Centenarian Tea

Centenarian Tea

　　Centenarian Tea is produced in the misty mountains of Nankun Mountain and is commonly known as "mao cha" (hairy tea).

　　Harvested during the Qingming Festival, the tea undergoes processes such as debittering, pan-firing, rolling, and is shaped into strip-like leaves. When brewed, it tastes sweet, cool, and slightly sweetish. Centenarian Tea has heat-clearing and detoxifying properties, and regular consumption is beneficial to health. The people of Nankun Mountain traditionally enjoy drinking this tea, and there are many long-lived residents. The name “Centenarian Tea” originates from this.

　　Legend has it that in ancient times, in a mountain village of Longmen’s Nankun area, there lived a clever and lovely little girl. One day, while taking a short rest during her woodcutting on the mountain, she accidentally noticed that the underside of the leaves of a small shrub was covered with white fuzz, and the edges of the leaves were serrated. Intrigued, she picked a few tender leaves to play with. As she played, she absentmindedly put one of the tender leaves into her mouth and chewed it—immediately, a sweet and fragrant taste filled her senses. So, she picked up a knife, intending to cut down the small tree and take it home to find out what kind of tree it was. Suddenly, the weather changed drastically, the mountain shook, and a faint voice came from the mountain peak: “Little girl, do not be afraid, I am the Mountain God. Please do not cut down this small tree. It is actually a heavenly fairy maiden who brought seeds from ‘Sun Ming Mountain’ and scattered them here to grow. The mountain needs to stay green. In the hot summer, you might as well pick some leaves to take home for later use.” The girl followed the Mountain God’s instructions and picked forty-nine leaves, which she took home. The next day, the girl suddenly suffered from heatstroke, her whole body burning with fever. Remembering the Mountain God’s words, she boiled the leaves she had picked to make tea, and also used some leaves to boil water for a cooling bath. Her illness was soon cured. When a duck plague broke out in the village, the girl tried using the leaves she had gathered to boil water for the ducks to drink—and the ducks were saved as well. News of the girl’s clever cure for the duck plague spread throughout the villages, and people came to her for advice. The girl generously took them up the mountain to find the small shrub. Later, people named this small shrub “mao cha” (hairy tea).

　　Every Qingming Festival, people go up the mountain to pick some mao cha, dry it, and store it for later use. During the hot summer, people boil the mao cha leaves in water, pour it into bamboo tubes, and take it with them to work. When taking a break in the fields, sitting at the edge of the farmland and taking a few sips can quench thirst, stimulate saliva production, instantly dispel the summer heat, and leave one feeling refreshed and comfortable.