Yuanling, Hunan, is located at 28 degrees north latitude in the golden tea belt. Wuling Mountain and Xuefeng Mountain meet here, the peaks are beautiful, the forests are green, and the forest coverage rate of Yuanling is as high as 76.19%, and the clouds are cloudy all year round. Yuanshui and unitary water pass through the border, the city of a thousand rivers, the amount of rainfall is sufficient, and the Wuqiangxi reservoir area has formed a unique microclimate, which is very conducive to the accumulation of amino acids, caffeine, aromatic oils and other substances in tea. The mountainous area with an altitude of 400 meters to 600 meters, hundreds of square kilometers of purple rock and soil is rich in nutrients, and it is unique to breed alpine original ecology and good tea.
During the Qin and Han Dynasties, the soldiers stationed in Wuxi Man were sick in the middle of summer, and the local people offered the "ancestral secret recipe Wuwei Soup", which is regarded as the most important ingredient in the five-flavor soup that is regarded as a good medicine for relieving the summer is tea; the Western Jin Dynasty, recorded in the "Jingzhou Land Record": "The seven counties of Wuling have tea, the best." "Yuanling County is one of those counties.
Lu Yu's "Tea Classic" records: "Three hundred and fifty miles northwest of Chenzhou Pupu County, there is no shooting mountain, cloud: 'Barbaric: When the auspicious celebration, relatives gather, sing and dance on this mountain, and there are many tea trees in the mountains. There is no shooting mountain, located in the "barbarian realm", the only tea mountain mentioned in the Tea Classic that closely links tea with song and dance.
In the middle of the Tang Dynasty, the tea wind arose, and at that time, Wuzhi Mountain had already had a very deep relationship with tea culture. In 2011, the Hunan Provincial Tea Expert Group made a special trip to Yuanling for an inspection, and then set up a research group on the topic of "Looking for a Shooting-Free Mountain". After more than four years of arduous trekking, in August 2015, the "Looking for No Shooting Mountain" research group did a lot of exploratory research with rich and detailed first-hand materials such as history, geography, ethnicity, products, climate, dialects and other first-hand materials through massive consultations and visits to many places, forming a credible conclusion in the academic circles - the wuzhi mountain in Lu Yu's "Tea Classic" is now the dry mountain in Tian'ao Village, Eryou Township, Yuanling County.
In the Tang Dynasty, folk tea drinking was popular. Yuanling tea leaves were listed as tributes to the imperial court due to their high quality. People at the time only know that tribute tea is good, but they don't know that there is a moving love story behind tribute tea.
Legend has it that more than 1,300 years ago, during the Prosperous Tang Dynasty, Tang Ruizong (Li Dan), the eighth son of Emperor Gaozong of Tang, was demoted by Wu Zetian to Hu Jiaping on the Yuanshui River, and was exiled to Hu Yuanwai's family as a servant, and fell in love with Hu Fengjiao, the daughter of Hu Yuanwai. After Wu Zetian abdicated, Tang Ruizong ascended the throne as emperor, and soon sent an official ship to Hujiaping to pick up Hu Fengjiao into Beijing, and the official ship went east along the Yuanshui River, and traveled to Jietan to meet the wind and stop, and at night, Hu Fengjiao smelled the aroma of alpine tea, so he took it from him. Tasting Jietan tea, the aroma is full of aroma, mellow and refreshing, and the best system is chosen to bring back to Chang'an. At a banquet, Tang Ruizong rewarded Hu Fengjiao with the best local Jietan tea brought back from his hometown, and all the ministers and foreign envoys praised each other after drinking it. Since then, Jietan has been instructed to be used as a tea garden, and the government has sent people to supervise the production and pay tribute every year. With the exchange of cultures, Jietan tea spread to Japan and India.
It was also in that era of literati and rioters that there was a fashion of borrowing tea to watch the friendship of gentlemen. According to legend, Wang Changling, who was relegated to Yuanling, was grateful for the comfort of his friend Li Bai's gift of poetry, and entrusted people to find a good Yuanling Jietan tea to give to Li Bai, who was also deposed. At that time, Jietan tea had long become a tribute tea of the imperial court, and it had been prestigious for a long time, and after Tasting it, Li Bai suddenly felt sad and relieved, refreshing and sweet, and had a long aftertaste.
"The shape is like a green cloud like frost, and the buds of the ingenious heavenly craftsmanship are hidden." The green leaves of the clear soup are intoxicating to the eye, and the longer the night leaves the lips and teeth fragrant. "Jietan tea is beautiful in shape, color, fragrance and taste, so it is highly respected by literati and scholars, and since the Tang Dynasty, it has gone through the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, and its reputation has not faded."
In September 1972, former Japanese Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka visited China, and in a conversation, he asked Premier Zhou Enlai about Jietan tea.
In order to restore the historical famous tea, under the care and support of Premier Zhou and the relevant departments of the state, provinces and municipalities, Yuanling expanded the production of Jietan tea. Yuanling County organized the release of more than 3,000 Zhiqing people, wearing stars and wearing the moon, fighting the mountains and mountains, opening up more than 1,000 acres of barren mountains and planting tea trees. After 1983, with the strong support of the Provincial Department of Agriculture, the production of Jietan tea was included in the key plan, and 260,000 yuan was allocated to construction, scientific research and equipment. Jietan's 15 peaks and 18 ravines have been covered with verdant tea plantations.
Jietan tea has been full of vitality in the new era, and it has continued to write a new legend in the past.
Thousand Acres garden
About half an hour drive from Yuanling County to Guanzhuang Town Chenlongguan, the rolling green mountains come into view, the mountains and streams, meandering, the tea gardens next to the canyon ditch river are green, but the ridges and green tea gardens, towering cliffs and gentle streams that enter the eye are also pleasant, and here is the Chenlongguan Jietan Tea Culture Industrial Park.
In recent years, Yuanling has focused on industrial poverty alleviation, global tourism and industrial integration, and has taken Chenlongguan Jietan Tea Estate, Jietan Village Tea Industrial Park, and WuzhaoShancha Cultural Base as breakthroughs, blowing the clarion call for the ecological development of Jietan tea.
Through the world's first pass - Chenlong Pass, we came to Guanzhuang Town, northeast of Yuanling County, far away to see the mountains overlapping, tea mountains approaching, full of emerald green tea tombs appeared in front of us, clusters of tea leaves such as green ribbons wrapped around the mountain, we followed the ladder to the highest point, excitedly with the mobile phone to continue to shoot the green scenery of the tea garden.
Yuanling County has a humid subtropical monsoon climate with plenty of sunshine and abundant rainfall. As a key tea-producing county in the country, Yuanling is more accurate than a large agricultural county as a large county in the tea industry. In October 2020, we learned at a symposium held in the county at that time that in recent years, Yuanling County has taken the development of the landmark industry Jietan tea industry as the "No. 1 project" to enrich the people and strengthen the county and accurately alleviate poverty, and actively cultivate leading tea enterprises in Yuanling County. Guanzhuang has a long history of tea production, is the main production area of Jietan tea in Huaihua City, and more than 80% of farmers in Yuanling County are engaged in growing tea. They implement the agricultural industrialization model of "company + base + farmer + village collective + cooperative + scientific research institute" that integrates production, supply, marketing and scientific research.
Alpine fog and rain produce good tea, and the beautiful water of the lingshan mountains breeds good tea. Planting good tea, producing good tea, and producing good tea not only lies in the natural ecological conditions of Yuanling, but also in the spirit of Yuanling people rooted in tradition, courage to innovate, and hard work. Feng Zhen, mayor of Guanzhuang Town, said.
The long history and culture of Jietan tea and excellent quality are the vitality of jietan tea regional public brands. "Jietan Tea" has been included in the National Museum of Tibet as a modern green tea. In 2013, Yuanling County won the honorary title of "China's Ecological Organic Tea Town" by China Circulation Tea Association. Jietan tea was awarded the National Geographical Indication Protection Product in 2011, the National Geographical Indication Certification Trademark in 2014, the China Famous Tea Gold Award at the Milan Centenary Expo in 2015, the "China Excellent Tea Regional Public Brand" in 2017, the "Top Ten Agricultural Regional Public Brands in Hunan Province" in 2017, the "Top Ten Famous Teas in Hunan" in 2018, and the "Yuan Longping Special Award" in 2019. With the rising popularity, the price of the product has also increased significantly, and the price has increased by nearly 4 times. In 2019, according to the assessment of the CARD China Agricultural Brand Research Center of Zhejiang University, the brand value of Jietan tea was 2.003 billion yuan.
According to incomplete statistics, the tea gardens in Yuanling County reached 153,000 mu in 2018, of which 80,000 mu were organic tea gardens, with an annual output of 10,000 tons and an annual comprehensive output value of 1.2 billion yuan. There are 123 tea-related enterprises and cooperatives in the county. The county roughly forms three major tea-producing areas, namely: the Huanbei Rong Area centered on Beirong Township, the Huanguanzhuang area centered on Guanzhuang Town, the National Highway Area and the Huantaichang Area centered on Taichang Township. All production areas have formed a tea production business model with tea processing enterprises as the leader, cooperatives as the support, and farmers building gardens as the main rest.
Yuanling County has formulated technical specifications for the construction of ecological tea gardens, guiding tea developers to rationally plan tea gardens, roads, water conservancy systems, shelterbelt belts, etc., so that ecological tea gardens "wear hats on the top of the mountain and shoes on the foot of the mountain". Wuqiangxi Town Ecological Tea Garden Demonstration Town and Jietan Village Tea Garden Demonstration Village have been established. Each township rests the ecological tea garden construction plan and establishes its own ecological tea garden demonstration film. At present, demonstration ecological tea gardens such as Jietan Tea Farm Organic Tea Garden, Hongxing Tea Farm Organic Tea Garden, and Hongyuan Tea Farm Ecological Tea Garden have been built according to high standards, and a tea national agricultural standardization demonstration area has been built in Wuqiangxi Town. The county tea office regularly trains tea farmers on the knowledge of ecological tea garden management and technical guidance, and guides tea farmers to establish ecological concepts. Timely guide and help tea farmers to manage tea gardens.
"Ten acres of rich households, one hundred acres of rich group, thousands of acres of rich villages, ten thousand acres of rich towns" Jietan tea precision poverty alleviation success model, promoted Yuanling County to embark on the road of rural revitalization and common prosperity.
Thyme
"The purple tea in the cup is fragrant with wine, and the green water in the piano stays in the guest." In the days of Yuanling, we stayed at the Huixin Lijing Hotel, and the manager of the hotel, Yu Xiaoliang, introduced us to Jietan tea in Yuanling and said that the room was rationed with Jietan tea. Every time you brew, the aroma fills the house, and you can sip on Jietan tea, and your lips and teeth are fresh and refreshing. At this time, the poems of the Tang Dynasty poet Qian Qi echoed in his ears.
I have been to many places, participated in many tea festivals, and tasted many good teas. Green tea, black tea, white tea, black tea, flower tea and other varieties, different colors and aromas, each with its own characteristics. This time to Yuanling, taste Jietan tea, there is a more characteristic.
Jietan tea is a product of unique soils and climates. Yuanling is located in the humid climate zone of the subthermal monsoon, with abundant rainfall and a frost-free period of 272 days. There is a lot of water vapor, large clouds and fog, the sun is not very strong, the warm climate, rich light and heat, high-quality water and soil resources, very suitable for the growth of tea. Jietan tea is unique in shape, color, aroma and taste. Its shape is tight and thin, very beautiful, green and moist, high and long-lasting inner aroma, chestnut aroma, taste fresh and sweet, and return to sweetness after drinking. One person sipping tea, full of aroma.
The rainy season in the valley after the Qingming Dynasty in April every year is a busy time for Yuanling tea farmers to pick tea and make tea, and it is also a good time for tea people to compete for new tea. Jietan tea fresh leaf standard requirements are very strict, in addition to the common characteristics of general tea, its picking standards are one bud and one leaf. The processing technology is divided into ten processes: greening, fresh wind, first kneading, initial drying, re-kneading, re-drying, cutting foot cooling, baking, cooling, packaging and so on. The fragrance of freshly picked tea leaves, the warm fragrance and mellow aroma of tea leaves emitted when roasting green and rubbing tea during tea making, and the quiet fragrance of tea soup when tea people taste new tea. Let Yuanling be in the midst of a rich and fragrant tea aroma.
"Jietan tea, sweet and beautiful, tasting a cup makes people drunk... People who have drunk it have praised Jietan tea so much. In April last year, Yi Zhonghua, the leader of Yuanling County, endorsed Jietan Tea. He said, "Jietan tea grows on the mountains and rivers of Yuanling, in the purple soil, under the clouds, it contains rich substances, green color, soup, fragrant, fresh taste, full of honor, a body of essence." Centennial Expo Gold Award, fragrant from all over the world. ”
Tea is the pillar industry of Yuanling. Liu Xiangyang, secretary of the Yuanling County Party Committee, presided over the county's tea development and county-wide industrial development forum on June 20 this year. He said that it is necessary to give full play to the advantages, achieve large-scale production through branding, combine scientific and technological elements into industrialization, and ultimately achieve market-oriented operation, and make brand benefits bigger and stronger. Through scientific and technological innovation, improve the quality of Jietan tea, and build the Jietan tea brand; we must take industrial development as the foundation of rural revitalization, implement one township and one specialty, one village and one product, and work for a long time, seize the single champion of the industry, and consolidate the effective connection between poverty alleviation and rural revitalization.
Wuling Snow Peak Yunlan Feixia, Yuanjiang Unitary Water Sparkling Waves. The natural landscape of Yuanling has bred the fragrant Yuanling Jietan tea. Jietan tea was a tribute in the Tang Dynasty, and now Jietan tea has passed the organic tea certification of Japan and the European Union, won the china's excellent tea regional public brand, and become a national geographical indication protection product. The history of Jietan tea is a legend that has lasted for thousands of years. Nowadays, the fragrant Jietan tea has played the colorful music section of the new era in the hands of the Yuanling people.
With the improvement of people's living standards, drinking tea has become more and more a part of people's lives, and people's requirements for drinking tea are no longer simply staying on drinking tea, but more and more pursuit of beauty and enjoyment. The tea is fragrant, pour a bay of water, take a scoop of tea, into the pot, out of the soup, thick and sweet. Admire the beauty of it, smell and delight it. The tea leaves danced in the water like souls swimming in the water. The last time we went to Yuanling, the Hunan branch of Zhongnong Huahe Good Food Network asked us to bring a few bags of Jietan tea to the manager. When a friend comes from afar, I will invite him to taste Jietan tea. Enjoying the dance of tea and listening to the music, the time in Yuanling seems to be back in front of you. (Author Mei Shu'e)