Tribute Tea: Twelve Thunders in Siming Mountain

It is said that the tradition of sending tribute tea to royal houses started in the Western Zhou Dynasty (1045-771BC). However， first official records of such tea tributes available today were made in the Jin Dynasty (266-420). During the Tang Dynasty (618-907)， tribute tea became a nationwide economic system: official tea processing bases were up and running and each tea production region was ordered to pay a certain annual quota.

Tea became a national beverage in the Tang and flourished in the Song (960-1279). During this dynasty， there appeared a great variety of tribute tea brands and tea was packed into shapes known as dragon globes and phoenix cakes. A great deal of tribute tea production bases emerged. Tea began to play a key part in parties， banquets， social gatherings. The system was maintained in the Yuan (1271-1368) and Ming (1368-1644) dynasties and new ways of tea drinking were introduced. The Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) witnessed an even greater variety of tribute tea. By this time tribute tea had actually become a taxation system.

Over centuries， tea farmers tried hard to satisfy royal sippers’ exacting demand for quality. Their efforts resulted in innovations in tea cultivation， processing， and packing， laying a solid foundation for the cultivation and development of the best tea brands in China. Moreover， the Chinese tribute tea found its way overseas through diplomatic channels， enhancing exchanges and communications in tea culture between China and the rest of the world.

Twelve Thunders

Twelve Thunders is the name of tribute tea produced in Chejiu’ao valley in Siming Mountain in Hemudu， Yuyao in eastern Zhejiang. It is also known as Three Girls Tea. The two names come from the same story around Hemudu. As the story goes， three girls were on their way back to the village after picking tea leaves in the mountain. They had a break at a stream when a storm broke out. Twelve thunders struck and the three girls perished. However， there appeared three peaks by the stream after the storm and great tea bushes grew there. Today， the three peaks are locally called Three Girls Peaks and the tea grown around the peaks is called Twelve Thunders of Siming Mountains or simply Siming Twelve Thunders.

Today， tea plantations around the peaks are on the hills at about 400 meters above sea level. The sandy soil， streams， and bamboos combine to constitute a very ideal spot for tea cultivation.

The name Chejiu’ao refers to a deep valley which was used for his military barracks by King Koujian of the Yue State. The valley was rediscovered by Shi Haozhi (1189-1256)， a prime minister of the Southern Song Dynasty and third prime minister from the Shi family. After a 13-year retirement， he began to look around for his burial place. He chose Chejiu’ao.

The fame of Twelve Thunders started in the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127). It was a tribute tea brand in the Yuan and the Ming.

In the Yuan Dynasty， Zhejiang Provincial Governor Fan Wenhu came to visit the tomb of Shi Haozhi. Impressed by the natural environment of the valley， he thought he had stumbled into a way to quench the thirst of the Mongols for tea， a beverage that would help the digestion of these mutton-eating northerners. And that， he thought， would help his career.

He had a tea institute set up in the valley. The county magistrate was instructed to supervise tea production there in the spring and stay there to make sure tribute tea left for the capital on an appointed day. The tea from the valley was highly appreciated in the capital.

For a period of time， the annual quota of tribute tea produced in Chejiu’ao valley was 130 kilograms， accounting for 50% of the tribute tea from Zhejiang. In contrast， the quota for Tonglu， a county near Hangzhou， was 6 kilograms a year and the quota for Jiande， another county under Hangzhou， was 2.5 kilograms a year. And Fan Wenhu was promoted to a very high position in the central government.

The name of Twelve Thunders is mentioned in ancient literature and history. Quan Zuwang， a leading historian and a representative scholar of the Eastern Zhejiang School in the Qing Dynasty， wrote two poetic essays to express his appreciation of the beverage.

Today

I visited Ningbo Twelve Thunders Tea Company located in Chejiu’ao in a spring day in 2010 and had a talk with Zhang Jiliang， the CEO of the tea business. He told me a different history of Twelve Thunders. He said that Twelve Thunders became a tribute in the Southern Song Dynasty， a couple of hundreds of years before the Yuan and reached its peak time in the middle of the Ming Dynasty. Today， the prime plantations are located around Three Girls Peak and Hongling south of Hemudu. Hongling Tea Plantation used to be the largest farm of Twelve Thunders. The company， after a merge in 2009 of two local tea production companies， now has about an area of 66 hectares for the cultivation of organic tea.

I visited the company’s headquarters and its tea processing factory. At the head office， I saw certificates and awards the company has won. The factory has a complete set of modern machines. Then we visited a tea plantation. The tea bushes had nice with fuzzy green buds. I learned that Twelve Thunders is an early spring product.

Zhang Jiliang has great ambition for the company. On his shoulder is the mission to carry on the glory of the county’s tribute tea. While many industries are updating themselves and trying to consolidate their resources for a better market share， his company explores ways to further promote the history and culture of the tea and further develop the tea market as a whole. The company also plans to turn its plantations into a tourism attraction. □