Da Hong Pao, has a great reputation
2023-08-28 Author: Xu Maoxing
Wuyishan Dahongpao Tea Garden (Photo by Zhang Xiaoxi).
Da Hong Pao has a long history and cultural background
The name "Da Hong Pao" has a strong visual and story character. From the perspective of phonology, it is easy to listen to, easy to remember, and meets the requirements of brand name prominence.
During the reign of Ming Hongwu Yongle Year (1385-1416 AD), Ding Xian, a student, who was going to Beijing to rush for the exam, fell ill while passing through Wuyi Mountain, but fortunately met the old abbot of Tianxin Temple who used tea as a medicine treatment, and was saved and passed the exam in first place. In order to repay the grace of the Buddha, Ding Xian covered the tea tree with a red robe, and this is when the tea became first known as the "big red robe" (pronounced “Da Hong Pao” in Chinese). Later, Ding Xian also cured the queen's disease with the tea, and the emperor was overjoyed, who then gave a red robe, and ordered Ding Xian to go to the Nine Dragon Cave and draped it on the tea tree to show the emperor’s thanks and grace, and at the same time sent people to watch over the tea tree and collect the tea leaves and pay tribute, and must not hide it privately. In the seventeenth year of Ming Yongle (1419 AD), Ming Chengzu renamed the temple as Tianxin Yongle Temple, and named Tianxin Temple tea as "Da Hong Pao", and Da Hong Pao became known as the best of all teas and became famous all over the world.
This story with a well documented source is now written in the column of "Tianxin Zen Tea Big Red Robe Traceability" of Tianxin Zen Temple, and is gradually known by all those around.
Why is Da Hong Pao's fame so widespread? The key is due to the identity of Gongcha. Most of the famous teas on the market today have a glorious history of being “Gong Cha” or tribute tea. Since the beginning of historical records, Da Hong Pao has been a tribute tea for the royal family. The Qianlong Emperor of the Qing Dynasty praised it as the best tribute tea, and he wrote in the poem "Winter Night Sencha": "Wuyi is the best in Tributes, and the smell is clean and taste stays in the throat." ”
Da Hong Pao also has a diplomatic story. In 1972, when US President Richard Nixon visited China, Chairman Mao Zedong presented him with four taels of tea from the mother plant of the red robe. Nixon was puzzled. Premier Zhou Enlai, who accompanied him, explained to Nixon: "The chairman has given you 'half of the rivers and mountains'. And told the origin of the big red robe, Nixon couldn't help but be awe-struck after hearing it. (The Da Hong Pao mother tree is usually only usable by the emperor or leader of China to this day)
Da Hong Pao is worth a lot
The early Da Hong Pao mainly refers to the tea leaves picked by those mother trees, which are of good quality and have low yield. In 1921, "Jiang Shunan's Travels" recorded that the Da Hong Pao of that year was 64 silver dollars per city pound, equivalent to 2,000 kilograms of rice, which was comparable to gold at that time. In 1995, Wu Wennan, chairman of Fujian Yinzhi Group, purchased 1 kilogram of purebred Da Hong Pao from Wuyishan Tea Research Institute for 30,000 yuan per kilogram and resold it at home and abroad.
On June 18, 2003, Wuyishan Branch of Chinese Ming Insurance Company signed a contract with Wuyishan Municipal Government to underwrite 100 million RMB of the "Dahongpao" mother tree in the form of product liability insurance, which is the largest insured amount among the famous tea liability insurance in China so far.
In 2007, the last 20-gram finished Dahong Pao harvested from the mother tree was treasured by the National Museum of China, the first time that modern tea was stored in the National Museum.
It was included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage lists
The characteristics of Da Hong Pao's "live sweetness and fragrance” are attributed to the superb production skills. Among the six major types of tea in China, none of them have a complicated process such as oolong tea, and the most sophisticated roasting method in oolong tea is Da Hong Pao. The Da Hong Pao production technique, from picking to finished products, has to go through more than 10 processes, withering, greening, finishing, kneading, drying, picking, baking, each process is intertwined and affects each other. The charm of Da Hong Pao lies in its uncontrollability, to see the sky to do tea, to see the tea to do tea, to see the mountain field to do tea and to see the variety to do tea, the same tea, because of the ambient temperature, humidity is different, the technique is different, the quality of the production is very different. Liang Zhangju of the Qing Dynasty said: "Wuyi baking method, is really number one in the world", if the fire is high and the roasting is overdone, there is a burnt taste; the fire power is low, the baking is not penetrable, and it is easy to return to green and deteriorate. Chen Rafter, a famous tea scientist, said: "The creation technology of Wuyi rock tea is unique, the world's most advanced technology, unparalleled and worthy of Chinese people's majesty in the world." "In 2006, the production technique of Wuyi rock tea (Da Hong Pao) was included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage list, and it was the first tea category to be inscribed as intangible cultural heritage.
The popularity of Da Hong Pao continues to increase
The work of taking care of the mother tree of Da Hong Pao has never stopped. In 1932, General Jiang Dingwen of the Kuomintang admired Da Hong Pao and always wanted to drink some, so he built a house near the mother tree of Da Hong Pao and sent troops to guard it, which was later guarded by the monks of Tianxin Temple, and continued to be guarded by the government after the founding of New China.
To this day, there are still many documents that record the promotion of Da Hong Pao.
During the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty, Zheng Guangzu's "One Spot" mentioned the big red robe in the fourth volume, saying: "Ruomin produces 'red robe' and 'building the flag', which has prevailed in the world for fifty years. ”
It is recorded in the book "Tea Party of the Jilang Shulou" written by Liu Xunyun, a native of the Minqing Dynasty: "Wuyi Tianyou Rock Above. There is an ancient tea tree, surrounded by dangerous rocks, which are not easy to pick, and the brave must go up the ladder to harvest them. Ye Dashu refers to the name "Da Hong Pao", because the page is reddish. Only one pound can be baked per year. For noble tourists, the monks drink a little, which is the best taste of rock tea. ”
"Modern Xu Xiake" Jiang Shunan's trip to Wuyishan wrote the article "Travels in Wuyishan": "Tianxin Yongle Temple ... Da Hong Pao famous tea is planted under the rock. Tianyou also produces a big red robe, the fragrance is very strong, when you drink it back, your teeth and cheeks are cold, and there is a lingering fragrance between your chest. Last year (1917), Da Hong Pao was worth sixteen yuan every two taels..."
In 1940, Shaowu Xiehe University teacher Weng Shaoer wrote "Investigation of the Tea Industry in the Three Counties of Shaowu Jianyang Chong'an", which contains a record of Da Hong Pao: "Da Hong Pao tea is produced in Wuyi Mountain, Tianxin Yan, Yongle Temple, Sanli Xu Zhi Jiulong Cave. There is a house on the side of the cave, where the guards of the big red robe live... Its leaves are not very large, the variety is not very specific, only the buds are slightly reddish. Da Hong Pao's annual output is not much, less five or six taels, more than seven or eight taels, which is hundreds of the worth of gold. ”
In industrial development, standard is the foundation, quality is hard power, and brand is soft power. In the 90s of last century, after the successful asexual reproduction of Da Hong Pao, it began to be planted in a large area in Wuyishan, and the Wuyishan municipal government led a series of brand promotion activities. In 2006, the Wuyishan Municipal Government established the idea of taking "Wuyishan Dahongpao" as the leading brand to drive other tea brands to jointly develop the tea industry in northern Fujian. In 2010, Zhang Yimou, Wang Chaoge and Fan Yue's only large-scale landscape performance showcasing Chinese tea culture "Impression of Da Hong Pao" settled in Wuyishan, and since then attracted about 600,000 people to watch it every year. In the same year, "Wuyishan Da Hong Pao" was newly recognized as a well-known trademark in China by the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, and the reputation of Da Hong Pao was further enhanced. These brand promotion activities have made Da Hong Pao frequently become the focus of the media and continuously increased the popularity of Da Hong Pao.
"Tea with travel, tourism to promote tea", tea tourism integration has become an important "engine" for the development of Wuyishan. Under the guidance of the government, leading enterprises engaged in the production and sales of Wuyi rock tea are promoted, large-scale joint-stock companies are established through industrial chain mergers and reorganization, packaging and listing, systematically planning the marketing system of Wuyi rock tea, and setting up "Dahong Pao rock tea specialty stores" throughout the country and overseas to enhance the reputation of Wuyi rock tea and launch the "Wuyi rock tea" brand.
