Yixing Tribute Tea

Yixing Tribute Tea

　　Yixing was historically known as Yangxian and has been cultivating and drinking tea since the Han Dynasty, making it one of China’s renowned ancient tea regions. Yangxian Purple Sprout Tea was a tribute tea dating back to the Tang Dynasty.

　　 The southern hilly and mountainous areas of Yixing, accounting for 40% of the city’s total area, are part of the Tianmu Mountain range. The soil in these hilly regions is mainly yellow-brown earth and red soil, which is suitable for tea cultivation. Yixing has a climate that falls within the northern subtropical monsoon zone in the south, characterized by distinct seasons, mild and moist conditions, and abundant rainfall—all conducive to the growth of tea trees.

　　 Yangxian tea has been praised by historical figures and favored by imperial courts. During the reign of Emperor Suzong of Tang (757–761 AD), Lu Yu, revered as the “Sage of Tea,” highly commended Yangxian Purple Sprout Tea after tasting it, stating that its fragrance was unmatched in the world and worthy of being offered to the emperor. By the time of Emperor Wuzong of Tang, the production of Yangxian tribute tea had reached 18,400 jin (approximately 9.2 metric tons), with the first batch of Purple Sprout Tea required to reach Chang’an before the Qingming Festival. Lu Tong, a Tang Dynasty poet who lived in seclusion in Mingling, Yixing, once wrote: “I’ve heard that with the new year, people enter the mountains; hibernating insects stir as the spring wind rises. Before the Emperor has tasted Yangxian tea, no other plant dares bloom first.” Du Mu, a famous poet who once resided in Yixing, also penned the well-known lines in his poem “Inscription on Tea Mountain”: “The mountain is truly the most beautiful in the southeast; the tea is hailed as the finest among auspicious herbs,” and “The spring water gushes like golden liquid; the sprouts’ fragrance is trimmed from purple cliffs.”

　　 Today, Yixing is Jiangsu Province’s largest tea-producing county (city). It currently has over 3,500 hectares of tea plantations, yielding nearly 5,000 tons of tea annually. Tea production has become a distinctive and advantageous industry in the mountainous regions of Yixing, with tea being a major export commodity generating foreign exchange. The city now boasts four local famous teas: Yangxian Snow Sprout, Jingxi Cloud Slice, Shanjuan Spring Moon, and Zhuhai Golden Ming. Known as the “Green Oasis of Tea,” Yixing tea enjoys a prestigious reputation both in China and abroad for its outstanding quality and unique character.