I've been hoping to tell more of the story of Wanmu Tea Garden, a Xinyang, Henan tea grower and producer (factory). This is a better form of that than I could've hoped for, input that's mostly from the main founder, Sun Yunshan. It describes their approach to tea, what is produced locally there, and hints towards some parts of Chinese perspective on tea. As a tea enthusiast I'm very grateful to have access to this.
I've been talking about trying their teas, a little, and have one more black tea to try and review, which is likely to be exceptional, an award winning version. I've already reviewed exceptional yellow teas from them, and novel Dong Fang Mei Ren oolong versions, which are an interesting and pleasant local interpretation of that style (here and here). But here as an introduction I only want to frame some of my own perspective towards Chinese tea culture, and to a limited extent Chinese culture in general.
Often somewhat trivial forms or depictions of Chinese tea culture come across, when Western vendors or enthusiasts describe their own limited contact, or sales oriented spin. It ends up relating to aesthetics, or an appreciation of ceremony, maybe venturing into animistic spiritualism, although I come in contact with a lot more of that within Thai culture, to be honest. That's a story for another day. I think there is great potential value in recognizing, appreciating, and communicating with spiritual forces that you may not literally believe in, even if those only represent foundational dimensions of yourself in the end.
I experience a very pragmatic and limited form of tea culture. It's about the tea. But at the same time I have a deep appreciation for people holding different worldviews, and valuing different experiences, and for Chinese culture in particular.
I've been to China several times, and have been friends with a number of Chinese people. Some were fellow parents of my children's classmates, some work contacts, and of course some favorites have related to tea themes, especially one favorite producer who I've discussed so many times here. Two local Chinese - Thai Bangkok Chinatown shop owners are like an aunt and uncle to me. I've been through plenty of discussion of Chinese culture, and varying perspective issues.
It's a little sad that a narrow, negative stereotype informs misguided bias within some Americans' perspective on China, but this is normal. Everything I thought that I knew about Russians went out the window when I visited Russia, and met Russian friends, replaced by a more complex impression of typical positive and negative character traits. People really vary as individuals wherever you go, and culture only shapes parts of the form of their worldview, and informs their experiences.
I have no difficulty at all in setting aside potentially problematic conflicts in terms of national interest, or the more problematic sides of government character. Being from the US I need to be able to make this separation, in order to appreciate and embrace my own traditional culture, and national character. The Republicans and Democrats don't represent my own culture at all, to me. The perspectives, lifestyle patterns, social roles, and hopes and dreams of Americans do, of course including immigrants, since the US is a nation of immigrants.
So related to tea culture I can easily appreciate that thousands of years of history have went into developing the complex, nuanced, and very deep experience of many types of Chinese tea, coupled with a history of brewing and serving tea. This includes a perspective on how healthy the drink must be, its role in daily life experience, and aesthetic or meditational experiences, or however one takes it.
At the same time it's really about soaking dried leaves in hot water, and enjoying the resulting unique beverage, often tied to social contact. That contrast between a simple yet also complex and profound experience is the foundation for Chinese tea culture, as I see it. And as a tea enthusiast we join in this simply by trying the tea, only partly informed by whatever cultural contact we also experience. Even if that tea is from Thailand, Vietnam, India, or elsewhere; these are connected experiences.
Considered in that light Mr. Sun Yunshan is sharing very deep, personal, and also simple experiences with us, especially his perspective on them. Again I am very grateful for this.
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my point of contact there, Gisele, from Thailand, now living in China |
Interview with Wanmu Tea Garden (Wanmu Tea Industry Development Co., Ltd.)
1. Can you describe the background of your tea company?
Chinese: 你能介绍一下你们茶企的背景吗？
Our company is called Shangcheng Wanmu Tea Garden Tea Industry Development Co., Ltd. It is a privately owned enterprise invested by an individual. The company mainly focuses on solving the production, processing, and sales needs of tea grown within the 11,000-mu tea garden area of our administrative village.
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2. Your founder [the main source for this content] has been described to me as an authority on tea and a local community leader. Can you expand on these roles?
Chinese: 有人形容你们的创始人是一位茶叶专家，也是当地的社区领袖。你能进一步介绍这些角色吗？
Our founder, Mr. Sun Yunshan, is an inheritor of local tea-making techniques and a contributor to drafting several technical standards (for example, Xinyang White Tea – 2024). However, he does not consider himself a “tea expert.” He is deeply attached to his homeland, loves tea, enjoys research and exploration, and is enthusiastic about helping others. He is a young man with ambition and vision.
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3. To what extent does your production company also function as a tea cooperative—beyond purchasing and processing materials, and including other forms of cooperation with local farmers?
Chinese: 你们的生产企业在多大程度上承担着“茶叶合作社”的角色？
Our company has a certain scale and influence in the local area and is the only large-scale enterprise in our administrative village. We voluntarily take on the responsibility of ensuring stable purchasing, processing, and income growth for local tea farmers. Since our establishment, we have purchased fresh leaves without limit, continuously expanded production capacity, and extended the production period so that tea farmers can earn more income. We also undertake ecological pest control, ecological tea garden construction, maintenance of the certified Green Food production base, and offer free technical training to farmers.
4. To what extent did government economic or agricultural support contribute to founding or expanding your company into tea production?
Chinese: 政府在经济或农业发展方面的支持，对你们企业的创立或扩展起到了多大作用？
The government provides certain construction-related programs, generally in the form of proportional subsidies. However, the subsidy ratio is relatively low, the procedures are complicated, and they require early planning, which often does not align with the company’s own development plans. At present, we receive only minimal subsidies.
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5. What are the main local types of tea produced in your area (Xinyang, Henan)?
Chinese: 你们所在地主要生产哪些本地茶类？
In Xinyang City and Shangcheng County, traditional green tea is the primary product. Over the past decade, black tea production has been steadily developed and improved. In recent years, white tea has also grown rapidly and is currently undergoing further transformation.
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yellow teas from them, reviewed here |
6. I’ve tried Dong Fang Mei Ren and yellow tea from your company. What motivates you to experiment with teas from other regions or historical tea types?
Chinese: 你们尝试其他产区或历史茶类的动力是什么？
Our company has expanded from producing only green tea to producing all six major categories of Chinese tea: green, black, white, oolong, yellow, and dark tea. Over ten years ago, we realized that green tea alone had a relatively narrow consumer base and was more difficult to store. Based on market demand, we began developing black tea, white tea, oolong tea, yellow tea, and dark tea. Last year, we also incorporated tea tree flowers, honeysuckle, mulberry leaf tea, and wild chrysanthemum into our product line.
By adjusting the production structure, expanding product categories, and extending the production cycle, we aim to explore more potential from our local ecological advantages and high-quality fresh leaves. Extending production from the traditional spring-only season to all four seasons not only diversifies products but also reduces inventory pressure and increases farmers’ income year-round, motivating them to better maintain their tea gardens.
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7. How does your “Green Food” certification compare with international organic testing and certification standards?
Chinese: 你们的“绿色标识”认证与国际有机标准相比，有哪些异同？
The Green Food label is certified by the China Green Food Development Center. It is similar to international organic testing standards, though some testing values differ. Over the past five years, teas produced in our Green Food certified base have been tested by multiple domestic institutions, and the results consistently show: no detectable pesticide residues and no excess heavy metals.
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8. To what extent do these developments reflect national trends across China—such as increased production capacity, government support, and cross-regional or hybrid tea styles?
Chinese: 这些发展在多大程度上反映了中国茶行业的普遍趋势？
China’s tea production capacity continues to increase steadily and is relatively oversupplied. Adjusting the industry structure and expanding product categories helps small enterprises survive and also eases sales pressure. For example, black tea, white tea, oolong tea, and dark tea have longer storage periods. In particular, white tea and dark tea improve in flavor with aging and have certain collectible value. Storing tea among the general population helps balance variations in annual production and changing market demand, reducing the risk of extreme shortages.
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9. Is the tea industry continually evolving?
Chinese: 茶产业是否在持续演变？
There will always be new research and innovation in the tea industry. However, tea is a culturally rooted product, and as the saying goes, “everything changes, but the fundamentals remain.” Therefore, the six major tea categories and traditional tea-drinking practices will not change drastically. The rise of new-style tea beverages mainly serves to expand usage scenarios and attract more consumers; it does not significantly affect traditional tea culture.
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10. How is awareness of and demand for tea changing among Chinese consumers?
Chinese: 中国消费者对茶的认知与需求正在发生怎样的变化？
With improved living standards and economic conditions, the number of tea drinkers in China is increasing. People who previously did not drink tea have begun to drink tea or tea-based beverages. Consumers who used to drink tea without caring about quality are now exploring more varieties and seeking higher-quality teas—and this trend will continue.
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11. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) concepts are not widely understood in the West. How are these ideas perceived and applied within modern mainstream Chinese culture?
Chinese: 在现代中国主流文化中，中医理念是如何被接受和应用的？
Although Western and Chinese cultures clashed during China’s reform and opening-up period, this did not diminish people’s confidence in the TCM principle of pattern-based diagnosis. In recent years, TCM-based wellness practices and medicinal-food therapies have modernized traditional consumption methods to better align with contemporary lifestyles. Many people now use medicinal-food-homology herbs as daily tea beverages. For example, the honeysuckle tea, mulberry leaf tea, and wild chrysanthemum tea produced by our company are all TCM herbs. As people deepen their understanding of TCM concepts, many can determine their own physical conditions and use common herbs for maintenance and health regulation.
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12. Does this extend beyond seasonal tea drinking—for example, choosing teas according to physical conditions such as tiredness or illness?
Chinese: 是否也包括根据身体状况调整饮茶选择？
According to TCM theories, people can easily identify changes in their physical state. For instance:
• When internal heat is high, they drink green tea, yellow tea, or white tea.
• When the body is cold, they drink black tea, dark tea, or oolong.
They also adjust tea choices based on the time of day—green tea in the morning for alertness, white tea in the afternoon for calmness. Moreover:
• Spring: green or yellow tea
• Summer: white tea or oolong
• Autumn & winter: black tea or dark tea
Closing thoughts
It was interesting how the ideas transitioned from local producer background, on to broader Chinese production issues and cultural trends, then to practical daily tea drinking practices. I think that last section will resonate with a lot of American tea enthusiasts.
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