In the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China, teahouses featuring short storytelling emerged in Beijing. They sold plain tea in the morning and invited performers for storytelling in the afternoon and evening. Tea served as the medium, while listening to stories was the main attraction. These storytelling teahouses directly connected tea with literature, appealing to all ages. Patrons enjoyed tea while listening to tales, creating a leisurely atmosphere. Starting today, our storytelling teahouse will share the story of Huangshan Maofeng.
Huangshan Maofeng is one of China's top ten historical famous teas, originating from Huangshan in Anhui Province. The tea is named 'Huangshan Maofeng' because the leaves are covered with white hairs, have sharp芽尖, and are picked from the high peaks of Huangshan.
During the Tianqi period of the Ming Dynasty (1621-1627 AD), Xiong Kaiyuan, the newly appointed magistrate of Yi County in Jiangnan, got lost while spring touring in Huangshan. Fortunately, he met an old monk and stayed at the monk's temple.
When the elder monk served tea, the observant Xiong Kaiyuan noticed that the tea leaves were slightly yellow, shaped like sparrow tongues, and covered with white hairs. When boiling water was poured, steam circled the rim of the bowl, rose straight up about a foot high, formed a white lotus flower in the air, then slowly rose and transformed into a cloud of mist before dispersing into strands of steam, filling the room with a delicate fragrance. Xiong immediately became interested in this tea and found it delightful upon tasting. Upon inquiry, he learned it was called Huangshan Maofeng.
When Xiong was leaving, the elder gave him a package of Huangshan Maofeng tea and a gourd of Huangshan spring water for brewing, instructing him that only with this water could the white lotus phenomenon appear.
Back at his office, Xiong happened to meet his old classmate, the magistrate of Taiping County, who was visiting. Xiong demonstrated the white lotus奇迹. The Taiping magistrate was amazed and reported this to the emperor, hoping for a reward. However, he couldn't reproduce the white lotus phenomenon. The emperor was furious, and the Taiping magistrate had to truthfully report that the tea was actually presented by Magistrate Xiong Kaiyuan of Yi County. The emperor immediately summoned Xiong for trial.
After detailed inquiry, Xiong realized that the failure was not due to the tea but the water used for brewing, as he remembered the old monk's words: only Huangshan spring water could produce the white lotus奇迹. Xiong explained this to the emperor and requested to fetch water from Huangshan.
When Xiong returned with the mountain spring water from the Huangshan elder and brewed Huangshan Maofeng before the emperor, the white lotus spectacle indeed appeared. The emperor was delighted and said to Xiong, 'In recognition of your contribution in presenting this tea, I promote you to Governor of Jiangnan. Assume your post in three days.'