Jiaonan Green Tea

Jiaonan Green Tea

Jiaonan Green Tea is a Geographical Indication Certified Trademark.

Jiaonan Green Tea is an Agricultural Geographical Indication Product.

　　   Jiaonan Green Tea has successfully registered as a National Geographical Indication Certified Trademark, which means it now has its own "ID card." The planting area will also be expanded, and in the near future, more people will get to enjoy the aroma of Jiaonan Green Tea.

　　   A Mysterious Tea Ode Discovered at Dazhu Mountain

　　   "A long time ago, a local mountain resident in Dazhu Mountain accidentally discovered a huge rock, about five or six meters long and three or four meters wide, with several clearly carved lines on it. Later, when someone who could read it came along, they found that it was actually a poem about tea. The poem goes: 'Amidst the cold, misty mountains so deep, there lives someone here. A cup, then a brazier, brewing tea in the stream’s gleam.' Zhang Xuzhou, Secretary-General of the Jiaonan Tea Association and a PhD in tea science, proudly said that Jiaonan Green Tea is an outstanding representative of high-latitude green tea in China, and it has a long history of tea cultivation.

　　   Speaking of the origins of Jiaonan tea, it is also greatly related to Su Shi. Legend has it that during his tenure in Mizhou (now Zhucheng, Shandong, adjacent to Jiaonan), the Northern Song poet Su Shi introduced tea plants from Meizhou (now Sichuan) to Mizhou, which were later spread to Langya Commandery (now the Jiaonan area). During the Ming and Qing dynasties, wild tea trees were planted in Shimen Temple on Dazhu Mountain in Jiaonan. The monks used these leaves to make 'Shimen Tea,' which had a fragrant and elegant taste, highly favored by literati who often gathered by the Shimen Stream near the temple to enjoy tea. They also left behind the above beautiful verse by the Ming scholar Wang Wujiing, inscribed on stone.

　　   B Expert: Jiaonan Tea Has Richly Colored Liquor and High Nutritional Content

　　   "Each place shapes its own 'tea,' and the characteristic of Jiaonan tea is that 'its aroma is like peas, and its liquor resembles millet soup,'" said Zhang Xuzhou. This description comes from the fact that compared to southern teas, Jiaonan tea has a relatively richly colored liquor, with a yellowish-green hue and high nutritional content, hence the vivid comparison to millet soup.

　　   As for the pea-like aroma, the reason is simple—when you taste Jiaonan Green Tea, you can detect a faint pea fragrance, and the aftertaste is quick to return. It is reported that Jiaonan Green Tea enjoys ample sunlight and a long growth period, resulting in high levels of organic compounds such as amino acids.

　　   C Tea Plantations Continue to Expand in Scale

　　   Currently, the total tea-growing area in Jiaonan City has reached 67,000 mu, of which 45,000 mu are in production. Annual dried tea production is 2,700 tons, with a total output value of 270 million yuan; premium tea production amounts to 1,427 tons, valued at 210 million yuan.

　　   The development of six modern tea industry parks, including the "Qingdao Haiqing Oasis Premium Tea Garden," "Qingdao Tiejian Mountain Premium Tea Garden," "Qingdao Tieshan Premium Tea Garden," "Qingdao Zhangjialou Shangtuan Premium Tea Garden," and "Qingdao Jiulongtan Ecological Tea Garden," has played a role in industrial agglomeration. The city's certified organic tea plantation area (including conversion period) has reached 2,155 mu; there are 142 tea factories; approximately 2,000 sets of premium tea processing machinery, with an annual production capacity of about 3,000 tons; and 16 tea industry organizations have been established, including the Jiaonan Tea Industry Association, Green Tea Development Research Association, and Qingdao Bixuechun Tea Cooperative. In various tea evaluation events, Jiaonan Green Tea has won numerous awards, gradually entering the ranks of nationally renowned teas.

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　　   Jiaonan Tea Now Has Its Own ID Card

　　   Recently, after approval by the National Trademark Office, "Jiaonan Green Tea" has successfully registered as a Geographical Indication Certified Trademark, making it the first agricultural geographical indication certified trademark in Jiaonan City.

　　   Zhang Xuzhou said that Jiaonan City established a Tea Association in February 2009 and registered a geographical trademark. "After application, any Jiaonan tea that passes our review will be affixed with this small green label. This will not only allow more people to taste the aroma of Jiaonan tea but also help strengthen the management and protection of the use of geographical indications, fully leveraging the role of the Geographical Indication Certified Trademark."

　　   The geographical indication protection area for Jiaonan Green Tea Agricultural Product includes the areas of Haining Town, Dachang Town, Zhangjialou Town, Zangnan Town, Dacun Town, Liuwang Town, Baoshan Town, Liwuguan Town, Wangtai Town, Tieshan Subdistrict Office, Yinzhu Subdistrict Office, and Lingshanwei Subdistrict Office in Jiaonan City, covering the Zhushan Mountain Range, Tieshan Mountain Range, and Zangma Mountain Range. It spans 163 villages across 12 towns (offices, districts), stretching from Yangqiling Village in Yinzhu Subdistrict Office in the east, to Dongcaijia Village in Haining Town in the west, to Xiaoguanzhuang Village in Haining Town in the south, and to Fajiazhuang in Wangtai Town in the north. The geographical coordinates are between 35°35′ to 36°08′ north latitude and 119°30′ to 120°11′ east longitude. The area covers 2,000 hectares, with an annual yield of 1,200 tons.