Lin Hong
01 · Lineage & Regional School
Lin Hong, Male, Han, from Ningdeshifuan, Fujian, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Black Tea Processing Craftsmanship (Ⅷ-149). The tradition is documented in Ningdeshifuan, Fujian. Within the regional tradition and school record of Black Tea Processing Craftsmanship in Ningdeshifuan, Fujian: Around Tanyang Gongfu tea have grown a wealth of folk tales, ballads, proverbs, and poems and paintings; many relics—ancestral halls and residences, tea houses and pavilions, old paths and bridges—are associated with it, and colorful She-and-Han tea-art songs and dances have emerged, enriching the regional culture. Tanyang Gongfu black tea ranks first among the three great "Min Hong" (Fujian red tea) Gongfu teas; its production craft was created in 1851 and has been passed down for over 170 years. Fu'an has a long history of tea cultivation. The Southern Song gazetteer Sanshan Zhi, quoting the Tang Shu (Book of Tang), records: "Tea is now also grown and processed in Gutian and Changxi (present-day Fu'an), near the Jianning border."
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
The bearer record for Lin Hong is anchored in the documented technical standards of Black Tea Processing Craftsmanship in Ningdeshifuan, Fujian. Within the documented technical tradition of Black Tea Processing Craftsmanship in Ningdeshifuan, Fujian: The Tanyang Gongfu tea craft is one of the representative black-tea production crafts of China, transmitted through generations centered on Tanyang Village, Shekou Town, Fu'an City, Ningde, Fujian Province. Beyond Tanyang Village, the craft also spreads across 18 towns and townships within Fu'an—including Shekou, Xiaoyang, and Shangbaishi—as well as the Saiqi Development Zone and the Fu'an She Ethnic Minority Development Zone, radiating to neighboring counties. Fu'an lies in northeastern Fujian, embraced by mountains on three sides and facing the sea on the one remaining side. It has a subtropical maritime monsoon climate with distinct seasons. Its soils are dominated by acidic-rock red earth and yellow-red earth, deep and fertile—ideal for tea bushes. The raw material for Tanyang Gongfu black tea is called "Tanyang caicha" (Tanyang native bush tea); its buds and shoots are plump yet short and covered with fine down. The making of Tanyang Gongfu black tea is intricate and its process steps rigorous. From initial processing to refined sifting, it has developed a dozen-plus craft operations centered on "shaking, dividing, scooping, selecting, winnowing, and floating," each step with its own knack and brilliance. Turning green leaves into black tea requires many complex steps such as "wet piling (wohong)." It stresses reading the weather to make tea, while varying the handwork. The craft uniquely reformed the single-stage withering and refined sifting into compound forms, producing a scientific "tea-rolling art": light-heavy-light and slow-fast-slow with shaking-out, repeated three times, to achieve the optimal twisted strips. The finished Gongfu black tea has tight, fine, even, straight strips; a black, lustrous, oily sheen; a bright red liquor with a golden ring; a mellow, fresh, brisk taste; a distinctive "longan aroma"; and a red, bright, soft, tender infused leaf—high in flavor and rich in fragrance. Fu'an holds tea-tasting competitions every year, through which the Tanyang Gongfu tea craft has been widely spread and developed. The Tanyang Gongfu black tea craft is an important component and driving force within black-tea production techniques, and holds significant reference value for studying the history of black tea and related cultural matters. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "": "Archive of process records": The making of Tanyang Gongfu black tea is intricate and its process steps rigorous. From initial processing to refined sifting, it has developed a dozen-plus craft operations centered on "shaking, dividing, scooping, selecting, winnowing, and floating," each step with its own knack and brilliance.
Archive of process records
The making of Tanyang Gongfu black tea is intricate and its process steps rigorous. From initial processing to refined sifting, it has developed a dozen-plus craft operations centered on "shaking, dividing, scooping, selecting, winnowing, and floating," each step with its own knack and brilliance.
Core Technique I
The Tanyang Gongfu tea craft is one of the representative black-tea production crafts of China, transmitted through generations centered on Tanyang Village, Shekou Town, Fu'an City, Ningde, Fujian Province.
Core Technique II
Beyond Tanyang Village, the craft also spreads across 18 towns and townships within Fu'an—including Shekou, Xiaoyang, and Shangbaishi—as well as the Saiqi Development Zone and the Fu'an She Ethnic Minority Development Zone, radiating to neighboring counties.
Core Technique III
Fu'an lies in northeastern Fujian, embraced by mountains on three sides and facing the sea on the one remaining side.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
In 2025, Lin Hong was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Black Tea Processing Craftsmanship, with Ningdeshifuan, Fujian as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Black Tea Processing Craftsmanship in Ningdeshifuan, Fujian: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2021 (batch 5), with Ningdeshifuan, Fujian as its declared area, and Fuan Chaye Association as its safeguarding unit. Since the project was inscribed in the national inventory, its declared area and safeguarding unit have carried out documentation, transmission and presentation within the national safeguarding framework. Together, the inventory record and the project archive form the public documentary basis for the bearer’s transmission practice.
04 · Associated Heritage Item Dossier
Historical origin
Tanyang Gongfu black tea ranks first among the three great "Min Hong" (Fujian red tea) Gongfu teas; its production craft was created in 1851 and has been passed down for over 170 years. Fu'an has a long history of tea cultivation. The Southern Song gazetteer Sanshan Zhi, quoting the Tang Shu (Book of Tang), records: "Tea is now also grown and processed in Gutian and Changxi (present-day Fu'an), near the Jianning border."
05 · Fellow National Bearers Lineage
National representative bearers recorded under the same item code, ordered from the first to the sixth batch. Batch order is not a teacher–student relationship.
| Bearer | Declared area | Roster code | Relation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wang Chang | Qimen, Anhui | 05-2849 | Other regional school |
| Zhang Chengren | Fengqing, Yunnan | 05-2850 | Other regional school |
| Lin Hong | Ningdeshifuan, Fujian | — | This page |
| Yu Danhua | Jiujiangshixiushui, Jiangxi | — | Other regional school |
06 · Archival Sources & Bibliography
This static English edition is rendered at the edge for search engines, AI crawlers and readers without JavaScript. Compiled from official national representative bearer archival records and the associated project dossier, organized by topic and translated into English. 阅读中文版。