Simao District (Chinese: 思茅区; pinyin: Sīmáo Qū; formerly known as Cuiyun District) is a district under the jurisdiction of Pu'er Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China. It is the seat of Puer Prefecture. Simao District is a multi-cultural city with many ethnic minority groups, including the Dai, Yi, Hani etc. They live together harmoniously and retain their cultural legacy and life practices. When you travel to Simao District, you can buy much things as Pu’er or Pu-erh Tea(普洱茶), Simao Coffee(思茅咖啡), Dai People Clothes(傣族服饰), Simao Wood Carving(思茅木雕) and so on.

Pu’er or Pu-erh Tea(普洱茶)

Pu-erh or Pu'er is a variety of fermented and aged dark tea produced in Yunnan province, China. Fermentation in the context of tea production involves microbial fermentation and oxidation of the tea leaves, after they have been dried and rolled.This process is a Chinese specialty and produces tea known as Hei Cha (黑茶), commonly translated as dark, or black tea (this type of tea is different from what in the West is known as "black tea", which in China is called "red tea" 红茶). The best known variety of this category of tea is Pu-erh from Yunnan Province, named after the trading post for dark tea during imperial China.

Pu'er traditionally begins as a raw product known as "rough" Mao Cha (毛茶) and can be sold in this form or pressed into a number of shapes and sold as "raw" Sheng Cha (生茶). Both of these forms then undergo the complex process of gradual fermentation and maturation with time. The Wo Dui fermentation process (渥堆) developed in 1973 by the Kunming Tea Factory:206 created a new type of pu-erh tea. This process involves an accelerated fermentation into "ripe" Shu Cha (熟茶) which is then stored loose or pressed into various shapes. The fermentation process was adopted at the Menghai Tea Factory shortly after and technically developed there.The legitimacy of shu cha is disputed by some traditionalists in contrast to aged teas. All types of pu-erh can be stored to mature before consumption, which is why it is commonly labelled with year and region of production.

Simao Coffee(思茅咖啡)

When you hear “China” and “coffee” mentioned in the same sentence, it is usually regarding the booming coffee market in the traditionally tea-drinking country. Less well-known is the fact that coffee is actually grown in China. It is predominantly low-quality arabica used in instant coffee, grown in full sun using high chemical inputs, and the Chinese government is aggressively promoting the expansion of thousands of hectares of coffee production.

Coffee has been grown in Yunnan since the late 1800s, but on a relatively small scale. There was a resurgence in the late 1960s, but today’s Chinese coffee revival was orchestrated in the 1980s by the Chinese government, the United Nations, and at least one large multinational roaster. Very high import tariffs combined with millions of potential new coffee consuming customers has prompted roasters to source coffee from within the country.

Dai People Clothes(傣族服饰)

The river valleys and plains in the south and west of Yunnan Province are home to most ethnic minorities in the province. The areas where the Dai ethnic people live are mainly in tropical or subtropical zones that are best known for the warm weather, luxuriant mountain forests and abundant products. These geological features are fully reflected in the Dai ethnic clothing, which is beautiful and quietly elegant and at the same time, comfortable to be worn and in good taste. The clothing is nothing short of a statement of the Dai people's love of life and their pursuit of moderate beauty.

The clothes for men are pretty much the same in different areas. The upper garment is usually a front-opening collarless jacket or narrow-sleeved short jacket. The lower garment is a pair of light-colored, broad-waist, and pocket-less pants. Most men use white or cyan cloth to wrap the head, with some wearing a woolen hat. They have a blanket over their shoulders when it’s cold. The Dai men are bare-footed all the year round. Their clothes are light and comfortable for doing farm work and look elegant and smart when the wearer is dancing.

The Dai women tend to pay special attention to their clothing, focusing on light, beautiful, simple and elegant dresses as well as on the perfect match of colors. Their upper garment is a tight-fit undershirt that comes in different colors and a light-color front-opening jacket with narrow sleeves over the undershirt. The lower garment is a flowery straight skirt with various woven patterns.

Simao Wood Carving(思茅木雕)

The wood carving of Simao District is very famous and enjoys much popularity. Wood carving is a form of working wood by means of a cutting tool (knife) in one hand or a chisel by two hands or with one hand on a chisel and one hand on a mallet, resulting in a wooden figure or figurine, or in the sculptural ornamentation of a wooden object. The phrase may also refer to the finished product, from individual sculptures to hand-worked mouldings composing part of a tracer.