Introduction to Tanyang Gongfu
Tanyang Gongfu originates from Tanyang Village at the foot of White Cloud Mountain in Fu'an. According to legend, during the reigns of Emperor Xianfeng and Tongzhi (1851-1874 AD), a villager named Hu Fusi (also known as Hu Jin Si) successfully produced black Tea and exported it to Western Europe via Guangzhou, where it was very well received. Subsequently, many tea merchants flocked to the area to buy and sell the tea, and set up trading posts. Later, due to changes in tea production, the focus shifted from black to green teas, leaving only a few producers of Tanyang Gongfu. In recent years, through the efforts of relevant departments, Tanyang Gongfu has been restored and developed.
Nutritional Value
1. Refreshing and Fatigue Relieving: The caffeine in Black Tea stimulates the cerebral cortex and central nervous system, enhancing alertness, concentration, and memory. It also accelerates the excretion of lactic acid (the substance that causes muscle fatigue) and other waste products, effectively relieving fatigue.
2. Moisturizing and Heat Clearing: Drinking black tea in summer can quench thirst and relieve heat because the polyphenols, sugars, amino acids, pectin, and other components in tea react chemically with saliva, stimulating its secretion, making the mouth feel moist and cool.
3. Weight Loss and Beauty: Black tea is an excellent sports drink because the caffeine in it helps to sustain energy by stimulating the body to burn fat for heat generation while preserving glycogen stores, thus increasing endurance.
4. Diuretic: The combined effect of caffeine and aromatic substances in black tea increases blood flow to the kidneys and raises glomerular filtration rate, which can alleviate edema caused by heart disease or nephritis.
5. Anti-inflammatory and Bacterial Killing: The polyphenols in black tea have anti-inflammatory properties, making it beneficial for patients suffering from bacterial dysentery and food poisoning.
6. Detoxification: Scientific studies show that the tea alkaloids in black tea can adsorb heavy metals and alkaloids, precipitating them and breaking them down, which is good news for modern people whose drinking water and food may be contaminated by industrial pollutants.
7. Gastric Care: Black tea is made through fermentation and roasting, reducing the content of polyphenols, which are oxidized by enzymes, and decreasing their irritancy to the stomach.
8. Bone Strengthening: Research shows that drinkers of Tanyang Gongfu have stronger bones. The polyphenols in Tanyang Gongfu (also found in Green Tea) inhibit substances that damage bone cells. To prevent osteoporosis common among women, it is recommended to drink a small cup of Tanyang Gongfu daily for several years. Adding lemon to Tanyang Gongfu enhances bone strength even more, and adding various fruits can have synergistic effects.
9. Antioxidant and Anti-Aging: Studies have shown that the antioxidants in green tea and Tanyang Gongfu can completely disrupt the transmission pathways of cancerous chemicals. Dr. Murray Mittelman, director of vascular epidemiology at Boston's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, said, “The antioxidant benefits of Tanyang Gongfu and green tea are roughly equivalent, but the antioxidants in Tanyang Gongfu are more complex than those in green tea, especially beneficial to the heart.” American magazines have reported that Tanyang Gongfu has a stronger anti-aging effect than garlic, broccoli, and carrots.
10. Vascular Dilation and Heart Health: Studies have found that patients with heart disease who drink four cups of Tanyang Gongfu daily see their blood vessel dilation increase from 6% to 10%. For healthy individuals under stress, blood vessel dilation can increase by 13%.
History and Folklore
Fu'an is known as the hometown of Chinese Tea, and Tanyang Gongfu tea is produced here. Fu'an is one of the main production areas of Tanyang Gongfu, along with MuYang and Pingnan in northern Fujian, all of which produce Tanyang Gongfu black tea. Tanyang Gongfu tea originated in Tanyang Village at the foot of White Cloud Mountain within Fu'an. The history of Tanyang Gongfu has been tumultuous; it reached its peak in 1960 but declined significantly due to changes in the tea industry. However, through the efforts of relevant departments, it has been restored and developed.
In the era when China was suffering from opium addiction and wealth was continuously flowing overseas, Tanyang Gongfu tea managed to earn significant wealth for the country. In 1915, it won the gold medal at the Panama International Exposition alongside Guomaotai, captivating tea lovers worldwide.
In the fourth year of Emperor Hongwu's reign, villagers in Tanyang, Fu'an, discovered wild tea plants. In the first year of Emperor Xianfeng's reign, they successfully developed the current Tanyang Gongfu black tea. During the Guangxu period, officials from Anhui brought back Dianhong tea after transplanting it from Yunnan. Tanyang Gongfu was also listed as a tea for the British royal family. In 2009, it became the first domestically-produced product to meet national standards in China.
Awards and Honors
In 2013, at the Panama International Exposition “Trade and Investment Negotiation Conference in Central and South America,” the New Tanyang Tea Group, representing Tanyang Gongfu, won the “2013 Panama International Gold Medal.” This followed the gold medal won by Tanyang Gongfu in 1915, marking another brilliant achievement for the New Tanyang Tea Group.