The Song Dynasty was a time of abundant brick tea (also known as “tuán chá” or “piàn chá”). Regarding the production techniques of this period's brick teas, apart from the main processes recorded in “Beiyuan Bielu” for tribute teas (picking, sorting, steaming, pressing, grinding, shaping, Drying), there was also the “gao you shou mian” technique, which involved adding a Paste-like substance to the surface of the brick tea. Although this technique has been widely discussed by Song literati, detailed records of its specific operations are scarce, leading to a lack of systematic research on it within academia.
Academic interpretations of “gao you shou mian” have largely focused on Su Shi's poem, “To know the purity of heart is good, not new with paste on the surface,” interpreting it primarily as the act of applying paste to the surface of brick tea, with some suggesting it was a method of tea fraud.
There are few discussions in academia about the formation of “gao you shou mian,” though some trace it back to the Tang Dynasty, but their arguments are not particularly persuasive.
The selection of materials for the paste is widely mentioned to include fragrant pastes, rice paste, and occasionally tea paste (the paste squeezed from the tea leaves themselves), oil pastes, and wax, but the evidence provided is insufficient. Regarding the method of addition, academia mentions both adding before shaping and after shaping, but these points are not elaborated upon.
In terms of function, current academic discourse offers varying opinions on different paste materials, rarely expanding on them. On the positive side, adding fragrant paste is said to enhance aroma and color; adding rice paste can reduce bitterness, facilitate shaping, and make the tea broth thicker; adding tea paste can increase the brightness and color of the surface and delay aging; and adding oil can prevent moisture. On the negative side, it is suggested that improper blending of the paste could have adverse effects, and some believe the technique could mislead consumers.
Regarding contemporary relevance, academia and the industry have almost no mention of it. Even if similar techniques exist, they are not associated with “gao you shou mian.”
In summary, academic discourse around “gao you shou mian” faces issues of varied interpretations, limited evidence, insufficient analysis, and inadequate extension. Therefore, this article uses literature analysis to systematically review the history of “gao you shou mian” in Song Dynasty brick tea, studying the meaning and formation of “gao you shou mian,” the selection and method of adding “gao you,” the functions of “gao you shou mian,” and its contemporary relevance, aiming to provide reference and inspiration.
▲ Creator: Liu Ruijun, inheritor of the intangible cultural skill “Longtuan Fengbing”
01
The Meaning and Formation of “Gao You Shou Mian”
1. The Meaning of “Gao You Shou Mian”
The “gao you shou mian” studied in this article refers to the craft of adding a paste-like substance to the surface of brick tea.
Based on Song Dynasty texts, it can be divided into three parts: first, the substance used is a paste-like substance (for definitions, classifications, and methods of making “gao you,” see Hu Die's article “Research on Gao You in the Song Dynasty.” From the perspective of suitability for tea, the article refers mainly to plant-based pastes); second, there is the action of adding the paste-like substance to the surface; third, the action targets the surface of the brick tea (including cases where it affects both the surface and interior).
A representative example is Cai Xiang's statement in “Chalu,” “Brick teas often have precious pastes applied to their surfaces.” Here, “precious pastes” refer to precious paste substances; “oil” is used as a verb to denote the action of applying and decorating; “its surface” refers to the surface of the brick tea. As for the nature of “gao you shou mian,” it can be purely decorative or used for fraud, depending on the individual's motive, rather than the act itself.
Three points need clarification regarding the meaning:
First, the distinction between the “gao you shou mian” technique popular in Fujian's Jianzhou during the Song Dynasty and the “chu gao” (“contains gao”) practices prevalent in the Yangtze River region during the Tang Dynasty, both involving paste-like substances on the tea. “Gao you shou mian” refers to the deliberate addition of an external paste-like substance when the tea leaves or production process are suboptimal, attaching it to the surface of the brick tea. In contrast, “chu gao” and “contains gao” originate from the phrase “chu gao zhe guang, han gao zhe zou” in “Chajing,” where “gao” refers to the natural paste (i.e., pectin, sugars, etc.) in the tea leaves, with the difference being whether the cell walls are broken.
Second, the relationship between the “gao you shou mian” technique and the concurrent “yan gao” technique practiced in the same region. Both are applied in the production of Jianzhou brick teas and have decorative effects. “Gao you shou mian” relies primarily on the addition of external substances for decoration, while “yan gao” involves refining the tea itself into a moldable paste for decoration. These two decorative methods can appear simultaneously on the same brick tea.
Third, the connection between the “gao you shou mian” technique and the premium brick tea produced in Jianzhou and Nanjianzhou during the same period, known as “là miàn chá.” Although the name “là miàn chá” may suggest a relation to “gao you shou mian,” it might simply refer to a smooth, waxy appearance or a tea broth resembling melted wax without always adding pastes. However, if “là miàn chá” is the same as later references to “là chá” (note: in later periods, people often wrote “là chá” as “lǎ chá”), then based on descriptions in “Shilin Guangji: Beiji,” “Nongshu” from the Yuan Dynasty, and “Yiya Yiyi” from the Ming Dynasty, it indeed appears that this tea contains non-tea additives, most described as paste-like substances, indicating the possible use of the “gao you shou mian” technique in “là miàn chá.”
▲ Current appearance of Jianou's Beiyuan
2. The Formation of “Gao You Shou Mian”
(1) Background of Formation
Early on, “Chajing” cited in “Guangya” mentions that brick teas made in Jing and Ba (today's Hubei and Chongqing areas) were wrapped in rice paste after production, but this was an isolated case before the mid-Tang Dynasty and lacks representativeness. It wasn't until the mid-to-late Tang Dynasty that brick teas in the Yangtze River region exhibited the contradiction of “han gao zhe zou” and “chu gao zhe guang.” Although Lu Yu did not specify which was preferable, the prevalence of teas named “×× han gao” over “×× chu gao” (as seen in “Shanfu Jingshoulu”) suggests the popularity of “han gao” brick teas. The drawback of “han gao” brick teas was their wrinkled, less smooth surface, creating a need for surface embellishment. This may have provided an opportunity for the emergence of the “gao you shou mian” technique.
(2) Emergence of the Technique
Toward the end of the Tang Dynasty, some brick teas had shapes like wax or glue and were hard, appearing as if they had paste, but it's uncertain whether actual paste was added, or if this can be considered the budding stage of “gao you shou mian.” For example, “là miàn chá” in “Shangshu Hualaxiantea” is described as “fragrant (waxy) pieces.” Additionally, “Qujiang Bopian” in “Shanfu Jingshoulu” is described as “oily and hard,” and “Jianzhou Duantuan” is “like purple shoots, or like today's large glue pieces,” needing to be scraped with a knife before breaking, with an extremely bitter taste. “Shanfu Jingshoul