Guiding Yunwu Niaowang Tea

Guiding Yunwu Niaowang Tea

　　Guiding Yunwu Tea has a long history. According to the 1673 Qing Dynasty Kangxi edition of the Guizhou General Gazetteer, “In the Guiyang Military-Civilian Prefecture, tea is produced on Dongmiaopo Slope in Longli. The locals only pick the leaves when they are large, but their roasting methods are unrefined, resulting in poor flavor. Recently, some have started picking buds to make tea, which is somewhat drinkable. In the Pingyue Military-Civilian Prefecture, tea comes from Xintian and Yangbaoshan.” The 1936 supplementary Zunyi Prefecture Gazetteer, citing Chunzhai Oubi (Casual Notes from the Water Shield Studio), states: “Yangbaoshan is ten li north of Guiding County, towering extremely high. The summit produces tea that grows amid clouds and mist, known as Yunwu Tea. It ranks first among Guizhou’s teas and was annually offered as tribute.” The 1948 Guizhou General Gazetteer notes: “All regions of Guizhou produce tea, but Guiding’s Yunwu Mountain is the most renowned, though regrettably its yield is too low and hard to obtain. Shiqian tea and Meijian tea from Meitan were also once tribute items.” Additionally, according to a Qing-era stone inscription, the exact year Yunwu Tea was designated an imperial tribute was the 55th year of Qianlong’s reign (1790 AD).

　　　　The production areas of Guiding Yunwu Tea, as recorded in the 1714 Qianlong edition of the Guizhou General Gazetteer, include “Dongmiaopo Slope in Longli, as well as Wenglishong, Wuke’er, and Bair in Guiding.” Today, the main production areas are over a dozen mountain villages in Shangba, Zhulin, Changshou, Panshan, and Guankou of Yangwang Township in the Yunwu District of Guiding County, accounting for over 50% of the total Yunwu Tea output. The villages are located amid undulating peaks at elevations above 1,200 meters, shrouded in clouds and mist all year round. The climate is unique—no severe cold in winter, no intense heat in summer—with alternating periods of fog and sunshine. The average annual temperature is 15°C, annual rainfall is 1,107 mm, relative humidity is around 80%, and the soil is deep, mostly sandy loam with 3–6% organic matter content and abundant nitrogen, available phosphorus, and potassium. As local farmers say, “Spring water irrigates the fields, yielding the finest quality tea,” vividly describing the region’s superior natural conditions and excellent tea quality, making it ideal for tea cultivation.

　　　　The tea is harvested from the locally grown “Yangwang variety,” characterized by green leaves, abundant fuzz, plump buds and leaves, strong tenderness retention, and rich internal components. The region’s unique ecological environment and premium fresh leaf raw materials provide ideal conditions for forming the tea’s quality.

　　　　The tea is picked carefully and tenderly—an old saying goes “tender picking spares even the refined mouth”—highlighting the extreme youthfulness of the buds and leaves. Around five harvests are conducted per year, with three in spring: the first plucking around Qingming Festival, the second around Grain Rain, and the third after Start of Summer, with no more than two or three harvests each time. Autumn tea is not picked. The picking standard primarily consists of one bud with one or two leaves.

　　　　The frying process is exquisite, involving either three fryings and three rollings followed by drying, or four fryings and four rollings before drying. The three-fry, three-roll method proceeds as follows: fixation, rolling, second frying (rolling and tightening strips), third frying (kneading into balls to lift fuzz), and drying. The four-fry, four-roll method adds an extra step of kneading into balls to lift fuzz. Fixation pan temperature is 85–90°C, with a leaf load of 1,000–1,250 grams and a duration of about 10 minutes. Rolling takes around 5 minutes to achieve preliminary strip formation. The second frying occurs at around 70°C; after partial moisture evaporation, the hot pan is used to roll and tighten strips, which are then taken out and kneaded to form tight, fine strips. The third and fourth fryings are done at around 50°C, involving shaking, rolling, and repeatedly kneading into and releasing small balls, gradually reducing hand pressure until the shape resembles fishhooks and fuzz becomes visible—then the leaves are taken out to cool. Finally, they are dried at low temperature in the pan until fully dry. The entire process takes about two hours.

　　　　The tea’s quality features a fishhook-like curved shape that is elegant, covered in fuzz, with a tender green color, strong aroma, mellow taste, green and clear liquor, and bright, even, tender leaves.

　　　　Guiding Yunwu Tea has long enjoyed fame in China. In 1985, it was invited to the “Nanjing National Famous Tea Evaluation Exhibition”; in December 1986, it participated in the “China Famous, Special, and High-Quality Products Exhibition” in Beijing and was selected for inclusion in the Chinese Famous Teas Research, entering the annals of China’s famous teas. Since 1986, it has continuously won the title of “Guizhou Province Famous Tea.” In 1988, it received a silver award at China’s First Food Expo. In November 1988, it earned the title of Guizhou Province’s New Four Products; in December of the same year, a State Council delegation specially interviewed the tea, and it was included in the State Council’s compilation of the Chinese Famous and High-Quality Products Directory, which promoted it widely both domestically and internationally. In July 1988, Guizhou TV specially filmed and aired the special feature “Yunwu Fragrant Tea,” and on November 17 of the same year, the Guizhou Daily published a special report. In October 1992, it won the Quality Product Award at the First China Agricultural Expo, and in April 1993, it participated in the Guizhou Azalea Festival Trade Fair, earning an Honorary Award for Quality Reliability.

　　　　Guizhou Provincial Governor Wang Chaowen wrote an endorsement for the “Yunwu Tea Introduction.” Renowned figures in the tea industry, such as the late tea master Professor Chen Chuan, a grandmaster of Chinese tea science, and Deng Naipeng, a celebrated Guizhou tea scholar, have composed poems praising the superior quality of Guiding Yunwu Tea. The tea is now sold in major cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Fuzhou, Xi'an, Shenyang, Chongqing, and Chengdu, earning widespread acclaim and favor from premium tea merchants and numerous consumers, and is in high demand in the market.