Anxi Tea

Anxi Tea

　　The Culture of Tea in the Land of Tea Do you want to learn about tea? Head to Anxi, where songs drift through the air carrying the fragrance of tea, where every sip holds deep cultural meaning, and where tea culture is profound and extensive. Anxi is China’s largest producer of oolong tea and the birthplace of the world-renowned Tieguanyin. Its tea-growing history dates back to the late Tang Dynasty. Over the centuries, as Anxi tea has developed, a unique, vibrant, and colorful tea culture has gradually taken shape. Integrating history, economy, religion, folklore, etiquette, cuisine, and horticulture, and blending literature and art such as poetry, song, dance, and drama, Anxi’s tea culture has become a symbol of the region’s civilization. From December 17 to 19, Anxi will host the China Tea Capital (Anxi) Tea Culture Tourism Festival and the First China Anxi Tieguanyin Oolong Tea Festival. The charm of Anxi’s tea culture is sure to offer you an endless experience of beauty. Tea Culture Park To continuously enrich Anxi’s tea culture, the locals have incorporated tea cultures from across China and around the world into their own, forming the China Tea Culture Park. The park showcases a wide variety of tea cultures, truly an encyclopedia of tea. The “Tea Variety Garden” grows over 50 famous tea cultivars from China and abroad. Step into the garden, and you’ll get a glimpse of the finest tea plants—Tieguanyin, Dahongpao, Longjing, Biluochun… At the “Singing Stage,” you can enjoy the crisp duets of traditional tea songs performed by “Ah Niu Ge” and “Ah Shi Ma,” experiencing the simple and rustic charm of ancient tea songs. In the “Tea Workshop,” you can witness the entire production process of the world-famous Tieguanyin and even try your hand at making a pot of fragrant Tieguanyin yourself. The “Folk Museum” displays production and daily life items used by the people of Anxi throughout various historical periods. In the “International Tea Art Performance Hall,” you can sip tea while enjoying the unique Anxi tea ceremony, as well as tea art performances and tea songs and dances from different eras and regions, including the Tang and Qing dynasties, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Hangzhou, Suzhou, and Guangdong. At the “Tea Restaurant,” you’ll find over 50 tea-infused dishes made with Anxi oolong tea. The “Tea Museum” showcases 5,000 years of Chinese tea culture history. Here, you can learn about various types of tea, tea utensils, their origins, production methods, as well as related tea ceremonies and tea culture. Tea Art and Tea Ceremony When in Anxi, don’t miss the chance to appreciate Anxi’s tea art, which blends traditional techniques with modern elegance, and to experience the spirit of the tea ceremony: “Purity, Elegance, Etiquette, and Harmony.” As an important part of Chinese tea culture, tea art is gradually becoming a beloved lifestyle art for modern people. Anxi tea art takes the brewing techniques of the famous Tieguanyin as its model, expressing the uniquely memorable “essence” of Tieguanyin. To the sound of tinkling traditional music, elegantly dressed Anxi tea art performers gracefully present the entire process of brewing oolong tea: high pour, spring breeze sweep, flowing clouds, and fragrant dripping… When it comes to the spirit of Anxi’s tea ceremony, one must mention Li Boyun, an Anxi tea art instructor. He distilled the core principles of his tea philosophy from Anxi’s tea culture: Purity, Elegance, Etiquette, and Harmony. Purity is the foundation of tea art, representing the purity of the tea, the sincerity of the host, and the cleansing of the guests’ hearts. Elegance is the charm of tea art, reflecting the meticulousness of brewing, the grace of movements, the refinement of the setting, and the embodiment of tea art’s spirit. Etiquette is the virtue of tea art, signifying gratitude to nature, respect for tea farmers, sincerity toward guests, and the bonding of friendships among tea lovers. Harmony is the way of tea art, embodying harmony between people, between humans and tea, and between humans and nature—a connection of the soul. Li Boyun believes that tea art should understand the nature of tea, respect local customs, and master the best brewing methods. The tea art process emphasizes polite and orderly conduct, delicate and graceful movements full of tea’s essence, allowing people to enjoy beauty while sipping. Tea, as a drink for the human soul, embodies human spiritual and cultural phenomena, turning the dialogue between humans and nature into reality. Now, Anxi tea art has gone beyond mere performance—it encompasses tea studies, aesthetics, and etiquette, including the tea environment, tea music, and the selection of tea art talent. Under Li Boyun’s guidance, Anxi tea art, which conveys the spirit of “Purity, Elegance, Etiquette, and Harmony,” has received high praise. People in Shanghai call it a “unique gem of Anxi’s tea country.” Ding Ximan, editor-in-chief of Liberation Daily, praised Anxi tea art with the phrase “tender willows brush the water at the pond’s edge.” The capital’s literary and art circles hail it as a “fine product of Chinese culture,” and the tea industry ranks it alongside Japanese and Korean tea ceremonies as one of the world’s three major tea ceremonies. Anxi is the homeland of tea and also the homeland of song. The hardworking and simple people of Anxi have passed down heartfelt tea songs through generations. As early as 1988, Anxi successfully hosted a national song competition for Anxi oolong tea, the “Tieguanyin Cup,” and compiled the collected songs into an anthology called “Fragrant Songs.” The tea dance “The Legend of Oolong Tea” is popular among the people of Anxi, filled with both mythical charm and real-life significance. Throughout history, literati have “entrusted their aspirations to the charm of tea and expressed their homesickness through their brushes,” leaving behind many poems praising Anxi oolong tea. Folklore also includes numerous legends, ballads, and proverbs about tea production and the lives of tea farmers. Tea Culture Landscapes Step into Anxi, and tea culture landscapes are everywhere. The tea fields of Xiping, the birthplace of Tieguanyin, are layered and lush, an endless sea of green and a world of tea fragrance that refreshes the soul. The Daping Ecological Sightseeing Tea Garden is one of the most beautiful and finest ecological tea gardens in the country, with picturesque tea-covered hills, boundless greenery, and the most traditional tea song duets. In recent years, the people of Anxi have been working hard to introduce their rich tea culture and beautiful natural scenery to the world. They have planned and launched four golden tourism routes featuring tea culture: leisure vacations, heritage exploration, and eco-trekking. They have also built a large number of tea culture tourist attractions, including tea parks, tea museums, and ecological tea gardens, forming a cohesive tea culture tourism experience with the charm of a tea-producing region. At this year’s National Tourism Commodities Fair, the Anxi Tea Culture Tour was designated as one of the three golden tea culture tourism routes in the country. Currently, Anxi is envisioning connecting Xiamen, Quanzhou (Anxi), and Wuyishan through the Zhangquanxiao Railway and Provincial Highways 205 and 306, creating a Fujian tourism culture golden triangle that integrates maritime culture, tea culture, and mountain-water culture. This aims to build the most distinctive and attractive golden tourism route in Fujian for the 21st century, and to promote the development of Anxi’s tea culture tourism industry. To know all about tea in the world, visit Anxi. A tea culture journey will surely let you lose yourself in the landscape and intoxicate you with the rich aroma of tea and the depth of its culture. (Quanzhou)