Tieguanyin story and legend 铁观音故事传说

Tieguanyin was invented by local tea farmers in Anxi, Fujian between 1725 and 1735. It originated from the foothills of Yaoyang Mountain in Xiping Town, Anxi County (Wang said). It is one of the top ten famous teas in China and the representative of oolong tea. Between green tea and black tea, the pure-bred Tieguanyin plant is a shrub, with a spreading tree potential, oblique branches, and horizontal leaves. The leaves are oval in shape, wavy and uplifted, the mesophyll is thick, the leaves are dark green and smooth, and the tender buds are purple-red, so it is called "red bud crooked peach", which is one of the characteristics of pure breeds.

Tieguanyin belongs to the semi-fermented tea category. It has the health care function of ordinary tea, and also has the functions of anti-aging, anti-cancer, anti-arteriosclerosis, prevention and treatment of diabetes, weight loss and fitness, prevention and treatment of dental caries, clearing heat and reducing fire, and anti-smoking and sobering. In 2010, it appeared at the Shanghai World Expo as the "Top Ten Famous Teas".

1. "Wei Said" - Guanyin's Dream

According to legend, around 1720, there was an old tea farmer Wei Yin (1703-1775) in Songyan Village (also known as Songlintou Village) in Yaoyang, Anxi. Every morning and evening, I have to offer a cup of tea in front of Guanyin Buddha. For ten years, I have never stopped. One night, when he fell asleep, he dreamed that he was carrying a hoe and walked out of the house. Suddenly, he found a tea tree in the crack, with strong branches and luxuriant leaves and an attractive fragrance, which was different from any tea tree he had ever seen... The next morning, he followed the path he had dreamed of last night to search, and sure enough he hit a stone pit in Guanyinlun. In the stone gap, find the tree in the dream. Looking closely, I saw that the tea leaves were oval, the mesophyll was thick, the tender buds were purple and green, and Wei Yin was very happy. Because this tea was obtained by Guanyin in a dream, it was named "Tieguanyin".

2. "Wang said"--Qianlong gave the name

According to legend, Wang Turang, an official in Nanyan, Xiping, Anxi [a deputy tribute in the tenth year of Yongzheng in the Qing Dynasty and a judge in Jinzhou in the six years of Qianlong in the Huangzhou Prefecture of Huguang, once built a study at the foot of Nanshan Mountain and named it "Nanxuan". In the spring of the first year of Qianlong's reign (1736) in the Qing Dynasty, Wang and Zhuyou met in "Nanxuan". Whenever the sun sets in the west, he lingers beside Nanxuan. One day, he stumbled upon a different tea tree in the barren gardens, so he transplanted it in the tea garden of Nanxuan, managed day and night, nurtured it carefully, and multiplied every year. Fat and strong, after drinking, the fragrance is mellow and refreshing. In the sixth year of Qianlong's reign, Wang Shirang was summoned to the capital to meet Fang Bao, the servant of the Ministry of Rites, and gave this tea to Fang Bao. Fang servant had an extraordinary taste, so he sent it to the inner court. After drinking it, the emperor praised it and asked about the history of Yaoyang tea. Therefore, the tea black is moist and firm, heavy like iron, beautiful in taste, fragrance and shape, just like "viewing"

3. "The Monk's Talk"--Teaching the Holy Tree

At the end of the Tang Dynasty and the beginning of the Song Dynasty, there was an eminent monk surnamed Pei (common name) who lived in Anchang Courtyard in Shengquanyan, on the edge of the Mount Mashan Mountain in Anxi. In the 6th year of Yuanfeng (1083), there was a severe drought in Anxi, and Master Puzu was invited to pray for the fruit test. The villagers stayed with Master Puzu in Qingshuiyan. He built a temple and built a road to benefit the villagers. He heard about the medicinal effects of holy tea. Not far away, he went to Shengquanyan to ask the villagers to teach about planting and making tea, and transplanting sacred trees. One day, Master Puzu (the ancestor of Qingshui) went to the holy tree to pick tea after bathing and changing his clothes. He found that a beautiful phoenix was tasting the red buds of tea, and soon Shan Qiang (commonly known as the little yellow deer) came to eat tea. Seeing this scene, I sighed very much: "The creation of heaven and earth is truly a holy tree." Patriarch Qingshui returned to the temple to make tea and used the holy spring to make tea. He thought about it: divine birds, divine beasts, and monks share holy tea, and heaven is holy. Since then, Tiansheng tea has become his holy remedy for villagers.