Fuding White Tea: 1,200 Years of History
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2011-04-09
“White tea, it works.” “Green—symbolizing health.” “White tea: the future cornerstone of China’s health industry.” “A unique beverage with limitless potential”… At the China White Tea “Nature, Health, Harmony” Summit Forum, which kicked off on June 22, seven experts distilled their insights into white tea and the broader white tea industry into just one powerful sentence each. Their collective thoughts ultimately culminated in the *Fuding White Tea Consensus*.
The "Fuding White Tea Consensus" highlights the timeless legend of Lady Taibao, who is said to have used white tea to cure measles—a story that has been passed down through the ages. During the Tang Dynasty, Lu Yu’s "The Classic of Tea" noted that "three hundred li east (or south) of Yongjia County lies Mount Bai Cha." Meanwhile, in the Qing Dynasty, Zhou Lianggong’s "Min Xiaoji" recorded that "Mount Taibao is home to the lush Green Snow Sprout tea." Fuding Dabai Tea and Fuding Dahao Tea boast a long history of cultivation. Moreover, pioneering research and scholarly works by esteemed professors such as Zhang Tianfu and Chen Yuan have firmly established Fuding as the birthplace of Bai Hao Yin Zhen—the "King of White Teas."
Professor Yao Guokun, Director of the Academic Department at the China International Tea Culture Research Association and a researcher at the Tea Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, believes that Fuding white tea dates back at least 1,200 years. When combined with the region's rich and diverse cultural heritage—including the unique tea-drinking traditions of ethnic groups like the She people—and the serene, time-honored tea rituals hidden deep in mountain valleys, along with the profound Taoist culture of Mount Taibao, Fuding will ultimately emerge as a legendary sanctuary where modern seekers of novelty and discovery can simultaneously explore its pristine landscapes, renowned tea varieties, and harmonious coexistence of nature and tradition.
Professor Yao pointed out that Fuding white tea began gaining fame no later than the Tang Dynasty. Taoists, meanwhile, used tea in alchemical practices to brew elixirs aimed at achieving immortality, earning it the title "Immortal Tea." Buddhists, on the other hand, promoted the philosophy of "tea and Zen as one," emphasizing how tea could nurture inner peace and self-cultivation—hence the name "Buddhist Tea." Historically, Fuding white tea has always been closely tied to Mount Taibao. Legend has it that long ago in Fuding, a rural woman named Lady Lan was guided by the immortal Taiji Xianweng. With the help of white tea, she miraculously cured measles among the local villagers and even taught them how to cultivate tea plants. Later, she is said to have attained enlightenment and ascended to become an immortal herself. As a result, future generations revered Lady Lan as the Goddess Taibao. According to tradition, the ancestral Fuding Dabai tea plant—considered the progenitor of all Fuding white teas—still thrives today within a narrow crevice atop the Hongxue Cave on Mount Taibao, nestled beneath a tiled temple. This remarkable mother plant is believed to have been personally planted by the Goddess Taibao herself. Naturally, the Fuding white tea crafted from this legendary tea variety carries with it the mystical legacy of its divine origins: bestowed by the immortal sage, nurtured by the immortal fairy, and imbued with extraordinary healing powers—making it not only a rejuvenating elixir but also a tea of unparalleled spiritual significance. It’s precisely because this tea is a gift from the immortal sage that its delicate tea buds stand out with their distinctive "white eyebrows and silver whiskers"—a feature that gave rise to the term "baihao," or "white down," which has since become synonymous with Fuding white tea.
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