Guan Si Cloud Mist Tea

Guan Si Cloud Mist Tea

Guan Si Cloud Mist Tea is a geographical indication certification trademark.

　　The terrain features undulating mountains, crisscrossing streams and valleys, steep slopes, and complex landforms. It consists of three major types: mid-level mountains, low mountains, and hills. Among these, mid- and low mountains at elevations of 500 to 1,510 meters account for 87.7% of the county’s total land area, while hills below 500 meters make up 12.3%. There are 26 mountains over 1,000 meters in elevation, with the main peak, Longgang Mountain, standing at 1,510 meters above sea level, located in the central part of the county. The terrain is higher in the central and western areas, slopes more steeply in the southeast, is lower and steeper in the south, and is relatively open despite being elevated in the central region. There are 18 major streams, with the longest being the Longting Stream, which runs 56 kilometers within the county. Due to the complex orientation of the mountain ranges and the interspersed basins and mountain gorges, Zhouning’s landforms are exceptionally diverse. The region boasts a rich variety of native vegetation, dense forests (with a forest coverage rate of 72.5%, ranking among the top in the province), and a beautiful environment (in 1998, it was awarded the “Beautiful Environment Award” by the Fujian Provincial People's Congress Environment Committee). The scenery shifts between verdant peaks, crisscrossing streams and valleys shrouded in mist, and ancient trees towering overhead, blocking out the sun.

　　Zhouning has a long history of tea cultivation, production, and trade. Tea plays an important role in the lives of Zhouning residents—as a gesture of hospitality, a social drink, and even as a medicinal remedy. “Guan Si Cloud Mist Tea” is one of Fujian Province’s historic famous teas. With a cultivation history dating back over 400 years to the Ming Dynasty’s Wanli era, its quality is renowned and its reputation enduring. It stands alongside “Tanyang Gongfu” and “Bailin Gongfu,” leaving a significant mark in the development history of eastern Fujian’s tea industry. According to historical records such as the *Zhouning County Annals*, in the 8th year of the Ming Wanli era (1580), Guan Si Village was originally covered in lush green forests. Villagers from Pushi, located about fifteen li away, relocated to manage the forest and began planting tea trees. The tea plant varieties are predominantly native, sexually propagated, shrub-like, with semi-spreading postures, raised leaf surfaces, and an average leaf thickness of 0.51 mm. The leaves are crisp, dark green, with a medium sprouting period, 4.1% amino acid content, 25.4% tea polyphenol content, high yield, and strong resistance to stress. During the Qing Dynasty’s Guangxu era, Zhouning merchants brought “Guan Si Cloud Mist Tea” to Fuzhou, where they introduced it to foreign tea traders. After tasting it, the traders were impressed by its exceptional quality, which helped build its fame. Soon after, over twenty tea shops (refined processing workshops), including “Guangyuantai,” were established within a twenty-li radius of the Dongyang Stream in Zhouning (including areas such as Pushi, Shicheng, and Qibu) to process “Guan Si Cloud Mist Tea.” Between the 35th and 38th years of the Republic of China (1946–1949), Lin Duanxi, a Zhouning tea merchant, sought to monopolize the distribution of “Guan Si Cloud Mist Tea.” Before the Lunar New Year, he would prepay deposits, and every spring, his team would go to the production area to purchase fresh tea leaves at a price four silver dollars higher than other teas. The tea was processed into “Guan Si Cloud Mist Tea,” transported and sold to tea houses such as Xieheyuheng in Fuzhou, and then exported overseas. Each load was worth one tael and four qian of gold—two to four times the price of tea from neighboring counties. At that time, villages known for producing “Guan Si Cloud Mist Tea” were referred to as “Golden Dutou, Silver Jindeng, Copper Taoling, and Iron Naken,” the tea mountains were called “Gold and Silver Mountains,” and the tea trees were dubbed “Money Trees.” During the tea-picking season, no one stayed idle at home, and the tea mountains bustled with activity. Folk songs echoed through the hills, such as: “In the Qingming season when tea buds sprout, men and women head up the tea mountain. Every sprig picked and every leaf fragrant, fine teas crafted to trade for treasures.”

　　“Guan Si Cloud Mist Tea” is one of the province’s historic famous teas. Planting began in the mid-Qing Dynasty, and it earned its name from its origin in Guan Si Village, Pushi, Zhouning, situated in the high mountains of eastern Fujian. In 1946, “Guan Si Cloud Mist Tea” won a silver award at the Panama Expo, earning recognition alongside “Tanyang Gongfu,” “Fuding White Tea,” and “Bailin Gongfu,” and leaving a remarkable legacy in the development history of eastern Fujian’s tea industry. However, for a long time, “Guan Si Cloud Mist Tea” was largely handmade, produced on a small scale with low yields. Moreover, the proliferation of various brands such as “Guan Si” and “Guan Si” made it difficult to establish unified standards internally and prevented the tea from joining the ranks of renowned teas externally. To integrate tea brands, strengthen industry management, and better benefit local tea farmers, the Zhouning County Administration for Industry and Commerce prioritized brand integration and standardized management as a key focus. With guidance from the Trademark and Advertising Division of the Municipal Administration for Industry and Commerce, they pooled ideas and initiated the application process for a geographical indication certification trademark under the name “Guan Si Cloud Mist Tea” in 2010. On June 14 of this year, the application was successfully registered, marking the first geographical indication certification trademark in Zhouning County. It also became the second village-named geographical indication in Ningde City, following “Tanyang Gongfu.”