Peering through the mist and looking down from above, rows of tea plants overlap in layers, scattered like stars across the mountains, nurturing this land like the source of life — Mount Mengding. Located on the southwestern edge of the Sichuan Basin in the eastern part of Ya'an City, Mount Mengding occupies the golden zone for tea cultivation in Sichuan. With distinct seasons, abundant rainfall, uniform sunlight, fertile Soil, and suitable temperatures, it is often referred to as the “Rainy Sky of Western Sichuan,” making it an ideal environment for tea plants and providing favorable conditions for high-quality tea.
The Legacy of Mengding: Tracing the Ancient Legend of a Thousand-Year Tribute Tea
In the Western Han Dynasty, the tea ancestors began planting tea on Mount Mengding, sowing seven sacred tea saplings on the peak of Lotus Five Peaks, initiating the precedent of Chinese Tea culture. The quality of Mount Mengding's tea was exceptional; after eight centuries of word-of-mouth praise, it became renowned nationwide and eventually graced the palates of royalty, becoming a tribute item. During the Tang Dynasty, tea from Mount Mengding was officially listed as a royal tribute; by the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty, the finest tea from Mount Mengding was used exclusively for imperial ancestral rites.
Among the many sacred teas of Mount Mengding, none is more representative than Mengding Ganlu, which is revered as the “Homeland of Tea.”
The traditional crafting techniques of Mengding Ganlu originated in the Western Han Dynasty and were officially inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List of Humanity in 2022.
It evolved from the earliest coiled green teas, “Jade Leaf Everlasting Spring” and “Ten Thousand Spring Silver Leaf,” named “Ganlu” due to its curled, tightly formed appearance with tender green down, fragrant aroma, elegant and uniform young shoots, clear yellowish-green liquor, bright clarity, and taste reminiscent of sweet spring dew that lingers long after drinking.
The Craftsmanship: Aesthetic Embodiment of Traditional Tea-Making Techniques
“My grandfather made border tea, my father made Green Tea, and I grew up immersed in tea culture and craftsmanship, naturally falling in love with tea and developing an extreme passion for making it.”
Xie Cheng was born into a family of tea makers and has been involved with tea since childhood, having systematically studied tea-making for over 11 years.
“Learning to make tea starts with recognizing tea leaves; understanding tea is key to making good tea.” Recognizing tea leaves, smelling their fragrance, and tasting their sweetness are processes every tea maker goes through. As a child, Xie Cheng's father often used food rewards to stimulate his interest in tea. Over time, Xie Cheng transitioned from passive acceptance to active learning, from finding tea bitter to appreciating its sweetness. In this process, his understanding and knowledge of tea culture deepened.
Due to the preciousness of tea leaves, Xie Cheng could only practice under his father's guidance using selected mixed leaves, leaving burns and blisters on his hands. However, compared to these hardships and injuries, he was more concerned about how to produce good tea. From imitating his father's techniques to systematic learning under professional teachers after university, Xie Cheng can now make tea with the same color, aroma, taste, and shape as his father's.
According to Xie Cheng, different teas require different techniques, and the core of making Mengding Ganlu lies in “three rounds of stir-frying and rolling,” which involves repeated manual stir-frying and rolling to promote aroma release and tea formation.
The three rounds of stir-frying and rolling involve cooling the pan-fired leaves in a sieve and then rolling them for the first time with a “light-heavy-light” pressure, kneading them repeatedly like dough, gathering them together, and then spreading them out again until the tea leaves form strands. Throughout the entire process, from the initial pan-firing to the final shaping and drying, no stir-frying tools are used; it is done solely by the skilled hands of the artisan.
“The primary purpose of the three rounds of stir-frying and rolling is to lose moisture, tighten the tea strands into a spiral shape, which is what distinguishes Mengding Ganlu from other green teas.”
As Xie Cheng gathered the stir-fried tea leaves into a bamboo tube, he explained the key points of stir-frying tea. To enjoy the rich aroma of Mengding Ganlu, one does not need to wait for brewing; the moment the tea leaves are placed in the warmed cup, the invigorating fragrance wafts out from the cup.
Innovation and Technology: Modern Transformation of the Tea-Making Journey
While admiring the exquisite skills of traditional tea artisans, we must also recognize that, with the development of technological industrialization and changes in social needs, traditional handcrafted tea production can no longer meet market demands, and mechanized tea production is the way forward.
To promote the integrated development of the tea industry on Mount Mengding, Ya'an has introduced modern mechanized tea production techniques while preserving traditional handcrafted techniques to drive the upgrading of the tea industry.
Liu Siqiang, as a representative inheritor of the “Traditional Intangible Cultural Heritage Production Techniques” of Mount Meng, has not only mastered traditional tea-making techniques but also has unique insights into exploring mechanized production methods during his four-decade-long association with tea.
“Compared to handcrafting, mechanized production ensures cleanliness and hygiene, which is a prerequisite; secondly, it guarantees mass production and saves labor costs.”
Modern tea production on Mount Mengding incorporates advanced technologies, such as digital garden management, mechanical tea picking, intelligent environmental monitoring, and scientific tea production, making the entire tea processing process more efficient and precise. Empowered by technology, the tea industry has transformed from “making tea based on experience” to “