Baojing Golden Tea

Baojing Golden Tea

Baojing Golden Tea is a geographical indication certification trademark.

Baojing Golden Tea is a geographical indication agricultural product.

　　Baojing Golden Tea is a sexually reproduced, diverse population variety formed through long-term natural selection. It belongs to group genetics with complex genetic makeup, featuring a wide variety of genotypes and phenotypes, including many superior individual plants with unique traits. Its amino acid content is more than double that of other green teas, and its water extract content approaches 50%. The processed tea products possess the quality characteristics of “aroma, greenness, freshness, and richness.” According to research by Mr. He Shihua, Vice President of the Pu'er Tea Culture Research Association, the ancient golden tea trees located at Golden Bridge belong to the arbor-type large-leaf variety and share certain genetic kinship with the 35-million-year-old Jinggu Broadleaf Magnolia in terms of species genetics. Golden Tea is a rare and distinctive tea plant variety.

　　Tea Characteristics

　　“Baojing Golden Tea” is an ancient and rare local tea plant resource from Baojing County in western Hunan. According to the Baojing County Annals, during the Jiaqing era of the Qing Dynasty, a provincial governor inspected the Liudu region of Baojing. Passing through Liangchahe, he tasted the local tea and was highly impressed, rewarding the area with one tael of gold and designating it as a tribute tea. Later generations named the tea “Golden Tea,” and the place was renamed Golden Village. To this day, there are still tea trees over 200 years old in the area. “Xiangxi Golden Tea” is renowned for its “high amino acid content, high tea polyphenol content, high water extract content,” as well as its qualities of “aroma, greenness, freshness, and richness.” It is hailed as the best tea in China (and the world), and the advertising slogan “An ounce of gold for an ounce of tea” has become deeply rooted in people’s minds. Early spring tea contains up to 7% amino acids—more than double that of other green teas produced in the same period—and its tea polyphenol content can reach 20%. The resulting tea has a mellow and refreshing taste, rich without being bitter, and is highly resistant to brewing, boasting a 90% sales success rate.

　　Tea Story

　　According to the Veritable Records of the Jiajing Emperor of the Ming Dynasty (Ming Shizong Jiajing Shilu), in April of the 18th year of the Jiajing reign (1545), Lu Jie, the regional inspector of Huguang and Guizhou, traveled from the Baoxun Xuanwei Si (present-day Qianling Town, Baojing County) to Zhenxi (present-day Jishou City) to inspect military defenses. While passing through the dense forests and deep valleys of Lüqi (present-day Hulu Town, Baojing County) within the Baojing jurisdiction, more than a hundred people in his party were afflicted with miasma. Struggling to continue, they arrived at the Liangchahe Miao village, where the affected individuals could no longer walk. An elderly Miao woman surnamed Xiang, from a local family, picked leaves from a century-old tea tree in front of her house, brewed them into a decoction, and gave it to the sick officials and soldiers. Within half an hour of drinking the tea, the miasma symptoms disappeared. Lu Jie was overjoyed and immediately rewarded the elderly woman with a gold bar (ingot) and submitted the tea as a tribute to the imperial court. From then on, the tea gained a prestigious reputation in the market, known as “an ounce of gold for an ounce of tea.” A nameless wild tea tree growing deep in the Miao mountains thus came to be called “Golden Tea,” and the village also became known as “Golden Village” because of the tea. The Qing-era Baojing County Annals also record that during the Jiaqing era of the Qing Dynasty, a provincial governor inspected the six districts of Baojing, passed through Liangchahe, tasted the local tea, and was highly impressed, rewarding the area with one tael of gold and designating it as a tribute tea. The village still has tea trees that are several hundred years old.

　　Geographic Scope

　　The geographic indication scope of Baojing Golden Tea is based on the range proposed in the “Approval on Determining the Geographic Indication Agricultural Product Scope of Baojing Golden Tea” (Bao Nong Ban [2008] No. 61) issued by the Baojing County Agriculture Bureau of Hunan Province. This includes the current administrative regions of three towns in Baojing County, Hunan Province: Hulu Town, Hansha Township, and Shuitianhe Town, spanning longitude 109°12'–109°33' and latitude 28°24'–28°36', at elevations between 330 meters and 1,272 meters. It borders Yangchao Township and Mayang Town of Guzhang County to the east, Aizhai Town, Majian’ao Town, and Jilue Township of Jishou City to the south, Changle Township, Dongmakou Township, and Pailiao Township of Huayuan County to the west, and Tuzha Township and [unnamed township] to the north. The production area of Baojing Golden Tea within this region covers 2,100 hectares, with an annual yield of 86 tons.