I. Qimen An Tea

An Tea is a semi-fermented reddish-dark tea. It falls between black tea and green tea. An Tea is a historical famous tea, belonging to the Hei Cha (Dark Tea) category. It was created in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties and is produced in the Luxi and Rongkou areas of southwestern Qimen County; production halted during the War of Resistance against Japan and resumed in the 1980s. The finished product has a dark black color, a thick, slightly red liquor, and a fragrant, astringent taste. It is sold domestically in Guangdong, Guangxi, and Hong Kong, and exported to Southeast Asian countries, where it is praised as "Holy Tea".

II. The Core Origin of Qimen An Tea—Luxi

As mentioned earlier, soft-branch tea was produced in various counties of Huizhou. However, after evolving into An Tea, it was only produced in Qimen County. From this, it can be inferred that An Tea was created by the people of Qimen.

Before the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty, i.e., before the emergence of Qimen Black Tea (Keemun), An Tea was produced widely across Qimen because its market was strong, and it was a major export tea. Therefore, it was produced in all rural areas, especially flourishing in the southwestern region. After the rise of Qimen Black Tea, the An Tea production area significantly shrank, concentrating in the Luxi and Rongkou areas of the southwestern countryside, particularly in places like Dianbutan. There was also sporadic production in Pingli, Qihong, and Zhukou townships, but no traces were found elsewhere.

The southwestern countryside of Qimen features high mountains, dense forests, pervasive clouds and mist, ample rainfall, and suitable temperatures. Since ancient times, farmers here have extensively planted tea trees and possess rich tea cultivation experience. Moreover, tea gardens are mostly distributed in valley mountains and alluvial riverbank lands, which are fertile. Especially the alluvial lands formed by rivers are highly suitable for tea tree growth. For instance, the Dianbutan area has contiguous riverbank tea gardens covering seventy to eighty mu, which are among the best for producing the highest quality An Tea. The Huangtai Mountain behind the current Luxi Township government site once had temples and caves in ancient times, with beautiful scenery. Although the temples have long since vanished, the tea gardens in the surrounding slopes and depressions, as if imbued with Buddhist aura, yield exceptionally high quality. Such superior natural conditions contribute to the extraordinary quality of An Tea.