Pu'er has been a center of tea cultivation and trade for over 1,700 years. The region's tea was first mentioned in historical records during the Three Kingdoms period (220-280 AD), when it was used as a medicinal herb. By the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), Pu'er tea had become a popular beverage traded along the Ancient Tea Horse Road.
The Tea Horse Road was a network of trade routes connecting Yunnan's tea-producing regions to Tibet, Sichuan, and eventually Central Asia and India. Tea was traded for horses — hence the name. Pu'er was a critical hub on this network, with caravans of hundreds of horses carrying compressed tea cakes across treacherous mountain passes.
During the Ming and Qing dynasties, Pu'er tea gained imperial favor and became a tribute tea presented to the emperor. The city of Pu'er (then Simao) officially became a trading port for tea in 1729 during the Qing Dynasty, marking the formalization of the tea trade.
In the modern era, Pu'er's importance declined with the advent of ocean shipping, but the late 20th century saw a revival of interest in Pu'er tea, both domestically and internationally. In 2007, Simao was officially renamed Pu'er City to leverage the global recognition of its famous tea.
