‘Longjing 43'

The annual spring tea season has arrived.

It's a great time to visit the National Tea Germplasm Resource Nursery in Hangzhou.

Here, over 2,300 domestic and international tea germplasms are preserved.

This is the world's most genetically diverse tea gene bank.

Today,

let's talk about the leading variety of Longjing tea — ‘Longjing 43'.

Question and Answer Session

‘Longjing 43'

Q: What is ‘Longjing 43'?

A: ‘Longjing 43' is a national clonal variety successfully selected and cultivated from the ‘Longjing cultivar' near Phoenix Mountain in Yuni, Hangzhou by the Tea Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences through single-plant selection and clonal propagation. It won an award at the National Science Conference in 1978, was recognized as a national tea cultivar by the National Crop Variety Approval Committee in 1987, and was listed among important agricultural scientific achievements in the 60 years since the founding of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences in 2025.

Q: Why is it called ‘Longjing 43'?

A: When single plants were selected, they were numbered according to the maternal line and the year of selection. ‘Longjing 43' refers to the single plant selected from the ‘Longjing cultivar' in 1960, which had the selection number ‘Longjing 6043'—the 43rd single plant selected from the ‘Longjing cultivar' in 1960. Since 1962, it has been simply referred to as ‘Longjing 43', and the term ‘LJ43' used by tea merchants also refers to this variety.

Mother plant of ‘Longjing 43' (Photo provided by Chen Jiedan)

Q: How did the 43rd single plant stand out that year?

A: In the spring of 1960, more than 70 promising single plants (clumps) were selected from hundreds of acres of old tea gardens of the ‘Longjing cultivar' around Fancun Induction Bridge and Yunqi near the Tea Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences in the West Lake Longjing tea area. They were prefixed with “Longjing 60” (Longjing – derived from the ‘Longjing cultivar', 60 – the starting year of selection 1960) for observation. The main observations focused on biological characteristics, sprouting ability, new shoot growth, sprout density, size and color of buds and leaves, weight of buds and leaves, and other agronomic traits related to tea yield and quality.

From the spring of 1961, excellent single plants such as ‘Longjing 6043' were propagated through cuttings, while observing both the mother plant and the cuttings.

In the spring of 1962, comparative trials between ‘Longjing 6043' and the ‘Longjing cultivar' were set up for systematic evaluation, including biological characteristics, biochemical components, yield, suitability for processing, and resistance to adverse conditions.

In 1965, experts confirmed that ‘Longjing 43' is suitable for making Longjing tea, with excellent quality, maintaining the traditional style of West Lake Longjing. Its appearance is slender and rough-rice colored, clean and uniform, with high and lasting aroma, fresh and mellow taste, clear and bright infusion, and even and robust leaf bottom.

Starting from 1965, larger-scale propagation was carried out, establishing a larger area for mother plants, gradually being tested, demonstrated, and promoted in the West Lake Longjing tea area of Hangzhou, the Qiqiang tea area around Hangzhou, and tea production areas in Zhejiang, Anhui, Hunan, Jiangxi, Jiangsu, and other provinces.

In 1968, the breeding research of ‘Longjing 43' was basically completed. Thereafter, ‘Longjing 43' was used as a standard variety in comparative trials with new lines. Besides promoting the good variety ‘Longjing 43' locally, another widely promoted variety, ‘Fuding Dabai Tea', was also used as a control.

‘Longjing 43' (Photo provided by Ma Jianqiang)

Q: What are the characteristics of ‘Longjing 43'?

A: Early sprouting, large sprout density, fine buds and leaves, and the presence of anthocyanin pigmentation at the base of the petiole (commonly known as “red dots on the petiole”) are distinctive features. There is a rumor that the presence of “red dots” on the petioles of the ‘Longjing 43' leaves is considered taboo by those who do not understand the truth. In reality: the anthocyanin pigmentation at the base of the petiole of new shoots of ‘Longjing 43' disappears during processing and does not affect the quality of the tea.

Pigmentation at the base of the petiole of new shoots of ‘Longjing 43' (Photo provided by Ma Jianqiang). According to measurements taken by the Tea Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences in Hangzhou in 2011, the content of tea polyphenols, amino acids, Caffeine, and water-soluble extracts in the first flush of two leaves with a bud were 15.3%, 4.4%, 2.8%, and 51.3%, respectively. ‘Longjing 43' is suitable for making green tea, especially flat green teas like Longjing, with excellent quality, tender green appearance, clear fragrance, sweet and refreshing taste, and pale yellow leaves at the bottom. Compared with the ‘Longjing cultivar', its quality, yield, and benefits are all superior. ‘Longjing 43' is grown in most tea regions across China, with larger areas cultivated in provinces such as Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Anhui, Henan, Hubei, Jiangxi, and Guizhou. It requires relatively high levels of fertilizer and water, is strong against cold, but less resistant to anthracnose.

As the saying goes, “A seed can change the world, a variety can benefit a nation.” Tea originated in southwestern China, and our country has extremely rich resources of tea varieties. High-quality tea varieties are fundamental to tea production. For a long time, researchers and tea farmers have been breeding new tea varieties, allowing more tea varieties to continuously benefit the tea industry. By the end of 2025, there were 267 registered tea varieties and approximately 190 protected plant new varieties, including varieties suitable for making green tea, Black Tea, oolong tea, White Tea, or multiple types of tea.

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