Hakka Salted Tea

Hakka Salted Tea

Hakka Salted Tea is an intangible cultural heritage of Zhuhai.

　　   Hakka Salted Tea became popular starting from the Qing Dynasty’s Qianlong era (1744), abandoning the meat ingredients in traditional Lei Cha and retaining only the vegetarian parts. It has continuously developed its unique features and remains to this day as one of the most distinctive tea cultures within local Hakka dietary customs. Its main ingredients include: tea leaves (finished tea or fresh tea leaves), peanuts, soybeans, sesame, vegetables (lettuce, oilleaf, watercress, long beans), fine-leaf celery, and scallions. The tea is delicious and suitable for all ages, and is believed to quench thirst, stimulate saliva production, refresh the mind, and even prolong life with regular consumption.

　　   In June 2010, Hakka Salted Tea was included in the third batch of Zhuhai Municipal Intangible Cultural Heritage listings.

　　   During the Han Dynasty, the Tujia people in the Wuling Mountain area already had the custom of pounding raw rice, ginger, and fresh tea leaves into a “Three-Raw-Ingredient Soup” used as a medicinal remedy and health drink, commonly known as Lei Cha. As the Hakka people migrated southward to escape warfare, the custom of Lei Cha spread to regions such as Fujian, Guangdong, Jiangxi, and Taiwan. Through practice, it underwent continuous refinement, improvement, enrichment, and development, forming various styles and schools. In Hakka villages in Baijiao Town, nearly every household knows how to prepare salted tea, and people of all ages and genders enjoy drinking it.

　　   Within Baijiao Town, the Hakka villages of Laijia, Baishi, Xiaotuo, Huangjia, Xiashan, Nanao, along with other Hakka villages in Doumen District, are home to a total of 25,000 residents. Hakka Salted Tea in Baijiao Town became popular starting from the Qing Dynasty’s Qianlong era (1744). It abandoned the meat ingredients in traditional Lei Cha, retained the vegetarian parts, and continuously developed its unique characteristics. Its main ingredients include: tea leaves (finished tea or fresh tea leaves), peanuts, soybeans, sesame, vegetables (lettuce, oilleaf, watercress, long beans), fine-leaf celery, and scallions. It has become a distinctive tea culture within local Hakka dietary customs and remains popular to this day.

　　   In June 2010, Hakka Salted Tea was included in the third batch of Zhuhai Municipal Intangible Cultural Heritage listings.

　　   Distribution Area and Geographic Environment

　　   Baijiao Town in Doumen District, Zhuhai City, is located at the southwestern end of the Pearl River Delta. To the east, it faces Zhongshan City across the river; to the southwest lies Jing’an Town, the seat of Doumen District government; to the south it borders the Huzhou Reclamation Area; and to the northwest it meets the town of Lianzhou. The town covers a total area of 176 square kilometers and governs 32 village committees and 3 neighborhood committees.

　　   The town has 105,000 mu of arable land, including 11,000 mu of paddy fields, 63,000 mu of fish ponds, 30,000 mu of crop fields, and an agricultural output value of 1.35 billion yuan. There are 264 foreign-funded and private enterprises, with an industrial output value of 6.42 billion yuan, and the per capita income of farmers is 8,051 yuan. Baijiao is close to the South China Sea and enjoys a subtropical marine climate, with abundant rainfall year-round, an average annual temperature of around 22°C, and a pleasant, spring-like climate all year. It is an ideal place for living and working.

　　   The folk custom of Hakka Salted Tea is widely practiced among the Hakka communities within Baijiao Town.