Yuhang Jingshan Tea

Yuhang Jingshan Tea

Yuhang Jingshan Tea is a geographical indication protected product.

Yuhang Jingshan Tea is a geographical indication certification trademark.

　　 Yuhang Jingshan Tea is a traditional famous tea from Zhejiang, named after Jingshan Mountain at the border of Yuhang and Lin’an counties, and enjoys a high reputation in both domestic and international markets. The tea features delicate young leaves with fine fuzz, a vibrant green color, a high and clear aroma, a fresh and mellow taste, a yellowish-green liquor, and bright leaf bottoms. Jingshan is a renowned Buddhist site; visiting Jingshan and tasting Jingshan Tea, you may find the first cup mild, the second rich, and the third mellow and well-balanced, leaving a long-lasting aftertaste that brings a pleasant mood and relieves fatigue. The annual production of Jingshan Tea is about 2,500 kilograms, which has been sold both domestically and internationally and is highly popular, making it a famous tea with great development potential. (Yuhang)

　　Jingshan Tea has a long history and is a traditional famous tea. It originated in the Tang Dynasty, flourished in the Song Dynasty, and has a history of over 1,200 years. Over the past 30-plus years since 1978, Jingshan Tea has undergone innovation, development, and improvement, earning honors such as one of Zhejiang’s Top Ten Famous Teas, Zhejiang Provincial Famous Product, Zhejiang Provincial Famous Trademark, China Cultural Famous Tea, and the People’s Republic of China Geographical Indication Certification Trademark. Especially in 2010, it was recognized as a China Well-Known Trademark by the Trademark Office of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce. This 1,200-year-old famous tea has been inherited, innovated, developed, and improved in the more than 30 years of reform and opening-up, becoming an outstanding product among China’s green teas and winning praise and favor from all sectors of society.

　　Jingshan Tea is known for “advocating nature, pursuing green vibrancy, and emphasizing true color, true aroma, and true taste.” Its quality characteristics stem from a unique ecological environment, profound cultural heritage, and exquisite tea-making craftsmanship.

　　First is the unique ecological environment. Jingshan is part of the eastern Tianmu Mountain range, with its main peak Yaotou Mountain reaching 1,095.2 meters, while the rest of the mountains are all under 1,000 meters. Due to multiple geological movements and intense surface runoff, and as a mountain that suddenly rises on the southeastern coast, it appears even more majestic and towering, with relative heights all above 500 meters. Such geographical conditions make the warm and humid monsoon from the southeast easy to enter but hard to exit, leading to intense convection and creating an environment with frequent clouds, diffused light, and year-round humidity and rainfall — very conducive to the formation of Jingshan Tea’s natural quality. Influenced by factors such as the latitude of northern Zhejiang’s tea region and the Jingshan Mountain range, temperatures are relatively low, and the tea plants grow under diffused light, producing more chlorophyll B and forming various amino acids, giving the tea a rich aroma. The annual precipitation in the Jingshan Tea region exceeds 1,400 mm, suiting the tea plants’ preference for moisture. The most widely distributed soil type in the Jingshan Tea region is yellow-red soil, a subtype of red soil, which is loose, deep, rich in minerals and trace elements, with a pH value between 5.6 and 5.7 — optimal conditions for tea cultivation. The geographical latitude, mountain features, climatic factors, and soil conditions of the Jingshan Tea producing area form the material basis for its unique quality characteristics.

　　Second is the profound cultural heritage. Historical records indicate that over 1,200 years ago in the Tang Dynasty, the eminent monk Master Fachin traveled to Jingshan in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, where he founded a temple, planted and processed tea, and researched tea culture — marking the origin of Jingshan Tea. Later, Lu Yu, the Tea Sage of the Tang Dynasty, stayed in Jingshan, drew water to brew tea, tasted it, and wrote the Classic of Tea. In the Song Dynasty, Japanese monk Nanpu Shomyo came to Jingshan to study Buddhism and tea, bringing tea seeds and the then-popular Jingshan Tea Banquet back to Japan, which evolved into today’s Japanese Tea Ceremony. Jingshan Tea culture began with Lu Yu’s Classic of Tea and spread globally through the Japanese monks, making Jingshan the “Land Where the Tea Sage Wrote the Classic and the Origin of the Japanese Tea Ceremony.” Over its 1,200-year history, this traditional famous tea has developed a distinctive character. The bamboo forests, clear waters, and mist have nurtured its unique qualities, while notable figures, temples, and classical literature have endowed Jingshan Tea with rich connotations. Tea art, tea banquets, and tea ceremonies highlight its deep cultural roots. The mountains, waters, tea, temples, Zen, scriptures, and literature of Jingshan are interdependent, enduring, profound, and extensive, forming a rich historical and cultural heritage of Jingshan Tea. As a result, Jingshan Tea has become a carrier and symbol of the dissemination and continuation of traditional culture.

　　Third is the exquisite tea-making craftsmanship. Jingshan Mao Feng, a type of Jingshan Tea, features slender and tightly rolled strips. The picking standard for premium-grade tea is one bud with one leaf or one bud with two leaves just beginning to unfold. The process includes ventilation withering, high-temperature fixation, shaping, fine rolling, and final drying over charcoal fire. The appearance is delicate with visible fuzz, and the color is vibrant green. The internal quality offers a lasting tender aroma and a fresh, brisk taste. The liquor is bright and tender green, with leaves that are tender, neat, and vibrant green. Brewing a cup of Jingshan Tea in a glass allows you to experience its true color, true aroma, true taste, and true form. Its green color, gentle fragrance, and hint of sweetness bring visual, olfactory, and gustatory delight, satisfying both the senses and the spirit. Visually, you can appreciate the beauty of its green hue and the graceful form resembling scattered blossoms of two leaves and a bud. Through smell, you sense the subtle elegance of its faint fragrance. With taste, you enjoy the harmonious blend of slight bitterness, astringency, and sweetness. At the same time, your mind and spirit are cleansed and enlightened by beauty, achieving a state of selflessness, relaxation, and spiritual transcendence.

　　The production area of Jingshan Tea includes nine towns and subdistricts under the current administrative jurisdiction in Yuhang District, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province: Jingshan Town, Yuhang Subdistrict, Xianlin Subdistrict, Zhongtai Subdistrict, Huanghu Town, Luniu Town, Baizhang Town, Pingyao Town, and Liangzhu Subdistrict.