Tea Growing Regions af China
First off, all the tea in China is grown in the southern half of China. Not only southern China the birthplace of tea (Yunnan to be more specific), but of course the climate is ideal. Northern China is simply too cold. Mainly due to European explorers tea has spread all over the world, but in my opinion still retains the most integrity when grown and processed in China or Taiwan.
Note: China seems to consider Taiwan a growing region of China, but because it is a separate country and has its own and unique ways of processing tea, I will not include it.
The divided growing regions of China are as follows: Southwest, North of the Yangtze (Gansu, Shanxi, Henan and Shandong), South of the Yangtze (Hubei, Anhui, Jiangsu, Hunan, Jiangxi and Zhejiang) and South China (Guangxi, Guangdong, Fujian, and Hainan). The total area covered by these regions is 38 degrees east to west and 19 degrees north to south.
The Southwest district is comprised of Yunnan, Sichuan, Guizhou and the southern most part of Tibet. This region has a subtropical monsoon climate which is perfect weather for tea to thrive in. Yunnan is considered the birthplace of tea. Yunnan, the most famous province in the southwest district is made up chiefly red clay. The oldest living tea tree is an incredible 1700 years old and the oldest cultivated tree is 800 years old. Yunnan produces mainly black tea but also produces some white, green and oolong. Nearly all pu-erh is also made in Yunnan. Guizhou is famous for growing Yunwu, a rare and style of green tea that is hard to be found in the US. Sichuan produces mostly green as well as black and yellow tea. Tibet grows very little tea that is most often made into low grade pu-erh or black tea. The soil in these provinces is mainly yellow or brown.
The North of the Yangtze district refers to the territory north of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and includes Henan, Shanxi, Gansu and Shangdong. This region also includes the northern sections of Anhui, Jiangsu and Hubei although many of the famous gardens in these provinces are not part of this region. This region produces mainly green tea and is not famous for quality. Tea in this region may suffer drought due to uneven rainfall. This means that there are micro climates that are great for growing tea and some that are not. The soil is chiefly yellow and yellow-brown. Liu An Guapian, Xinyang and Maojian are grown in the more favorable micro-climates here.
The South of the Yangtze district refers to the territory south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and includes Zhejiang, Hunan, Jiangxi, Anhui, Jiangsu, and Hubei. This region is the bread and butter so to speak of tea production in China. There are some incredibly famous gardens and micro regions here and the annual production totals about 2/3s of the entire crop of China. 4 seasons are clearly defined. This region produces mainly green, black and scented tea. This region is home to 5 of the 10 famous teas of China. The soil type is mainly red with some yellow and yellow-brown soil. 60-80% of the precipitation is concentrated in the summer and spring.
The South China district includes Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian and Hainan an island off the south coast of China. The soil type is classified as old clay and red clay in other parts. This soil is very nutritious. This region gets a lot of annual rainfall and the period of growth for the tea trees is 10 months out of the year. Black/red, green and oolong tea are grown here. The most noteworthy of these types of tea is oolong. Anxi and Wuyi Shan, two of the most famous growing areas for oolongs are found here. Just north in Guangdong, Phoenix Mountain is found.
This is just some basic information I threw together to give a basic idea of what the growing regions of China are like. Honestly, I don’t know a whole lot more than this until I go and see for myself.
-Silas
Note: China seems to consider Taiwan a growing region of China, but because it is a separate country and has its own and unique ways of processing tea, I will not include it.
The divided growing regions of China are as follows: Southwest, North of the Yangtze (Gansu, Shanxi, Henan and Shandong), South of the Yangtze (Hubei, Anhui, Jiangsu, Hunan, Jiangxi and Zhejiang) and South China (Guangxi, Guangdong, Fujian, and Hainan). The total area covered by these regions is 38 degrees east to west and 19 degrees north to south.
The Southwest district is comprised of Yunnan, Sichuan, Guizhou and the southern most part of Tibet. This region has a subtropical monsoon climate which is perfect weather for tea to thrive in. Yunnan is considered the birthplace of tea. Yunnan, the most famous province in the southwest district is made up chiefly red clay. The oldest living tea tree is an incredible 1700 years old and the oldest cultivated tree is 800 years old. Yunnan produces mainly black tea but also produces some white, green and oolong. Nearly all pu-erh is also made in Yunnan. Guizhou is famous for growing Yunwu, a rare and style of green tea that is hard to be found in the US. Sichuan produces mostly green as well as black and yellow tea. Tibet grows very little tea that is most often made into low grade pu-erh or black tea. The soil in these provinces is mainly yellow or brown.
The North of the Yangtze district refers to the territory north of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and includes Henan, Shanxi, Gansu and Shangdong. This region also includes the northern sections of Anhui, Jiangsu and Hubei although many of the famous gardens in these provinces are not part of this region. This region produces mainly green tea and is not famous for quality. Tea in this region may suffer drought due to uneven rainfall. This means that there are micro climates that are great for growing tea and some that are not. The soil is chiefly yellow and yellow-brown. Liu An Guapian, Xinyang and Maojian are grown in the more favorable micro-climates here.
The South of the Yangtze district refers to the territory south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and includes Zhejiang, Hunan, Jiangxi, Anhui, Jiangsu, and Hubei. This region is the bread and butter so to speak of tea production in China. There are some incredibly famous gardens and micro regions here and the annual production totals about 2/3s of the entire crop of China. 4 seasons are clearly defined. This region produces mainly green, black and scented tea. This region is home to 5 of the 10 famous teas of China. The soil type is mainly red with some yellow and yellow-brown soil. 60-80% of the precipitation is concentrated in the summer and spring.
The South China district includes Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian and Hainan an island off the south coast of China. The soil type is classified as old clay and red clay in other parts. This soil is very nutritious. This region gets a lot of annual rainfall and the period of growth for the tea trees is 10 months out of the year. Black/red, green and oolong tea are grown here. The most noteworthy of these types of tea is oolong. Anxi and Wuyi Shan, two of the most famous growing areas for oolongs are found here. Just north in Guangdong, Phoenix Mountain is found.
This is just some basic information I threw together to give a basic idea of what the growing regions of China are like. Honestly, I don’t know a whole lot more than this until I go and see for myself.
-Silas
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