The Yichang black tea area spans over twenty counties in the Wuling Mountain and Daba Mountain systems across three cities in Hubei and Hunan provinces (Yichang City and Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture in Hubei, and Changde City in Hunan). This region is a historically famous tea-growing area in China, located between 109°-112° east longitude and 29°-31°31' north latitude. As early as the 3rd century during the Western Jin Dynasty, the "Jingzhou Land Record" noted: "All seven counties of Wuling produce tea." Tang Dynasty tea sage Lu Yu's "The Classic of Tea" recorded: "In the Bashan Gorge area, there are tea trees so large that two people can embrace them," and "In the southern mountains, Xiazhou tea is superior."

Climate

The region has a subtropical climate, with an average annual temperature of 14-18°C in the tea area. Yichang's average annual temperature is 16.9°C, with a frost-free period of 283 days. The tea tree growth and development period above 10°C is 248 days, with an effective accumulated temperature of 5401°C. Enshi's average annual temperature is 16.3°C, with a frost-free period of 280 days. The tea tree growth period above 10°C is 247 days, with an effective accumulated temperature of 5171°C. Changde, near 29°N latitude, generally receives 1200-1600mm of annual precipitation, concentrated mainly from March to September during the tea tree's growth period.

Soil and Topography

The soil is largely composed of yellow-brown earth, red soil, yellow soil, and acidic purple soil. The parent rock is mostly formed from the weathering of gneiss, sandstone, shale, slate, and granite. The pH value mostly ranges between 4.5 and 6.5. Free from any industrial pollution, the soil is rich in essential trace elements like zinc and selenium. This environment is highly conducive to the formation and accumulation of nutrients within tea plants, earning it the reputation as a natural "green treasure house" for tea tree growth.

Yichang Black Tea is produced within the Wuling and Daba Mountain systems, with the widest distribution in the Wuling mountainous area. While there are high peaks reaching 2000-3000m in altitude, tea trees are primarily distributed in low mountains and mid-elevation areas between 300-1000m above sea level.