Fanglugge

Fanglugge

Fanglugge is a cultural tourism attraction.

It is said that long ago, there was a man named Lu Tong,

who, together with his wife, ran a small teahouse, barely making ends meet. One day, Lu Tong heard that there were tea trees growing on the hillsides by Taihu Lake, where people could freely pick the leaves. So he said to his wife, “We’re running a small business and can’t afford to buy a lot of tea. I’m thinking of heading up to the hills by Taihu Lake to pick some tea leaves myself to save on expenses.”

Lu Tong didn’t know much about picking tea. He made his way up the rugged mountain paths by Taihu Lake, hoping to find someone who could teach him. As he walked, he suddenly spotted an old man with white hair and a silver beard lying unconscious by the side of a mountain trail, with a bamboo basket strapped to his back. He quickly rushed over, checked for breath, and found a faint one. He immediately helped the old man up, pressed his philtrum with his fingers, and called out loudly, “Uncle, uncle, wake up!”

After a while, the old man slowly opened his eyes and weakly reached toward the bamboo basket, gesturing as if to grab something, then pointed to his mouth.

Lu Tong understood what he meant, quickly grabbed a handful of leaves from the basket, and one by one placed them into the old man’s mouth. The old man slowly chewed the leaves, and within the time it takes to smoke a pipe, he regained consciousness. It turned out the old man was named Lu Yu, also here to pick tea. He had visited many tea mountains and could identify many types of tea. Names like “Heart-Clearing Tea,” “Qi-Soothing Tea,” and “Detoxifying Tea” were all ones he had personally tasted and named. That day, he had accidentally tried a poisonous kind of tea, which caused him to collapse. Fortunately, he met Lu Tong and consumed some detoxifying tea, which saved his life.

When Lu Yu learned that Lu Tong ran a teahouse at home and had come to pick tea, he taught Lu Tong a great deal about tea and even took him to nearby hillsides to pick tea leaves. The two became close friends.

Half a year later, in order to repay Lu Tong for saving his life, Lu Yu brought a large amount of high-quality tea he had personally picked to visit Lu Tong. He traveled to many places and asked at numerous teahouses before finally finding Lu Tong. The two were overjoyed to see each other. In the end, Lu Yu gave all the Heart-Clearing Tea he had brought to Lu Tong.

After Lu Yu left, Lu Tong used the Heart-Clearing Tea to brew tea for his guests. Those who drank it felt particularly refreshed. Drunkards who drank it immediately sobered up and cleared their heads, while those feeling down or upset instantly felt relieved and uplifted. Word spread rapidly—ten telling a hundred. Everyone learned that Lu Tong’s teahouse had a miraculous tea, and they came from far and wide to try this special brew. As a result, the teahouse’s business flourished, and it grew bigger and bigger.

To commemorate Lu Yu’s visit,

Lu Tong named his teahouse “Fanglugge” (“Visiting Lu’s Teahouse”).