A millennia of civilisational exchange between Yunnan of China and Brunei
Beneath the shared skies of the South China Sea, a humble leaf has woven a centuries-long bond between China’s Yunnan Province and Brunei Darussalam: tea. From maritime trade routes to modern cultural galas in Bandar Seri Begawan, Yunnan’s tea carries mutual respect, dialogue and shared prosperity, embodying civilisation exchange under the Belt and Road Initiative and alignment with Brunei’s Wawasan 2035 macro vision.
Yunnan is the birthplace of wild tea trees and the origin of Puer tea, with a tea cultivation history stretching over 2,000 years.
As early as the Ming Dynasty, Zheng He’s ocean fleets docked at ancient Borneo, known then as Boni Kingdom, laying the foundation for cross-border commodity exchange between Yunnan of China and Brunei.
For centuries, compressed Puer tea blocks traveled southward via the Southern Silk Road, carried by horse caravans to Vietnam’s coastal ports before being shipped to Muara Port and other Borneo harbours. Chinese migrants settling in Brunei brought tea-drinking rituals as early as the Ming Dynasty, embedding tea into local social customs. Today, tea remains a universal hospitality symbol across Brunei’s multi-ethnic communities, ethnic Chinese families host guests with aged Puer at home, while local Malays blend black tea into teh tarik, forming a unique fusion of Eastern and Nusantara tea cultures.
In recent years, Yunnan Pu’er tea has gained rising recognition in Brunei’s market. Purchasing demand keeps growing steadily among local Chinese merchants and the royal circle. Pu’er tea and aged vintage tea collections have become popular commodities in people-to-people bilateral trade. Local tea shops, run mostly by Chinese diaspora, stock Yunnan Puer and Dianhong black tea, making Yunnan tea a staple in Brunei’s premium beverage market.
In recent years, official exchanges have amplified tea as a cultural messenger. In February 2026, the ‘Harbors Tonight’ cultural event in Bandar Seri Begawan featured a dedicated Yunnan tea tasting zone, where demonstrators showcased traditional Puer tea ceremonies to over 100 Bruneian officials, entrepreneurs and scholars, alongside Yunnan coffee and ethnic handicrafts. In May 2026, Yunnan Provincial Department of Commerce led a delegation of tea producers to Brunei under the ‘Yunnan Products Go Global’ campaign, holding trade matchmaking sessions with the Brunei-China Friendship Association and Brunei National Chamber of Commerce. The delegation held in-depth talks with Brunei’s Primary Resources and Tourism Ministry, exploring joint wellness tea tourism projects that fit Brunei’s push to diversify its oil-dominated economy under Wawasan 2035. Local retailers expressed strong intent to expand imports of Yunnan tea, with upgraded cold-chain logistics links at Muara Port facilitating smoother cross-border shipments of tea cargo all year round.
This tea dialogue creates beautiful cultural resonance between two distinct drinking traditions. Brunei’s beloved teh tarik relies on sweet milked black tea for casual daily socialising, while Yunnan’s Puer ritual emphasises quiet reflection and slow brewing rooted in multi-ethnic tea culture of Dai, Hani and Deang communities.
Instead of clashing, the two styles complement each other at cultural events, Bruneian visitors learn to appreciate layered Puer flavours, while Yunnan tea practitioners taste local pulled tea, exchanging brewing skills and cultural connotations side by side.
Beyond tasting, tea connects broader cooperation, Yunnan’s complete tea industry chain, covering organic planting, deep processing and branding, offers reference for Brunei’s underdeveloped agricultural and wellness tourism plans, as Brunei seeks to raise domestic food self-sufficiency and expand non-oil GDP sectors.
University exchanges further reinforce this bond, Bruneian students studying in Yunnan often take part in village tea culture experiences, bringing firsthand stories of Yunnan’s tea heritage back to their hometowns to share with peers and families.
Tea is far more than a commodity; it is a quiet language of friendship. For generations, it has carried Yunnan’s multi-ethnic wisdom across the ocean to Brunei’s shores, bridging cultural differences without erasing unique local identities.
As Brunei and China mark the 35th anniversary of diplomatic ties this year, multiple tea-themed activities will be staged as core segments of the joint commemoration series. Yunnan tea will continue to act as a grassroots bridge, deepening people-to-people bonds, boosting agricultural trade, and jointly writing a new chapter of equal, win-win civilisation exchange between Yunnan and Brunei. – Liu Ting, Director and Professor, International Collaboration Center, Yunnan Academy of Social Sciences & Chinese (Kunming) Academy of South and Southeast Asia Studies
SOURCE/AUTHOR : BORNEO BULLETIN
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