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Wuyi: The Rock Bone and Floral Aroma of Da Hong Pao, The Rhythmic Flow of Nine Bends

Tea News · Dec 30, 2025

 Wuyi Mountain's peaks rise layer upon layer, verdant and overlapping, standing tall in magnificent and peculiar grandeur. The continuous mountain range stretches eastward, its momentum like ten thousand horses galloping—a truly wondrous sight. The clear, jade-like Nine Bend Stream winds through them, folding into nine bends and eighteen curves. With mountains turning and the stream zigzagging, it truly possesses the appearance of 'bend after bend, the mountains circle back; peak after peak, the flowing water embraces.' The water winds around the mountains, and along both banks of the stream, the reflections of the clustered peaks are fully captured within the green waves. Each bend presents a different picturesque landscape of mountains and water, where mountain light and water colors reflect and enhance each other, making it a veritable fairyland of 'emerald waters and crimson mountains.' Only such an extraordinary realm could nurture the exceptional quality of Da Hong Pao's rock bone, floral aroma, and the rhythmic flow of the Nine Bends.

Wuyi Da Hong Pao is a rare treasure in the garden of Chinese tea, long enjoying the reputation as the 'Number One Scholar of Tea.' It is the king of rock teas, worthy of being called a national treasure. Produced in Wuyi Mountain, Fujian Province, it is crafted through exquisite workmanship. The finished tea has a rich aroma and a mellow, full-bodied taste, with a distinct 'rock rhyme' character. It leaves a lingering fragrance on the teeth and cheeks after drinking, earning it the title 'King of Wuyi Tea.'

Mingshan Da Hong Pao is produced in the Nine Dragon Nest, west of Tianxin Temple (Yongle Zen Monastery) at the foot of Tianxin Rock (Peak) in the northeastern part of Wuyi Mountain. At an altitude of over 600 meters, with annual precipitation exceeding 2000 mm, relative humidity around 80%, and an average temperature of 18.5 degrees Celsius, the soil is entirely formed from the weathering of acidic rocks, nurturing the unique charm of rock tea. Its outstanding qualities are its tightly rolled strip appearance, bluish-brown and soft luster, and after brewing, an orange-yellow, bright liquor that shows a 'precious glow.' The leaves display red and green intermingled, with the distinct aesthetic of 'green leaves edged in red.' The aroma is rich and lasting, the taste mellow and full, high in fragrance and enduring. After drinking, it leaves a lingering fragrance on the teeth and cheeks, with a pronounced 'rock rhyme.'

To savor it is to experience the beauty of rock bone, floral aroma, and the rhythmic flow of the Nine Bends. The aroma swirls and lingers, as if riding a raft drifting down the Nine Bend Stream, where every view is a painting. Crimson mountains, emerald waters, green trees, blue sky, and white clouds play off each other delightfully, presenting the vibrant, colorful beauty of Wuyi Mountain's great nature.

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