“All White Tea Originates from Taimu”: Searching for the King of Teas on Mount Taimu

In Fuding City, Fujian Province, there is a famous mountain with sheer cliffs scraping the sky, extraordinary peaks piercing the clouds, and grotesque boulders rising in rugged grandeur—a place of breathtaking scenery. Its name is Mount Taimu. According to legend, in ancient times, people at the foot of Mount Taimu contracted a disease then considered incurable. To heal them, the Grandmother Taimu specially planted white tea, and the white tea cured these people. White tea has been passed down through generations, with the most primitive variety still preserved on Mount Taimu to this day.

“Tai” is an honorific, and “mu” originally meant “mother” (old mother). “Taimu” is the most ancient mother. According to experts, “Taimu is a female revered as the primordial grandmother from the pre-Qin era, even as far back as the time of Emperor Yao. She and her descendants were the pioneers who developed Fujian and its adjacent regions.” From the perspective of folk belief, she is the first goddess of the Min region. On the Taimu Mountain square, one can see the statue of Grandmother Taimu, facing the sea, gazing kindly at the distant Yushan Island.

“People value mountains and rivers, and mountains and rivers also value people. From the Qin Dynasty through the Han, with sacrificial altars and purification halls, Mount Taimu has witnessed hundreds and thousands of visitors over the centuries.” The term “jiao zhai” refers to sacrificial rituals, showing that this famous mountain has long been held in high regard by the world. Today, Grandmother Taimu also enjoys the revered title of “Ancestor of Chinese White Tea.”

Fuding produces excellent tea, which can be said to be uniquely blessed. Fuding is surrounded by mountains on three sides, with a terrain that is high in the east and low in the west. When standing on a high vantage point, one sees endless rolling hills with dense streams between them, and clouds and mist swirling all day long—a truly wonderful place. The vast tea plantations are spectacular. Tea cultivation in Fuding was already mentioned in Lu Yu’s *The Classic of Tea*.

White tea, besides being used medicinally to treat illnesses, can be summarized as having six excellences: first, excellent timing; second, excellent fresh tea leaves; third, excellent weather; fourth, excellent craftsmanship; plus excellent taste and excellent liquor color. Only when these six excellences come together can it be called wonderful. This is the true essence of “Six Wonderful White Tea.” Good white tea truly comes from the ingenious collaboration of human skill and natural timing. There is no other secret. When it comes to the phrase “natural and wonderful excellence,” I believe white tea is the only one that qualifies.

Fuding produces excellent tea, and excellent tea comes from Fuding. But this excellent tea cannot be separated from Mount Taimu; the roots of white tea are on Mount Taimu.

This season, let us set off together for Mount Taimu and uncover the secrets of white tea!