The Lingering Charm of Yangyan Gouqing Tea, a Century-Old Legacy of Fragrance

A single signboard, a legend spanning a century. Recently, the first batch of "Taizhou Time-honored Brands" was announced, with Linhai Yangyan Mountain Tea Factory making the list.

To further showcase the innovative development achievements of "Taizhou Time-honored Brands," the Taizhou Municipal Bureau of Commerce launched a selection campaign for century-old "time-honored brands." Over 30 enterprises from various regions of Taizhou, spanning sectors such as catering, cultural and creative industries, hospitality and tourism, and apparel, participated in the selection. After rigorous evaluation and review by experts, the final list was determined and publicly announced.

As one of the first batch of "Taizhou Time-honored Brands" announced, a company must not only possess unique products, exquisite craftsmanship, and service philosophies passed down through generations but also embody the artisan spirit and excellent traditional culture of the Chinese nation. It should have a broad public foundation and significant brand, economic, and cultural value. Additionally, the recognition of "Taizhou Time-honored Brands" places great emphasis on corporate reputation. Recognized enterprises must have gained widespread social recognition and praise, with no major safety liability incidents, significant intellectual property rights infringements, or consumer rights violations in the past three years. They must also not be listed by relevant authorities as enterprises with serious illegal or dishonest practices.

"Initiating the recognition of 'Taizhou Time-honored Brands' is also aimed at further strengthening the excavation and protection of 'time-honored brands' in our city, promoting their innovative inheritance and development. Consumers have a relatively high level of recognition for 'time-honored brands.' After being recognized as a 'Taizhou Time-honored Brand,' enterprises can further enhance their own goodwill and value, boosting these traditional industries that carry Taizhou's historical and cultural heritage toward new development," said a relevant official from the Commercial Operations Department of the Taizhou Municipal Bureau of Commerce. He added that going forward, in addition to conducting the recognition work biennially, the Taizhou Municipal Bureau of Commerce will provide more platforms for "Taizhou Time-honored Brands," guiding and supporting Taizhou's "time-honored brand" enterprises to participate in various expositions and exhibitions, continuously enhancing the commercial and cultural value of "Taizhou Time-honored Brands."

Yangyan Mountain Tea Factory is located in Hetou Town, Linhai. With vast tea gardens and majestic mountain scenery, overlooking the terraced tea slopes, layers of lush greenery resemble a sea of emerald waves, brimming with vitality. The renowned Taizhou tea, Yangyan Gouqing, is produced here. Linhai Yangyan Tea Factory is recognized by the Ministry of Agriculture as "China's Beautiful Rural Landscape," ranks among China's Top 100 Tea Enterprise Brands, and serves as a tea science teaching and internship base for Zhejiang University and Zhejiang A&F University. It is situated in the Yangyan Mountain area, 30 kilometers northwest of Linhai City, Zhejiang Province, a national historical and cultural city known as the "Badaling of Jiangnan." The main peak of Yangyan Mountain stands at an elevation of 786 meters. Established in 1972 as a collective enterprise jointly run by Hetou Town and villages, it boasts 15,000 mu (about 1,000 hectares) of tea gardens and 30,000 square meters of modern processing workshops. It produces over 400 tons of premium "Yangyanshan" brand tea annually, with an output value exceeding 100 million yuan.

The tea factory holds both ISO9001 and ISO22000 certifications, is a designated service enterprise of the Tea Research Institute and the Tea Quality Inspection Center of the Ministry of Agriculture, and has been awarded titles such as "National Green Food Demonstration Enterprise," "National Quality Integrity Benchmark Enterprise," "Zhejiang Province Model Collective," "Provincial Key Agricultural Leading Enterprise," and "Provincial Top 100 Integrity Enterprises." The "Yangyanshan" brand tea is recognized as one of China's Top 100 Agricultural Product Brands and a leading quality brand in the national tea industry. It has won gold awards at international famous tea competitions and provincial green (agricultural) expositions. Its flagship product, Yangyan Gouqing Tea, was selected last year for the National Directory of Famous, Special, and New Agricultural Products and the Famous Tea Sample Collection of the China Tea Museum. The products are sold in 30 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions across China. Wang Jiayang, former president of the World Tea Federation, praised it as "the premier Gouqing tea in Jiangnan." When inspecting the tea plantation, Chen Zongmao, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering in the tea sector, inscribed, "Yangyan Gouqing tea, with its high aroma and mellow taste, is truly the finest among Chinese teas."

Translator：Jiayang Lin