Sanjiang Dong Oil Tea

Sanjiang Dong Oil Tea

　　Sanjiang County is the northernmost ethnic minority county in Liuzhou, Guangxi. The local residents have a tradition of making oil tea, especially among the Dong and Miao ethnic groups. For example, the Caomiao people drink at least three servings of oil tea a day—first thing in the morning before heading out to work, after returning from the fields at noon before lunch, and again before dinner. So where does this tradition of making oil tea come from? It can be traced back to two historical tea bans in China.

　　 The seven daily necessities for people are "firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea." However, during two periods in Chinese history, the Jin Dynasty imposed tea bans. According to Gu Yanwu's "Ri Zhi Lu," which cites the "Jin Shi" (History of Jin), one ban was in the fifth year of the Taihe era (1205 AD) during the reign of Emperor Zhangzong, and the other in the second year of the Yuanguang era (1223 AD) under Emperor Xuanzong. The first ban came after the Ministry of Personnel reported, "Tea is not an essential item beyond basic food and drink. In recent years, people of all classes have been competing to drink it, especially farmers. Teahouses are found everywhere, and merchants often trade silk and cloth for tea, costing the nation over a million annually. This is exchanging useful goods for useless ones." The reason was that the Jin region, inhabited mainly by nomadic tribes, did not produce tea, and importing it was costly, hence the ban. However, Emperor Zhangzong’s ban only applied to commoners: "Officials of seventh rank and above may allow their families to consume tea, but they are forbidden from selling or gifting it. Those not permitted to drink tea will be punished based on the amount (in jin)." The second ban still called tea "non-essential," but the rationale was clearer: "Tea originally comes from the Song Dynasty... and border residents take advantage of the opportunity to smuggle it across." This was seen as indirectly supporting the Song. It wasn’t that tea was "useless," but rather that national resources were "valuable," and protecting them was crucial during the on-off conflicts between the Jin and Song. The permitted consumption level was also raised—no longer seventh rank but "fifth rank and above." The ban became stricter: "Others are entirely prohibited, with offenders sentenced to five years of penal servitude, and informants rewarded with 10,000 strings of cash." Why could officials of seventh or fifth rank consume what was deemed "useless"? Clearly, "useless" was just an excuse. But how could a deeply ingrained habit like tea drinking among commoners be banned so easily? Faced with the ban, people found alternatives. If the government bans tea, can it also ban soup or vegetables? So they changed how they consumed tea: they fried a small amount of rice in oil until scorched, added tea leaves and briefly stir-fried them, then poured water over to make a tea-like broth. This was eaten with various dishes or even used to soak rice. Thus, "drinking tea" was cleverly transformed into eating dishes and soups, leaving the authorities powerless. During the Five Dynasties, Ten Kingdoms, and Song periods, northern people suffering under Jin rule migrated southward. With the Jin and Yuan invasions, northern nomadic tribes also moved south, especially during the Yuan Dynasty when Han people migrated to border regions, while ethnic minorities, including Mongols, relocated en masse to central and southern China. By the early Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang drove out ethnic minorities, pushing them gradually into Hunan and the border areas of Guangxi (some can still trace their ancestry in clan genealogies in Tongdao County, Hunan). Their tea-drinking methods evolved into a dietary tradition and culture. The Caomiao people in Budaicun Village, Bajiang Township, Sanjiang County, are a case in point. Their clothing and tea culture suggest possible Mongol heritage—they speak Dong, sing Han songs, and wear Mongol-style attire, especially women in long dresses with sashes resembling Mongol costumes, and both men and women wear headscarves similar to modern Mongols, albeit now made locally using batik fabric. The top of their drum towers features galloping horses (a nomadic totem) instead of gourds used by the Dong. Other customs further reflect their northern nomadic roots, such as placing bamboo or wooden knife-like "skewers" in their oil tea bowls—evolved from Mongol table knives. As they say, "Our ancestors were nomads who had the habit of drinking tea and cutting meat," a tradition that persists to this day.

　　 As we know, Chinese tea culture has evolved through four brewing techniques: boiling, simmering, whisking, and steeping. Just as hosting guests with tea is customary among the Han, the Dong and Miao peoples, due to their unique tea culture history, do not serve plain water or tea leaves but offer oil tea to guests—a practice with similar hospitality significance.

　　 Oil Tea: The Dong people have a long-standing tradition of "making oil tea." Anyone who lives in Sanjiang for a while inevitably "picks up the habit." The Dong are fond of growing tea trees, passing down the tradition through generations. Drinking oil tea is a staple breakfast for Dong villagers.

　　 Tea Leaves: Sanjiang produces high-quality Xianrenshan tea. Merchants from Jiangsu and Zhejiang often set up shop in Sanjiang to purchase premium tea leaves. The best tea comes from Bajiang, Duhong, and Tongle. Farmers are incentivized to grow tea for wealth, and tea production is expected to become a pillar industry during the "Tenth Five-Year Plan" period.

　　 Fried Rice Cakes: Made from glutinous rice and fried in Sanjiang’s plant-based oil, these cakes are crispy and aromatic.

　　 Method of Making Oil Tea

　　 The method of making Sanjiang oil tea is relatively simple. Ingredients: tea leaves (specifically for oil tea), fried rice cakes, sun-dried rice, peanuts.

　　 First, fry the sun-dried rice until puffed (preferably with tea oil), and fry the peanuts. Then prepare the tea broth. Heat a bit of tea oil in a pot, add tea leaves, stir-fry until half-scorched, pour in water, bring to a boil, strain out the leaves, and add sun-dried rice, peanuts, fried rice cakes, and green onions. Add salt for savory or sugar for sweet. This is the simplest version. For a richer one, add pork liver, sausage, blanched greens.

　　 Oil tea originates from the Dong people, but Miao, Yao, and some Zhuang groups in Liuzhou also serve oil tea to guests. Sanjiang’s oil tea is famous, with both simple and elaborate preparation methods, and a long history of consumption. The Dong enjoy oil tea so much that they drink it one to three times a day, in addition to the three main meals. Before liberation, people worked in three shifts: early morning, midday, and evening. They would work on an empty stomach for two hours in the morning, return for a bowl of oil tea, rest, then have breakfast. After breakfast, they worked for another three hours, had another bowl of oil tea before lunch, chatted at the drum tower in the afternoon, and ate dinner around eight or nine. These three daily oil teas were simple and basic. A bit of old tea was fried half-scorched in oil, water was added, boiled until yellow, salted, and served. A small lump of rice, corn, or beans was placed in the bowl, soaked in the tea, and eaten.

　　 　　More premium oil tea involves a more complex process. First, sun-dried rice is fried into puffs, followed by peanuts or soybeans. Then pork liver, sausage, or lean meat is stir-fried, along with dumplings or rice cakes. Finally, the oil tea is brewed. Some recipes include raw rice, ginger paste, and garlic. Once the tea boils, the leaves are strained, and salt, green onions, and herbs like crown daisy or spinach are added to create a fragrant, delicious tea. During the New Year, oil tea for guests is especially elaborate, typically served in four courses: the First Empty, the Second Round, the Third Square, and the Fourth Sweet. The First Empty includes rice puffs, fried rice cakes, peanuts, and pork liver, lean meat, or sausage. The Second Round adds glutinous rice balls. The Third Square includes square-cut Dong rice cakes. The Fourth Sweet offers a sweet soup to refresh the palate. During the holidays, guests are expected to finish all four courses—"Drink the oil tea to the end, or it’s impolite."

　　 　　There’s also a specific etiquette for eating oil tea. The first bowl is a small portion with just a few rice puffs and peanuts. The second bowl has more toppings and is served with five or six side dishes like pickled vegetables, fish, meat, and beef jerky. The third and fourth bowls focus on dumplings or rice cakes, or steamed sticky rice if the others aren’t ready. The fifth bowl is usually sweet. To properly honor guests, hosts expect at least five small bowls—if not, they might think their oil tea isn’t good enough.