Green Tea Processing Craftsmanship · Chinese Craft Stories

01 · Historical Records

Ancient tea leaves excavated from a tomb in Gushi County, Xinyang City, prove that the history of Xinyang's tea-picking craft can be traced back 2,300 years. During the Tang dynasty, Xinyang tea was already a tribute product for the imperial court. In the Song dynasty, Xinyang was a nationally key tea-producing region, with its total tea trade volume accounting for one-fifth of the country's. In the late years of the Guangxu reign of the Qing dynasty, eight major tea societies were successively established in Xinyang, and the tea market flourished. In 1926, tea farmers improved the technique of shaking strips in the 'shu guo' (ripening wok) and the method of stir-frying the 'shu guo' with a large tea paddle, making the craft more mature; it has since spread widely throughout the region and continues to this day.

02 · Core Techniques & Process

Xinyang Maojian tea-making craft is the tea-making craft of producing Xinyang Maojian through processes such as fresh-leaf picking, fresh-leaf withering, tea stir-frying, and tea storage. It is practiced in Shihe District and Pingqiao District of Xinyang City, Henan Province, and is especially well known for areas such as the 'Five Clouds (Cheyun Mountain, Jiyun Mountain, Lianyun Mountain, Tianyun Mountain, Yunwu Mountain), Two Pools (Black Dragon Pool, White Dragon Pool), One Fort (Hejia Fort), One Mountain (Zhenlei Mountain), and One Temple (Lingshan Temple).' The Xinyang Maojian tea has a slender, round, and elegant appearance, covered with fine down evenly, with a verdant green color. The brewed tea has a clear, green liquor and a mellow, fragrant taste. It has brands such as 'Longtan,' 'Wuyunshan,' 'Wenxin,' and 'Guangyi.' This craft is fairly intricate. It begins with tea-leaf picking, generally before the Qingming Festival, preferably on clear days before 10 a.m. For supreme-grade tea, the bud-and-leaf part of one bud with one leaf that has shed its bract is selected; first-grade tea picks one bud with one leaf; second-grade tea picks one bud with two to three leaves. Next is fresh-leaf withering: when the temperature is high, wither for 1 to 2 hours; when low, wither for 7 to 8 hours. Then comes tea stir-frying: fresh leaves are poured into a vigorously heated 'sheng guo' (raw wok) for 'sha qing' (kill-green); a stir paddle is used to toss the leaves so they roll down along the wok rim into strips, then kneading is applied to tighten the strips; the leaves are then transferred to the 'shu guo' (ripening wok), where one grabs the tea and flicks it toward the upper rim of the wok, forming strips as it falls back. Afterward the tea is roasted and then spread out to cool so its temperature drops; this is repeated several times before the finished product is obtained. A defining feature of this craft is, first, the 'shu guo' strip-shaking technique in stir-frying—that is, using the paddle to roll the leaves into a ball and, through shaking, making the strips tight, slender, round, and straight; second, the large-paddle 'shu guo' stir-frying method, which emphasizes natural, deft hand movements, producing the slender, round, tight, straight, and glossy appearance of Xinyang Maojian. Xinyang lies on the northern side of the junction of the Dabie and Tongbai mountains, with four distinct seasons and natural conditions suited to the growth of high-quality green tea. Xinyang Maojian tea nourishes body and mind, refines temperament, clears the heart and brightens the eyes, refreshes and invigorates, and dispels greasiness and aids digestion, enriching China's tea culture.

Documented Process Records

Xinyang Maojian tea-making craft is the tea-making craft of producing Xinyang Maojian through processes such as fresh-leaf picking, fresh-leaf withering, tea stir-frying, and tea storage. It is practiced in Shihe District and Pingqiao District of Xinyang City, Henan Province, and is especially well known for areas such as the 'Five Clouds (Cheyun Mountain, Jiyun Mountain, Lianyun Mountain, Tianyun Mountain, Yunwu Mountain), Two Pools (Black Dragon Pool, White Dragon Pool), One Fort (Hejia Fort), One Mountain (Zhenlei Mountain), and One Temple (Lingshan Temple).'

03 · Regional Records & Related Items

The Xinyang Maojian tea-picking and -making craft is closely tied to the lives of local people; in its historical depth, distinctive style, and promotion of cultural exchange, it embodies the outstanding creativity of the Chinese nation and holds considerable social and cultural value.

04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding

Zhou Zuhong (official archive record of the associated inheritor): Male, Han ethnicity, born in March 1952, a native of Xinyang City, Henan Province. Representative inheritor of the fifth national-level batch of the intangible cultural heritage item 'Green Tea Making Craft (Xinyang Maojian Tea-Making Craft).' Xinyang Maojian tea-making technician. Born into a tea-making family, he began at age 12 to learn leaf-picking, planting, and tea-making craft from his father, Zhou Jiming. Upholding the Xinyang Maojian tea-making craft passed down from his ancestors, he persists in hand stir-frying, fully following the ancestral tea-making process, with refined technique and unique methods. To this day he still keeps old objects such as the leaf-picking basket, bamboo baskets, and shallow sieves; the firewood, charcoal, and fire pincers for the stove; an iron shovel; the raw wok; the ripening wok; the large stir paddle; a broom; the bamboo roasting basket; the bamboo spreading basket; and the earthenware jar used to store tea. To better transmit this traditional craft, he has actively trained his eldest son-in-law, Xiao Xingliang, and second son-in-law, Liu Qiang, and every year voluntarily teaches tea farmers the knowledge and techniques of Xinyang Maojian planting management and traditional making.

05 · Associated Representative Bearers

Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:

06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography

Sources

China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)

Read the official ihchina.cn record ↗