Huangshan White Tea

Huangshan White Tea

Huangshan White Tea is a geographical indication protected product.

　　Huangshan White Tea is a specialty of She County, Huangshan City, Anhui Province.

　　Huangshan White Tea, also known as Huizhou White Tea, is produced in Fenghuang Bay of Qingshan Village, Fushuo Town, She County, Huangshan City, as well as Wugongling Village and Tiantang Village in Huangtian Township.

　　Official historical records from Huizhou state:

　　"Phoenix Mountain lies to the north of She, fifteen li away, thirty ren high, ten li in circumference, where phoenixes often gather. It used to produce tea, yielding no more than two or three jin per year. During the Xining era, Qiu Sicheng named it 'Sweet White Fragrance'."

　　— Song Dynasty, Chunxi, *Xin'an Annals*

　　"Huangshan White Tea," also known as "Huizhou White Tea," has existed since the Song Dynasty. It was favored by Emperor Huizong of Song and became a tribute tea, enjoying great popularity for a time. Rich in amino acids, iron, zinc, selenium, and other nutrients—especially with an exceptionally high amino acid content of 9.2%, far surpassing that of Zhejiang’s Anji White Tea—its low phenol-to-amino acid ratio results in an extremely fresh and mellow tea liquor. Increasingly accepted by consumers, since 2008, the white tea market has seen annual price increases, yielding considerable economic benefits. Particularly through the continuous efforts and exploration of the "Huangshan Ganbaixiang White Tea Ecological Garden," white tea production in She County, Huangshan City, Anhui Province, has begun to take shape. Huangshan Ganbaixiang White Tea has gained some renown, and in 2009, the "Huangshan Ganbaixiang White Tea Ecological Garden" won the only Special Prize at the "China Tea Cup" competition, becoming a standout in She County’s tea industry.

　　In the early 1990s, tea farmers in Huangtian Township, She County, Huangshan City, Anhui Province, discovered several wild white tea bushes in high-altitude tea gardens (around 600 meters) from Liulian to Wugongling. In 1991, after sampling by senior agronomist Hu Wuhai from the county agriculture bureau and local farmers, the first batch of samples was developed and sent to the China National Tea Research Institute for testing. Results showed that Huangshan White Tea had an amino acid content of over 8%, significantly higher than other teas, along with a low tea polyphenol-to-amino acid ratio, resulting in an exceptionally fresh and mellow liquor. Researcher Cheng Qikun, then director of the China National Tea Research Institute, praised it as "Huangshan White Tea, a heavenly gift, with white leaves and a fresh taste, most beneficial to health" and "Huangshan Ganbaixiang, Huizhou’s tribute tea."

　　Huangshan White Tea is made from one bud with one or two leaves, refined through processes such as withering, fixing, shaping, and baking.

　　High-grade Huangshan White Tea features an upright, stretched appearance, golden-yellow yet greenish hues, uniform moisture with visible fuzz. When brewed, it emits a long-lasting floral aroma, with a fresh and mellow taste and a sweet aftertaste, fully embodying the "sweet, white, fragrant" characteristics described in historical texts. The tea liquor is tender green and bright, while the leaves stand intact, snow-white and almost transparent like jade.

　　Since 2008, with attention from various levels of government in Anhui Province and the ongoing efforts of local tea professionals, Huangshan White Tea has seen accelerated progress in variety selection, breeding, demonstration planting, and scaled promotion. Brand development is strengthening, and the "Ganbaixiang" brand of Huangshan White Tea produced by the Huangshan Ganbaixiang White Tea Ecological Garden won the Special Gold Award at the 2009 "China Tea Cup" competition. Huangshan White Tea now has a certain market presence and recognition in cities like Shanghai, Hefei, Beijing, and Suzhou. As a standout in the tea industry, Huangshan White Tea will continue to spread its fragrance forever.

　　Historical Origins of Huangshan White Tea

　　     When speaking of white tea, we must mention Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty (Zhao Ji), the eighth ruler of the Song Dynasty. Though he was a neglectful monarch who exploited the people and indulged in debauchery, he was an exceptional emperor-calligrapher and painter, as well as a tea aficionado with unique tastes and insights. His work *Daguan Tea Treatise* is the best explanation and the earliest scientific treatise on white tea. "...White tea is a unique variety, distinct from ordinary tea. Its sprouts are spread out, its leaves thin and translucent, occasionally growing between cliffs and forests. Though not something man can easily cultivate. Those who have it number no more than four or five households, with no more than one or two plants; production is limited to just two or three jin. The abundance of buds makes steaming and roasting particularly difficult—if heat or timing is off, it turns into ordinary tea. Only exquisite craftsmanship and proper technique can yield clarity inside and out, like jade hidden in rough stone, unmatched by anything else. Light roasting can also produce it, but the quality is inferior..."

　　Records from our county indicate that white tea production began in the Song Dynasty, as noted in the *Xin'an Annals* (1174–1189): "Phoenix Mountain lies to the north of She... where phoenixes once gathered. It used to produce tea, yielding no more than two or three jin per year. During the Xining era (1068–1077), Qiu Sicheng named it 'Sweet White Fragrance'..." Historical evidence confirms that white tea production in our county started in the Song Dynasty. Some say that after Emperor Zhao Ji of the Northern Song Dynasty recorded white tea, it was not seen again for 350 years until the Ming Dynasty—but this is unverified hearsay. However, our county’s focus on developing white tea began in the 1970s, when Hu Wuhai (now retired), then a tea official, accidentally discovered a white tea variant—mutated from green tea—in the mountains of Wugongling Village, Huangtian Township. After long-term observation and repeated research, he found that white tea, unlike ordinary tea, had three major values: ornamental, nutritional, and economic. Rich in amino acids, iron, zinc, selenium, and other nutrients, it surpassed ordinary green tea. The tea’s buds were white as jade, its leaves thin as paper. When brewed, the buds and leaves stood intact, emitting a high and refreshing aroma, with a clear, tender green, and bright liquor. A sip revealed a fresh, mellow taste and a mouthful of sweet fragrance—a true tea treasure.

　　     III. Current Development of Huangshan White Tea

　　     Thus, Mr. Hu Wuhai began small-scale asexual propagation and trial planting of white tea in Wugongling Village. Limited by historical conditions and various factors, white tea did not develop into a market or scale. By the end of the last century, Ms. Cao Yuehong (now the legal representative of the Huangshan Ganbaixiang White Tea Ecological Garden), the successor of white tea cultivation, first leased land in Lianjiang Ranch, Guilin Town, to select and breed white tea varieties, focusing on purification, rejuvenation, and propagation. Later, due to development zone construction, she moved to Sankeng and Limin villages in Zhengcun Town to continue breeding. With strong support from the county agriculture commission, finance bureau, science and technology bureau, poverty alleviation office, and immigration commission, after many twists and turns, she finally established her own Huangshan white tea mother plant garden, propagation base, and production base. In 2009, she registered and founded the Huangshan Ganbaixiang White Tea Ecological Garden. The industrialized development of Huangshan White Tea began to take shape, with hope on the horizon.

　　In 2009, samples of the "Ganbaixiang" brand of Huangshan White Tea were tested at the China Agricultural Products Testing Center. Results showed an amino acid content of 8.0%, tea polyphenol content of 8.0%, and catechin content of 10.4%, making it a leader in the phenol-to-amino acid ratio among similar teas. Once this news was publicized via newspapers and online media, it immediately drew high attention from industry experts. China’s first tea academician, Chen Zongmao, inscribed: "Ganbaixiang, Huangshan White Tea." Cheng Qikun, former director of the China National Tea Research Institute and vice president of the China Tea Culture Research Association, praised: "Huangshan Ganbaixiang, Huizhou’s tribute tea." Professor Wang Zhenhuan of Anhui Agricultural University commended: "Huangshan White Tea, a heavenly gift, with white leaves and a fresh taste, most beneficial to health." In 2009, "Ganbaixiang" Huangshan White Tea participated in the 8th National "China Tea Cup" competition for premium teas, winning the Special Prize with a high score of 94.05. In the same year, the packaging of "Ganbaixiang" Huangshan White Tea won first prize in both design and product categories at our county’s first agricultural product packaging competition. At the 5th China Huangshan Tea, Premium Agricultural Products, and Tourism Expo in Shanghai, "Ganbaixiang" Huangshan White Tea sold for an astronomical 11,600 yuan per kilogram. In 2010, at the 6th China Huangshan Tea and Premium Agricultural Products Expo in Shanghai, "Ganbaixiang" Huangshan White Tea caught the eye of Hong Kong and Guangzhou tea merchants, who agreed to purchase all 2011 production at 16,000 yuan per kilogram.

　　 IV. Quality Characteristics of Huangshan White Tea

　　 What is "white tea"? "Ganbaixiang" Huangshan White Tea is not one of the six traditional tea categories classified by processing method, but rather a new variety of green tea. According to reports, white tea is a genetic variant caused by chlorophyll deficiency under low temperatures, a unique cultivar of tea trees. Though called white tea, it still belongs to the green tea category because its fresh leaves are white (during a certain growth stage) and are processed using green tea methods.

　　The color of white tea trees is noticeably lighter. Remarkably, the color of the buds changes with the seasons—for example, early spring buds are gray-white, gradually turning green until fully green by Grain Rain. Additionally, the white tea harvest season is short, lasting only about a month, making it even more precious.

　　The morphological characteristics of white tea are: in spring, young buds and leaves are white; as the spring tea matures, the leaves transition from white to a variegated white-green, while summer and autumn tea remains green. The quality traits of white tea are: slender and delicate appearance, thin and translucent leaves, jade-white leaf blades, frost-like color, emerald veins, glossy and oily; when brewed, they resemble phoenix feathers, with green stems and leaves; the liquor is pale yellow, clear, and bright; the aroma is fresh and rich, the taste is refreshing, and the aftertaste is sweet. Due to its rarity, unique style, and excellent quality, it is called "exquisite tea" by the people and revered as a precious variety. The renowned Chinese tea expert Zhuang Wanfang highly praised white tea, calling it "a tea with three major values—ornamental, nutritional, and economic—that ordinary green tea cannot match."

　　 V. Classification of Huangshan White Tea Varieties

　　 Based on sensory observation and degree of albinism, Huangshan White Tea (Huizhou White Tea) can be divided into three varieties: "Huangshan No. 1" (tentative name), with high albinism, jade-white and thin leaves; "Huangshan No. 2" (tentative name), with moderate albinism, white and thin leaves with slightly green veins; "Huangshan No. 3" (tentative name), with lower albinism than No. 2, featuring greenish-white and thin leaves. Of course, the degree of albinism also depends on the surrounding environment, altitude, and management level. Comparatively, Huangshan White Tea exhibits higher albinism than similar products, thanks to our county’s unique ecological environment and superior varieties. As a genetic variant caused by chlorophyll deficiency under low temperatures, this tea tree’s unique metabolic function inhibits chlorophyll synthesis in cold conditions but significantly boosts free amino acid production. Thus, early spring white tea typically contains over 6% free amino acids, sometimes even reaching 9%—compared to just 2–4% in other green teas. Free amino acids in tea consist of over 20 types, with theanine accounting for 50–60% of the total. This tea-derived theanine is a characteristic component, not found in any other known plant or animal. Due to its high albinism, rich content, unique style, and excellent quality, "Huangshan No. 1" is a rare and precious variety.

　　 VI. Development Goals for Huangshan White Tea

　　 Our county’s white tea development lagged behind Anji’s by over a decade. Last year, during a visit to Anji for study, I was deeply moved and reflective. In terms of tea history, Anji isn’t longer than ours; in famous historical teas, Anji can’t compare to us; in natural conditions, Anji isn’t better than ours; in tea quality, Anji isn’t superior to ours; in the discovery of white tea, Anji wasn’t earlier than us. Yet today, Anji White Tea is world-renowned. I believe this is due not only to Zhejiang people’s advanced market economy awareness, strong market development capabilities, and relentless drive, but also their ability to identify product highlights, quickly form synergy, persist for years, and strive tirelessly.

　　 To further grow and strengthen the white tea industry, the enterprise will focus on variety selection and propagation, accelerating base construction; upgrading primary processing factories with clean production, introducing automated processing equipment, developing new products and packaging; intensifying brand promotion to enhance the reputation and recognition of Ganbaixiang Huangshan White Tea. Within 3–5 years of hard work, we aim to transform the "Huangshan Ganbaixiang White Tea Ecological Garden" into a comprehensive hub integrating production (eco-friendly tea gardens), processing (clean processing), sales (branded sales), education (research and practice), R&D (new product development), and tourism (tea countryside experience)—making it a highlight of Huangshan City and even southern Anhui’s efficient agriculture demonstration zones. We will contribute to reviving the glory of China’s top tea-producing county and benefiting more tea farmers.

　　Huangshan White Tea (Huizhou White Tea)

　　The current administrative region of She County, Anhui Province, comprises 28 towns and townships, covering a total area of 2,122 square kilometers.

　　Source: She County Tea Industry Network