The Untold Stories of Guangdong Oolong Tea

Today, Guangdong Oolong teas come in so many types that it can be overwhelming. But originally, there were only two main tea tree varieties: Wulong and Hongyin.

Both of them originated from the Phoenix Mountains, yet their destinies couldn’t have been more different.

1. The Evolution History of Wulong Variety – A Quiet, Lesser-Known Lineage

Around the time of the Sui Dynasty(581–618 AD), the She nationality(畲族) people's ancestors were the first to discover and Wulong cultivate. These cultivars were passed down through generations, becoming an important part of their culture.

Later, when oolong tea processing techniques reached Chaozhou, they combined this knowledge with their own traditions to create what we now know as Shiguping Oolong.

 This tea has a very distinctive flavor. It’s slightly astringent on the first sip and, to me, it oddly resembles the earthy, grassy scent of haystacks after a summer rainstorm. 

Today, the Wulong variety grown by the She nationality people comes in two types: Small-leaf (the traditional one) and Large-leaf, which was selected from the fine-leaf type in 1958.

If you'd like to taste Shiguping Oolong tea, just click the image or text link.

Sadly, Shiguping Oolong tea has never been mass-produced due to its low yield. Even now, it’s only grown in Shiguping Village by the She nationality.

2. The Evolution History of Hongyin Variety – A Blossoming Star

（1）The Evolution from Hongyin to Bird Beak tea

As early as the Southern Song Dynasty (1127–1279 AD), villagers in the Phoenix Mountains had already discovered and begun cultivating the Hongyin tea tree. Through generations of careful tending, it slowly evolved into Bird’s Beak tea. In 1956, Bird’s Beak Tea was officially renamed Phoenix Shuixian (Fenghuang Shuixian), which many tea lovers might recognize today.

If you’d like to taste Phoenix Langcai, please click the image or the text link.

There’s also a beautiful legend behind the name Bird’s Beak Tea. It's said that during the Song Dynasty, Emperor Zhao Bing, fleeing from enemy troops, escaped to Wudong Mountain ( One of the peaks in the Phoenix Mountains). He was exhausted and unbearably thirsty. Hearing his plight, a phoenix bird appeared, holding a twig with tea leaves in its beak, and offered it to him. After drinking the tea and quenching his thirst, the local villagers began cultivating this tea. Even today, there's a tea tree variety on Wudong Mountain known as “Song Zhong(宋种)” believed to be a descendant of that legend.

（2）The Evolution from Bird Beak Tea to Phoenix Dancong

Over the centuries, due to changes in the environment and natural mutations within the tea trees themselves, many high-quality individual bushes began to appear within the Phoenix Shuixian Quntizhong. These bushes stood out for their distinctive aromas or flavors, and tea farmers carefully selected these unique bushes, harvesting and processing them separately. The resulting teas became known as Dancong, which means “single bush.”

Starting from the Guangxu era of the Qing Dynasty (1875–1908), as overseas demand for Dancong teas began to rise, local farmers started intentionally developing new cultivars through simple techniques like hybridization, cuttings, and grafting. This sparked a rapid expansion in the number of Dancong varieties. Today, there are about 200 known types. Many old single trees still survive on Phoenix Mountain, along with their cloned descendants.

All these outstanding individual bushes on Phoenix Mountain together form what we now call Phoenix Dancong.

To make harvesting and selling easier, tea farmers gave each Dancong cultivar a name—usually based on features like the shape of the leaves, the aroma, the structure of the tree, or even the appearance of the finished tea.

That’s why, in daily life, you’ll often come across some rather unique and quirky names. For example, Duck Shit aroma Dancong (Ya Shi Xiang).

If you’d like to taste Ya Shi Xiang, please click the image or the text link.

（3）The Birth of Lingtou Dancong

After 1949, as the government promoted improved tea cultivars, the planting area of Phoenix Shuixian gradually expanded.

In 1956, tea farmers in Raoping County introduced Phoenix Shuixian to Lingtou Village. After years of cultivation and selection, they developed a unique single-bush cultivar with a distinct honey aroma, which they named Lingtou Dancong, also known as White Leaf Dancong.

Then, during the 1970s and 1980s, Lingtou Dancong was reintroduced in large quantities back to its original growing region—Chao’an District. Today, most of the Milanxiang (Honey Orchid Aroma) produced on Phoenix Mountain are actually made using the White Leaf Dancong cultivar.

If you’d like to taste Lingtou Dancong, please click the text link.

I’ve had the chance to taste Milanxiang made from both the Baishui Lake Milanxiang Dancong cultivar and the White Leaf Dancong cultivar, and the differences were quite noticeable. The version made from White Leaf Dancong leans more toward a honey aroma, while the Milanxiang Dancong from Baishui Lake offers a more intensely floral aroma.

If you’d like to taste Milanxiang Dancong, please click the image or the text link.

It’s fair to say that the tea farmers of Phoenix Mountain have done an excellent job preserving the Hongyin cultivar and its many descendants. Even today, you can still find Hongyin tea on the market, as well as Phoenix Langcai made from the Phoenix Shuixian Quntizhong.

3. Introduced Varieties from Outside

In addition to the native tea varieties found on Phoenix Mountain, Guangdong’s Oolong-producing regions have also brought in cultivars from other parts of China over the years, enriching the local diversity.

For example, there’s Xiyan Oolong from Meizhou. According to local legend, it was introduced from Fujian during the Tang Dynasty by a Buddhist master named Can Kui and planted around Xizhu Temple on Xiyan Mountain. The cultivar was made into Xiyan Oolong around 1970. It has a full-bodied but soft, slightly sweet taste, making it an excellent choice as a daily drinker.

If you’d like to taste Xiyan Oolong tea, please click the image or the text link.

Other introduced cultivars include Qilan, Tieguanyin, Meizhan, Maoxie, and more. When processed into Oolong, these non-native varieties are collectively referred to as Sezhong (色种) teas—such as Raoping Sezhong or Xiyan Sezhong, depending on where they’re grown and processed.

The development of Guangdong’s Oolong tea varieties has always revolved around the Phoenix Mountain range.

The fact that Guangdong has become one of the most aroma-rich and cultivar-diverse Oolong-producing regions today owes a great deal to the local tea farmers of Phoenix Mountain—and their deep respect for nature, for the tea trees, and for traditional craftsmanship passed down through generations.

4. If you’d like to explore all the representative types of Guangdong Oolong tea in one go, we’ve thoughtfully prepared a Guangdong Oolong Tea set for you. It’s the perfect way to experience the full range of flavors this region has to offer.

Guangdong Oolong Tea Collection: 6 Historical Flavors for Tea Lovers

5. Video Recommendation:

If you’d like to dive deeper into Guangdong oolong, we’ve created a detailed video that walks you through everything—from its evolution of cultivars to the refinement of processing techniques. 10 minutes unlocks the full story of Guangdong oolong tea.