Located at 30 degrees north latitude in Mingshan and Mengding Mountain, Ya'an City, Sichuan Province, is one of the most suitable regions for Tea cultivation and one of the original birthplaces of tea. It is also the oldest known tea-growing area with written records. The tribute tea from Mengding Mountain has a long history, was continuously presented to the imperial court, had a rich variety, and held a high status. From the Tang Dynasty's Tianbao period to the end of the Qing Dynasty, it was offered without interruption for 1,169 years, an unparalleled record in Chinese tribute tea history, leaving a significant mark on China's tea history.

1. Mengding Mountain's Continuous “Five-Dynasty Tribute Tea” Over a Thousand Years

In the third year of Ganyu (202 BCE) during the Western Han Dynasty, a local from Mingshan named Wu Lizhen transplanted and domesticated wild tea trees on Mengding Mountain, marking the beginning of artificial tea cultivation. According to the Eastern Han document “Ba Jun Tu Jing,” “The tea from Mingshan in Ya Zhou Prefecture receives full sun and thus has a fragrant aroma.” Similarly, the “Jiuzhou Zhi” by Le Zi in the Jin Dynasty states, “Meng Mountain, which means ‘bathed,' is named because it is often bathed in rain and dew. Its peak receives full sun, giving its tea a fragrant aroma.” The high quality and reputation of Mengding Mountain tea laid the foundation for it becoming a tribute product.

(a) Tang Dynasty Tribute Tea. The Tang Dynasty was a golden age for the development of Mengding Mountain tea. Li Zhao recorded in “Tang Guo Shi Bu” that “customs cherish tea, and the number of tea varieties has increased. In Jian Nan, there is Mengding Shihua, or Xiaofang, or San Ya, considered the best.” The nobility competed to buy Mengding Mountain tea at high prices, greatly increasing its value. During the reign of Emperor Ruizong, a powerful Taoist named Ye Fashan, who practiced on Meng Mountain and was knowledgeable about Mengding Mountain tea, secretly protected Li Longji and helped him ascend to the throne. In 712, after Li Longji became emperor, he issued an edict to widely collect medicines and elixirs from across the empire, and Mengding tea was officially presented as a divine herb and remedy to the imperial court. “In Luzhou Prefecture…the local tributes include wheat gold, tea, stone calamus, and falling-geese wood,” referring to the tea from Mingshan, which was annually presented to the court due to Emperor Xuanzong's affection for it, earning it a reputation as the most famous tea in the world. At that time, the teas presented to Chang'an included Lei Ming, Shihua, Bird Beak, and White Tip loose teas, as well as Longtuan and Fengbing compressed teas. Pei Wen commented in “Tea Shu” on tribute teas, stating, “Nowadays, many teas are presented as tributes, but Gu Zhu, Qi Yang, and Meng Shan are the best.”

By the time of Emperor Xianzong, the quantity of Mengding tea presented as tribute surpassed that of many other famous tribute teas in the country. According to Li Jifu in “Yuanhe Junxian Zhi,” “Meng Mountain is ten miles west of the county. Nowadays, tea is presented every year, making it the best in Shu.” During the Tang Dynasty, 17 prefectures had tribute teas, with over 40 different names, and Mengding tea was the top among them. “Sichuan Tongzhi” records about Mengding tea: “Due to its exceptional quality, it has been presented as tribute since the Tang Dynasty, specifically for the emperor's offerings to heaven and the ancestral temple.” Shihua was presented every year and listed as a rare treasure, retaining its color even after being stored for several years.

“Mingshan County Annals” records: “Every year in early summer, the county magistrate would choose an auspicious day, dress in official robes, climb the mountain, lead monks and officials, burn incense, and perform the tea-picking ceremony.” After the tea was prepared, it was placed in Silver boxes, wrapped in yellow silk, sealed with white clay, stamped with a red seal, and sent to the capital by a special envoy traveling day and night. Poet Liu Yuxi wrote in “The Song of Trying Tea at Xishan Temple”: “How much more so the Mengding and Gu Zhu spring teas, their white clay and red seals traveling through the dust.” This poem describes the presentation of Mengding tea during the Tang Dynasty.

(b) Song Dynasty Tribute Tea. The Song Dynasty continued the Tang Dynasty's tribute tea system, with Mengding tribute tea continuing to be presented, although in smaller quantities. In “Cha Pu” by Mao Wensi of the Five Dynasties, it is mentioned: “On Mengding, there is Yan Gao tea, which is made into cakes and presented (as tribute), as well as Zisun tea.” Yan Gao tea refers to tea that is processed by pressing out or not pressing out the juice after steaming and then dried into shape using round or square molds. Mengding Mountain also produced tribute teas such as Wan Chun Yin Ye and Yuye Changchun. “Xinxi Wan Huazhu Xujizhi” states: “Wan Chun Yin Ye, starting from the second year of Xuanyi (1120), was presented as a regular tribute of forty cakes (one cake is one piece), while Yuye Changchun, starting from the fourth year of Xuanyi (1122), was presented as a regular tribute of one hundred cakes.” Although the amount of tribute was small, the picking and processing were more meticulous, and the packaging was more refined. When presented, “it was wrapped in green bamboo leaves, covered with yellow silk, sealed with a vermilion seal, placed in a small vermilion box with a gold-plated lock, and stored in a woven bamboo basket.”

In “New Tangshu: Geography Chapter” by Ouyang Xiu of the Song Dynasty, “Luzhou Prefecture: Mengding Tribute Tea” is mentioned, affirming the status of Mengding tribute tea. He wrote poems such as “Snow still covers the Mengding trees,” hoping that Mengding tea would be presented as tribute before all other things.

The seven tea plants planted by tea ancestor Wu Lizhen were rumored to be “immortal tea” before the Five Dynasties period and were the focus of tribute tea. In the 15th year of Chunxi (1188) of the Song Dynasty, Wu Lizhen was honored as “Lingying Ganlu Pu Hui Miao Ji Bodhisattva”; Shangqing Peak tea was listed as a formal tribute tea, and a stone fence was built around it, which was given the name “Imperial Tea Garden.”

(c) Yuan Dynasty Tribute Tea. The tribute baking system of the Yuan Dynasty gradually declined and was not as large-scale as in the Tang and Song dynasties. The rulers of the Yuan Dynasty were Mongols, whose diet primarily consisted of beef and mutton, and they favored fermented Tibetan tea, known as Xifan Da Cha. According to “Cha Pu” by Mao Wensi, “There is also Huo Fan Bing, each cake weighing forty taels, which is highly valued in Xifan and Tangxiang. Similar to famous mountains in China, its taste is sweet and bitter.” Huo Fan Bing refers to cakes made from mature tea branches harvested in the tea-producing areas of Mingshan and Yazhou, which are steamed, fermented, kneaded, formed into cakes, and dried. The fermentation is not deep, resulting in a semi-Fermented tea with a sweet and bitter taste. “The Imperial Palace Tribute Tea Illustrated Canon” records: “Famous tribute teas in the Yuan Dynasty include Wuyi Baijiguan tea and Mengding tea.”

Li Dezai wrote in “Presenting Tea Shop”: “Golden buds tenderly plucked from the tips, snow milk floats like cream from the northern border. My family's rare products are unparalleled in the world. Listen, my friend, our reputation spreads throughout the imperial capital.”

(d) Ming Dynasty Tribute Tea. In addition to official tributes, wherever tea was produced, tea must be presented. In the 24th year of Hongwu (1391), “In September, the emperor, concerned about the burden on the people, abolished Longtuan tea and only collected tea buds for presentation.” From then on, Mengding tribute tea changed to stir-fried and baked loose teas,