Changxing Purple Sprout Tea

Changxing Purple Sprout Tea

Changxing Purple Sprout Tea is a product with geographical indication status.

　　Changxing Purple Sprout Tea boasts a long and storied history, and is widely renowned as one of the birthplaces of Chinese tea culture. As early as over 1,200 years ago during the Tang Dynasty, the Tea Sage Lu Yu discovered this tea in the Guzhu Mountain tea region of Changxing, noting that it was “fragrant, sweet, and superior to other teas, fit for presentation to royalty.” He recorded in the Classic of Tea that “on sunny slopes shaded by woods, purple-hued leaves rank the highest, green ones come next; sprout-shaped leaves rank highest, bud-shaped ones follow,” thus naming it “Purple Sprout” and recommending it to the emperor. During the Tang Dynasty, tribute tea was produced across a broad area, spanning five circuits and seventeen prefectures, but Guzhu Purple Sprout Tea stood out as the finest among tribute teas, celebrated in verse as “unparalleled like celestial nectar, joyous arrival of Purple Sprout brings delight.” It has since been hailed as the pinnacle of China’s tribute teas and the origin of China’s famous teas. The imperial court even ordered the tribute quota to be inscribed on stone tablets, officially naming it the “Guzhu Tribute Tea Workshop.” In recent years, Changxing Purple Sprout Tea has been repeatedly recognized by the provincial Department of Agriculture as a top-grade tea of Zhejiang Province, a provincial famous tea, a China Famous Tea, a National Famous Tea, and was awarded the title of Famous Product at the first International Agricultural Fair by the Ministry of Agriculture. It has also won gold awards at the China International Tea Expo, the Shanghai International Tea Culture Festival, and the Zhejiang Agricultural Expo. The “Zisun” trademark has been named a Famous Trademark of Zhejiang Province three consecutive times, and “Zisun” Purple Sprout Tea has been rated a Famous Product of Zhejiang Province three consecutive times.

　　Product Origin: Changxing County, Huzhou, Zhejiang Province

　　Product Season: From Qingming (Tomb-Sweeping Day) to Grain Rain.

　　Product Characteristics: Emerald green color with visible silver tips; fragrance reminiscent of orchids; taste sweet, mellow, and refreshing; tea soup is clear and bright; leaves are tender and intact.

　　Product Components: Rich in vitamins, calcium, iron, and various other nutrients.

　　Product Benefits: This tea is not only cool and delicious, but also helps reconnect with nature, rejuvenate the complexion, and soothe sore throats. It is an ideal beverage for cooling off and soothing the throat during hot summer days.

　　Product Introduction: Also known as Huzhou Purple Sprout or Changxing Purple Sprout, this is a traditional famous Chinese tea produced in Changxing County, Zhejiang Province. It has been well-known for over 1,200 years. Due to its exquisite processing technique, tender tea buds, purple hue, and sprout-like shape, it is named Purple Sprout Tea.

　　Harvested annually from Qingming to Grain Rain, the tea consists of one bud with one leaf or one bud with two partially opened leaves. The production process includes withering, fixation, shaping, cooling, initial drying, and final drying. The highest-grade tea features buds and leaves embracing each other like bamboo shoots; premium-grade tea has upright tender buds with slightly opened leaves, resembling orchid blossoms.

　　Today, Purple Sprout Tea is a nationally recognized famous tea, having won a gold award at the Beijing Agricultural Expo.

　　Product History: The Tang Dynasty tribute—Purple Sprout Tea—hailed by literati through the ages as the “finest tea in the world,” is produced around Guzhu Mountain in Changxing, Zhejiang. As early as the Guangde era (764–765 AD) of Emperor Daizong of Tang, the Tea Sage Lu Yu investigated teas in Changxing and found this tea superior to others. He recommended it to the emperor, and in 770 AD (the fifth year of the Dali era), it was officially listed as a tribute tea. Changxing, as the second home of the Tea Sage Lu Yu, attracted many ancient poets and scholars to the origin of Purple Sprout Tea—Guzhu Mountain—where they left behind numerous poems and cliff inscriptions, forming a precious part of China’s tea cultural heritage. The name “Purple Sprout” comes from Lu Yu’s Classic of Tea: “purple is superior, sprout shape is superior.” As the tribute quota of Purple Sprout Tea increased, the first grand-scale royal tea factory—the Tribute Tea Workshop—was built on Guzhu Mountain. Every year before Grain Rain, the emperor would order the governors of Huzhou and Changzhou to oversee the production of tribute tea. Guzhu Mountain would be adorned with flags and tents, while Taihu Lake would be filled with painted pleasure boats—an unprecedented grand occasion. Tea was wrapped in dragon-patterned cloth, water stored in silver bottles, and the tribute had to reach Chang’an before Qingming. Hence the verses: “A ten-day royal journey of four thousand li must arrive by Qingming Feast” and “Peonies smile as golden ornaments sway, heralding the arrival of Zisun Tea from Wuxing.” At the time, about 30,000 tea-picking laborers and over a thousand craftsmen worked for months to complete the task. Guzhu Purple Sprout Tea was continuously offered as tribute for over 80 years during the Tang Dynasty. By the Huichang era (843 AD), nearly 20,000 jin of Purple Sprout Tea were submitted, prompting the court to engrave the tribute quota on stone tablets, naming it “Guzhu Roast Tribute.” From the Tang Dynasty through the Song and Yuan Dynasties to the end of the Ming Dynasty, it was offered as tribute for a continuous span of 876 years. As a tribute tea, Guzhu Purple Sprout Tea holds the record for the longest tribute history, largest production scale, greatest quantity, highest quality, and longest duration of tribute. It stands as the pinnacle of China’s tribute teas.

　　Geographic Scope

　　The protected production area of Changxing Purple Sprout Tea with geographical indication status includes the mountainous regions of the Tianmu Mountain range in Changxing County, covering 15 townships and 92 villages (farms): Shuikou Township, Jiapu Town, Xiaopu Town, Meishan Town, Baxian Township, Longshan Subdistrict, Zhicheng Town, Lincheng Town, Sixian Town, Erjieling Township, Wushan Township, Heping Town, Lijiaxiang Town, Hongqiao Town, as well as state-owned farms and stations. It spans from Qingshuwu Village in Lijiaxiang Town in the east, to Zhouwushan Village in Heping Town in the south, to Wufeng Village in Sixian Town in the west, and to Fuziling Village in Jiapu Town in the north. The geographic coordinates are 30°43′–31°11′ N latitude and 119°33′–120°06′ E longitude. The county covers a total area of 1,430 square kilometers, with 6,600 hectares of protected tea plantation area, producing 1,000 tons of tea.