Living Heritage: Huangshan Tea

BEIJING, May 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report from chinadaily.com.cn:

As the story goes, a leaf once fell into the water and changed the taste of it. Henceforth, tea was born. Tea is one of the three major drinks in the world, produced in more than 60 countries and regions worldwide and enjoyed by over two billion people.

Located at 30 degrees latitude north, Huangshan city in Anhui province has a long legacy of tea planting – with a wonderful history spanning over 1,800 years. Moreover, the recorded history of the export of Huangshan's tea can be dated back to the 18th century.

In 1915, Taiping Houkui and Qimen Black Tea were sent to the Panama World Exposition, where they were awarded gold medals.

Huangshan city remains a key tea-production area in China and Huangshan Mountain in the city is known worldwide for its imposing scenery and massive boulders.

The moist clouds that ring Huangshan Mountain – which covers an area of 160 square kilometers – are believed to form a natural layer of shelter, blocking the sunlight and allowing the tea leaves cultivated there to produce more nitrogen content that gives them their distinctive aroma.

As a result, the celebrated Huangshan Maofeng, Taiping Houkui and Qimen Black Tea produced in Huangshan have won worldwide popularity.

They were also added on Nov 29 to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity compiled by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

Tea produced in Huangshan continues to delight and fascinate the world. In 2022, Huangshan city's tea industry had a total output of 45,000 metric tons, up 4.7 percent year-on-year, generating 4.6 billion yuan ($664.42 million) in revenue, a year-on-year increase of 7 percent and ranking it first in the province.

While tea production keeps flourishing in Huangshan, the quality of the local teas has also enjoyed a big jump. Last year, the EU compliance rate for the city's fresh tea rose to 92.8 percent, an increase of 20.1 percentage points over 2020. The same compliance rate for the city's dry tea shot up to 85.8 percent, an increase of 35.1 percentage points over 2021.