PHILIPPINE media explores the culture and production of famous tea in Fujian, China.
From Quanzhou City in Fujian, China, the Philippine media delegation traveled more than one and a half hour to Anxi County.
In this place, people are shown the rich tea culture and tea production of China.
Anxi is one of the largest tea producers in the country and in the whole world and known for a type of oolong tea called Tie Guan Yin.
“Anxi is famous for oolong tea. So we have like world famous tea brand Tie Guan Yin. This one can be called the tea capital in the whole world. It is one of the most important tea export cities, counties in China,” Wendy Wu, Anchor, Quanzhou Maritime Silk Road International Communication Center, said.
But why is Tie Guanyi famous across the world?
We are here today in the exhibition hall here in Anxi, Fujian Province which is one of the largest producers and exporters of the famous Tie Guan Yin.
They said Tie Guan Yin is special because it goes through a ten step procedure to get the right aroma and flavor.
According to a Tea Master Chen Liang Gu who has been in the tea-making industry for more than 30 years, Tie Guan Yin is unique because of its production process which takes 36 hours or more.
He said one enjoys this kind of tea because of the benefits obtained from drinking it.
“Anti-aging. Anti-oxidation. Aging. So they have the good elements inside the tea. His mother is 96 years old now and she drinks Tie Guan Yin every day,” Wendy Wu added.
Tie Guan Yin can be found in most Chinese restaurants around the world.
Apart from the great demand of Tie Guan Yin in the tea market, this tea is often enjoyed as a gift on occasions.
And as we visit Anxi County, we did not miss the opportunity to taste the famous Tie Guan Yin.
Here they served us a certain kind of the said tea which costs 2,000 yuan or equivalent to more than P15,000.
The product becomes more expensive depending on the duration of the process of making it.
During the trip, it was also emphasized that tea is more than a drink but a philosophy in the Chinese culture.
“It’s not only a drink. But also a kind of philosophy in the Chinese culture because when you drink tea, it means you are calm and also you’ll embrace the nature,” according to Wendy Wu.
