This article is part of a series covering all of the major historic terroirs in China for tea. This time, we’re headed to Feng Huang Shan, the true origin of Dan Cong!
For more readings on other top terroirs: Lu An, Fu Ding, and the Top Terroir Harvest Guide.
The Lore of the She People
The renowned terroir of Feng Huang Shan and the origin of Wu Long tea can be traced back to the mythology of the She ethnic group. This group has sometimes been unfairly stereotyped by others in China as dog worshippers. According to their mythology, the She people have a mythical ancestor named Pan Hu, who was a dragon that transformed into a dog-headed human. Pan Hu had four children with a princess, which started the She tribe.
One day, Pan Hu's brother, known as Black Dragon or Wu Long, transformed into a vine that caused Pan Hu to trip and die. Filled with remorse, Wu Long morphed into a tea tree to provide for Pan Hu's offspring for all eternity. This ancestral mythology is crucial because it signifies the origin of Wu Long as a tea tree, not just a tea category. The reason why this lore is significant is that the She people supposedly came from Feng Huang Shan (Phoenix Mountain), marking it as the birthplace of Wu Long tea.
Spreading Wu Long Beyond Phoenix Mountain
Some She people migrated north to Fu Jian, Zhe Jiang, and An Hui provinces due to warfare and other reasons, spreading Wu Long tea and tea culture along the way. Although this is only one of the many origin stories about tea, it is a well-known narrative regarding the origin of Wu Long. Presently, Wu Long tea has evolved to refer to both a tea category based on the processing method and specific varietals of tea trees.
It is worth noting that approximately 260 She people still reside in Feng Huang, predominantly in the village of Shi Gu Ping. In this village, the She people still have a temple to honor their ancestor Pan Hu and tell the tale of this lore.
The Land of Feng Huang Shan
Feng Huang Wu Long, often known as Feng Huang Dan Cong, represents the pinnacle of the subcategory of Wu Long tea known as Chao Shan Wu Long. While there are many Wu Longs made in this style, only the ones from Feng Huang Shan can be called a Feng Huang Dan Cong.
Feng Huang means Phoenix and refers to the Phoenix Mountain, which is the authentic terroir for this style of Wu Long. Feng Huang Dan Cong is beloved for its tannic, fragrant, floral, and often fruity profile. These are not teas that are shy to show you their personalities.
Chao Shan is a twin city composed of the old city of Chao Zhou and the new city of Shan Tou. Chao Zhou is the birthplace of Gong Fu Cha, and Feng Huang is located in this culturally rich ancient city. As we often see in tea country, the name of the city and the name of the mountain overlap. The core township where Dan Cong is from is called Feng Huang, which is also the name of the mountain range where the tea grows.
Feng Huang used to belong to the city of Rao Ping. It is critical to emphasize this shift in the jurisdiction since, today, Rao Ping is one of the largest peripheral regions for Feng Huang Wu Long. It is often viewed as the central hub for counterfeit Dan Cong.
Wu Dong Village
Within the Feng Huang township, there are nineteen villages, among which Wu Dong village and the mountain peak, also called Wu Dong, stand out as the most renowned location for tea. While Wu Dong Mountain, which stands at an impressive height of 4,600 feet, is not the highest peak in Feng Huang Shan, it is considered the best terroir.
While Wu Dong is the name of a mountain that has many villages spread out within it, only the teas coming from Wu Dong village on the very top portion of this mountain can bear the title Wu Dong teas.
For example, both Tea Drunk’s Ping Keng Tou Ya Shi Xiang and Da Hu Ao Fu Hou are from Wu Dong Mountain, but from villages right below Wu Dong village. Therefore, they bear the terroir names Ping Keng Tou and Da Hu instead of Wu Dong.
The Ancient Trees (Lao Cong) of Feng Huang Shan
Feng Huang is a rare instance of an area outside of Yun Nan province that has many ancient tea trees, called Lao Cong in Chinese. According to a survey conducted in the early 1980s, Feng Huang was home to over 3,700 tea trees that had been in existence for over two centuries. However, since the 1990s, there has been a rapid decline in the number of old trees, leading to a lower current count, though the number is unverified.
Legend has it that the oldest tea tree in Feng Huang Shan is about 700 years old and is purportedly a descendant of the original Song Dynasty bird beak tea. As a result, this tree is commonly referred to as Song Zhong, which is a popular woodsy cultivar of the region. Unfortunately, this ancient tea tree now appears dead; we believe this was probably due to too much human attention.
When Are Feng Huang Dan Cong Harvested?
As we discuss in our article A Tea Lover’s Guide to Harvest Season in China’s Top Terroir, two bulk factors that determine tea season are climate and style of tea. Even though Feng Huang Shan is of very high elevation, because it is more in the south, the tea still buds relatively early in comparison to other more northern Wu Long regions. However, Wu Long is a style of tea that harvests only when all buds have opened up and become leaves. This means that we must wait until the leaves have reached their desired maturity, which in the case of Dan Cong is small to medium opening.
To read more about picking grades, check out the comprehensive Tea Terms Glossary.
These two factors combine so that Dan Cong tea season starts in early April and extends to early May. This is on the earlier side for Wu Long, but much later in comparison with other styles of tea from comparable latitudes.
The same principle of Outer Mountain harvesting earlier than Inner Mountain still applies. We typically see a lag of two to three weeks in the harvesting time in Wu Dong in comparison to warmer, lower-elevation villages in Feng Huang Shan.
When we zoom into a given village, there’s still variation in harvesting time among different cultivars. So let’s first take a look at the history of the diverse cultivars of Dan Cong.
The Ancient Practice of Jia Jie (Grafting) and Single Cultivar
Making tea from single cultivars didn’t emerge in Feng Huang Shan until the 1980s. However, the practice of stabilizing cultivars has a long tradition in the region. While most clone teas are planted with saplings into the soil, in Phoenix Mountain, farmers would graft desired cultivars onto the trunks of older tea trees to take advantage of their deep roots and more mature ecosystem.
Even though heirloom is a tradition for Dan Cong teas, tea makers of the region have long recognized the unique profile each cultivar delivers. Therefore, in recent decades, there has been rapid development and appreciation for Dan Cong made from single cultivars. This is very similar to having wine from a single grape, such as Chardonnay or Pinot Noir.
Cultivars add an interesting dimension to a tea season. First of all, each cultivar has its own micro tea season, which starts at a different time and lasts just a few days. For instance, Bai Ye, the popular peachy cultivar, is one of the earliest to be harvested, while an elegant Ba Xian cultivar from the same terroir would be harvested 15–20 days later.
Even though there’s no set rule, there’s a strong correlation between cultivar harvesting time and price. Cultivars harvested later in the spring tend to demand higher prices, given the same terroir. Bai Ye and Ba Xian are great examples of this, with Ba Xian often doubling or tripling the cost of Bai Ye.
Secondly, some villages in Feng Huang Shan are better known for some cultivars than others. This causes the harvesting season in each village to vary due to the combined factors of the microclimate and cultivars on its land. There’s also a correlation between the age of the tea tree and the harvesting season. Older tea trees tend to bud more slowly than younger trees of the same cultivar in the same region.
The most coveted Feng Huang Wu Long either comes from Wu Dong village or a village known to host old or original specimens of a specific varietal. For instance, Ba Xian from the village of Ya Hou is highly prized, even more so than a Ba Xian from Wu Dong. This is because the original eight Ba Xian trees are on this land, and it’s prime land for this cultivar.
When Will Dan Cong Be Ready to Drink?
Not only does Wu Long have a later harvesting time in comparison to other styles of tea, but it is also traditionally roasted. After each harvesting season, when the tea producers have worked around the clock to ferment the leaves and bake them dry, a lengthy sorting process takes place. This can take a month to finish by hand, and then the roasting begins. Roasting typically takes 6–8 hours per batch, but there is a three-week wait between each roast as a best practice. Because traditional Wu Longs are roasted at least twice, if not more, this pushes the finish time for Dan Cong to late summer or early fall. For the 2023 season, authentic Feng Huang Dan Cong was not expected to become available in the market until at least late July.
Watch Videos From Feng Huang Shan!
Where Dan Cong Wu Long Is Grown (Phoenix Mountain)
Learning About Phoenix Mountain Wu Long Tea
1 comment
The mythology of the She ethnic group and their connection to this tea is particularly intriguing. I appreciate the detailed information about the terroir, ancient trees, and cultivation practices in Feng Huang Shan. It’s also interesting to learn about the different cultivars and their harvesting seasons. Overall, a well-written and informative piece. Tea hee