100,000 yuan of support fund every year to build the brand of "Zhukula Centennial Ancient Coffee". Yang Tiwu, director of Pingchuan Town Economic Office, also lives in Zhukula Village for seedling breeding as a scientific and technological personnel of Zhukula Coffee. He said: "After we arrived at Zhukula Village, the first is to do a good job in the irrigation of the old coffee; the second is to prevent and control the pests of the old coffee; the third is to do a good job of pruning and protecting the old coffee." On top of that, the next step is breeding."

The pure old coffee has been growing for seven months now, and next year, these seedlings can be provided free of charge to villagers in three nearby villages. At that time, every surviving mu of coffee tree will subsidize the villagers to plant 500 yuan, promote the development of the ancient coffee industry, and let the descendants of the ancient coffee tree reproduce for generations. For this, Qi Fenghua is also full of confidence in leading the villagers to increase their income and become rich.