Roughly, the naming of tea leaves falls into the following seven categories:

1. Named after the shape of the tea leaves. Examples include Liu'an Guapian, Junshan Yinzhen, Dongting Biluochun, Zhen Mei, brick tea, and so on.

2. Named after the tea plant variety. Such as Baihao, etc.

3. Named after the tea's place of origin. Examples are Pu'er tea, Keemun black tea, etc.

4. Named after the picking time of the tea leaves. Examples include Sheqian tea, Mingqian tea, Yuqian tea, etc.

5. Named after the names of animals or plants. Such as Longjing, Shuixian, Foshou, etc.

6. Named after the tea processing technique. Examples are stir-fried green tea, baked green tea, etc.

7. Named after the color of the tea leaves. Such as black tea, green tea, etc. Some tea names also have beautiful stories or legends behind them. For example, the origin of "Biluochun" tea: The long-renowned Biluochun tea is produced on the East and West Dongting Mountains of Taihu Lake. There is a folk story about the origin of Biluochun.

During the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, locals discovered a wild tea plant on the stone cliffs of Biluo Peak on the east side of Dongting Lake and picked its leaves to bring back as a beverage. One year, the yield was exceptionally high, and the bamboo baskets couldn't hold it all. People put the extra leaves in their clothes, but the tea absorbed body heat and emitted an extraordinary fragrance. The tea-picking girls all exclaimed: "Xia Sha Ren Xiang!" (Scarily Fragrant!). "Xia Sha Ren Xiang" is a Suzhou dialect phrase meaning exceptionally rich aroma. Thus, everyone spread the word, and "Xia Sha Ren Xiang" became the tea's name. In the 38th year of Kangxi's reign (1699), Emperor Kangxi toured the south to Taihu Lake. Considering the name "Xia Sha Ren Xiang" inelegant, he bestowed the name "Biluochun" (Green Snail Spring), which has been used ever since.

Biluochun tea is picked relatively early, generally around the Grain Rain period. During processing, it must achieve "dry but not burnt, crisp but not broken, green but not fishy, fine but unbroken." Therefore, its appearance is curled like a snail, revealing fine hairs, tender and tightly rolled. The brewed leaves resemble sparrow tongues, the liquor is light in color, the taste is mellow yet delicate, the aroma is clear, high, and long-lasting, with a pleasant aftertaste.

The Origin of "Tieguanyin"

One of China's top ten famous teas, "Tieguanyin" (Iron Goddess of Mercy), is abundantly produced in Anxi County, Fujian Province, enjoying high reputation both domestically and internationally. There are two folk legends about the origin of the tea name "Tieguanyin":

First legend: Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty had a lifelong passion for drinking tea and tasted famous teas from all over. Once, while traveling incognito in southern China, he entered Fujian and tasted a tea. Its taste was sweet, mellow, refreshing, and smooth, with a special natural orchid fragrance. Its color was dark green, and it felt heavy like iron in the hand. After drinking, he praised this tea as fragrant and beautiful, surpassing even Guanyin (the Goddess of Mercy). Later, it was discovered that this person was the current emperor, so the tea was named "Tieguanyin," and its fame spread greatly.

Second legend: During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, a villager named Wei Yin from Songcuntou Township in Anxi was a devout Buddhist. Every morning, he would offer a cup of clear tea before the statue of Guanyin Bodhisattva. One day, Wei Yin went into the mountains and discovered a tea plant growing in the crevices of scattered rocks, its leaves glittering in the morning sun. Curious, he transplanted it next to his house and cultivated it carefully. When spring came, it grew lush with leaves, so he picked the tender buds to make tea. He found the tea leaves heavier than others and dark green like iron, so people casually called it "Zhong Ru Tie" (Heavy as Iron). The "Heavy as Iron" tea had a rich and unique aroma. Since Wei Yin often used this tea for offering to Buddha, it was renamed "Tieguanyin."