Daxin Kuding Tea

Daxin Kuding Tea

Daxin Kuding Tea is a protected geographical indication product.

　　Daxin County is the hometown of Kuding tea and the origin of this tea. According to the old edition of the Cihai, “Kuding tea is a specialty of Guangxi, produced in Kuding Township, Wancheng County.” “Wancheng County Kuding Township” is now Kuding Village, Longmen Township, Daxin County, where the thousand-year-old King of Kuding Tea Trees is located. Historically, Daxin Kuding tea was offered as a tribute to emperors and is known for its health benefits such as lowering blood pressure and blood lipids. It tastes bitter at first and then sweet. Currently, the county has cumulatively planted over 34,000 mu of Kuding tea, producing more than 500 tons of dried tea annually, with an output value of over 45 million yuan. The products are sold well in more than 10 provinces and cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Shandong, Hainan, Hong Kong, and Macao, as well as Southeast Asian regions such as Singapore and Malaysia. In 2003, the China Association of Quality Agricultural Products Development and Service awarded Daxin County the title of “Hometown of Chinese Kuding Tea.”

　　Wancheng Kuding Tea is one of the traditional famous teas of Guangxi, produced in Kuding Township, the former Wancheng County, now Kuding Village, Longmen Township, Daxin County. Wancheng Kuding Tea belongs to a neutral to slightly shady evergreen broad-leaved arbor species. The tree trunks are straight, the tree shape is beautiful, the branches and leaves are lush and green, remaining evergreen all year round, with strong sprouting ability. After the top buds at the branch tips are picked, new buds easily sprout, resulting in relatively high tea yield. This tree species is mostly distributed in the middle and lower parts of low mountains and hilly plateaus, favoring a warm and humid climate, and thrives in deep, fertile, moist acidic red soil, being relatively cold-resistant and able to withstand ordinary frost and snow.

　　Daxin County is located in the southwest of Guangxi, bordering Vietnam, and falls within the subtropical monsoon climate zone, characterized by warmth, humidity, abundant rainfall, and ample sunlight, with deep and fertile soil layers. It is particularly suitable for tea tree growth. According to a 2004 survey, two Kuding tea trees over 30 meters tall and more than 200 years old still survive in Kuding Village, Longmen Township, Daxin County. Due to the unique geographical and climatic environment, Daxin Kuding tea has developed a unique flavor and quality, characterized by “a long peak production period, consistently excellent and stable quality, vibrant color and aroma, and a pleasantly mild bitterness.”

　　Before the 1980s, Kuding tea trees were rare in Daxin County, and folklore suggested they could not be propagated. According to records from the Daxin County Annals Office: “Before 1980, there were only five Kuding tea trees in the whole county, producing 60–70 kilograms annually. Every spring, the tea would sell out as soon as it hit the market and was exported as far as Guangzhou and Hong Kong.” In 1985, after repeated trials by the Daxin County Forestry Bureau and Xiaoming Mountain Forest Farm, cutting and seedling cultivation finally succeeded. Only then was Kuding tea widely planted in Guangxi. By the end of 2003, the county had cumulatively planted 33,400 mu of Kuding tea, producing over 500 tons of dried tea annually. The products were sold well in more than 10 provinces and cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Shandong, Hainan, Hong Kong, and Macao, as well as Southeast Asian regions such as Singapore and Malaysia. Over 100,000 people in the county were involved in Kuding tea planting, processing, distribution, and services. In 2006, the Kuding tea planting area in Daxin County was about 35,000 mu, with dried tea production exceeding 1,000 tons and an annual output value of nearly 30 million yuan. In terms of product development, by 2010, Daxin County successfully developed various health food products such as bagged Kuding tea, Kuding tea granules, Kuding tea lozenges, and compound Kuding tea.

　　From the mid-15th century (mid-Ming Dynasty) onward, Wancheng Kuding tea continued to be offered as an annual tribute to the emperor in the capital. However, due to limited sources of Kuding tea trees or variations in their varieties, the quality of the tea produced clearly differed from that of the genuine Kuding tea. High-quality products gradually decreased. To increase the tribute quantity, local officials ordered the villagers of Kuding to collect Wancheng tea seeds for propagation, expand planting areas, and boost yield. In the feudal society era with extremely backward agricultural production technology, despite multiple experiments in propagation, all ended in failure. With only the original few tea trees yielding tea each year, the tribute could not be guaranteed, let alone meet the demands of the local chieftains’ families. As a result, the imperial court repeatedly sent imperial envoys to Taiping Prefecture in Guangxi (formerly known as Chongzuo County) to investigate the Kuding tea tribute. The rulers of Wancheng knew this was no trivial matter and that failure could lead to severe punishment, so they racked their brains on how to get away with it. After much deliberation, they sent a Kuding tea tree that had just died in Kuding Village to Taiping Prefecture, falsely claiming that the Kuding tea trees had all died and the tribute could not be fulfilled. The imperial envoys and the Taiping Prefecture officials believed it to be true, spreading the false news to the court. From then on, the history of Wancheng tea as a tribute came to an end, and the local chieftains were spared from punishment.

　　In accordance with the Regulations on the Protection of Geographical Indication Products, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine organized the review of the application for the protection of the geographical indication product Daxin Kuding Tea. The review was passed, and approval was granted to implement protection for Daxin Kuding Tea as a geographical indication product starting from January 24, 2006.