Black tea began to appear as early as the Ming Dynasty, approximately 16 centuries ago, in the Tongmu Guan area of Wuyi Mountain, Fujian Province. At that time, it was not called black tea but rather Zhengshan Xiaozhong. Zhengshan Xiaozhong black tea has a history of about 400 years to date, though the exact period remains unverified. However, based on records from the family genealogy of the Jiang family—descendants of the Zhengshan Xiaozhong tea producers in Tongmu Guan, Wuyi Mountain—inferences from the development of tea production techniques, and some historical documents, it can be confirmed that Zhengshan Xiaozhong black tea originated during this period.

The Jiang family of Tongmu Guan in Wuyishan City is a tea-producing family with over 400 years of history in producing Zhengshan Xiaozhong black tea. According to Mr. Jiang Yuanxun, the 24th-generation inheritor of the Zhengshan Xiaozhong tea family, the Jiang family genealogy records that the family moved to Tongmu Guan in Chong'an County (now Wuyishan City) at the end of the Southern Song Dynasty and has been growing tea for generations. The family has mastered tea processing techniques across generations. Within the Jiang family, there is a legend about the origin of Zhengshan Xiaozhong black tea: One year during the late Ming Dynasty, around the tea harvesting season, a northern army passed through Miaowan in Tongmu Guan and camped overnight at a local wooden tea processing site, sleeping on the tea leaves. By the time the army left at dawn, the tea leaves had softened, turned red, and become sticky. Anxious to minimize losses, the Jiang family decided to knead the softened leaves into strips and dry them using dried wood from the locally abundant Masson's pine as fuel.

After the tea leaves were dried, the originally red and green leaves turned dark and shiny, with a distinct pine resin aroma. However, no one locally was willing to buy this dried tea. So, the Jiang family carried the processed tea to Xingcun, 45 kilometers away, hoping to recoup some of their losses. Unexpectedly, when the next tea production season approached, someone offered several times the original price for this dark, pine-scented tea and paid in cash. Driven by the high price, production of this dark, pine-scented tea increased, the business flourished, and its social influence expanded.

Based on the color of the tea, the Jiang family called it "Wu Tea" ("Wu" means black in the local dialect). Later, to distinguish it from imitations produced outside Tongmu Guan, the Jiang family named it "Zhengshan Xiaozhong Black Tea," where "Zhengshan" means "true mountain tea" or "authentic" tea from the high mountains.

This dark tea with a pine resin aroma is the ancestor of black tea—Zhengshan Xiaozhong. At the time, who would have known that the tea leaves, softened and reddened after one night under the soldiers, had undergone fermentation? It was indeed a case of "unintentional actions yielding fruitful results"! This legend about the origin of black tea is also recorded in the "Chinese Tea Classic."

Zhengshan Xiaozhong black tea was first introduced to Europe in 1610. In 1662, when Portuguese Princess Catherine married King Charles II of England, her dowry included several chests of Chinese Zhengshan Xiaozhong black tea. From then on, black tea was brought into the British court, and drinking tea quickly became an indispensable part of British royal life. In the early London tea market, only Zhengshan Xiaozhong black tea was sold, and it was exceptionally expensive, consumed only by the wealthy. Zhengshan Xiaozhong became an essential beverage in British high society. The British developed a deep affection for black tea, gradually elevating tea drinking into an elegant and splendid tea culture that they spread worldwide. Lord Byron praised it in "Don Juan": "I feel my heart become so sympathetic, that I must resort to Bohea tea: 'Tis pity wine should be so deleterious, for tea and coffee leave us much more serious." British writer Norton also acclaimed, "Drinking this tea is better than consuming ginseng soup." The influence of Zhengshan Xiaozhong black tea in British society is evident. It should be noted that after its creation, Zhengshan Xiaozhong black tea from Wuyi Mountain Tongmu Guan, due to its superior quality, was quickly accepted by Europeans, experienced rapid development, and long dominated China's tea exports, becoming a representative of high-quality Chinese tea. Merchants dealing in Zhengshan Xiaozhong reaped substantial profits. However, the authentic production area of Tongmu Guan spans only a few hundred kilometers, limiting the output of genuine Zhengshan Xiaozhong while market demand continued to grow. Driven by high profits, some tea producers began imitating Zhengshan Xiaozhong, using Masson's pine wood to roast fermented tea leaves. Although the leaves were not from the authentic "Zhengshan—Tongmu Guan" area, the flavor was similar enough to be accepted by the eager European market.

Wuyi Mountain Tongmu Guan is the birthplace of black tea worldwide, and Zhengshan Xiaozhong is the ancestor of all black teas. When tea master Mr. Zhang Tianfu returned to Tongmu Guan in Wuyishan in 2001 after a long absence, he inscribed "Birthplace of Zhengshan Xiaozhong" for Miaowan in Tongmu Guan, the core area of Zhengshan Xiaozhong's origin, and "Tea Family" for Mr. Jiang Yuanxun, the 24th-generation inheritor of the Zhengshan Xiaozhong tea family. With the care and support of Mr. Zhang Tianfu and various sectors of society, the production of Zhengshan Xiaozhong black tea developed rapidly after 2000. As a representative of China's historical famous teas, Zhengshan Xiaozhong black tea is poised to regain its charm and glory in the near future!