Zhao Ping Tea

Zhao Ping Tea

Zhao Ping Tea is a geographical indication protected product.

　　   The tradition of tea cultivation and drinking in Zhao Ping dates back to ancient times. According to the old *Zhao Ping County Annals*, “Xiangji Mountain covers a vast area, producing famous tea with a quite agreeable taste.” “When guests visit, serve them Goulou.” The so-called “Goulou” by ancient people refers to what is now known as “bitter tea.” Among Zhao Ping’s famous teas, Xiangqi Tea and Tengbao Tea have a longer history, produced respectively on Xiangqi Mountain and Tengbao Mountain within the county.

　　　　   The old version of the *Zhao Ping Chronicles* contains a rather peculiar legend: It is said that Xiangqi Mountain features steep cliffs, bizarre rocks, and ancient trees towering to the sky. Long ago, when immortals roamed famous mountains and rivers, they passed by Xiangji Mountain, were captivated by the surrounding landscape, and decided to rest and sightsee there. They set up a chessboard to play, while immortal boys turned immortal pills into divine tea using mountain spring water to serve the gods. As the immortals sipped their tea and played chess, they were thoroughly enjoying themselves. Perhaps because the tea brewed from the spring water here had an extraordinary and almost mystical flavor, the more they tasted, the more unique it seemed. Before departing, the immortals felt they should leave a trace on earth to benefit the people. They then ordered the immortal boys to scatter the immortal pills they had brought across the hills and forests, before ascending back to the heavens. Since then, tea seedlings began growing all over the cliffs and bizarre rocks of Xiangji Mountain. To commemorate this, people named Xiangji Mountain “Xiangqi Mountain” (Chess Mountain), and the tea grown on it came to be called Xiangqi Tea.

　　　　   Tengbao Tea within the county is produced on Tengbao Mountain, located 6.5 kilometers from the seat of Wujang Town Government. The summit of this mountain is often shrouded in clouds and mist, with dense forests and thick vines, home to a variety of subtropical flora and fauna, hence it is also known as “Wanbao Mountain” (Ten-Thousand-Treasure Mountain). The Tengbao Tea produced here has slender leaves resembling bamboo needles, which locals call “immortal tea.” This tea is red in color with a mellow taste, and has long been praised by tea drinkers.

　　　　   Zhao Ping Xiangqi Tea and Tengbao Tea feature four major characteristics: clarity, sweetness, fragrance, and mellowness. Even after being steeped in boiling water for six or seven days, the tea does not spoil and remains fragrant and pleasant to drink. During every Qingming season, people would travel from dozens of miles away to Xiangqi Mountain and Tengbao Mountain to pick tea, which they used to entertain guests or drink during festivals. According to the *Zhao Ping County Annals* printed in the 23rd year of the Republic of China (1934): “Tea is one of China’s major export commodities. Famous teas such as Jiangnan’s Biluochun, Zhejiang’s Longjing, Fujian’s Wuyi, Anhui’s Liuan, and Yunnan’s Pu’er have long been renowned. The tea planted in Zhao Ping, if picked during the rainy season, is called ‘Yuqian Tea’ (Pre-Rain Tea), and if picked before Qingming, it is called ‘Weiguoqing’ (Unpassed Qing), whose fragrance and richness are no less than others.”

　　　　   Located in the hinterland of Southwest China, Zhao Ping has a subtropical monsoon humid climate. The terrain is rugged with crisscrossing rivers and streams, and arable land accounts for only 4.55% of the county’s total area, making it a typical mountainous county. The topography generally slopes from north to south, with significant temperature differences over short distances. The temperature gap between high-altitude cold mountainous areas and flat lowlands can reach 2°C to 3°C. Such terrain and climatic variation are highly favorable for tea growth, especially for the wild large-leaf tea found in high-mountain areas like Tengbao Mountain, Xiangqi Mountain, and General’s Peak, which hold great development potential.

　　　　   During the Chunxi era of the Song Dynasty, the ancestors in Zhao Ping had already begun planting tea, though on a very small scale. In the early Ming Dynasty, to strengthen control over the southern regions, the Ming government renovated the Guijiang River waterway, leading to increased prosperity in riverside markets such as Zhao Ping Town, Wujang, and Majiang. Demand for tea in the markets grew steadily, prompting individual farmers in nearby villages around Wujang Tengbao Mountain, Wen Zhu Xiangqi Mountain, and Biji General’s Peak to start cultivating small tea gardens. Production was carried out as family-run workshops, using local wild green tea varieties, with most products purchased by merchants for export. By the Chenghua era of the Ming Dynasty, tea had become a traditional export local specialty of Zhao Ping, attracting merchants from Guangdong and other regions who gathered in tea-producing areas during harvest season. Among them, the “Weiguoqing” tea produced in places like Tengbao Mountain and Xiangqi Mountain was highly favored by customers, exported overseas, and gained fame throughout Southeast Asia. During the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty, Zhao Ping already had tea-making techniques and a tea culture tradition. Xianhui Yao Ethnic Township was known as Zhao Ping’s “Tea Tune Hometown,” and Muge Township still enjoys a folk tea-picking opera, where dance movements typically imitate actions from tea-picking labor. In the early Qing Dynasty, villagers in the county began transplanting tea trees from the mountains to their front yards or behind houses for easier daily picking. During this period, small-scale tea cultivation began along the Guijiang and Siqin rivers. In the 1930s, scattered small tea gardens emerged in various parts of Zhao Ping, and the number of folk handmade tea frying workshops gradually increased. In Majiang, Shazi, and Zhao Ping markets, wealthy merchants introduced large-leaf tea varieties from Yunnan for extensive planting, rapidly boosting tea production. According to historical records, in the 1930s, the county exported 30.2 tons of tea annually.

　　　　   After the liberation, tea processing shifted from private to collective hands, and the tea industry began to take shape. In the 1960s, with the support of the county foreign trade bureau, the Zhishè Cooperative in Wen Zhu Commune developed the Xiangqi Tea Garden, reclaiming over 200 acres of terraced fields to expand Xiangqi tea tree plantations. This development helped promote this premium specialty, reaching a peak annual production and export volume of 59.7 tons. By 1978, the county’s tea gardens expanded to 7,300 acres, with an annual output of 150 tons. After the rural economic reform, tea processing in the county became primarily factory-based. In 1983, the county supply and marketing cooperative built a tea factory in Wandao Village, Majiang Town, incorporating local tea farms under its management, forming an integrated agricultural, industrial, and commercial economic entity. In 1987, the county poverty alleviation office strongly supported private enterprises, enabling the successful establishment of Zhao Ping’s first relatively large-scale private tea processing enterprise — Xiangqi Tea Factory — along the streets of Wen Zhu. The factory received technical support, seedlings, and equipment from the Guilin Tea Research Institute, producing 2.5 tons of tea in its initial year. In 1988, the “Green Tea No. 2” produced by Xiangqi Tea Factory was honored as one of Guangxi’s six famous teas. In the same year, it won the “Lu Yu Cup” Gold Award and was featured in publications like *The Chinese Tea Classics*. By the late 1990s, Zhao Ping green tea had begun to be cultivated on a larger scale, gradually becoming a local specialty industry. The Zhao Ping County Party Committee and County Government identified tea as a leading industry for revitalizing the local economy and increasing farmers' income, focusing on developing the tea industry project. A number of leading enterprises were nurtured, including General’s Peak Tea Industry Co., Ltd.’s General’s Peak Tea Factory, Danao Mountain Tea Factory, Ningxiangcui Tea Factory, Wen Zhu Xiangqi Tea Factory, Gupao Tea Factory, and Xiangming Tea Factory. After the 1990s, under the guidance of the county government, tea farmers and processing enterprises in Zhao Ping increasingly emphasized branding. A trend emerged where farmers focused on tea quality and enterprises on brand building. From 2004 to 2007, the county held four “Tea King Festivals,” which gradually became a well-known cultural brand and external promotion window for Guangxi’s tea industry. Zhao Ping Tea received numerous accolades and gained national recognition. Among them, “Ningxiangcui Tea” won the China “Lu Yu Cup” Gold Award in 1994 and the National New Technology Products Trade Fair Gold Award in 1995; “Yinshan” Tea earned second prize twice in the “China Tea Cup” National Famous Tea Evaluation in 1997 and 2001; “Yunlv” Tea was awarded the title of Famous and High-Quality Tea in the 1997 “China Tea Cup” National Famous Tea Evaluation; “Dan’ao Mountain Maojian” and “Dan’ao Mountain Yinlao” both won the gold award at the first China (International) Famous Tea Expo in 1997; at the first “Gui Tea Cup” Famous Tea Evaluation, General’s Peak’s “Strong Aroma Yinshan” Tea won the special prize, and “Bicui Xiang” Tea won first prize; “Huanghua Zhen” Tea won the special prize at the fourth “Gui Tea Cup” Famous Tea Evaluation; “Xiangqi Mountain Highland Cliff Tea” won the gold award at the Asian International Consumer Goods Expo in 1999. In May 2002, brands such as “Quhao Tea,” “Maojian Tea,” and “Ningxiangcui Tea” from General’s Peak in Zhao Ping County were certified as Grade A Green Foods by the China Green Food Development Center, receiving Green Food certificates. In April 2004, Zhao Ping County’s tea production base was recognized as a pollution-free tea production area by the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and was issued a Pollution-Free Agricultural Product Origin Certification. Zhao Ping Tea has gained widespread recognition. Historical and already well-known teas such as Zhao Ping’s “Xiangqi Tea,” “General’s Peak Yinshan,” “Ningxiangcui Tea,” “Guijiang Biyu Chun,” and “Dan’ao Mountain Maojian,” among more than ten tea series, have won gold awards multiple times at domestic and international tea expos. The “General’s Peak” series received Grade A Green Food certification from the China Green Food Development Center. General’s Peak Tea Factory became a designated enterprise of the Tea Supervision, Inspection and Testing Center under the Ministry of Agriculture.