Da Hong Pao, literally interpreted as a big red robe, is generally used as a metaphor and synonym for red plants. The most famous is the tea Da Hong Pao, produced in Wuyi Mountain, Fujian, belonging to Wuyi Rock Tea, and is one of China's Ten Famous Teas. It is of excellent quality. There are also legumes of the same name "Flat Saponaria"; the main cultivated orange varieties in places like Yuhang, Zhejiang; a traditional Peking opera repertoire; trademarks of the same name such as the famous brand of Sichuan pepper in Dongxiang County, Gansu Province; and a virtual character in Pili Puppet Show, etc.

In 1385, the 18th year of the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty, scholar Ding Xian was on his way to the capital for the imperial examinations when he passed by Wuyi Mountain and suddenly fell ill, suffering from severe abdominal pain. By chance, he met a monk from the Tianxin Yongle Temple. The monk took out some tea leaves he had stored, brewed them for Ding Xian to drink, and his illness was immediately cured. After achieving the top score in the exams and becoming the Zhuangyuan (Number One Scholar), he returned to thank the monk. Upon asking about the origin of the tea, he took off his official red robe, circled the tea bushes three times, and draped it over the tea plants, hence giving rise to the name "Da Hong Pao". The Zhuangyuan took some Da Hong Pao back to the capital in a tin container.

After the Zhuangyuan returned to the court, it happened that the Empress was ill, and no doctor could cure her. He then presented that container of tea leaves. After the Empress drank the tea, her health gradually recovered. The Emperor was overjoyed and bestowed a red robe, ordering the Zhuangyuan personally to go to Jiulongke (pronounced kē) and drape it on the tea trees to demonstrate the imperial favor. He also sent people to guard the trees, and all the tea picked and processed was to be offered as tribute, with none to be kept privately. From then on, Wuyi Rock Tea Da Hong Pao became a tribute tea exclusively for the royal family, and the fame of Da Hong Pao spread throughout the world. It is said that every year the officials sent by the court wore red robes and hung them on the tribute tea trees, which is why it was called Da Hong Pao.

"Da Hong Pao"

Full roasting brings a creamy fragrance, light roasting evokes peach honey aroma;

Dark head, vermilion tail, three-section color, green leaves edged in red don a new attire.

Strips are firm, with toad's back, leaves are twisted, treasured color hall;

The liquor is clear orange, bright and shiny, the aroma is rich with subtle orchid notes.

Seven or eight infusions still leave a lingering taste, nine boils or ten stews yet the color remains yellowish;

Sweet, refreshing, smooth, pleasing the imperial countenance, bitterness, astringency, numbness, sourness do not make the list.

Perfected at Yongle Temple, bestowed the red robe by Hongwu;

Half the kingdom none would offer, come taste the rock of Jiulongke.

A more widely spread tale is that whenever it was time to pick the tea, incense would be burned to worship heaven, and then monkeys would be dressed in red vests and made to climb the cliffs to pick the tea leaves. Therefore, in Cantonese, this monkey-picked tea is called "Ma Lau Mit" (Cantonese people call monkeys 'Ma Lau', and 'Mit' means to pick). Precisely because of its scarcity and the difficulty of harvesting, this tea is an expensive treasure on the market.