Hekai

Hekai is a tea region in Menghun Town of Menghai County, Xishuangbanna, with elevations from 1,400 to 1,700 m. The name translates as "the first place to see the morning sun"; the local Lahu ethnic group, descendants of the ancient Qiang, has lived and cultivated tea here for over 1,500 years. Hekai contains roughly 8,000 mu (~1,330 acres) of old-growth tea mountain; almost a third of the area is covered in 200–400-year-old Menghai-type tea trees, making it one of the largest contiguous ancient gardens in Yunnan.