Wugai Mountain Rice Tea

Wugai Mountain Rice Tea

　　Wugai Mountain Rice Tea

　　Wugai Mountain Rice Tea, produced in Wugai Mountain, Chenzhou County, Hunan Province. According to the Ming Dynasty's "Wanli Chenzhou Annals", "Wugai Mountain is located thirty li southeast of the prefecture, twenty li high, and spans one hundred and eighty li around, often shrouded in clouds and mist." This mountain is part of the Nanling Mountain Range, featuring five peaks rising like canopies, and is perennially enveloped in "clouds, mist, rain, dew, and

　　Wugai Mountain Rice Tea

　　Wugai Mountain Rice Tea, produced in Wugai Mountain, Chenzhou County, Hunan Province. According to the Ming Dynasty's "Wanli Chenzhou Annals", "Wugai Mountain is located thirty li southeast of the prefecture, twenty li high, and spans one hundred and eighty li around, often shrouded in clouds and mist." This mountain is part of the Nanling Mountain Range, featuring five peaks rising like canopies, and is perennially enveloped in "clouds, mist, rain, dew, and snow," hence the name Wugai Mountain. Its main peak, Biyun Peak, stands at an elevation of 1,620 meters and is known as the First Peak of Chongyang. The entire mountain covers an area of over 200,000 mu, densely populated with wild tea trees. With its majestic terrain, lush green forests, murmuring streams, neither severe cold in winter nor intense heat in summer, and fertile soil developed from granite parent material—namely grey sandy soil—it is an ideal environment for tea cultivation. It is said, "Among Wugai Mountain’s seventy-two peaks, every peak holds treasure; even a peak without treasure has coptis and licorice," which speaks to the richness of resources here.

　　The tea produced here is of exceptional quality. According to the Qing Dynasty's "Chenzhou County Annals" from the Jiaqing era, "Tea is produced throughout Chenzhou, but that of Wugai is the best." The tea quality is particularly outstanding in areas such as Biyun Temple, Wanhuai Temple, and Liangjiangkou, situated at elevations between 1,000 and 1,400 meters.

　　Wugai Mountain tea was listed as a tribute as early as the Ming Dynasty. At that time, it was mostly made from tender buds picked during the Qingming Festival, referred to as "mo0". Legend has it that the tea produced was "as heavy as a liter of rice per liter of tea"; when brewed, the steam rising from the cup initially resembled a white cloud covering the bowl, then curled upward in threads over two feet before dissipating. The tea buds stood upright with tips pointing up and stems down, bobbing up and down several times. Drinking it offered a "refreshing taste with fragrance lingering on the cheeks and teeth," though those "of weak constitution unaccustomed to tea should only drink half a cup; more would quickly cause dizziness and profuse sweating," showing just how potent this tea is.

　　Wugai Mountain not only produces excellent tea, but also has fine spring water. Yuanquan Spring, located 7.5 kilometers south of Chenzhou, has sweet, clean-tasting water with crystal-clear color and a temperature that remains relatively stable year-round. When used to brew tea, it brings out a clear, fragrant aroma and a fresh, sweet taste. The Tang Dynasty poet Liu Yuxi praised drinking Wugai Mountain Rice Tea, saying, "Its lingering fragrance clears the lingering hangover, and its piercing coolness dispels all inner vexation." This illustrates how the aroma of this tea instantly refreshes the mind and sweeps away inner restlessness. Many notable figures have been drawn to Chenzhou specifically for this tea, fetching its water to brew and enjoy.

　　The production method of Wugai Mountain Rice Tea has been lost over time. To revive and develop this historic famous tea, since 1980, relevant organizations in Hunan Province have conducted trials at Wugai Mountain Tea Plant in Liangtian District, Chenzhou County, among other locations, achieving success. The product has received high praise after evaluation in Hunan Province’s Famous Tea Competitions and assessments by related institutions, and has been hailed as a "pearl" among Hunan’s famous teas.