茶是中国历史上继世界四大发明的第五大贡献，而茶的药用价值最早可追溯至5000年以前的神农时期。据草药文献《神农本草经》记载：“神农尝百草，日遇七十二毒，得茶而解之”。神农对茶叶药用价值的贡献可谓是第一人。据东晋常琚《华阳国志·巴志》史料中记载：“周武王伐纣，实得巴蜀之师……鱼盐铜铁。丹漆茶蜜……皆纳贡之”。这说明了早在商周时期的濮族人民（即现在云南布朗族）已经懂得种茶和茶叶生产制造。普洱茶的历史可见极为久远。 据云南当地少数民族的历代流传记载，早在1700年三国时期的诸葛孔明曾到过云南，并在当地种下茶树。又根据檀萃在其所著之书《滇海虞衡志》中称 “茶山有茶王树，较五山独大，本武侯遗种，至今已、夷民祀之”。在勐海的傣族、拉估族及爱尼人，把南糯山称之为 “孔明山”，把诸葛亮奉为茶祖。而傣族人每年过年，都会放 “孔明灯”以示祭奠。今西双版纳巴达大黑山生长着一颗和诸葛孔明南征同时期的1700年野生 “茶树王” 正和其历史记载的年代地点不谋而合。这其中或许有着某些历史因日缘关系，后人不得而知，然而它却让我们怀着无限的想去探寻那千年茶树王的历史渊源。 Tea is considered the fifth great contribution of China to the world after the Four Great Inventions of ancient China. The medicinal value of tea can be traced back to the Shennong era 5,000 years ago. The ancient book of herbal medicine, the Shennong Bencao Jing, records that "Shennong tasted hundreds of herbs and encountered seventy-two poisons. Tea cured him." Therefore, Shennong is considered to be the first person who discovered the medicinal value of tea. According to historical records in the Huayang Guo Zhi, written by Chang Qu of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, "King Wu of Zhou conquered King Zhou, and obtained the army of Ba and Shu... and brought back fish, salt, copper, iron, cinnabar, tea, and honey as tribute." This indicates that as early as the Shang and Zhou dynasties, the Pu people (now known as the Blang people in Yunnan) had already mastered the cultivation and production of tea. The history of Pu'er tea can be traced back to ancient times. According to the local records passed down by ethnic minorities in Yunnan, Zhuge Kongming, a famous strategist during the Three Kingdoms period, visited Yunnan in the 1700s and planted tea trees there. Tang Cui, in his book Dian Hai Yu Heng Zhi, referred to "the king of tea trees on the tea mountain, which is larger than the five famous mountains. It was planted by the Wu Hou family and is still worshipped by the Yi people." The Dai, Lagu, and Ainu people in Menghai call the Nan Nuo Mountain "Kongming Mountain" and consider Zhuge Kongming as the ancestor of tea. During their New Year celebrations, the Dai people release "Kongming lanterns" to pay tribute to him. Today, a wild "tea tree king" has been found growing in the Dahaikeng Mountain in Xishuangbanna, dating back to the same period as Zhuge Kongming's visit to Yunnan in 1700, which coincides with the historical records. Although the true history behind it remains unknown, it encourages us to explore the historical origins of this thousand-year-old tea tree king with endless curiosity.

举世闻名的茶马古道是历史上中华文化和西域边境文化交流的主要枢纽。茶马古道初期的形成可探溯至大约2000年前的汉朝时期。而茶马古道真正热络起来则是在唐代。其中主要因素为当时的吐番王朝（西藏）的崛起，汉族饮茶之风进入藏区，藏族、东亚和西亚人开始大量饮茶，形成频繁的茶马交易，造就了名符其实 “茶马古道”，也组成带茶易马的马帮队伍。茶马古道的运用经历了宋元明清至20世纪中叶才逐渐被公路取代。 早期的茶叶一般都由人力、骡马、牛只经由茶马古道运输至各地。其中路途的遥远和艰辛，非一般人所能想象。短程人力运输由数天的山路徒步跋涉，至长达数月翻山越岭餐风宿露，加上背负重达136公斤的茶量，无不道尽茶马道上马帮背夫的艰苦与辛酸。 The world-renowned Tea Horse Road was the main hub for cultural exchange between China and the western border regions in history. The formation of the Tea Horse Road can be traced back to the Han Dynasty about 2,000 years ago. However, it truly flourished during the Tang Dynasty, when the rise of the Tubo Kingdom (Tibet) led to the introduction of tea drinking culture among the Han people in Tibet, and the widespread consumption of tea among the Tibetan, East Asian, and West Asian peoples, resulting in frequent tea-horse trading and the creation of the Tea Horse Road, along with the formation of caravans transporting tea and horses. The Tea Horse Road was in use from the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties until the mid-20th century, when it gradually gave way to modern roads. In the early days, tea was usually transported by human labor, mules, and oxen through the Tea Horse Road to various places. The distance and hardship of the journey were beyond imagination for ordinary people. Short-distance transportation relied on several days of hiking on mountain roads, while long-distance transportation could take several months of crossing mountains and camping in the open air. Carrying tea loads weighing up to 136 kilograms, the tea caravan porters on the Tea Horse Road endured untold hardships and difficulties.