Coastal county-level city on the Zhejiang border, the GI home of Fuding white tea (Silver Needle, White Peony) and of the Fuding Dabai and Dahao cultivars.
Tea places nearby, plotted by their coordinates. Only physical positions are shown, no boundaries.
Mar 10 – Apr 10
Fuding Dabai sprouts in early to mid March; the one-bud-three-leaves peak is in early April. Silver Needle's first flush runs from late March to early April. Spring tea is the best and about half the year's output (en-Wikipedia, Baihao Yinzhen).
Later pickings go mostly to leafier grades; Shoumei is plucked later than Bai Mudan.
en-Wikipedia says the plants can also be picked in summer and autumn.
The Fuding GI text says experts see Fuding as the origin of white tea, and en-Wikipedia dates the first Silver Needle to Fuding in 1796. Zhenghe's government says the county was renamed in 1115 after tribute of 白毫银针. But the Song-era 'white tea' of the *Daguan Chalun* was a rare pale-leaf tree, not the modern withered white tea, so the 1115 claim is best read as local tradition.
Fuding has mountains on three sides and the sea to the east. Hills and mountains cover about 88% of the land, forest about 65%, and the highest point is Qinglongshan (1,141 m). The GI 'Fuding Bai Cha' (protected in China since 2009) covers the whole city. Production centres on withering and drying. New-craft white tea adds light rolling. The cited GI account describes three types: Silver Needle (白毫银针, buds only), White Peony (白牡丹, a bud with one to three leaves) and 'new-craft' white tea (新工艺白茶, lightly rolled). Trade grades also include Gongmei (贡眉) and Shoumei (寿眉), made from later, leafier pickings. Withering can be natural indoor, combined, or heated. First drying is at 100–120 °C, then 80–90 °C, with a low finish around 70 °C, down to at most 7% moisture.
The white-tea origin story is tied to Taimu mountain (太姥山), a granite coastal peak. The goddess Taimu is credited with finding white tea and using it as medicine, and the old 'mother tree' is called Lüxueya (绿雪芽). Some scholars link the 'white tea mountain 300 li east of Yongjia' in Lu Yu's *Classic of Tea* to Taimu; zh-Wikipedia notes the name alone may not prove it. Fuding Dabaicha (福鼎大白茶) comes from Bailiu village (柏柳村) in Diantou town. With Fuding Dahaocha (福鼎大毫茶) it makes up nearly 99% of the plants in the heritage system.
The Diantou (点头) tea-and-flower market is a major modern trading centre. Locals speak mostly the Fuding (Tongshan) form of Eastern Min; some coastal towns speak Southern Min, Pu-Xian or Fuzhou dialect. Fuding has two She ethnic townships. The saying “one year tea, three years medicine, seven years treasure” (一年茶、三年药、七年宝) is a trade expression; its historical origin is not established by the sources cited here. It is not evidence of medicinal benefit or a guarantee that white tea improves with age.
| Product | Vendor | Channel | per 100 g |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guan Yang Lao Bai Cha Gong Mei White Tea Cake | Yunnan Sourcing | International retail | $10.71 |
| Little Mountain Fuding Shoumei White Tea | Bitterleaf Teas | International retail | $13.00 |
| Green Shoumei | One River Tea | China retail | $14.00 |
| Fuding Gong Mei White Tea Mini Bricks | Yunnan Sourcing | International retail | $14.25 |
| Little Mountain Fuding Baimudan White Tea | Bitterleaf Teas | International retail | $20.00 |
| Fuding Bai Mu Dan | Yoshi en | International retail | $41.78 |
| Baimudan White Peony | One River Tea | China retail | $60.00 |
| Fuding Silver Needle Imperial Grade | Yoshi en | International retail | $100.56 |
| Top Flight Spring Fuding Silver Needle White Tea | Bitterleaf Teas | International retail | $103.33 |
| Xiao Mi Zhen Wild Small Silver Needles | Tea Habitat | International retail | $172.84 |
Price ranks compare recorded retail offers for the same tea, including offers outside the current delivery filter. Shipping and import charges are excluded.
| Product | Vendor | Price | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|---|
Guan Yang Lao Bai Cha Gong Mei White Tea Cake
DetailsCompare the details Recorded seller claims; a blank means unrecorded here, not necessarily absent from the seller’s page. Matching production does not establish identical storage or condition.
|
Yunnan SourcingSelected destinations |
$37.50 / 350 g | $10.71 |
| Little Mountain Fuding Shoumei White Tea | Bitterleaf TeasSelected destinations |
$26.00 / 200 g | $13.00 |
| Green Shoumei | One River TeaSelected destinations |
$28.00 / 200 g | $14.00 |
Fuding Gong Mei White Tea Mini Bricks
DetailsCompare the details Recorded seller claims; a blank means unrecorded here, not necessarily absent from the seller’s page. Matching production does not establish identical storage or condition.
|
Yunnan SourcingSelected destinations |
$14.25 / 100 g | $14.25 |
| Little Mountain Fuding Baimudan White Tea | Bitterleaf TeasSelected destinations |
$40.00 / 200 g | $20.00 |
Fuding Bai Mu Dan
DetailsCompare the details Recorded seller claims; a blank means unrecorded here, not necessarily absent from the seller’s page. Matching production does not establish identical storage or condition.
|
Yoshi enSelected destinations |
€14.90 / 40 g | $41.78 €37.25 / 100 g |
| Baimudan White Peony | One River TeaSelected destinations |
$15.00 / 25 g | $60.00 |
Fuding Silver Needle Imperial Grade
DetailsCompare the details Recorded seller claims; a blank means unrecorded here, not necessarily absent from the seller’s page. Matching production does not establish identical storage or condition.
|
Yoshi enSelected destinations |
€26.90 / 30 g | $100.56 €89.67 / 100 g |
Top Flight Spring Fuding Silver Needle White Tea
DetailsCompare the details Recorded seller claims; a blank means unrecorded here, not necessarily absent from the seller’s page. Matching production does not establish identical storage or condition.
|
Bitterleaf TeasSelected destinations |
$62.00 / 60 g | $103.33 |
Xiao Mi Zhen Wild Small Silver Needles
DetailsCompare the details Recorded seller claims; a blank means unrecorded here, not necessarily absent from the seller’s page. Matching production does not establish identical storage or condition.
|
Tea HabitatWorldwide |
$98.00 / 56.7 g | $172.84 |
Prices recorded on the dates checked. Conversions use ECB rates dated 2026-10-20; original prices appear alongside. Origin, age and cultivar are stated by the vendor.
