On the east coast of China in Anji County, Zhejiang Province, lies Yinjiang Village nestled in between lush mountains. Yu Shunhu was born there in 1962 to a tea farming family. Yu learned to pick tea with his mother by age 10, and by age 15, learned the traditional methods of green tea processing. We began buying from Yu Shunhu in 2019, drawn to his dedication to sustainable agriculture methods, maintaining soil health, and the abundance of animals on his farm. As we have gotten to know him, we’ve learned he is a very caring, humble, and serious person. Despite his serious exterior, his grandson brings an uncontrollable smile to his face. Ever since his grandson learned to stand, he loves to be with Yu in the gardens or in the processing facilities helping the leaves along, and may inherit the family business one day as Yu once had. When he was around age 3, his favorite way to help was by throwing the withering tea leaves into the air.
Today, Yu’s operation extends over 100 acres of land, 50 of which are rented from his neighbours so Yu can ensure organic farming methods. As he manages the gardens and production of Anji Baicha, his daughter, Yu Xiafei, and son-in-law manage the marketing of the family’s tea. Yu worked hard to send his daughter to university, where she studied marketing and business. With gratitude, Xiafei moved back to the Anji countryside with her husband and son to work with her father. Just as she was finishing school, the market for Anji Baicha green tea had taken off and was a lucrative business opportunity.
The tea industry has gone through many transformations, and the history of Anji Baicha and its effects on the tea market is no exception. In the early 1980s, two Anji Baicha mother bushes were discovered, only one of which is still living today. Due to the tea’s unique composition, the government moved to create a clonal plant in order to bring a commercial yield each year. The result of this is Anji’s now-famous “Baiye #1” (White Leaf #1) tea bush variety.
By the late 1990s and early 2000s, China’s planned economy was graduallying being phased out, and in the opening market economy, the commercial crop of Anji Baicha began to produce results. This new private market allowed for a higher incentive to make premium green teas, even more so with Anji Baicha’s spotlight. Swept up in the shifting economic tides and the government’s excitement over the Anji variety, Yu Shunhu’s farm removed their heirloom, seed grown, tea bushes which previously made an every-day grade of Mao Jian green tea, to produce a premium grade of Anji Baicha. Throughout China, many farmers have been pushed to remove their seed-grown tea bushes to plant propagations of a more desirable variety, Anji’s Baiye #1 being one of these varieties. This bittersweet trend in tea farming, while removing the complex flavor and nutrient dense tea leaves of seed-grown bushes, has allowed for a hearty stock of premium Anji Baicha each year.
Shortly following, the Chinese domestic market began making space for black tea, headwayed by the invention of Jin Jun Mei black tea in 2007. With the new popularity of black tea for the Chinese palette, Anji Hong black tea was invented around 2011. Starting in 2014, Yu Shunhu traveled multiple times to Fujian Province, and learned the traditional methods of black tea production in order to make his own Anji Hong black tea. Anji Hong is still very scarcely available outside of China and we are honored to bring Yu’s Anji Hong black tea and exceptional Anji Baicha green tea to you each year.
Read more about Yu’s Anji Baicha.
