Jasmine Tea, A Never-fading Charm to Beijingers
TEA drinking is a national pastime in China, where the habit has prevailed for millennia and is firmly embedded in people’s daily life. But unknown to many foreigners, different regions in China enjoy different varieties of the leafy brew. Those sipping in south China’s Guangdong Province have a liking for Pu’er tea; in east China’s Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces people prefer green
Beijingers always liked to treat their guests and themselves to jasmine tea.
tea; for those in southeast China’s Fujian Province, Tieguanyin (a variety of oolong tea) is their favorite; while in Beijing, jasmine tea reigns supreme.
Beijingers’ Liking for Jasmine Tea
Jasmine tea is green tea scented with the aroma of jasmine blossoms. What is interesting is that jasmine tea, a product of south China, has not gained great popularity among southerners, and is instead widely sought after by Beijingers thousands of miles away. Until recent decades, be it at home or in a tea house, Beijingers always liked to treat their guests and themselves to jasmine tea, which was always the predominant variety sold in the Beijing market. Even today, in most northern regions like Beijing and Tianjin, jasmine tea still takes up more than half of the local tea market, which has long perplexed people in southern tea-growing areas.
So what’s behind Beijingers’ special preference for jasmine tea?
It can be traced back to the Song Dynasty (9601279) when the trend for scented tea came into being. Dozens of varieties of scented tea appeared.
However, most of them phased out in time, with only several surviving the taste of locals, and among those tea varieties jasmine tea was the favorite. The popularity of jasmine tea was first driven by the upper class, however during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) it was enjoyed by all walks of life. It’s said that Empress Dowager Cixi had a special liking for jasmine tea, and often presented it as a gift to foreign diplomatic envoys. This royal preference helped raise popularity of the tea among ordinary people. Thus jasmine tea became the dominant drink of Beijingers.
In fact, Beijingers’ preference for jasmine tea can be ascribed to the city’s geographic location. Tea is not produced in north China, and has to be transported from southern regions, which could take months in ancient times. Green tea has a short shelflife. Even though it could survive the long-distance transportation, it would not taste fresh after arriving in Beijing. Fermented teas like Pu’er and tuocha (a bowl-shaped compressed mass of tealeaves) can be stored for a long period of time, can quicken the metabolism
The Wuyutai jasmine tea scenting technique, having been refined over more than 100 years, is a national intangible cultural heritage.
of the body, and tends to make people feel hungry, thus failing to get the nod from tea lovers in Beijing.
In addition, water in Beijing is rich in minerals, and in particular has a high content of calcium, magnesium, and aluminum, and these are not suitable for fragile green tealeaves, which require high-quality water to fully bring out their flavor. In contrast, jasmine tea, as a variety of reprocessed tea, does not have demanding requirements for water quality. Moreover, its scented aroma can offset the flawed water quality and so it went on to win the hearts and palates of Beijing residents for hundreds of years.
Fusion of Tealeaves and Blossoms
Wuyutai is one of the time-honored teashop brands in Beijing, first established in 1887. “Wuyutai first won its fame by making jasmine tea, which is still its main product line,” said Ling Zejie, adding that the Wuyutai jasmine tea scenting technique, having been refined over more than 100 years, is a national intangible cultural heritage. Ling, a 34year-old inheritor of the scenting technique, joined Wuyutai after she graduated from the tea science postgraduate program of Zhejiang University.
Ling told China Today the jasmine tea’s scenting mainly includes two processes – flowers producing scent and tealeaves absorbing that scent.these processes cover nine steps with detailed and demanding requirements set for each one.
The first step involves picking tealeaves in March and April, but the scenting process can only start after jasmine comes into bloom in June. As for picking jasmine flowers, it is important not to pick them in the morning, on a cloudy day, or within three days after rain, so as to keep the moisture of jasmine flowers low to ensure a more refreshing fragrance.
Jasmine flowers do not give off an aroma until after they bloom. Therefore, as its buds mature, and the petals begin to open, its fragrance starts diffusing, first strong, then gradually weakening, and finally fading when the flower withers. As jasmine flowers usually blossom at night, the bud needs to be picked around 2 pm on the day of budding. Once collected, buds need to be nurtured so as to precipitate blooming. During the process, the buds that have not bloomed should be sifted out. Then, using a calculated formula, jasmine flowers
are mixed with tealeaves for the scent infusion process. The blooming of jasmine flowers lasts for a dozen or more hours, during which tealeaves can absorb their fragrance and retain the aroma thereafter. This process is called scenting.
After jasmine flowers have given off all their fragrance, the flowers and tealeaves are separated. Tealeaves are dried and stored for days so as to gradually complete the absorption, thus ending the scent infusion process. According to Ling, for ordinary jasmine tea, the scent infusion process needs to be repeated four to five times. For top grades, it may be repeated as many as nine or 10 times.
“So the jasmine tea making process takes at least a month. If the weather is unfavorable, more time will be needed. It can be said, jasmine tea’s processing technique is the most complicated among all tea varieties,” said Ling.
The scenting process is followed by tea blending, which is meant to create a consistent taste of the drink. “As tealeaves and jasmine flowers are both grown naturally, there is no way to guarantee their consistent quality and flavor, which makes the blending process necessary. The purpose is to enable customers to enjoy a consistent flavor,” said Ling. This is the knowledge Ling, as the inheritor of the time-honored process, needs to learn and pass on to future generations.
The work requires great discipline and sacrifice on Ling’s part. For example, she can’t use any cosmetics or skin products, not even hand cream, as the cosmetic’s fragrance will interfere with her scenting the tea.
“People drink tea for enjoyment, but I drink for work. My task is to remember tastes of different varieties of tea and assess their quality, which is quite challenging,” said Ling. To keep her scent faculties sharp, she has to eat light food all year round. “Pungent food can blunt the palate [which in turn affects her scent abilities]. I’ve gotten used to eating bland food,” she said.
Instilling Vitality into the Traditional Technique
The stereotypical image of an intangible cultural heritage inheritor is usually an elderly expert. That’s why in a live broadcast on March 24, during which Ling elaborated on the tea ceremony, someone left a message asking, “Shouldn’t an intangible cultural heritage master be a senior citizen? How can a young lady be doing this work?”
“Only by appealing to more young people can ancient traditional skills be vitalized,” said Ling. She added that the company has hired a lot of young employees to attract more young customers, as they are more familiar with the trends and ideas of young consumers. “In order to better target young people, we have introduced innovative products,” said Ling.
According to her, in the digital era, Wuyutai has quickened its development pace to keep abreast of the times and present innovative new products. “While focusing on our jasmine tea business, we have also tried orchid tea and rose black tea, and developed the products like tea-flavored ice cream and refreshments. We even opened a DIY store, where our customers can make matcha and tea themselves to truly get a firsthand experience of the tea ceremony culture. All these are quite popular among young people,” said Ling.
Despite all these innovative moves, Ling thinks innovation should be based on the stable quality of products. “Tea is not a product of industrial production. To ensure a stable and consistent taste, we have a lot to learn,” she said, adding that only with more participation from young people can the traditional skills be passed on and improved. C
WHEN it comes to tourist destinations, some can be crossed from the wish list after one visit, while others will remain on it as they tantalize people to explore more of them. To me, Zhenjiang is one of those beautiful places. Many years later after my first visit, I returned to the city for a short and quiet holiday to overlook the buildings on the Xijindu ancient street, to reach a state of Zen through meditation inspired by the Jinshan Temple, and to taste the unique flavor of pot cover noodles. Everything is just as I remembered.
A Rich History
Zhenjiang is located in the south of Jiangsu Province and encircled by Yangzhou in the north, Nanjing in the west, and Changzhou in the south. To its east is Shanghai. With two high-speed railway stations, Zhenjiang is easily accessible from all over the country. Compared with other bustling cities in the Yangtze River Delta region, Zhenjiang is quite a quaint and quiet place. The Yangtze River and the Beijinghangzhou Grand Canal meet here, making it the birthplace of many ancient cultural traditions.
Zhenjiang boasts a long history and many beautiful tales. There are also many precious relics and legends about its enchanting past. Many of the big names in Chinese literature history during the Tang and Song periods (618-1279) including Li Bai, Meng Haoran, Wang Anshi, Su Shi, Mi Fu, and Lu You found inspiration from this place and left paeans featuring the city to later generations.
According to historical evidence, its history goes back more than 3,000 years to the Western Zhou Dynasty (1046-771 BC). During the following Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC), Zhenjiang was the central city of the Wu State. During the Three Kingdoms Period (220-280), Sun Quan, founder of the Wu kingdom, built a military fortress in Beigu Mountain in Zhenjiang and enhanced the military influence of the city. During the Sui (581-618) and Tang (618-907) dynasties, with the opening of the Beijing-hangzhou Grand Canal, Zhenjiang became a prosperous shipping and commercial center. In the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), with the rise of railway transportation, the ferry function of Zhenjiang gradually declined, but the Xijindu Ancient Street was completely pre
served. The second Opium War (1856-1860) opened the gate of Zhenjiang to the world and became a key event in its history.
In addition to having a long history, Zhenjiang is also a city full of talents. Three emperors of the Southern Dynasties (420-589) were born in Zhenjiang.
The city was also home to many great writers and literary critics, calligraphers, and novelists.
Notably, Pearl S. Buck, winner of the 1932 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the 1938 Nobel Prize in Literature “for her rich and truly epic descriptions of peasant life in China,” grew up in Zhenjiang. She lived in China for nearly 40 years, 18 of which she spent in Zhenjiang. She said Chinese was her “first language” and Zhenjiang her “hometown in China.” Pearl S. Buck’s former residence in Zhenjiang was a two-storey house located at No. 6 Runzhou Mountain Road, covering an area of about 400 square meters.
Xijindu: An Ancient Ferry Terminal
Located at the foot of Yuntai Mountains in the west of Zhenjiang, Xijindu has developed into its current state after nearly 2,000 years of progress through a period that expanded five dynasties from the Tang Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty. The stone pavement from Tang and Song dynasties, the stone pagoda from Yuan and Ming dynasties, the Daidu Pavilion from the Six Dynasties period (222-589), the inscriptions by famous people in previous dynasties are a testament to the vibrant history of the city. Walking on the old streets is like wandering through an outdoor museum. The hustle and bustle of past generations no longer exists, only the historical traces that can be seen everywhere record the tales for future generations.
During the Three Kingdoms Period, Xijindu was named “Suanshandu,” as the mountains where it is located were also known as Suanshan Mountains. It did not adopt its current name until the Song Dynasty. At the east end of Xijindu are 53 stone steps flanking a slope, which makes it easy to quickly drain water in rainy days and facilitate the passage of vehicles loading and uploading goods on boats. For thousands of years, the place saw countless wheelbarrows go back and forth, leaving deep ruts on the slope to tell the history.
Ascending the stone steps to the top, you will find the Zhaoguan Stone Pagoda. Built in the late Yuan Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty, it is among the oldest extant stone pagodas in China which stretch across the street. The pagoda measures 4.69 meters high and was made of bluestone. According to the Buddhist interpretation, the pagoda represents Buddha. So every time people pass the pagoda, they would worship it for blessings. On the north side of the stone pagoda is the former site of Zhenjiang lifesaving association, which was a rescue charity founded by local people for the purpose of saving drowning people in the river. Because of Zhenjiang’s special transport and military status, it is particularly important for it to strengthen security management. In the Song Dynasty, the rulers regarded it as a conduit for water transportation, and after that the governor of Zhenjiang Cai Guang initiated the lifesaving association at Xijindu.
The former site of the British consulate stands not far from the pagoda. It covers an area of more than 1.13 hectare, and now belongs to the Zhenjiang Museum. In 1858, China and Britain signed the Treaties of Tianjin, and Zhenjiang was turned into a treaty port. A few years later, the British began to build a consulate on the Yuntai Mountains, and the Xijindu ancient street area was made part of the British concession. In early 1888, some Chinese were beaten to death by British constables in Zhenjiang, and the infuriated locals burned down the consulate and police station. The following year, the Qing government
ignominiously offered compensation and rebuilt the building as it appears today.
Three Mountains
The urban area of Zhenjiang is not large, and the scenic spots are concentrated into an arrangement that can be summarized as “three mountains and one ferry terminal.” The three mountains refer to the Jinshan Mountain, Jiaoshan Mountain, and Beigu Mountain, while the one ferry terminal is Xijindu. The three mountains each boast different scenery, attracting people of note including poets and writers since ancient times. Xin Qiji, a poet from Song Dynasty, expressed particular love for the grandeur of the Beigu Mountain. Zheng Banqiao, a famous painter and writer of the Qing Dynasty, was a devotee to the pristine environment of Jiaoshan Mountain. Zhang Hu, a famous poet of Tang Dynasty, was enamored by the transcendence of the Jinshan Mountain the most.
Jinshan Mountain used to be an island in the Yangtze River. Later, due to the change of river course, it was connected to the south bank of the Yangtze River during the reign of Emperor Daoguang of the Qing Dynasty. It is about 44 meters high and 520 meters in circumference, and famous for the Jinshan Temple that is located there. The temple, also known as Jiangtian Zen Temple,
Three Oddities of Zhenjiang
Famous cities are often renowned for their food, and Zhenjiang is no exception. Among the local specialties, there are also three famous oddities, namely vinegar, stewed pig’s trotters, and pot cover noodles. Each of the specialties has a beautiful story.
Five years ago when I was traveling in Zhenjiang on a budget, I almost ate pot cover noodles for all three meals every day. The strange thing is I did not get bored of eating it, instead, the taste lingers in my memory to this day. The pot cover noodles were originally called huo noodles. It is said that Emperor Qianlong went to eat at a huo noodle shop during an inspection tour, and the shop owner was so nervous that she threw a small pot cover into a big pot, and unexpectedly the noodles cooked in this manner turned out to be exceptionally delicious. The emperor was satisfied with the dish and specifically asked about the name of it. The shop owner did not dare tell the truth. Instead, she made up the name “pot cover noodle” for it.
Vinegar is a special delicacy unique to Zhenjiang, which is said to have been invented by Hei Ta, son of China’s liquor sage Du Kang. After Du Kang perfected his technique of making liquor, he and his whole family moved to Zhenjiang and opened a small brewery. One day his son Hei Ta added buckets of water into a tank of wine lees, and then began to drink rice wine until he was very drunk. In his dream, an old
The memories and taste of Zhenjiang not only linger on after one leaves the place, but also beckon one to return to savor it all again.
man told him that the contents of the tank would turn into nectar in 21 days. After waking up, Hei Ta tasted the liquid in the tank, and found that it was somewhat sweet and sour. He told this to his father, and they together used the method the old man taught, and named the new liquid vinegar. Later, people in Zhenjiang found that the vinegar did not deteriorate even after lengthy storage time. Instead, it became more and more tasty. Compared with the thick sour taste of Shanxi vinegar, Zhenjiang vinegar is characterized by a slightly sweet taste.
The meat of stewed pig’s trotters is crystal. It usually goes with Zhenjiang vinegar. It is said that long ago a husband and wife opened an eatery. One day, while the husband was salting pig trotters, he mistakenly put nitre instead of salt. He did not find out the mistake until after the pig trotters were boiled. The next day, the smell of pig trotters attracted a celestial being passing by. The shop owner said there was no food but only tea to serve. However, the celestial being insisted on eating the pig trotters. Fearing that his special guest might get sick, the shop owner gave him a small dish of ginger dipped in vinegar to go with the trotters. The old man dipped the pig trotters in the sauce and found it to be delicious. Thus, the dish was invented by accident.
The memories and taste of Zhenjiang not only linger on after one leaves the place, but also beckon one to return to savor it all again. C
Aspice called the Sichuan pepper or Chinese prickly ash growing in the Daliang Mountains best represents southwest China’s condiments. This indigenous Chinese spice can generate tingly numbness in the mouth since it stimulates the gustatory nerve at a frequency of 50 times per second.
Chili, another spice commonly used in cooking, after being introduced from South America, took root in China and gradually replaced indigenous spices as the most widely found seasoning. In the Dalou Mountains in southwest China’s Guizhou Province, people of the Tujia ethnic group know how to cultivate the best red cluster pepper, arguably the hottest in China. Scientists say that water of 500,000 times more is needed to thoroughly dilute the pungent taste of the chili.
An encounter of Sichuan pepper and chili pepper is not only a collision between tastes and gustatory nerves, but also a union of ingredients from Asia and America. The two wonderful spices eventually met in a city – Chongqing, where a numbingly spicy adventure started.
The origin of Chongqing hot pot can be traced back to the late Ming (1368-1644) and early Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. It was a popular dining style at that time among port workers at the Chaotianmen Port on the Jialing River, a tributary of the Yangtze River. The hot pot, with its distinctive flavor, has gradually become the favorite cuisine of local people. Chongqing hot pot can be categorized into three types, soup pot, spicy hot pot, and double-flavor hot pot. The soup base is famous for a variety of raw materials and uniquely spicy taste.
Beef tallow, which reduces the taste of chili and Sichuan pepper, is a secret condiment for Chongqing hot pot. Bean sauce and fermented beans thicken the soup, and minced ginger diversifies the pungency. More importantly are the skills of the chef, who keeps stir-frying the raw materials when making the soup base, making the aromatic and spicy substances ooze into the oil and give off a distinct fragrance.
Besides the secret embodied in the soup base, the tantalizing taste of hot pot is also attributed to local people’s magical treatment of ingredients, which seem to include all edible things from poultry to seafood, mushrooms, pork, mutton, beef, and various types of vegetables. The dipping sauces are made of sesame oil, oyster sauce, vegetable cooking oil, mashed garlic, and egg whites. Diners usually boil the ingredients in the soup base and then dip them into the sauces which not only give them different flavors, but also help diners produce saliva and reduce heat from the spice.
Inside a restaurant serving the Chongqing traditional hot pot, specially-made seats are laid around dark-colored dining tables on which the copper pots are being heated with a charcoal fire beneath. Diners fix their eyes on the boiling pot, ready to take out the food at the right timing. Even a sweltering summer cannot deter passionate foodies, an accurate representation of Chongqing locals’ character and their unique dining culture.
Hot pot is the best way to represent the Chinese people’s longing for reunions with family and friends. While hot pot suits a get-together of friends, eating Chongqing spicy hot pot is something like making a friend. The longer it boils, the more savory the food becomes.
The broth of the hot pot must be boiled for an hour before the seasonings in the hot pot can be mixed thoroughly and completely release the aromas. Therefore, a diner may go to a restaurant two hours in advance and place the hot pot with solid seasonings above the fire to boil. Just imagine that all the condiments, fermented soy beans, scallions, ginger slices, garlic cloves, cardamoms, Sichuan pepper, and chili pepper blend and have their flavors dissolve in the broth. There are few better ways to spend time with loved ones than enjoying a feast of hot pot. C