The Historical Origin of Huzhou Tea Culture

Huzhou is an ancient city in the south of the Yangtze River with a history of more than 2,300 years. Huzhou is not only rich in products, but also has an excellent human environment, which is a fertile ground for brewing tea culture. Huzhou was once known as "the tea capital of East China in Tang Dynasty". Even in the current economic era, the tea culture in Huzhou is more cultural than commercial. Let me show you the historical origin of Huzhou tea culture.

There are four historical reasons for the prosperity of Huzhou tea culture:

First, poets and monks dabbled in tea affairs and became famous tea monks, introducing Zen into tea, realizing the realm of "tea Zen blindly", taking the lead in putting forward the concept of "tea ceremony" and creating the first cornerstone of China tea ceremony;

Second, Lu Yu moved to Huzhou and studied tea culture from the "physical" aspect, which was in line with Jiao Ran's enlightenment thought. Due to Lu Yu's achievements, the tea ceremony in Tang Dynasty has both "Tao" and "Qi".

Third, in the fifth year of Dali (770), Tang Daizong "ordered Changxing to pay tribute" and set up a tribute teahouse in Guzhu Mountain;

Fourthly, during the Dali period, Yan Zhenqing stabbed Huzhou, and the "Dali Tea Style" appeared in Huzhou, which pushed the weather of Huzhou tea culture to the extreme. -This is the most wonderful stroke in the history of tea culture in China.

Huzhou is located in Hangjiahu Plain, south bank of Taihu Lake. Known as the "land of silk, land of plenty and land of culture", it is also one of the birthplaces of tea culture. As early as 1700 years ago in the Jin Dynasty, Huzhou produced tribute tea "Wenshan Rain Post". In the Tang Dynasty, due to the appearance and spread of Lu Yu's Tea Classic, the spread and popularization of tea knowledge was accelerated, which contributed to the prevalence of tea drinking in the world. At the same time, it also promoted the development of tea production, and the Tang Dynasty was also the heyday of Huzhou famous tea history. It is reported that the Tang Dynasty imperial court set up a special tribute tea garden in Guzhu Mountain, and the annual tribute of purple bamboo shoot tea reached 18400 kg. Later generations praised Huzhou as the crown of tribute tea in China and the source of famous tea. Famous historical teas in Huzhou include Wenshan Forbidden City, Huzhou Purple Bamboo Shoots, Guzhu Gongbei, Danqiu Xianming, Jinzi Tea, Luocha, Dongshan Camellia, Taizi Tea, Wu Xia Tea, Biyichun Tea, Zifang Tea, Jiumu Sweet Tea and Moganshan Bud Tea. After the founding of New China, after more than 50 years of continuous development, Huzhou tea industry is more prosperous.

The exploration and development of Luyu tea culture resources in Huzhou is attracting the attention of governments at all levels in tea-growing areas. A number of Luyu tea culture scenic spots, such as Lu Yu's Tomb, Sangui Pavilion, Bie Ye in Qingtang and Gongcha Garden in Guzhushan, have been or are being rebuilt. Such as White Tea Valley, White Tea Park and Guzhushan Wild Tea Base, a number of new eco-tourism projects and scenic spots in tea areas have mushroomed.

Anji County, located in the north of Zhejiang Province, is a famous hometown of bamboo in China, with beautiful mountains and rivers and flowing green water. Anji white tea is a rising star of Zhejiang famous tea. White tea is one of the six major teas. Anji white tea, which is made by green tea processing technology, belongs to green tea, and its color is white because its processing raw materials are collected from a tea tree with all white leaves.

Albinism of animals and plants has always been rare and is regarded as a good omen. In Buddhism, there are stories of white finches and white apes listening to scriptures. The name of white tea first appeared in the seventh event of Lu Yu's Tea Classic in the Tang Dynasty, which recorded: "There is White Tea Mountain in the east of Yongjia County. Li Youth Room in Northern Song Dynasty (104 1- 1048): "White leaf tea, with paper-like buds, is considered very popular. Song Huizong and Evonne said in "On Daguan Tea": "White tea itself is a kind of tea, which is different from ordinary tea. Its strips are carefully made, and its leaves are between the cliff and the forest. Although it is not caused by manpower, there are only four or five, and one or two are alive. " After the emperor of the Northern Song Dynasty said that white tea was valuable, he said, "There are not many buds, so it is extremely difficult to steam and bake. Once the soup is lost, it becomes an ordinary product. " Because this record has been in the Ming Dynasty for more than 350 years, no white tea has been found. Therefore, Anji's white tea fills the gap in historical records and is extremely rare.

Anji first discovered dozens of wild white tea trees in Malinggang, Xiaofeng Town on 1930. "The tender leaves extracted from the branches are as white as jade and slightly yellow after baking, which are produced by the local Guangjin Temple" ("County Records"), I don't know what to do. Anji white tea tree is a kind of tea tree, which is extremely rare. Young leaves in spring are pure white, but when they are "old in spring", they become white and green flowers and leaves, and Zhixia is all green. Such a rare variety of tea trees breeds high-quality Anji white tea, which makes the tea gardens in China more colorful.

Huzhou Anji white tea is divided into dragon and phoenix. Its color is light green, bright and oily, its fragrance is fresh and fragrant, its fragrance is tender and lasting, its taste is fresh and mellow, its soup color is clear, its leaves are white and its veins are green, which can be described as beautiful, mellow, bright and beautiful. Its amino acid content is 5- 10.6%, which is 3-4 times that of ordinary green tea and has a high level.

Changxing has a long history of producing tea. As early as 1000 years ago in the Tang Dynasty, Lu Yu of Cha Sheng made many investigations and studies in Guzhushan tea area of Changxing, and found that this kind of tea is "fragrant and sweet, ranking first in other places, and can be recommended to the world". A "Purple Bamboo Shoot" is also named after Lu Yu's "Tea Classic". It was recommended to the emperor and officially listed as tribute tea in the fifth year of Dali (AD 770). At the same time, Jinsha Spring was also listed as a tribute. To pay tribute to tea, Gongchayuan, the first royal tea processing factory in the history of China, was built at the foot of Guzhu Mountain, covering an area of about 10 mu, with more than 60 rooms, divided into two compartments and three entrances. Purple bamboo shoot tea is a famous tea with the largest production scale, the longest tribute time, the best tea quality and the largest amount of tribute tea in the history of China. Every year before Grain Rain, the emperor ordered Governor Huguang to go to Guzhu Mountain to make tribute tea, and ordered tribute tea to be sent to Chang 'an before Qingming Festival. Therefore, there are poems such as "On the 10th, the king will travel 4,000 miles, and when he arrives, there will be a Qingming banquet", "Peony flowers laugh and move gold, and Xing Wu purple bamboo shoots". There are 30,000 laborers and more than 1,000 craftsmen, which will take several months to complete. From the Tang Dynasty to the Ming Dynasty, it has been a tribute for more than 800 years.

Mogan Yellow Bud is produced in Deqing South Road Township and is one of the first provincial famous teas in Zhejiang Province. As early as the prevalence of Buddhism in the Jin Dynasty, monks went to Moganjie Temple to grow tea. Qing Qianlong's "Wu Kang County Records" contains: "There are wild tea, camellia, ground tea, tea before rain, plum tip, head tea and second tea in Moganshan, and those who come out of the northwest mountain are expensive." Northwest Mountain is the main peak of Mogan Mountain. Qing Daoguang's "Wu Kang County Records" contains: "Tea is very good in Tashan. The monks planted it, and the tea sucked the clouds and was ten times more fragrant. "