Seven million loads of Tea are produced each year,

Taxing over 150,000 strings of cash.

— The Yuanhe Atlas of Prefectures and Counties

Merchants value profit over parting,

They went to buy tea in Fuliang last month.

— Bai Juyi, “The Song of the Lute”

Fuliang and Shezhou, sought by all nations.

— Tang Dynasty, Wang Fu, “A Discussion on Tea and Wine”

In the Song Dynasty, there were dozens of tea traders in Fuliang. Every household was bustling with carriages and horses, their businesses flourishing to an extreme.

— Song Dynasty, Rao Prefecture Annals

The tea of Fuliang is renowned throughout the world,

Pure and fragrant, it is due to its processing.

— Tang Xianzu, “An Essay on the Newly Built Lecture Hall in Fuliang County”

The Time-Honored Fuliang, Aroma Through the Ages

Han Dynasty

The history of Fuliang tea dates back to the Han Dynasty when people started cultivating and harvesting tea here.

Northern and Southern Dynasties

According to “A Brief History of Chinese Commerce,” during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the phrase “the best tea comes from Jiangxi's Fuliang” was already in use, and Fuliang had become a major tea distribution center in the south.

Tang Dynasty

The Tang Dynasty marked the prosperous era for Fuliang tea.

Historical records show that during the Zhen Guan period, Jiangxi was one of the seven major tea-producing regions in China, with most production concentrated in Fuliang County.

In the first year of the Tianbao era, seven million loads of tea were transported from Fuliang to be sold in the northwest and north of China, with a tax of 150,000 strings of cash. The annual tea tax in the Tang Dynasty was 400,000 strings of cash, meaning that Fuliang's share was one-third of the national total.

The poet Bai Juyi wrote in his long poem “The Song of the Lute,” “Merchants value profit over parting; they went to buy tea in Fuliang last month.” This line illustrates the thriving state of the tea trade at the time.

The Tang Dynasty was a period of vigorous development for the Maritime Silk Road. Large quantities of Fuliang tea were exported overseas via this route, causing quite a stir. As described in “A Discussion on Tea and Wine”: “Fuliang and Shezhou, sought by all nations.”

The Poet Bai Juyi

Song Dynasty

By the Song Dynasty, the influence of Fuliang tea abroad had further expanded.

The Southern Song Dynasty's Wang Jianwu's “Records of Customs and Traditions in Chang River” states: “In Fuliang, the major goods include tea leaves, paper made from bark, Pottery, and these are traded both domestically and internationally, supporting the state's interests and more.” This indicates that Fuliang's tea, paper, and porcelain were widely sold both within China and abroad.

Ming dynasty

During the Ming Dynasty, with the advent of the Age of Discovery, cultural and trade exchanges between the East and West increased significantly. Tea, silk, porcelain, and metalware became the most popular Chinese exports.

The writer Tang Xianzu recorded in his essay “On the Newly Built Lecture Hall in Fuliang County”: “Nowadays, the tea of Fuliang is known throughout the world, pure and fragrant, due to its processing.” Fuliang tea remained famous worldwide even in the Ming Dynasty.

Qing dynasty

In the Qing Dynasty, black tea production techniques were introduced into Fuliang, bringing about a technical revolution in tea production.

The enduring appeal of Fuliang tea is as rich in tradition as the name Fuliang itself. One infusion of Fuliang tea seems to carry the scent of a thousand years, narrating its history and glory to the world. Each drop of tea soup embodies the weight and accumulation of a thousand years.

(Source: Fuliang County Tea Industry Development Center)

If there are any copyright issues, please contact us to remove the content.