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c Tea

live as it used to be when tea trade was fre- ing mountains or rivers and only cares about
quent. But with a clear river across the town, tea, then various tea competitions in the Wuyi
it’s a nice place for a casual walk. If you’re region are just the thing for you, such as the
tired, find a Vietnamese pho restaurant, eat a Spring Tea Competition held by local Agricul-
bowl of pho or a pancake with onion and tural Bureau, the Raw Tea Competition, Cross-
mince on the top. You will feel the true nature Strait Tea Competition and the Tianxin Village
of Xincun. Tea Competition, just to name a few. These
What’s more, don’t forget to try Langu competitions are the best chances to learn
smoked goose, fish with the fragrance of rice, about this year’s tea market, and they are open
field snails, fish from the Nine-Bend River, to everyone, including tourists. Remember to
pork with dried bamboo shoots, Wengong bring your own cup and pitcher, and be pre-
The Wuyi Mountains have a long his-
tory of tea cultivation. The four most dish and various vegetables. All this delicious pared for getting hot as a result of drinking too
widely known varieties of Wuyi tea are food can be found in the Sangu scenic area. much tea. But don’t worry about this. Have
referred to as the Four Famous Bushes: some honey afterwards, rest for one or two
Big Red Robe, Iron Arhat, White Cocks- See it days, and everything will be ok.
comb, Golden Turtle and Lapsang
Souchong. The Wuyi Mountains are typical “old” Timing
Danxia landforms, and people refer to the
Wuyi region as “green water and red moun- Spring. The production of rock tea
tains”. The regular route of visiting this region starts from mid-April and reaches peak
covers the Tianyou Peak, the Nine-Bend around the Labor’s Day (May 1st). At this
River and the Mother Tree of Big Red Robe. time, the fragrance of tea is all over the Wuyi
But for tea lovers, the key producer of Wuyi region, and if lucky enough, you may bump
rock tea is the place really worth visiting. It’s into people drying tea leaves outside. Spring
inside the scenic area. However, tour guides is tea gardens’ prettiest season due to the
will not bring you here. first batch of leave sprouts. Want to know
Recommended route: Start from Niulan- more about rock tea’s production? Go to the
keng to Daoshuikeng. Then go north, walk Chishi New Village or Guilin New Village
along the Liuxiang Stream, and arrive at the that both are near the north gate of the sce-
Huiyuan Zen Temple. Return to the crossing nic area. There are also many tea farms along
of the Liuxiang Stream and Daoshuikeng, and the Xingao Highway.
go south. You’ll see the Mother Tree of Big Summer. Temperature varies widely from
Red Robe once reaching Jiulongke. Then walk day to night in summer in Wuyi Mountains. At
through the Dakengkou Valley and exit the noon, in the burning sunlight, temperature can
scenic area of Big Red Robe. There is a road reach as high as 40℃, but it will become nice and
on the right side of the gate. Follow the road, cool as soon as the sun begins to fall down. In
go up the hill, and you shall reach Matouyan. this season, to take a raft to flow in the river, or
Pass Matouyan, and the final destination is to climb mountains and appreciate the beauty of
the Wuyuan Stream. This route takes more falls are both good choices, as long as do not stay
than half a day, but will allow you to visit all under the sun. Or go to Wufu to see lotuses, and
the key producers of Wuyi rock tea – the so- as the famous poetry says, “the green lotus leaves
called “three pits (‘pit’ is ‘keng’ in Chinese) stretch to the horizons”.
and two streams”. Autumn is the season to drink newly
Only after having visited the “three pits made rock tea. After primary processing in
and two streams” can one truly understand spring, fine processing, roasting and storage in
the uniqueness of Wuyi rock tea. Tea trees all summer, rock tea is ready to be drunk in au-
live in valleys where streams nourish them all tumn. As a poetry writes, price of tea stored
the year round, plants thrive and protect them up for long time is three times that of tea stored
from the burning sunlight. To drink tea pro- for a short period, and every family boasts of
duced in such places will make you feel as if their tea made in previous years. In mid-No-
you were in those valleys: lush grass near the vember every year, the Tianxin Village will
river, mist rising from the valley, broken rocks hold a Tea Competition Festival which only
and gravel ground soaked by water. Tea mak- local residents are eligible for participation.
ers call this “the smell of the pits and streams”. Those residents are owners of tea gardens in
If one cup of rock tea carries such smell, it “the three pits and two streams”. That’s why
must be from one of the key producers. the Tianxin Village Tea Competition is the
If you are someone who doesn’t like visit- most influential tea competition in China.

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