On October 26, the finals and awards ceremony for the 5th “Zhengyan” Tea King Competition took place in Wuyishan City, Fujian Province. The event attracted a remarkable 2,732 tea samples, culminating in the selection of four Tea Kings, 12 special gold awards, 55 gold awards, 138 craftsman awards, and 165 quality awards.
The competition began with an announcement on September 11 and spanned over a month, involving multiple rounds of preliminary, semi-final, and final rounds to crown the new Tea Kings of the year. The winners included Yijian Bufen Tea Co. which garnered two titles for Wuyishan Da Hong Pao and Wuyishan Rougui, while Chen Mei, who entered as an individual participant, was honored as the Wuyishan Shui Xian Tea King. Yunjiao Shiyou Tea Co. also claimed the title for Wuyishan Chen Tea.
Jiang Fan, the head of Yijian Bufen Tea Co. and a rising star among Wuyishan tea producers, has dedicated over a decade to the craft. He expressed his passion by stating, “Making Wuyishan rock tea is my love; despite the hardships, the rewards are worth it—especially the feeling of winning, which is akin to savoring a great tea.”
“The Zhengyan Tea King Competition serves as a platform for outstanding tea enterprises and tea masters to shine,” remarked Wu Renzhong, the Party Secretary of Wuyishan Tea Farm. He emphasized the importance of the competition in carrying forward nearly a century of tea culture from state-owned enterprises and honoring the traditional craftsmanship of tea masters like Zhang Tianfu, Wu Juene, and Yao Yueming.
Zhang Xianjun, the president of the Wuyishan Tea Society, noted that the competition consistently plays a leading and exemplary role in the tea industry. This year’s event exceeded expectations in both the number of samples submitted and the quality of the teas entered, achieving its goal of enhancing tea planting techniques and processing methods in Wuyishan. This not only boosts the incomes of local tea farmers but also ensures that tea enthusiasts enjoy reliable, high-quality tea from farm to cup.
During the awards ceremony, Li Wenfu, Deputy Director of the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau of Nanping City, expressed hope for consolidating lessons learned from the event. He emphasized the need for more standardized quality evaluations of Wuyishan rock tea, ensuring that its traditional production techniques and grading standards are better preserved and enhanced, ultimately contributing to the economic benefits for the region and its social development.
Yanchan Tea Co., which has participated in the competition for two consecutive years, represented by Chen Min, highlighted their efforts to promote Wuyishan rock tea across 27 countries, including Singapore, Japan, the Philippines, Malaysia, Dubai, the UK, France, the US, and Peru. The goal through the “Zhengyan” Tea King Competition is to introduce even more high-quality Wuyishan rock tea to global markets and expand its cultural reach.
