The story of Dian Hong, literally "red tea," is fascinating and illustrates the millennia-old richness of Yunnan's unspoiled lands. It all began with a discovery… In October 1938, Feng Shaoqiu, an expert tea master from the Qimen region, was sent by the Chinese government to the remote province of Yunnan to develop a new black tea production base. This crucial mission aimed to replace the traditional tea-growing regions of Qimen and Fujian, then occupied by Japanese forces, and to safeguard China's export industry.
In Fengqing, Feng Shaoqiu discovered a treasure… Camellia sinensis var. assamica tea plants with extraordinary characteristics: exceptionally large and robust leaves, growing like forest trees, completely different from traditional Chinese varieties. The day after his arrival, he organized an experimental harvest of 4 kg of fresh leaves, which yielded 500 grams of a revolutionary black tea. Feng Shaoqiu himself described this first sample with wonder: "a tray filled with golden hairs, the liquor a brilliant, deep red, and an aroma as rich as had never been seen before."
The success was immediate and international. Samples sent to the Hong Kong market were hailed as "the finest among Chinese black teas," and then exported to London in 1939 to resounding acclaim. Legend even has it that the Queen of England preferred this Dian Hong to Indian teas... Feng Shaoqiu then founded the first factory in Fengqing and named his tea "Dian Hong" in 1940. His innovation revolutionized the Chinese tea industry and created a legendary category that endures to this day, 85 years later, maintaining its status as an exceptional tea in the most prestigious selections.
Naturally, Dian Hong has been part of our permanent collection for many years; its large, twisted red leaves still amaze our black tea-loving customers every day, who rediscover, with each opening of the precious box, the grace of high-altitude teas.
