Basic Introduction of Yichang Yihong
Yichang Black Tea, also known as Yihong or Yichang Gongfu tea, is one of the main varieties of Chinese gongfu black teas. It is produced in the mountainous areas of Hefeng, Changyang, Enshi, and Yichang counties in West Hubei Province. It is called “Yihong Gongfu” because it requires a great deal of processing effort. The Yihong tea leaves are slender and covered with fine hairs, have a lustrous dark color, sweet and pure aroma, bright red liquor, fresh and mellow taste, and bright red leaf base. The liquor of high-grade tea may turn cloudy when cooled.
Geographical Range
The geographical protection area for the Yidu Yihong agricultural product geographic indication covers the entire territory of Yidu City, including (Honghuatai Town, Gaobazhou Town, Yaodiandian Town, Wuyanquan Town, Niejihe Town, Panjiawan Tujia Nationality Township, Wangjiafan Town, Songmoping Town, Zhicheng Town, Lucheng Subdistrict Office). The geographical coordinates of the origin are located at 30°05′55″N-30°36′00″N latitude and 111°05′47″E-111°36′02″E longitude. The scale is 100,000 mu, with a production of 13,000 tons.
Product Characteristics
The Yihong tea leaves are slender and covered with fine hairs, have a lustrous dark color, sweet and pure aroma, bright red liquor, fresh and mellow taste, and bright red leaf base. The liquor of high-grade tea may turn cloudy when cooled. According to the “Cili National Records” of Hubei Province, it is said that “The He Feng variety is an imperial tribute, ranking first along with Ningdu, both are renowned domestically and internationally.” This shows that Yihong has long enjoyed a high reputation on the international market and its fame has remained undiminished!
History and Folk Customs
According to records, Yichang Black Tea was introduced in the mid-19th century and has a history of over a hundred years. During the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty, Guangdong merchants first taught black tea picking and processing techniques in Yufangguan, Wufeng, setting up shops to purchase and refine black tea, which was then transported to Hankou and further to Guangzhou for export. In the year Jia Yin of the Xianfeng era (1854 AD), Gao Bing San and later in the year Bing Zi of the Guangxu era (1876 AD), Lin Zichen and other Guangdong merchants began to reformulate black tea in Hefeng County, refining it in places like Wulipingtai and transporting it from Yufangguan for export, where it was referred to by foreigners as “high quality”. At this time, Yufangguan became a famous black tea market in West Hubei. Besides developing the Yihong market in West Hubei, Guangdong merchants also flocked to Yangloutong in South Hubei to pick and process black tea; in 1840, there were over 50 black tea shops in Yangloutong, producing 100,000 boxes of black tea annually, amounting to over 50,000 piculs.
In 1850, Russian merchants began purchasing tea in Hankou, and Hankou started exporting independently. In 1861, when Hankou was listed as a treaty port, British firms set up branches to purchase large quantities of black tea. Due to transportation reasons, black tea exported via Yichang to Hankou was named “Yichang Black Tea,” hence the name Yihong. Yihong was sold by the British to Western Europe, and later American and German merchants also purchased it, leading to significant development of Yihong. In 1888, the export volume through the Hankou port reached 860,000 piculs, accounting for 40% of the country's total tea exports, with black tea being the main type. In September 1876, Yichang was listed as a treaty port, and Yihong exports surged; around 1886 was the peak period for Yihong exports, with output reaching around 150,000 piculs.
Yihong Gongfu is mainly sold in countries and regions such as Britain, Russia, and Western Europe. Its quality is stable and highly regarded. After historical challenges, Yihong declined significantly, and by 1949, tea gardens were in ruins, tea factories had closed down, and the industry was in shambles. In 1951, the China Hubei Tea Import and Export Corporation was established, expanding procurement networks in the West Hubei and South Hubei tea regions. In the West Hubei black tea region, procurement points were set up in Wufeng, Hefeng, Changyang, Yichang, Enshi, Yien, Lichuan, and Shimen, Hunan, to purchase Yihong. In the same year, Yidu Tea Factory was officially established, responsible for the refinement and processing of Yihong. The four counties of Shimen, Cili, Sangzhi, and Dayong in Hunan, adjacent to Hefeng, belong to the Yihong production economic zone; in the same year, a primary processing factory for black tea was established in Nisha, Shimen, which was a branch of Yidu Tea Factory (reassigned to Shimen Tea Factory in 1956). Later, black tea refinement factories were established in Wufeng and Yichang, forming a tight production network with state-owned tea farms, restoring and developing Yihong production. Yihong has become one of the main local specialties in the Yichang and Enshi regions, with production accounting for about one-third of the total in Hubei Province.
Manufacturing Method
The production of Yihong Gongfu involves four processes: withering, rolling, fermentation, and drying. Due to the complexity of the process and the technical expertise required, it is named “gongfu” black tea. The production of Yihong is divided into primary and refined stages. The primary stage includes fresh leaves, withering, rolling (including sifting and re-rolling), fermentation, and drying; the refined stage is divided into three sections and thirteen processes. The sifting section includes coarse sifting, shaking sifting, grading sifting, final sifting, sorting sifting, cutting, and air selection; the sorting section includes mechanical sorting and manual sorting; the finished product section includes additional firing, blending, packaging, including shaping, grading, removing inferior items, enhancing flavor, balancing moisture, plotting drying, developing aroma, and adjusting quality, unifying specifications, facilitating storage and transportation, thus becoming a qualified commodity.