Puan Tea

Puan Tea

　　Puan Tea is a specialty of Puan County in the Qiannan Prefecture of Guizhou Province. Puan is known as the “Hometown of Ancient Tea Trees in China.” The tea matures early, is rich in zinc and selenium, has a long infusion life, presents a bright green liquor, and boasts a fragrant aroma with a fresh, mellow, and sweet aftertaste. Brands such as Putian, Jinque, Xizhai Yinzhen, and Xuefeng Xiangming have won numerous gold and silver awards both domestically and internationally.

　　Puan County is situated in the northern part of Qiannan Prefecture, Guizhou Province, at latitude 25°38′N and longitude 105°2′E. With an average elevation of 1,400 meters, the county enjoys a mild subtropical monsoon climate characterized by an average annual temperature of 14°C, approximately 290 frost-free days, 1,563 hours of sunshine per year, and an average annual rainfall of 1,360 millimeters. This low-latitude, high-altitude setting creates optimal conditions for the growth of large, medium, and small leaf tea varieties. The tea-growing regions feature excellent ecological environments with clean air and unpolluted soil, low heavy metal content, and rich soil organic matter. The soil pH ranges between 4.5 and 5.5, making it uniquely suitable for the development of green food-grade tea and eco-organic tea.

　　Puan has a long history of tea industry development. The fossilized seeds of the ancient four-lobed tea plant from the Tertiary period, discovered in the Yuntou Mountain area on the border between Puan and Qinglong, are the oldest tea seed fossils found in the world. To this day, over 2,000 ancient tea trees still grow in areas such as the Pubai Daqing in Qingshan.

　　To better guide the development of the tea industry, the “Puan County Tea Industry Development Plan (2011–2020)” was formulated in 2010. The plan proposes establishing 65,000 mu of tea plantations along the Zhensheng Expressway in central Puan, specifically in Jiangxipo, PanShui, and Sanbanqiao—planting 43,000 mu of new tea gardens, including 20,000 mu of organic tea gardens. In the southern region, covering Luohan, Qingshan, Xindian, Digua, Xuepu, and Louxia, the target is 45,000 mu of tea gardens, with 39,900 mu newly planted, including 30,000 mu of organic tea gardens. In the northern region, encompassing Ganmian, Woyan, Longyin, Guanziyao, and Baisha, the plan aims for 40,000 mu of tea gardens, with 36,600 mu to be newly developed, including 10,000 mu of organic tea gardens.