Thatched Pavilion Tea

Thatched Pavilion Tea

　　  Thatched Pavilion Tea is a premium tea produced in Longchi Township, Dujiangyan City. It gained fame during the Qing Dynasty for its exceptional quality as a drinking tea and was among the "tribute teas."

　　  Specialty Introduction: Thatched Pavilion Tea is a premium tea produced in Longchi Township, Dujiangyan City. The <i>Guanxian Longxi Township Annals</i> record that the “Thatched Pavilion” was located near the “Tomb of General Wei” in Maoting Village, Longchi. According to the <i>Wenxi Jilüe</i>, “The Thatched Pavilion was at the foot of the Min Mountains. Legend has it that the King of Shu built the pavilion here to escape the summer heat, naming it the Thatched Pavilion. The site was later buried by locals.” Later generations built a pavilion there. The tea trees planted around the Thatched Pavilion have long and broad buds and leaves. When steeped in boiling water, they float in a jade-green cup with their tips pointing upward, standing distinctly at the bottom of the bowl. The leaf stems are chicken-leg shaped with fine hairs visible, and the color is bluish-green. The tea still emits a fresh fragrance after four or five infusions. During the Qing Dynasty, it was famed as a premium drinking tea and was among the "tribute teas."

　　  Main Production Area: Longchi borders Hongkou across the mountain. Originally part of Wenchuan County, Aba Prefecture, it was incorporated into Dujiangyan City (formerly Guan County) in 1957. It is one of Dujiangyan City’s key tea plantations. In 1981, it had 1,905 acres of tea gardens, ranking second in the city, only behind Hongkou Township. In 1982, it produced 420 dan of fine tea and 1,500 dan of border tea. Longchi’s terrain is similar to Hongkou’s — surrounded by mountains with a stream running through it. The hills on both sides of the stream feature soil primarily composed of cool sandy yellow loam, with a pH level of 4.4–6.5, suitable for tea tree growth. Tea gardens of various sizes are scattered across forested areas at elevations between 800 and 1,600 meters. This is the production area of the renowned tribute tea, “Thatched Pavilion Tea.”

　　  Longchi is located at the entrance to the Ancient Tea Horse Road and has a long history of border tea production. By the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, the fine tea from Maoting was already listed as a tribute tea. During the Xianfeng and Tongzhi reigns of the Qing Dynasty, three Shaanxi-based tea merchants in Guan County — He Fengsheng, Yan Yihé, and Ma Liben — had branches in Longchi for tea purchasing, processing, and distribution. During the Republican era, several other tea merchants such as Huaimaochang, Quanshengxie, Hemao Gong, and Dehouchang also operated in Longchi. These businesses primarily dealt in “Western Border Tea,” while also handling fine tea. They produced 300–400 dan of fine tea and about 1,000 dan of border tea per year. According to the <i>Guanxian Longxi Township Annals</i>, tea cultivation in Longchi suffered major losses in the early years of liberation. By 1982, “tea plants could be found growing in the midst of brambles in abandoned high-mountain plots.” Based on this, it is estimated that during the Republican era, “the tea garden area in our township was no less than the current (1982) 1,905 acres.” “Archives record that in the early years of the People’s Republic, Longchi had 1,560 acres of ancient tea trees. Another entry noted: 20,872 clumps of ancient tea trees.”

　　  Anecdotes: During the Republican era, many tea merchants in Chengdu advertised their shops with signs reading “Famous Western Tea” to attract customers. In 1943, when Chiang Kai-shek visited Guan County, the tea he took away included “Maoting Dragon Well Tea,” which was valued at 400 yuan per jin — second only to “Lingyan Mountain Zhenmei Green Tea.”