Quzhou celebrates spring harvest of Kaihua Longding tea

Dalong Mountain in Kaihua county, Quzhou, Zhejiang province. [Photo/Tide News]

Kaihua county in Quzhou, Zhejiang province, hosted an event on April 3 to celebrate the spring harvest of Kaihua Longding tea in a tea garden on Dalong Mountain, the birthplace and core production area of this tea.

The event combined a showcase of local tea-related intangible cultural heritage, traditional tea rituals, and prayers for a prosperous tea harvest.

Kaihua Longding tea, renowned as one of Zhejiang's top 10 famous teas, is picked from high-altitude trees and processed using traditional methods. This gives it an upright shape and a high, long-lasting fragrance.

Historically, Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, founder of the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) first encountered Kaihua Longding in 1362, initiating its status as a tribute tea. In 1959, local experts revived the traditional techniques, reestablishing Kaihua Longding tea as a national treasure.

The traditional prayer rituals at the event this April, including tying red ribbons to the ancient mother tree, expressed gratitude for nature's gifts and embodied the tea community's hopes for a bountiful harvest and the continued prosperity of the industry.

The event concluded with the first spring tea leaves being picked by local leaders, tea experts, tea artists, and farmers, showcasing the vitality and promise of the new season.

Deng Yuliang, an expert at the Tea Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, highlighted the event's role in invigorating traditional customs and enhancing brand identity, crucial for the integrated development of tea culture, industry, and technology.