Longgang Mist Tea

Longgang Mist Tea

　　 Yunyang has a long history of tea cultivation and is one of the earliest regions in China where wild tea grew. It is renowned as Chongqing’s “Millennium Tea Homeland.” According to the New Book of Tang · Treatise on Geography, Yunyang was once one of the tribute tea producing areas during the Tang Dynasty, boasting over 1,200 years of tea-growing history. Its tea once traveled along the ancient “Salt-Horse Road” at the border between Bashu and Hubei, all the way to the capital city of Xi’an. Furthermore, historical records such as the Classic of Tea by Lu Yu of the Tang Dynasty and The Supplement to the History of the Tang Dynasty by Li Zhao (806–820) indicate that Yun’an Commandery of Kuizhou Prefecture (now Yunyang) was famed for producing tribute tea. “The reason why Yunyang tea enjoys such a far-reaching reputation lies in the region’s uniquely advantageous geographical location and profound tea culture heritage,” said Deng Min, Director of the Ecological Cultivation Research Office at the Tea Garden of the Tea Research Institute under the Chongqing Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

　　 According to research and evaluation by the Organic Tea Research Group at the Chongqing Tea Research Institute, Yunyang’s soil is mainly composed of sandy loam and cold sandy yellow loam, featuring deep layers and high selenium content — ideal conditions for tea tree growth, making it one of the most suitable regions in the municipality for organic tea production. Especially after the completion of the Three Gorges Reservoir, the over 60-kilometer-long high-gorge flat lake, together with the “Four Streams” (Pengxi, Tangxi, Modaoxi, and Changtanxi), forms a misty valley water town climate. Mountain mists, water vapors, and fog envelop the tea gardens all year round, and the air is rich in negative ions. Yunyang’s temperature, light, rainfall, and geographical conditions all play crucial roles in the healthy growth and consistent high quality of the tea.

　　 Dr. Qin Yanchun, a renowned Chinese tea culture expert, once commented in her article “The Steep Teas of Bashan and Shushui” (published in the Wenhui Daily on June 8, 2009): “Longgang Mist Tea from Qiyao Mountain in Yunyang County, Chongqing — which is almost impossible to find any information about online — is truly a clear tea from the Three Gorges Reservoir area. With its wild tea genes, it boasts an extraordinary aroma, long-lasting flavor, and is a rare gem among fine teas.”

　　 In recent years, Chongqing Longgang Tea Industry Co., Ltd. has continuously improved tea varieties, vigorously implemented high-quality tea projects, and promoted an industrialized tea operation model of “company + base (specialized cooperative) + farmer.” It has established four high-quality tea demonstration bases covering a total area of 10,000 mu, strictly following green, pollution-free, high-quality tea production technical procedures for cultivation and production. At the same time, the company has introduced advanced domestic equipment and technologies for tea production and processing, improved production processes, adopted standardized production methods, and perfected a standardized management system for tea production, further enhancing the quality of its teas.

　　 To protect the quality and unique characteristics of Longgang Mist Tea and to enhance its visibility and market competitiveness both domestically and internationally, Chongqing Longgang Tea Industry has continuously strengthened its standardization system. Market-oriented and combined with brand development efforts, the company has advanced the standardized demonstration construction of tea production. Longgang tea planting has been included in the National Agricultural Standardization Demonstration Zone project, making it a national demonstration base for premium tea agriculture and a national science popularization “Benefiting Agriculture and Revitalizing Villages” demonstration base. The application for geographical indication product protection for the tea has also entered the technical review stage. Longgang Tea Industry has obtained ISO9001:2000 international quality management system certification. Its Longgang Mist series of premium green teas won the first prize in the 9th “China Tea Cup” Premium Green Tea Competition in 2011. Recently, it also received gold awards in the 9th “Three Gorges Cup” Premium Green Tea Competition in Chongqing and the 6th “China Green Cup” China Premium Green Tea Competition in Ningbo, Zhejiang.

　　 Currently, through technological innovation and in collaboration with the Chongqing Academy of Agricultural Sciences’ Tea Research Institute, Chongqing Longgang Tea Industry Co., Ltd. has developed a series of premium green tea products under the Longgang Mist brand, including “Yunyang White Tea,” “Yunyang Dragon Sprout,” “Qiyang Show Sprout,” “Panlong Green Peak,” “Longgang Maojian,” and “Qiyang Green Tea.” These six premium tea series quickly became bestsellers in the market, attracting tea merchants from both within and outside the city, resulting in supply falling short of demand.