Yiwu Yuanbao Tea

Yiwu Yuanbao Tea

　　According to historical records, over 1,000 years ago, “Yuanbao Tea” was already being sold in various countries and more than ten regions across Southeast Asia. During the Qing Dynasty, Yuanbao Tea was served as tribute to the emperor, and some of the tea trees that were once offered to the imperial court are still preserved locally. Legend has it that Yuanbao Tea was brought to Yiwu by Zhuge Liang during his southern campaign in the Three Kingdoms period, so local people regard Zhuge Liang as the Tea Ancestor and hold a “Tea Ancestor Festival” on the 23rd day of the seventh lunar month each year to commemorate him. Nowadays, on the hill behind Luoshuidong Village in Manlong Township, there still stands a Tea King Tree, which is 11.7 meters tall and 45 centimeters in diameter, belonging to the cultivated large-leaf white-hairy tea variety. It is said that local tea farmers still go there to worship before harvesting spring tea each year. The tea leaves are tightly rolled and straight like needles, with a tender green color, silvery tips, and an oily, smooth appearance. When brewed, it yields a fragrant, mellow, refreshing, and thirst-quenching cup.