Oolong Tea: The Art of Balance

Fujian has many "hometowns of overseas Chinese". The hardworking and enterprising people of Fujian have also brought the tea from their hometown to all corners of the world.

The tea produced in Fujian mainly consists of oolong tea. In addition, there are also black tea, white tea and green tea. The tea sold to overseas Chinese is mainly oolong tea, including Wuyi Rock Tea, Anxi Tieguanyin, Yongchun Buddha's Hand, etc.

In the early 20th century, many Fujian people living abroad in Southeast Asia ran tea shops in the local areas and sold the tea from their hometown. The main varieties were Wuyi Shuixian and Anxi Tieguanyin. At that time, Tieguanyin was very popular in Southeast Asia.

At that time, the journey to Nanyang was very long. It took several months or even longer for oolong tea during the maritime transportation. Moreover, due to the humid environment at sea, the tea needed to be baked again after arriving in Nanyang.

The local Chinese people thus developed the habit of drinking aged tea and old tea. They especially favored old tea that had been stored for more than eight to ten years, and this custom still exists today.