Tea terroirs: Mount Mengding, home of Mengding Ganlu and more

On Mount Mengding (蒙顶山) in central Sichuan (四川) province, tea has been cultivated since the Western Han (西汉) period (202 BC-9 AD). This makes it one of the first place, where tea plants were actively selected, planted and looked after. According to tradition, it all started with a medicinal herbs grower called Wu Lizhen (吴理真), who took seven wild bushes and replanted them in a favourably foggy valley.

From the year 724 on, tea leaves from this tiny tea garden served as tribute tea (贡茶) and were reserved for ritual offerings and for the consumption of the emperor. This custom lasted from its creation during the Tang dynasty until the fall of the last dynasty in 1911.

Located in Mingshan county (名山县) under the jurisdiction of Ya’an (雅安) city, Mount Mengding is made of five peaks, the highest culminating at 1456 meters. Lots of rainfalls and mist make it an ideal ground for growing tea.

“Mengding Tea” (蒙顶茶) refers to all tea varieties produced on Mount Mengding, the most renowned being Mengding Ganlu (蒙顶甘露). Mount Mengding plays also an important role in China’s yellow tea (黄茶) culture with the Huangya (黄芽) variety. Furthermore, it is a production centre for compressed tea (边茶). Other tea varieties produced on the mountain are Shihua (石花), Wanchun Yinye (万春银叶) and Yuye Changchun (玉叶长春).

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