Gunpowder tea is a unique traditional tea product native to Zhejiang Province. Renowned worldwide for its pearl-shaped dry leaves, glossy lustre, rich aroma and mellow taste, it is widely cherished as a healthy beverage.
Gunpowder tea is mainly produced in Yuyao, Fenghua, Yinzhou, Shengzhou, Zhuji, Shaoxing, Xinchang, Shangyu, Dongyang and other counties. The producing areas feature rolling green mountain ranges, lush forests, fertile soil and mild humid climate, boasting exceptionally favourable natural growing conditions.
These regions have been celebrated tea-growing zones since ancient times. Lu Yu, the Sage of Tea in the Tang Dynasty, stated in The Classic of Tea that the finest tea in eastern Zhejiang came from Yue Prefecture. He named the tea grown at Pubu Spring Ridge on the Siming Mountains of Yuyao "Pubu Immortal Tea". Later famous teas such as Shanxi Stream Tea and Rizhu Tea, which enjoyed equal prestige with Pubu Immortal Tea, served as predecessors to modern gunpowder tea and ranked among the most treasured ancient teas of Zhejiang.
Gunpowder tea was among China's earliest export teas. In the early 18th century, it was known as "Gongxi Tea", literally meaning tribute tea for Emperor Kangxi. It took the tea world by storm and earned the moniker "Green Pearls". Exports of gunpowder tea reached their peak in the latter half of the 19th century.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, tea production recovered and expanded rapidly, driving steady growth in gunpowder tea exports. By the 1980s, gunpowder tea was sold in more than 40 countries and regions across the globe.
In September 1984, the 23rd World Selection of Quality Food Products was held in Madrid, Spain, with participants from over 60 countries and regions. The Temple of Heaven Superfine Gunpowder Tea exported by Zhejiang Tea Import and Export Branch was the sole Chinese product to win an award at the event, as well as the first international gold medal earned by Zhejiang's export commodities since the founding of New China.
The World Selection of Quality Food Products is hosted by the International Institute for Quality Selections. The institute consists of distinguished representatives from ten European and American countries including the United States, Britain, France and Belgium. The selection was first launched in 1961 and has been held annually in a European country ever since.
Product quality assessment is conducted by neutral, authoritative institutions through chemical analysis, organoleptic tasting and consistency inspections of commercial products. That Zhejiang's Temple of Heaven Superfine Gunpowder Tea was selected and awarded a gold medal at this prestigious international competition is a source of immense pride for all tea practitioners and residents across Zhejiang Province.
