安溪铁观音的故事传说

铁观音，福建安溪当地茶农发明于1725-1735年间。发源于安溪县西坪镇尧阳山麓(王说)。是中国十大名茶之一，乌龙茶类的代表。介于绿茶和红茶之间，纯种铁观音植株为灌木型，树势披展，枝条斜生，叶片水平状着生。叶形椭圆，叶面呈波浪状隆起，叶肉肥厚，叶色浓绿光润，嫩芽紫红色，因此有"红芽歪尾桃"之称，这是纯种特征之一。

铁观音属于半发酵茶类。具有一般茶叶的保健功能，还具有抗衰老、抗癌症、抗动脉硬化、防治糖尿病、减肥健美、防治龋齿、清热降火，敌烟醒酒等功效。2010年以"十大名茶之首"亮相上海世博会。

一、"魏说"--观音托梦

相传，1720年前后，安溪尧阳松岩村(又名松林头村)有个老茶农魏荫(1703-1775)，勤于种茶，又笃信佛教，敬奉观音。每天早晚一定在观音佛前敬奉一杯清茶，儿十年如一日，从未间断，有一天晚上，他睡熟了，朦胧中梦见自己扛着锄头走出家门，他来到一条溪涧旁边，在石缝中忽然发现一株茶树，枝壮叶茂，芳香诱人，跟自己所见过的茶树不同……第二天早晨，他顺着昨夜梦中的道路寻找，果然在观音仑打石坑的石隙间，找到梦中的条树。仔细观看，只见茶叶椭圆，叶肉肥厚，嫩芽紫红，青翠欲滴：魏荫十分高兴，将这株条树挖回种在家小一口铁鼎里，悉心培育。因这茶是观音托梦得到的，取名"铁观音"。

二、"王说"--乾隆赐名

相传，安溪西坪南岩仕人王土让[清朝雍正十年副贡、乾隆六年曾出任湖广黄州府靳州通判，曾经在南山之麓修筑书房，取名"南轩"。清朝乾隆元年(1736年)的春天，王与诸友会文于"南轩"。每当夕阳西坠时，就徘徊在南轩之旁。有一天，他偶然发现层石荒园间有株茶树与众不同，就移植在南轩的茶圃，朝夕管理，悉心培育，年年繁殖，茶树枝叶茂盛，圆叶红心，采制成品，乌润肥壮，泡饮之后，香馥味醇，沁人肺腑。乾隆六年，王士让奉召人京，谒见礼部侍郎方苞，并把这种茶叶送给方苞，方侍郎间其味非凡，便转送内廷，皇上饮后大加赞誉，垂问尧阳茶史，因此茶乌润结实，沉重似铁，味香形美，犹如"观音"，赐名"铁观音"。

三、“僧说”--传授圣树

唐末宋初，有位裴姓(俗名)高僧住在安溪驷马山东边圣泉岩的安常院，他自己做茶并传授乡人，乡人称茶为圣树。元丰6年(1083)，安溪大旱，请来普足大师祈雨果验，乡亲留普足大师于清水岩，他建寺修路恩泽于乡民，他听说圣茶的药效，不远百里到圣泉岩向乡民请教种茶和做茶，并移栽圣树。一天，普足大师(清水祖师)沐浴更衣梵香后前往圣树准备采茶，发现有一只美丽的凤凰正在品茗红芽，不久又来有山羌(俗称小黄鹿)来吃茶叶，他眼见此情景，非常感叹："天地造物，果真圣树"。清水祖师回寺做茶，用圣泉泡茶，他思忖：神鸟、神兽、僧人共享圣茶，天圣也。此后，天圣茶成为他为乡民治病之圣方。

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’s 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 "Guanyin", so it is named "Tie Guanyin".

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: divine birds, divine beasts, and monks share holy tea, and heaven is holy. Since then, Tiansheng tea has become his holy remedy for villagers.