Jingning Huiming Tea

Jingning Huiming Tea

Jingning Huiming Tea is a protected geographical indication product.

　　 Product Name: Jingning Huiming Tea

　　　　   Product Origin: Jingning, Lishui

　　　　   Product Characteristics: The tea has a fresh, mellow, and sweet taste with an orchid-like fragrance, and presents a clear, bright green liquor

　　　　   Product Introduction: Huiming Tea features tightly rolled, plump leaves with vibrant green color and glossy sheen, covered entirely with fine downy hairs. The fresh leaves used in making Huiming Tea are one-bud-one-leaf shoots with large, fat buds, tender and young leaves, and longer buds than leaves. During processing, the fresh shoots and leaves are first pan-fried in a copper wok until appropriately withered, then spread out to cool and lightly kneaded. Next, they are baked in a drying basket until over 80% dry, then returned to the wok for final shaping and frying until fully dry. The finished tea has tightly twisted, robust strips, plump particles, glossy emerald-green color, and full buds covered with fine hair.

　　　　   Product History: Jingning Huiming Tea originates from the mountain area of Huiming Temple, which was built under the supervision of Monk Huiming in the second year of the Xiantong era of the Tang Dynasty (861), hence the tea is named after the monk. Today, there remains a bitter white tea tree over a thousand years old, one of the rarest tea trees, with leaves that are milky white with light yellow hues and turn white when brewed—referred to as "immortal tea." Starting from the 54th year of the Qianlong reign in the Qing Dynasty (1789), Huiming Tea was listed as a tribute tea and has won numerous national and international gold awards.　　

　　　　   Gold Award Huiming Tea is one of Zhejiang Province's eight famous teas and also one of China’s nationally recognized key teas. It is produced in Chimu Mountain, Jingning, located within Zhangchun Township. The area surrounding the main peak is shrouded in clouds and mist, providing ideal conditions for tea growth. The Jingning County Annals record: In the second year of the Xiantong era of the Tang Dynasty, Monk Huiming built a temple in the mountains and, together with the She people, cultivated tea around the temple. The tea became known by the monk’s name. To this day, it has a history of over 1,100 years and has been listed as a “tribute tea” through the dynasties. In the fourth year of the Republic of China (1915), to commemorate the completion of the Panama Canal, the Panama–Pacific International Exposition was held in the United States. The Zhejiang Provincial Government gathered various famous silk products and local specialties to participate in the exposition. Among them, only Jingning Huiming Tea received a First Class Certificate and a Gold Medal. Since then, Huiming Tea has gained fame across the world and throughout China. Jingning County recorded this glorious history in the Continued Annals of Jingning County. During the *** regime, life was hard for the She people, tea gardens were neglected, and the once-famous tea faded into obscurity. 　　

　　　　   After liberation, the Party and government placed great importance on Huiming Tea and provided strong support. In 1973, the Lishui Regional Science and Technology Commission included Huiming Tea as a key research subject, reviving this historically renowned tea. Research was conducted on soil, climate, cultivation, and tea processing in the tea-growing regions, accelerating the development of Huiming Tea and continuously improving its quality. As a result, Huiming Tea was revitalized—nearly 1,000 acres of new tea gardens have been developed in recent years, with over 100 acres put into production. Starting in 1979, the annual production of premium tea reached over 4,000 jin (2,000 kg), with new tea shipped to cities such as Beijing, Tianjin, Qingdao, Shanghai, and Hangzhou for sale. Tea was also sent to countries and regions such as the United States, Hong Kong, Indonesia, and Belgium through relatives, friends, and overseas Chinese, earning widespread praise. Zhejiang Television has produced multiple programs to promote it, and it has been featured in publications such as China News, People’s Pictorial, and Nationalities Pictorial, drawing attention both domestically and internationally. From 1979 to 1982, it was rated consecutively as one of Zhejiang Province’s high-quality famous teas. In 1982 and 1986, during national competitions held in Changsha and Fuzhou, it was named one of China’s Top Ten Teas by the Ministry of Commerce. In 1991, at the International Tea Culture Festival held in Hangzhou, it was awarded the prize for “Outstanding Cultural Famous Tea.”