FUJIAN

Fujian (福建) is a province on the southeast coast of China and one of the most important regions in the world for tea production. It has a particular reputation for the high-quality artisan teas that it produces, as well as the development of different styles of tea and methods of tea production. A tremendous variety of types of tea originate from here.

 

The province is mostly mountainous and, as the saying goes, is "Eight parts mountain, one part water, and one part farmland" (八山一水一分田). Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east.

 

Fujian has a subtropical climate, with some rainfall year-round, but with a drier winter and wetter summer. An overwhelming majority of the province is mountainous, however Fujian is also the most heavily forested province in China.

 

Fujian is particularly important in relation to oolong teas, as many styles of oolong originated there. The two major oolong regions of Fujian are Anxi county in the south, and the Wuyi mountains or Wuyishan (武夷山), in Northern Fujian. Wuyi is the origin of a number of other oolongs, including Da Hong Pao, Rou Gui, and many others.

 

White tea also originated in Fujian, and the majority of the world's white tea is still produced here, in the North-East in Fuding and Zhenghe counties.

 

Wuyi is somewhat important in the history of black tea (otherwise known as red tea in Chinese), including Bohea, the black tea famous for its involvement in the Boston Tea Party. Wuyi borders Jiangxi province, and is near Wuyuan county in that province, another key area in tea production.

 

1. Forestry in Fujian Province, State Forestry Administration, Peoples Republic of China, Jan. 21, 2010.