On November 29, 2025, the project “Traditional Chinese Tea Processing Skills and Related Customs” submitted by our country was reviewed and approved by the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO, and was included in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity of UNESCO.

To enhance public awareness of traditional Tea processing skills and related customs, raise consciousness about the importance of protecting intangible cultural heritage associated with tea, increase national pride, and strengthen cultural confidence, we will share 39 traditional tea processing skills and five folk-related intangible cultural heritages with you in succession.

Today we introduce the processing skills of Ju Rock Tea of Wuzhou, Purple Shoots Tea, and Anji White Tea.

Green Tea Chapter ② —— Ju Rock Tea of Wuzhou, Purple Shoots Tea, Anji White Tea

Ju Rock Tea of Wuzhou

In 2008, the green tea processing skill (Ju Rock Tea of Wuzhou) was listed in the second batch of national representative projects of intangible cultural heritage.

Ju Rock Tea of Wuzhou is mainly distributed in the northern mountains of Jinhua, Zhejiang Province. This area is characterized by its unique peaks and strange rocks, with towering rocks that seem to be lifted by immortals. Jinhua was known as “Wuzhou” during the Sui and Tang Dynasties, hence the name “Ju Rock Tea of Wuzhou”.

It is said that Huang Daxian, who practiced cultivation in the northern mountains of Jinhua, saw people suffering from eye diseases and pounded the tea leaves from the mountain to apply to their eyes, thus it was also called “Ju Eye Tea”.

Ju Rock Tea of Wuzhou was already very famous in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. In the second year of Mingde (935 AD) of the Later Shu dynasty, Mao Wenshi's “Tea Spectrum” recorded: “The Ju Rock Tea of Wuzhou, with its finely shaped pieces, is produced in small quantities but has an extremely sweet and fragrant flavor, boiling like green milk.” During the Ming Dynasty, Ju Rock Tea of Wuzhou became a tribute tea, continuing until the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty. Ju Rock Tea of Wuzhou originated in the Qin and Han dynasties, flourished in the Tang and Song dynasties, and was most prosperous during the Ming and Qing dynasties.

When picking tea leaves, the standard is one bud and one leaf or one bud and two leaves. Approximately 30,000 to 40,000 buds and leaves are needed to produce 1 kilogram of dry tea. The main steps of its processing technique include spreading, green panning, rolling, secondary panning, shaping, baking, and selective storage. The key feature of the processing is stir-frying combined with baking, which requires extremely high standards for temperature and technique.

During the green panning process, the pot temperature is around 180°C. After the fresh leaves are placed in the pot, they are immediately stir-fried or shaken. A combination of tossing and smothering is used. During the secondary panning process, the pot temperature is around 90°C. When stir-frying, the palm is straightened and moved from the center of the pot to the edge and surface of the pot. Once the stickiness of the tea strips decreases, they can be removed from the pot.

The Ju Rock Tea of Wuzhou is tightly coiled into granular shapes with fine downy hairs, a Silver-green color, a lasting aroma, a clear and bright green infusion, a tender and uniform green leaf base, and a fresh, mellow, and sweet taste that is refreshing and pleasant.

Purple Shoots Tea

In 2011, the green tea processing skill (Purple Shoots Tea processing skill) was listed in the third batch of national representative projects of intangible cultural heritage.

Purple Shoots Tea originates from Gushu Mountain in Shuixiang Town, Changxing County, Zhejiang Province, also known as Gushu Purple Shoots. It was first created during the Tang Dynasty and is now produced within the administrative region of Changxing County. It is a product protected under the agricultural geographical indication registration by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People's Republic of China.

Its name comes from the description in “The Classic of Tea” by the tea sage Lu Yu: “Purple is superior, green is secondary; shoots are superior, buds are secondary.” Lu Yu described Purple Shoots Tea as having “a fragrant and fresh taste, surpassing other regions.”

“The Classic of Tea – Part Three: Making” states: “On a clear day, pick, steam, pound, bake, thread, seal, and the tea is dry.” The ancient method of steaming and making tea cakes for Purple Shoots Tea is consistent with the records in “The Classic of Tea,” involving carefully selected tea leaves, steaming to preserve the green color, pounding into fine particles, shaping into cakes using molds, punching holes with a knife when half-dry, slowly baking the tea cakes, threading them together, and selecting and storing them carefully. The tea is highly aromatic and has a mellow taste.

Through generations of development, today's Purple Shoots Tea is made from fresh leaves picked at the initial stage of one bud and one leaf. It requires 14 processes including spreading, killing the green, cooling, preliminary drying, cooling, shaping, and secondary drying, taking several days. Its buds are delicate, purple in color, and shaped like shoots. When the leaves unfold, they resemble orchids, with a sweet and fragrant taste, a thirst-quenching effect, and an endless aftertaste.

The first imperial tea factory of the Tang Dynasty, known as the Great Tang Imperial Tea Institute, was built on Gushu Mountain. From 770 AD during the Tang Dynasty until 1646 AD in the Qing Dynasty, Purple Shoots Tea was listed as a tribute tea for nearly a thousand years, receiving praise and adoration from many literati and poets.

Zhang Wengu's poem “The New Tribute Tea of Huzhou” reads: “Peonies smile as gold trinkets sway, announcing the arrival of the purple shoots from Wuxing.” Qian Qi also wrote a poem: “Silent words exchanged over purple tea beneath bamboo, far surpassing the drunken bliss of immortals in rosy clouds. The mundane heart is cleansed, yet the joy lingers