Yuhu Village Tie Guan Yin

Yuhu Village (玉湖村) is a village in the Changkeng (长坑) area in the mountainous “Inner Anxi” (内安溪) region that is known to produce the higher-quality Tie Guanyin tea. The village’s name translates to “Jade” (Yu 玉) “Lake” (Hu 湖). The village covers about 10 square kilometers, has a population of about 8,000, and is surrounded by high mountains on all sides. 

The production of Tie Guanyin tea is a pillar industry for Yuhu Village. In 1994, Wang Ye (王叶) from the local Wang family was awarded the Tie Guanyin Gold Award (铁观音金奖) by the Anxi County Association (安溪县同乡会评); the Wang family continues to produce award winning Tie Guanyin and is who we have worked with for over 5 years.

Tie Guan Yin (铁观音) Origin Stories

There are two legends about the origin of "Tie Guanyin" (铁观音):

The first story dates back to around 1725. In Songyan Village, Anxi, Fujian Province, there was an old tea farmer named Wei Yin (魏荫), who was good at growing tea, and also a devout Buddhist who worshiped Guanyin. He would offer a cup of tea in front of the Guanyin Buddha every morning and evening for twenty years (Guanyin or “Guan Yin '' is the Chinese name for the Avalokitesvara Buddha). One night, he dreamed that he came to a creek and found a tea tree in the crevice of the stones. The tea tree had a special fragrance that was different from the tea trees he had seen before. The next morning, he followed the road he had dreamed of that previous night, and sure enough, he found the tea tree from his dream in the stone crevice of a stone pit. Wei Yin was very happy, so he dug this tree up and took it back. He planted it in a small iron cauldron at home, and cultivated it carefully. Because this tea was obtained by Guanyin in a dream, it was named "Tie Guanyin."

At present, in Songyan Village (松岩村), Xiping Town (西坪镇), Anxi County (安溪县) in Fujian Province, there is a stone inscription on a cliff that reads, "The origin of the Tie Guanyin of Wei Yin." This indicates that this place is the birthplace of Tie Guanyin, which has now become a tourist attraction as a result.

The second story is about a Qing Dynasty official named Wang Shirang (王仕让) who liked to collect exotic flowers and plants. He built a study at the foot of a mountain and planted a tea garden there. 

Wang Shirang returned to his hometown on leave to visit relatives and friends and visited the foothills of Nanyan Mountain. Suddenly, he found a tea tree with a unique shape among the rocks in a deserted garden. He took the plant home and grew it there. When the spring season arrived, he picked the tea leaves and processed them at just the right time. The resulting tea was extraordinary.

In the sixth year of Qianlong during the Qing Dynasty (1741), Wang Shirang returned to the capital by the emperor's edict. Emperor Qianlong loved to drink tea, so Wang Shirang presented this tea as a tribute to Emperor Qianlong. After tasting it, the emperor liked it very much, and because the emperor saw that the shape of the tea reminded him of Guanyin, the firmness of the tea was like iron, and the place of origin was "Nan Yan” (Southern Rock), he gave it the name "Nan Yan" Tie Guanyin.

Tie Guan Yin's Place of Production

Anxi Tie Guanyin growing regions are divided into Inner Anxi “Nei Anxi” (内安溪) and Outer Anxi “Wai Anxi” (外安溪). Inner Anxi and Outer Anxi also distinguish between high-altitude and low-altitude tea growing areas, respectively, with Inner Anxi tea farms at around 800-1000m or more above sea level.

"Nei Anxi" (Inner Anxi) is in the west of Anxi and is surrounded by mountains. It has a subtropical monsoon climate with an average annual precipitation of 1700-1900mm, an average annual temperature of 15-18 degrees Celsius, a frost-free period of 260-324 days, and a humidity of over 78%. Most of the mountainous areas have acidic red soil, with a pH value between 4.5 and 5.6. The soil layer is deep, which is very suitable for growing tea.

Xianghua (祥华), Lutian (芦田), Longjuan (龙涓), Xiping (西坪), Lantian (蓝田), and Changkeng (长坑) areas are the main tea production areas of Inner Anxi Tieguanyin. Our Tie Guanyin comes from Yuhu Village in the Changkeng area.

"Wai Anxi" (Outer Anxi) is further divided into "Xiayi Wai Anxi" (狭义外安溪) and "Guangyi Wai Anxi" (广义外安溪).

Xiayi Wai Anxi area is another low-altitude tea-producing area in Anxi County, with the main towns being Guanqiao (官桥), Longmen town (龙门), Huqiu (虎丘), Jiandou (剑斗), Kuidou (魁斗), Jingu (金谷), Fenglai (逢莱), Hutou (湖头) and Shangqing (尚卿).

Guangyi Wai Anxi area includes Longyan (龙岩), Zhangzhou (漳州), and Yongchun (永春) which also produce Tie Guanyin.

Due to low altitude, more rainfall, and higher temperature in the Wai Anxi area the tea trees grow faster. The tea from Wai Anxi is therefore on the market about a month earlier than the tea from Nei Anxi every year.

In Nei Anxi, which is in the mountains and therefore higher altitude, the speed of tea tree cellulose growth is relatively slow and the fresh leaves have a strong tenderness which lays the foundation for the formation of high tea quality. Most of the high-altitude tea areas use tea as a main industry, and the overall ecological environment is superior with little pollution. In the low-altitude Wai Anxi areas, which are located in urban areas, tea leaves are susceptible to air pollution with long sunshine hours, small temperature differences, and thin soil layers. Therefore, the quality of tea in the Wai Anxi area is not as good as that in the Nei Anxi area.

Tieguanyin Picking Season

Inner Anxi tea is picked in four seasons, whereas Outer Anxi tea has five picking seasons defined by the traditional Chinese calendar seasonal points:

• Spring Tea is picked from Grain Rain “Guyu” (谷雨) to Beginning of Summer “Lixia” (立夏).

• Summer Tea is picked from Summer Solstice “Xiazhi” (夏至) to Lesser Heat “Xiaoshu” (小暑).

• Late-summer Tea is picked from Beginning of Summer “Lixia” (立夏) to Beginning of Autumn “Liqiu” (立秋).

• Autumn Tea is picked from Autumn Equinox “Qiufen” (秋分) to Cold Dew “Hanlu” (寒露).

• Winter Tea is picked between November and late December.