Tianfu Longya

Sichuan Province has a beautiful name—Tianfu. Aside from hot pot, tea is also a unique specialty of this region. Teahouses in Sichuan are not only places to enjoy tea but also important social hubs.

Tianfu Longya is one of Sichuan’s Top Ten Famous Teas, a provincial-level regional brand, a geographical indication agricultural product, and an official diplomatic gift from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as a featured brand under the "Outline for the Construction of the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle." It includes six major tea categories: green tea, black tea, dark tea, white tea, oolong tea, and yellow tea.

The term “Tianfu” clearly represents the Sichuan region and also encompasses the remarkable humanistic, geographical, and cultural heritage of Sichuan, along with the millennia-old charm of Sichuan’s tea culture. “Longya” highlights the premium quality of Sichuan’s famous green teas, which are esteemed for their tender buds, making it highly representative, adaptable, and symbolizing the spirit of the Chinese dragon and the excellence of Chinese tea.

The Tianfu Longya production area is mainly distributed along the inner sides of mountain ranges such as the Qinling, Min, Daxue, Gongga, and Siguniang Mountains, as well as in the mountainous and hilly regions surrounding the Sichuan Basin. The average elevation exceeds 600 meters. The soil in the production area primarily consists of yellow soil, red soil, brown soil, gray-brown soil, and purple soil, with a pH level between 4.5 and 6.5. These soils are rich in nutrients and suitable for the acid-loving nature of tea trees.

The Tianfu Longya production area boasts abundant water resources. Dozens of rivers, including the Minjiang, Tuojiang, Qingyi, Jinsha, Bailong, Qingzhu, Xushui, Zhongxi, Weiyuan, Yongning, and Chishui Rivers, which are primarily fed by snowmelt, provide ample high-quality water for the growth of tea trees. The water is clean and rich in minerals, contributing to the unique aroma of Tianfu Longya tea.

The Tianfu Longya production area is mainly located along the inner sides of the Qinling, Min, Daxue, Gongga, and Siguniang Mountain ranges, as well as in the mountainous and hilly areas around the Sichuan Basin. It lies within the transitional zone from the Chengdu Plain to the edges of the Sichuan Basin, the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, and the Western Sichuan Plateau. With an average annual temperature above 17°C, frequent cloud cover, abundant rainfall, and a warm, humid climate, it is one of the most suitable regions for tea tree cultivation. The unique, irreproducible climate of the Sichuan production area also allows for tea harvesting in the Tianfu Longya tea region to begin nearly 30 days earlier than in Jiangsu and Zhejiang.

Teahouses in Sichuan even have their own entry on Baidu Baike, which shows that Sichuan tea enjoys a certain level of fame. As one of Sichuan’s renowned local specialties, the quality of Tianfu Longya is certainly no exception.