Jinshan Cuiya

Jinshan Cuiya

Jinshan Cuiya is a product with a geographical indication for agricultural products.

　　Zhenjiang boasts abundant tea-growing resources and a long history of tea cultivation. Located in the northwest of the city, Zhongling Spring is renowned for its excellent water quality, praised as the "Number One Spring Under Heaven" by the Tea Sage Lu Yu, which has helped make Zhenjiang tea famous worldwide. "Jinshan Cuiya" is the leading brand of Zhenjiang tea and a high-grade green tea. This tea is made from the buds and leaves of premium tea tree varieties, processed with fine craftsmanship. It features a flat, straight appearance with emerald green color and visible white tips. The tea liquor is bright, and the taste is fragrant, mellow, and rich. Since being named one of China's Top Ten Newly Created Famous Teas in 1985, it has won numerous awards, including two first-place victories in both national and international tea competitions with high scores.

　　Geographic Scope

　　Jinshan Cuiya tea is produced in the jurisdictions of Zhenjiang City, Jiangsu Province, including Runzhou District, Jingkou District, Zhenjiang New District, Dantu District, Danyang City, and Jurong City. This encompasses 27 towns (or subdistrict offices): Jiangqiao Town and Qilidian Subdistrict Office in Runzhou District; Jianbi Town and Xiangshan Subdistrict Office in Jingkou District; Dinggang Town, Dalu Town, Dagang Subdistrict Office, and Dingmao Subdistrict Office in Zhenjiang New District; Guyang Town, Shangdang Town, Gaozi Town, Baojian Town, and Xinfeng Town in Dantu District; Situ Town, Yunyang Town, Pixiang Town, Houxiang Town, and Yanling Town in Danyang City; Xiashu Town, Biancheng Town, Baitu Town, Huayang Town, Huangmei Town, Houbai Town, Maoshan Town, Tianwang Town, and Guozhuang Town in Jurong City. The total area covers approximately 2,000 square kilometers. Zhenjiang City is located in the southern part of Jiangsu Province, with geographic coordinates between 119°00′–119°58′ east longitude and 31°33′–32°19′ north latitude. It lies on the southern bank of the Yangtze River, facing Yangzhou City across the river to the north, bordering Xinbei District and Wujin District of Changzhou City to the east, connecting to Jintan City and Liyang City of Changzhou to the south, and adjacent to Jiangning District and Lishui County of Nanjing City to the west.

　　Natural Ecological Environment and Humanistic Historical Factors

　　(1) Soil and Topography: Topographic Features: Jinshan Cuiya tea is produced in the mountainous and pre-mountain gentle slope areas of the Ningzhen Mountain Range and Maoshan Mountain Range within Zhenjiang’s jurisdiction. The Ningzhen Mountain Range stretches between Nanjing and Zhenjiang, generally oriented east-west, forming a northward-curving arc-shaped mountain system. Most are single-dip mountains, standing tall along the southern bank of the Yangtze River, with widely developed secondary valleys and continuous ridges and valleys. The peaks in Zhenjiang are mainly composed of ancient Paleozoic limestone, sandstone, and shale. The Maoshan Mountain Range extends from northeast to southwest, rising in the central part of Zhenjiang—specifically in Jurong and Dantu—and connecting to areas such as Jintan and Liyang. Its highest peak, Sanmaogong Summit, stands at 370 meters above sea level, making it the tallest peak in southern Jiangsu and the second tallest in Jiangsu Province. It is composed of hard quartz sandstone and sandstone.

　　Soil Characteristics: The soils in the Jinshan Cuiya tea production area exhibit characteristics of a transitional zone between northern and southern regions. Tea plantations are distributed according to terrain and include yellow sandy soil and yellow clayey soil types. The yellow sandy soil, developed at the foothills of the two major mountain ranges and classified under the yellow-brown earth subgroup, originates from weathered materials of quartz sandstone, ancient sedimentary rock, and shale. The soil texture ranges from loamy to light clayey, with surface soil pH ranging from 5.1 to 6.0. The subsoil has a high clay particle content, good water retention and fertility properties, suitable levels of organic matter and nitrogen, making it the most suitable soil for tea cultivation in southern Jiangsu. The yellow clayey soil, developed on the hilly loess terraces in front of the mountains and classified under the yellow-cinnamon earth subgroup, is traditionally called cultivated yellow-brown earth. Its parent material comes from ancient decalcified Xiashu loess. The soil layer is deep, with thickness ranging from 20 to 50 meters. The surface soil consists mainly of silt and clay particles, with slightly acidic pH between 6.2 and 6.5. Due to the horizontal sedimentary bedrock, typical clay pans often form during soil development. The yellow clayey soil has a high clay content, high exchangeable hydrogen, aluminum, and base cation levels, and rich mineral nutrients, making it suitable for the growth and development of tea trees.

　　(2) Hydrological Conditions: The main rivers in Zhenjiang include the Yangtze River, the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, Tongji River, and Jurong River. There are also 105 small and medium-sized reservoirs in the city. The average annual surface runoff in Zhenjiang is 973 billion cubic meters. The city has abundant groundwater resources, with a total reserves of 12.59 million cubic meters per year. The water is clear and pure, making it ideal for industrial, agricultural production, and domestic use.

　　(3) Climatic Conditions: The Jinshan Cuiya tea production area falls within the typical northern subtropical warm zone, with an average annual temperature of 15.2°C. It has a distinct four-season monsoon climate, with a stable accumulated temperature ≥10°C ranging from 4,700°C to 5,000°C. The annual sunshine duration is 2,073.7 hours. The average January temperature is 3°C, and the multi-year average annual minimum temperature is around -6°C. Annual precipitation is about 1,060 mm, with spring accounting for 25%, summer for 40–50%, and autumn for 25–30%. The frost-free period lasts 238 days. The moisture, temperature, and light conditions meet the requirements for tea tree growth. The accumulated temperature above 10°C is close to the low-temperature limit of 4,000°C for arbor-type large-leaf tea varieties, which is relatively low compared to other tea-growing regions in China. Due to complex topography and diverse microclimates in hilly and mountainous areas, and the moderating effect of the Yangtze River on the local microclimate, the daily temperature range is relatively small, humidity is high, autumn cooling is delayed, and days of extreme high or low temperatures are few. In the Maoshan and Ningzhen hilly areas, certain temperature inversion layers exist along mountain slopes.

　　(4) Humanistic and Historical Background: Zhenjiang is a cultural transition zone between northern and southern China, with a rich historical tea culture heritage, particularly in poetry and allusions. The idiom "using tea to replace wine" originated in Zhenjiang, as detailed in the "Records of the Three Kingdoms: Biography of Wu." The title "Number One Spring Under Heaven" stems from tea tasting and was first mentioned in Tang Dynasty’s Zhang Youxin’s "Record of Tea Boiling Water," where Zhongling Spring in the Yangtze River was ranked first. Historically famous tea-related poems associated with Zhenjiang include: "Tea from Mengding Mountain, water from the heart of the Yangtze River," "There’s not much scenery in the mountains, but the world-renowned Number One Spring," "The sun is setting, yet the ferry at Canglang isn’t open; I drink my fill of Zhongling water to cleanse my overnight thoughts," "The Number One Spring in the heart of the Yangtze River, southern gold comes north to cast literary depth. A man who cuts off the heads of Loulan, can then leisurely read the Classic of Tea and worship the Sage of Tea," "A bronze bottle draws water from Zhongling with worry, not seeing the ninety-year-old tea man," "Sipping slowly from Zhongling Spring, once known as the Number One Spring. If it could bring rain, it would moisten every mountain path." Famous tea couplets include: "At the head of Chu and tail of Wu, a stretch of green mountains enters the seat; south of Huai and north of the river, half a pond of river water brews tea," "Draw water from the river to brew fresh tea, buy all the green mountains to use as a painting screen." Shen Kuo wrote the scientific masterpiece "Dream Pool Essays" in Zhenjiang, including Volume 24 "Tea Sprouts" and Volume 25 "Jian Tea" discussing tea. Shen Kuo’s "Tea Discourse" states that the best quality tea consists of one leaf and one bud, and he left behind a tea poem: "Who named the tender fragrance ‘sparrow tongue’? Surely northerners have never tasted it. Unaware that this divine herb grows naturally unique, blown by the wind overnight to grow an inch." The ancient, long-standing tea culture promoted the development of Zhenjiang tea. By the Qing Dynasty, the green tea produced in Zhenjiang accounted for one-sixth of the national output.

　　Since the Eleventh Five-Year Plan, the Zhenjiang Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government have included the development of "Jinshan Cuiya Tea" as one of the pillar industries of efficient agriculture in the city’s modern agricultural development plan, directly linking it to the performance evaluation of the jurisdiction. Regular production technology exchange workshops are held annually, and business officials are frequently sent to learn new technologies, with strengthened training for tea farmers. At the same time, county (city) and town-level authorities focus on pre-production and mid-production services, guiding the establishment of tea cooperatives to address concerns such as tea farmers’ difficulties in selling tea. This has continuously improved the production and management level of locally produced premium tea and significantly increased farmers' income. Since 2002, Jinshan Cuiya Tea has won 9 Grand Prizes and 13 First Grand Prizes in the "China Tea Cup" competition, accounting for 15.6% of the national total awards. It has been certified as Grade A Green Food by the China Green Food Development Center (8 products), recognized as Pollution-Free Food by the Ministry of Agriculture (19 products), and identified as Organic Food (5 products).