(East-West Question) Wang Chang: Why is Chinese Qimen black tea "the most fragrant"?
China News Agency, Hefei, June 7th, question: Why is Chinese Qimen black tea "the most fragrant"?
——Interview with Wang Chang, inheritor of Qimen black tea making skills
Author Cheng Zhanpeng
Qimen black tea, referred to as "Qihong", was named after it was produced in Qimen County, Anhui Province. It was created in 1875.
Its shape is tight and thin, the peaks and seedlings are beautiful, the golden hair is revealed, the color is dark and the fragrance is fragrant and lasting.
In 1892, the "Oxford English Dictionary" added a word "keemun black tea" that has been preserved to this day, which is from Qi Hong; in 1915 at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, Keemun black tea won the gold medal; in 2008, Keemun black tea production skills It was included in the list of representative projects of China's national intangible cultural heritage.
After Keemun black tea was introduced into Europe, it conquered the European "high society" with its unique Keemun fragrance, which resembles flowers, fruits and honey. According to records, it is the favorite drink of the Queen of England and the royal family, which promoted the prevalence of tea drinking habits in Europe, enriching the richness of tea drinking. The European way of drinking tea has even become an important part of social interaction.
Picture of Qimen black tea soup.
Photo courtesy of the interviewee
The representative project of national intangible cultural heritage, Wang Chang, the inheritor of Qimen black tea production skills, recently accepted an exclusive interview with China News Agency "Dongxiwen", and described Qihong's unique role and charm in cultural exchanges between the East and the West.
The following is a summary of the interview transcript:
China News Agency reporter: In the United Kingdom, Qi Hong is listed as a "hero" in tea and praised as "Queen of Black Tea"; Turkish poet Hikmet once wrote about Qi Hong: "In Chinese tea, I found the fragrance of spring" In China, there is a saying that "Qi Hong is the most fragrant and the most famous and the most fragrant and fragrant". Why is Qi Hong in China "the most fragrant"?
Wang Chang:
As the Chinese leader said in his toast at the welcome dinner held by the Queen during his visit to the UK in October 2015: "Chinese tea has added a lot of elegance to the lives of the British, and the British have crafted it ingeniously. English-style black tea. The exchanges and mutual learning between Chinese and English civilizations have not only enriched the achievements of their respective civilizations, promoted social progress, but also made outstanding contributions to the development of human society.”
Historically, the exchanges between various countries and ethnic groups began with the exchange of commodities.
Qihong is one of the most distinctive products on the "Wanli Tea Ceremony" and is most recognized by the people of the countries and regions along the "Belt and Road".
Like Chinese porcelain, Keemun black tea can also be regarded as one of the ambassadors of Chinese culture.
Qihong has reached the highest level of black tea in various quality indicators such as the beauty of the tea shape, the bright color of the soup, the sweetness of the tea flavor and the persistence of the aroma.
Qihong is known as "the most fragrant of the group", first of all, it is inseparable from the superior natural ecological environment conditions in the Qimen area.
The magical 30 degrees north latitude and the unique microclimate environment of biodiversity constitute a natural environment for the growth of tea trees, resulting in the special aroma and rich taste of "Qihong"; the second is that the aroma of Qimen black tea is long-lasting, like flowers, fruits, and flowers. Honey, this kind of complex aroma that is difficult to describe accurately is the biggest charm of Qi Hong, and it is also incomparable with other black teas; the third is that Qi Hong's "Qimen Xiang" is a sweet and sweet aroma, which is formed by baking with other teas. Compared with caramel sweetness, Qihong's sweet and clear fragrance is more natural and pleasant, which also reflects the excellent quality of fresh leaves of Qimen oak leaf species.
Qimen black tea is picked in spring.
Photo courtesy of the interviewee
China News Service reporter: Qi Hong, Darjeeling tea and Ceylon black tea from India are also known as the world's three major high-scented black teas. What is the difference between these three black teas?
Wang Chang:
Although they are the three world-famous high-flavor black teas, the styles of the three teas are quite different.
Qi Hong is famous for her elegant sweet fragrance, like an oriental woman.
Qi Hong has a strong and fragrant aroma, full of rose, fruit and honey, and orchid, giving people a warm and elegant feeling.
Ceylon black tea is known for its sharp and unrestrained aroma, like a golden iron horse, with refreshing lily-of-the-valley fragrance and sweet and strong jasmine fragrance.
Darjeeling black tea is fresh and musky, elegant and luxurious.
The aroma characteristic is between Keemun black tea and Ceylon black tea, full and full of tension.
The reason for the "three high-scented black teas" is that these three types of black teas have a pleasant sensory experience that other types of black teas cannot have in terms of aroma characteristics.
Qimen black tea leaves species.
Photo courtesy of the interviewee
China News Service reporter: What are the cultural connotations of Chinese tea contained in Qimen black tea? Are these connotations preserved in the West? What are the differences and commonalities between Eastern and Western people in the food culture of tea?
Wang Chang:
Chinese tea culture has a long history.
Tea originated in China and has become a shining golden business card in China.
The history of Chinese tea originated from Shennong: from raw boiled soup to original green tea; flourished in the Sui and Tang Dynasties: from Biwuzhi to Zen tea; flourished in Song and Yuan Dynasties: from the popularity of loose tea to the popularity of tea; Stir-fried greens are the way to go to the wind of clear drinking.
As an important part of black tea in the six major tea families in China, Qihong is known for its four unique qualities of "high aroma, mellow taste, beautiful shape and bright color".
Keemun black tea contains tolerance, restraint and restraint. The preparation of English-style black tea is based on the inclusiveness of Keemun black tea.
Chinese people like to drink clear tea, and pursue the natural and authentic flavor of tea. Westerners prefer to mix tea, adding sugar, milk, and fruit to black tea.
In addition, Qimen black tea culture is a part of Chinese tea culture, and its connotation is connected with Chinese tea culture.
As a fermented tea, it seems to be milder, more restrained, and more considerate to people's physical and spiritual care.
When it comes to food culture, Eastern and Western people have something in common in meeting their physiological needs, but Chinese tea drinkers often regard tea drinking as a spiritual sustenance.
Qi Hong's production skills - shaking the sieve.
Photo courtesy of the interviewee
China News Service reporter: What is the current status of Qi Hong's inheritance and development? How to give full play to the role of Qimen black tea in foreign cultural exchanges and promote exchanges and mutual learning between Eastern and Western civilizations?
Wang Chang:
Qihong is not only a tea category, but also a Chinese tea brand that is highly recognized by the international market, and a window on the road to internationalization of Chinese tea.
The Quemen chinensis species is the first batch of national-level tea tree varieties recognized and recognized by China, and has been introduced to dozens of countries and regions.
Taking this as the female parent, the national-level clone tea tree varieties such as "Anhui No. 1" and "Anhui No. 3" have been bred.
At the end of 2021, Huangshan City, Anhui Province officially became a member of the Wanli Tea Ceremony Protection and Joint Declaration of the World Cultural Heritage Cities Alliance.
The "Wanli Tea Ceremony" is another important international trade channel emerging in the Eurasian continent after the "Silk Road".
Keemun black tea is continuously exported to more than 80 countries and regions such as Germany, Britain, the United States, and Russia through the Wanli Tea Ceremony.
At present, Qimen County is focusing on the overall goal of building the "world capital of black tea", paying close attention to the five major improvement projects of Qihong base, brand, quality, leading and culture, focusing on strengthening tea garden safety and tea brand building, deepening the integration of tea and tourism, and developing and extending Qihong Wen. travel industry.
Tianzhihong Keemun black tea EU and US standard organic certified tea garden.
Photo courtesy of the interviewee
In addition, as a national gift, Qimen black tea has repeatedly become the designated state gift tea for national foreign affairs activities and presented to foreign dignitaries.
Since March this year, a series of foreign affairs activities such as the third Afghanistan Neighboring Foreign Ministers' Meeting and the "Afghanistan Neighboring Countries + Afghanistan" Foreign Ministers' Dialogue have been held in Tunxi, Huangshan, Anhui. During the meeting, Keemun Black Tea provided tea services for Chinese and foreign guests again. onto the international stage.
Keemun black tea culture has always been a culture of open communication, which has played a certain role in communicating Eastern and Western cultures and enhancing exchanges between countries.
"Tea talks about state affairs" and "tea ceremony" frequently appear in various important diplomatic occasions. In the process of demonstrating the elegance of a country of etiquette and spreading the excellent traditional Chinese culture, Qimen black tea has also become a unique landscape.
(Finish)
Interviewee Profile:
Wang Chang, chairman of Anhui Qimen Black Tea Development Co., Ltd., senior tea appraiser, professional technical title of associate researcher, and inheritor of the representative project of Qimen black tea production technology of the national intangible cultural heritage representative project.
Organized and undertaken 8 scientific research projects including the National Spark Program, won 1 Provincial Science and Technology Award, 2 Municipal Science and Technology Awards, 13 authorized patents, and presided over the formulation of "Qimen Black Tea" and "Qimen Black Tea Tea Art Specification" in Anhui Province 2 standards, 1 group standard of "Qimen Black Tea", and 1 item of the national occupational standard "National Occupational Skills Standard (Tea Evaluator)".