Jiangxi tea, nature's best gift to hardworking tea farmers

For centuries, the Jiangxi people have strictly followed the laws of nature, merging seamlessly with this mountainous landscape to cultivate Jiangxi tea with the bountiful resources available to them. This ensures the continuing longevity of the ever-popular Jiangxi tea.

It was early morning in the charming Yaoli ancient town, located just outside the city of Jingdezhen, and Wu Aimin was ready to head up the mountain to pick tea.

"My name is Wu Aimin, a tea farmer in Yaoli ancient town, Fuliang County. My family has been mainly engaged in tea making and tea sales for generations. I don't know for how many generations my ancestors have planted tea here," said Wu.

Wu faithfully abides by the age-old precepts which insist on using purely manual methods to grow and pick the tea. The towering tea mountain which served his ancestors is still thriving under his protection.

Warm air, pleasant temperatures, abundant precipitation, and a sea of rolling hills offer the perfect environment for Jiangxi tea to grow.

Since ancient times, Jiangxi people have long respected the land on which they live. They look to safeguard this stunning natural environment even more importantly than their own lives.

This ethos allows Jiangxi’s unique natural surroundings to be maintained so that people today can still enjoy Jiangxi tea that tastes just the same as in ancient times.

The Jiangxi people are famous for their strict tea-making skills, which ensures the tea always exudes that same deep and distinctive aroma.

Wu explained the general procedures of making green tea.

"Generally there are five steps in making green tea. The first is 'killing the green' or fixing it. Watch out for the heat, a temperature of more than 150 to 200 degrees will make good tea. The second procedure is twisting. The shape of tea leaves needs to be adjusted. Knead the juice out of the tea leaves. Now is the third procedure. Bake slowly at low temperature. Straighten it. It's called trimming. The fourth procedure is tipping. Turn up the heat a little and you can force out the aroma of tea. The silver tips on the tea leaves will look better after this step. The fifth and last step is baking. The heat can't be too high or too low. Cover it with a charcoal basin and bake it for 45 minutes to one hour and the tea will be well done," he said.

In many ways, the Jiangxi people share the same characteristics as their tea. In a fast-paced modern society with roaring machinery and highly-developed digital networks, the Jiangxi people still maintain their own elegant and tranquil way of life.

While carrying out daily tasks, "conforming to nature" has become a common habit naturally instilled in all the people of Jiangxi.

Every place has its own way of fostering its own people, and the people also have their own way of protecting their cherished land.

Jiangxi tea is the best gift nature brings to the honest and kind-hearted people there.

The spirit of the Jiangxi people and the great reputation of their tea has been passed from generation to generation with the same scent and sweet fragrance of the tea continuing to spread far and wide.