Along with the rise and fall of Liubao tea industry, the ancient tea ship route has gone through phases of formation, prosperity, dormancy, revival, and decline, leaving a splendid chapter in China's tea transportation history.
The ancient route is vast and time has passed slowly. The development of the Liubao tea industry has undergone changes over several hundred years, and the tea ship route has also gone through a long journey from its formation to prosperity, dormancy, revival, and decline.
Today, the Liubao tea industry is experiencing a comprehensive revival, but the ancient tea ship route mostly remains as traces of the past. However, there is no doubt that in the course of history, this ancient route, which coexisted with Liubao tea, has written a unique and splendid chapter in China's tea transportation history.
The name “Tea Pavilion” can be seen on a map of Cangwu from the 32nd year of the Kangxi era (1693) of the Qing dynasty.
1. The “Annals of Cangwu County” compiled during the Tongzhi era of the Qing dynasty contains records about Liubao tea.
2. On the attached map of Cangwu County in the “Annals of Cangwu County” compiled during the Tongzhi era of the Qing dynasty, the northwest direction of Shanxin (towards Liubao) is marked as “Tea Pavilion Ridge.”
3. At the end of the Qing dynasty, dockworkers in Guangzhou, Wuhan, Shanghai, and other places packed and bundled tea collected from various regions for overseas shipment. Among these, the tea was compressed by hand and each wooden box had the identification and name of the merchant.
Vessels used for transporting tea at the Guangzhou wharf during the late Qing and early Republican periods.
The ancient route for exporting tea thrived.
In May, summer arrived, and the spring tea harvest was complete. Yet, traveling through the mountains of Liubao Town in Cangwu County, one still sees lush greenery everywhere. After light rain, looking into the distance, the tea gardens ascending along the mountain slopes disappear into misty clouds.
“It's time to prepare for the summer tea harvest again,” says Yiliang Cheng, an elderly tea farmer who has been growing tea in Siuliu Village, Liubao Town, for generations. Due to his age, he now does less heavy work. But every tea-picking season, he still thinks back to those busy days. What he misses most are the old tea trees deep in the mountains. In the mountains of Buyi and Siuliu, he had seen many wild old tea trees with trunks two or three feet in circumference, “some too large for one person to hug.”
These ancient tea trees bear witness to the history of tea production in Liubao. Liubao is mountainous, and tea has been produced here since ancient times, hence the name “Liubao tea.”
Within Liubao Town, from Wutong to Lichong, from Tangping to Buyi, from Siuliu to Gaojian, the landscape is characterized by towering peaks and crisscrossing streams. Among these mountains, which reach almost 1,000 meters in altitude, numerous tea trees are planted. Historically, famous Liubao tea-producing areas included Buyi Village (ancient Gongzhou tea area), Tangping Village (including Heishi tea area), Gongping Village, Shanping Village, Siuliu Village (ancient Ludi tea area), and others.
After Liubao tea farmers picked fresh tea leaves, they generally stir-fried them in household iron pots or steamed them in wooden baskets. Then, they placed the finished steamed tea in large trays and kneaded it by foot. After kneading, the tea was piled up to dry. Today, modern tea processing equipment has allowed many tea farmers to retire from manual labor. Nevertheless, after many years, Xie Yucai, an elder in Liubao Town, still vividly remembers traditional tea-making methods: “In the past, one could tell who made tea just by looking, because their hands and feet were always black due to the constant handling and kneading of tea leaves.”
Sichencai, an elderly tea farmer from Heishi Village in Liubao Town, comes from a family that has been planting tea locally for generations. “During my grandfather's time, every household in Heishi Village grew and processed tea. Every year, we produced a considerable amount of tea for sale. Our family had around twenty mu of tea fields and could produce several thousand catties of dried tea annually.”
In those days, almost every household in the Liubao tea area participated in tea cultivation and production. Apart from some tea kept for personal use, the rest was sold.
Therefore, the production and sales volume of Liubao tea remained high.
On a hand-drawn map of Cangwu County from the 32nd year of the Kangxi era (1693) of the Qing dynasty, the area where Liubao Town is located is marked as “Tea Pavilion.” According to historical research, “Tea Pavilion” in Liubao refers to a pavilion-like structure primarily used by tea merchants and farmers for purchasing, trading, and storing tea during the tea-picking season. In the map of Cangwu County attached to the “Annals of Cangwu County” compiled during the Tongzhi era, the same location is marked as “Tea Pavilion Ridge.”
The two maps corroborate each other, indicating that Liubao Town was already a well-known tea production and sales area during the Qing dynasty, to the point where “Tea Pavilion” replaced “Duoxian” and “Liubao” as a geographical marker.
According to the “Annals of Cangwu County” compiled during the Kangxi era, “Tea is produced in Duoxian Township, Liubao, and its flavor is pure, remaining unchanged even overnight. Its color, aroma, and taste are all excellent.” Over the more than a century from the mid-Kangxi period to the end of the Tongzhi era, local tea producers continuously improved their techniques, standardizing the rich flavor of Liubao tea. With the standardization of varieties and expansion of planting areas, the production of Liubao tea significantly increased.
However, given the population levels of the Ming and Qing dynasties, nearby Cangwu County and Wuzhou Prefecture City could not consume such a large volume of tea from the Liubao tea area. Therefore, taking advantage of the convenient waterways, the areas along the Xi River naturally became the main sales destinations for Liubao tea.
Domestic and international consumption promoted extension.
Since the Qing dynasty, the operational trajectory of the transportation route within China, starting from Liubao Town and ending in Guangzhou, has been evident. However, the flow of Liubao tea on the ancient tea ship route did not stop in Guangzhou; instead, it continued via this renowned commercial port and connected with the Maritime Silk Road, embarking on a new journey—exporting to Hong Kong, Macau, and reaching Southeast Asian countries.
A genealogy compiled in 1925 by a family in Jiucheng Village, Liubao Town, clearly records the existence of a place named “Tea Pavilion.”
The large volume of tea export trade led to highly active tea transactions in the Liangguang region. Liubao tea, known for being inexpensive,