Page 103 - #62 eng e-mag

Wuyi rock tea is not the name of a specific tea type, but
Wuyi Mountain area is the the name of one category of tea. Any type of oolong made from
birthplace of tea picking opera. tea leaves of trees that come from asexual propagation and grow
Developed from local folk dances under natural conditions in Wuyi mountains can be called rock
and songs, the opera is hilarious tea as long as its production process follows the method ad-
and describes people’s daily lives. opted in north Fujian province. This kind of oolong has some
characteristics which oolong produced in other places cannot
possess, a special flavor brought by the unique environment of
Mt. Wuyi. The different types of rock tea stem from different
subspecies of tea trees, such as Rou Gui, narcissus and winter
T he Wuyi Mountains, located in northeast China, daphne. There are also many single origin teas like Rou Gui
from Niulankeng, that tea addicts jokingly call “beef”. Subtle
UNESCO World Heritage site for cultural, with
distinctions exist among rock teas of various types or producers.
scenic and biodiversity values, are the place of
origin for both black tea and oolong. This black That’s why tea addicts fall in love with rock tea. Different rock
tea was found in Tongmuguan of the Wuyi region in the 17th teas give different kinds of experience.
century. Thanks to an accident, some raw materials for mak- Unlike Wuyi rock tea, Wuyi black tea is usually made from
ing green tea oxidized and became black tea. The black tea leaves of tea trees that come from sexual propagation, that is,
was surprisingly popular and even exported to foreign Bohea. Tongmuguan, which lies on the border of Fujian province
countries. Also in the Wuyi region, oolong came into being and Jiangxi province, is its major producer. Interestingly, the
as a result of adopting the method for making green tea as so-called “authentic” producer of rock tea is only a minor pro-
well as the method for making black tea. Oolong is partially ducer of black tea, while Tongmuguan is not a key producer of
oxidized, has a fragrance of flowers and fruits, tastes as re- rock tea. As the old saying goes, you are what you eat. The type
freshing as green tea and as sweet and mellow as black tea. of tea produced depends on where tea trees live, and different
This makes it the current most popular tea in China. environments are suitable for the growth of different trees while
processing methods are also diverse. Lapsang Souchong takes
Drink it on a pinewood smoky flavor that is very similar to the flavor
when black tea was just invented and became popular in Europe.
If you are somewhere around Wuyi Mountains you can- Jinjunmei Qihong’s flavor is more fruity and flowery. Unlike
not miss tasting local tea. Teahouses are all over this holiday Assam of which the taste is quite strong and fresh, and that is
resort. Wuyi Mountains produce Wuyi rock tea which is one often used to make milk tea, Qihong is sweet and brisk, suitable
type of oolong, and also black tea made of Bohea, including to drink plain.
Lapsang souchong and Jinjunmei. Although all these types of
tea are produced in the Wuyi area, each of them comes from Eat it
a different corner of this area. At the very heart the World
Heritage site for cultural, scenic and biodiversity values is a The Xincun town in the Wuyi region is the starting point
producer of rock tea, while producers of black tea are in the of a bamboo raft journey, and used to be the collection and
Tongmuguan Nature Reserve; the former one has a relatively distribution center of teas. In the 17th century, Lapsang
high altitude, and visitors have to buy tickets to go inside, Souchong was produced in a village called Tongmu, then trans-
while the altitude of the latter one is lower, and tickets are ported to Xincun town, and sold to Europe at last by the Dutch
not needed. through the Xiazhang port. Nowadays, Xincun is already not as

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