The origin of Green Snow Sprout is linked to the great Northern Song literatus Su Dongpo. While serving as a通判 in Hangzhou, he fell ill and took leave. Master Huiqin of Gushan Temple advised him to drink several bowls of strong tea daily, which he followed. Unconsciously, he felt lighter and more energetic, and his illness quickly recovered. He then inscribed a poem on the temple's shadow wall: "The sick Vimalakirti was originally not ill; the homebound Lingyun has already forgotten home. Why need the pill of medicine from Emperor Wei? Just finish the seven bowls of tea of Lu Tong." From then on, Su Dongpo fell in love with drinking tea, later becoming addicted to it. He couldn't even sleep at night without drinking tea, as evidenced by his poem 'Farewell to the Two Elders Baojue and Yuantong of Jinshan': "After bathing, donning cap and scarf, enjoying the cool evening; after sleep, teeth and cheeks carry the fragrance of tea."

White Tea is the first among the six major tea categories to have been made into tea. In the Zhou Dynasty, the ancients used methods similar to modern white tea production—"sun-drying or shade-drying"—to simply process tea leaves, preserving them for occasional needs such as祭祀,治病,静修, and品饮. We call this ancient white tea. Legend has it that during the time of Yao, there was an old mother who lived on Taimu Mountain growing indigo. A measles epidemic broke out in the villages below. Following a dream revelation from the南极仙翁 (South Pole Immortal Elder), she found a tea tree named "Green Snow Sprout" atop the Hongxue Cave on the mountain. She used the tea leaves to cure people and save lives. Having fulfilled her virtuous deeds, she ascended and became an immortal. Later generations revered her as "Tai Mu Niangniang" (Grandmother Tai). Today, that old tea tree is considered the mother tree of Fuding white tea and has become a tourist attraction on Taimu Mountain.

Tea's earliest function was likely as a medicinal herb, which was confirmed five thousand years ago when our ancestor Shennong tasted hundreds of herbs. As a medicinal tea, "Green Snow Sprout" has existed for thousands of years among the folk in Fuding. Some experts, based on the folk legends of Tai Mu Niangniang and "Green Snow Sprout," have proposed a bold hypothesis: Tai Mu Niangniang is the mother of human tea. Wang Hongjia, in 'China Has a Sandu'ao,' stated: "The legendary deeds of Tai Mu Niangniang occurred in the era of Yao, an even earlier传奇. I believe sun-dried and stored white tea is the ancestor of Chinese tea. Could蓝姑 (the old mother) from over four thousand years ago be the founder of Chinese tea drinking!" According to research in 'The Records of Famous Chinese Teas,' during the Ming Dynasty, Taimu Green Snow Sprout was already regarded as a treasure among teas. Qing Dynasty's Wu Zhenchen in 'Occasional Notes on Travels in Fujian' also said: "Taimu Mountain also produces it, named Green.