Tea Regions of the World - China

China is indisputably the largest producer of tea in the world, producing 2,473,443 tonnes in 2017 alone – a figure that was approximately 30-35% of the total amount produced in the world that year. Green tea, oolong teas, white, puerh and jasmine teas are some of the popular Chinese teas. As the national beverage of China, tea is produced in vast areas in the country, from Hainan Island down in the extreme south to Shandong Province in the north, from Tibet in the southwest to Taiwan across the Straits .  In general, there are four tea-producing regions. Jiangbei. This refers to a large area north of the Yangtze River, consisting of the provinces of Shandong, Anhui, Henan, Shaanxi, Gansu and northern part of Jiangsu, Jiangnan, Southern China and The southwest area. The oldest tea region in China includes Yunnan, Sichuan, Guizhou and the southeastern parts of Tibet. Although with a big span of altitude, the climate of most parts of this region is relatively moderate and stable, especially in Yunnan. This region produces black tea, green tea, Pu’er tea and yellow tea, and flower tea. In the past this region attracted lots of demand from neighbouring regions and countries. Which is why there’s this term: border sales tea.

You must have heard some of the famous teas from this region: Dianhong black tea, aged shai hong black tea, ripe and raw pu’er tea, Mengding yellow tea, and Duyun Maojian green tea. Tea growing regions in the south of China are home for all kinds of tea trees, as the condition of the climate and the soil here is most suitable for them to grow. It is also the region that produces the most tea in China. The region includes Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, Hainan and Taiwan. It mainly produces medium to highly oxidised teas like Liu Bao dark tea, black tea, and oolong tea.The most representative tea type here is oolong, with lots of varieties and excellent quality. Tie Guan Yin and Da hong pao belong to the most popular types. Tea grown south of the yangtze river  has the most centered tea production in China. It consists of Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hunan and southern parts of Jiangsu, Hubei and Anhui. Tea grown north of the Yangtze River includes Shandong, Gansu, Shaanxi, Henan and the northern parts of Jiangsu, Anhui and Hubei. Compared to other tea regions, this one has lower temperature and less precipitation, which is only suitable for small-leaf kind of tea trees to grow. That makes green tea the main product in this region, such as Liu An Melon Seed tea from Anhui and Xinyang Maojian from Henan.

China accounts for almost one and a half million tons of annual global tea consumption.. Over the centuries tea drinking in china evolved into a highly ritualised ceremony known as Cha Dao or the Chinese way of tea