Basic Introduction to Nanchuan Large-Tree Tea

Nanchuan tea (Scientific name: Camellia nanchuanica) is a plant in the genus Camellia of the family Theaceae. It is distributed in Sichuan Province, China, growing at altitudes of 1,300 meters, primarily in broad-leaved forests, and has not yet been cultivated artificially.

Nanchuan District has unique ecological climate and environmental conditions suitable for tea growth. According to historical records, Nanchuan has had over 1,700 years of tea production history. As early as the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, Mao Wenshi's “Tea Spectrum” mentions that “Fuzhou produces three types of tea, with Binhua being the best (present-day Nanchuan)…” Nanchuan has abundant tea tree resources, with existing tea garden areas covering 64,700 mu. A large number of wild large tea trees grow on Mount Jinyun. It is reported that Wu Juenong, then Vice Minister of Agriculture and a renowned tea expert, once organized tea experts to conduct a census study of the large tea tree resources on Mount Jinyun. There are eighteen varieties divided into three categories based on their sprouting times: early, mid-season, and late. A large tea tree located in Liujiao Village, Chashu Town, Delong Township, is the largest in Nanchuan and is known as the “King of Tea Trees.” According to tests conducted by tea experts from Southwest University, this tea tree is over 1,400 years old, making it a valuable original material for tea tree resources, crucial for research into the origin of tea trees worldwide and for breeding purposes. Studies on the suitability of Mount Jinyun's wild large tea trees have shown that when processed into Green Tea, the result is highly fragrant and flavorful, with excellent brewing endurance. When made into Oolong tea, the results are even better. When processed into black broken tea, its quality surpasses that of medium and small-leafed varieties from Sichuan and Fujian and approaches that of large-leafed varieties from Yunnan. Its internal components are rich, particularly in amino acids, reaching 4,299.1 mg%. This variety has large leaves that are soft in texture, strong in cold resistance, yellow-green in color, and produces high-quality tea.

The main production area of Nanchuan Large-Tree Tea is concentrated within the region between longitudes 107°02′09″E and 107°18′06″E and latitudes 28°31′48″N and 28°53′16″N. It is distributed south of Mount Jinyun, east of Baizhi Mountain, and north of Sanjieshan, covering five towns: Delong Township, Hexi Town, Guhua Township, Dayou Town, and Sanquan Town (Mazui Village). To the east, it reaches Shijia Village in Guhua Township; to the south, Caoba Village in Hexi Town; to the west, Chashu Village in Delong Township; and to the north, Mazui Village in Sanquan Town. The altitude ranges from 800 to 1,600 meters, covering an area of 700 hectares with a production volume of 100 tons.

Product Characteristics

Nanchuan tea is a small tree, reaching heights of 5-8 meters. Young branches are hairless, and buds are covered with soft hairs. The leaves are leathery, elliptical, 5-13 cm long and 4-6.5 cm wide, with a sharply pointed apex and a wedge-shaped or slightly rounded base. The upper surface is dark green and slightly glossy when dry, while the lower surface is gray-green and hairless. There are 7-8 lateral veins on each side, visible on both surfaces, with the reticulate veins not prominent. The margins are densely serrated, and the petioles are 8-10 mm long. Flowers are borne in the axils at the top of branches, white, 6 cm in diameter, with pedicels 7-9 mm long and hairless. There are two bracts that fall off early. The sepals are five in number, nearly round, 6-7 mm long, and hairless. The petals are 7-8 in number, inverted ovate, 2.5-3 cm long, and hairless. The stamens are free, 2.3 cm long, and hairless. The ovary is 4-5-celled and hairless, with a style 1.5-1.8 cm long, ending in 4-5 divisions. The capsule is flattened and globular, 4-5 cm in diameter and 2.5-3 cm high, with grooves and dehiscing into 4-5 valves. The fruit segments are 1-2 mm thick and woody. It grows in broad-leaved forests at an altitude of 1,300 meters.

Awards and Honors

In 2008, the wild large-tree tea from Mount Jinyun passed organic tea certification. From May 30th to 31st, 2010, Zhou Guofu, President of the Chinese International Tea culture Research Association and Chairman of the Zhejiang Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, visited Nanchuan to inspect the industrialization of tea production. He tasted the wild large-tree tea from Mount Jinyun and expressed great hope for the Nanchuan tea industry, praising the wild large-tree tea and inscribing “Heavenly Gifted Buddha Tea” with pleasure.