明前 / 雨前碧螺春
Mar 18 – Apr 20
Core Dongting Biluochun harvest from Spring Equinox (Chunfen) to Grain Rain (Guyu).
国家质量监督检验检疫总局 / 国家标准化管理委员会 (AQSIQ / SAC)
苏州蘇州
Suzhou
Prefecture-level city in southern Jiangsu whose Dongting East and West Hills in Wuzhong District on Lake Tai form the protected origin of Dongting Biluochun.
- Level
- Prefectureprefecture-level city (地级市)
- Within
- Jiangsu
At a glance#
Garden elevation
15–300 m
国家质量监督检验检疫总局 / 国家标准化管理委员会 (AQSIQ / SAC)
Rainfall
1,130 mm a year
国家质量监督检验检疫总局 / 国家标准化管理委员会 (AQSIQ / SAC)
Mean temperature
15.9 °C
国家质量监督检验检疫总局 / 国家标准化管理委员会 (AQSIQ / SAC)
Mean relative humidity
78 %
国家质量监督检验检疫总局 / 国家标准化管理委员会 (AQSIQ / SAC)
Fog days
115 a year
国家质量监督检验检疫总局 / 国家标准化管理委员会 (AQSIQ / SAC)
Location
- Garden elevation
- Dongting East Mountain peninsula (up to 293.5 m) and West Mountain island (Piaomiaofeng 336.6 m) in Lake Tai.
Where it lies#
Tea places nearby, plotted by their coordinates. Only physical positions are shown, no boundaries.
87 places shown Across the view · 672 km
44 places shown Across the view · 285 km
Altitude#
Garden elevations here and in neighbouring places, as sourced.
Picking calendar#
Terroir#
- Rock
- Devonian quartz sandstone and Carboniferous limestone across the Dongting East and West hills.
- Soil
- Acidic to slightly acidic yellow-brown gravelly soil (黄棕壤) enriched by decaying fruit-tree litter, pH 4.5–6.0.
- Slope and light
- Ringed by the 2,400 km² waters of Lake Tai, the Dongting hills enjoy buffered temperatures, humid lake breezes, and diffused sunlight beneath fruit canopies.
国家质量监督检验检疫总局 / 国家标准化管理委员会 (AQSIQ / SAC)
Cultivation#
- Cultivars grown
- 洞庭碧螺春群体种 (Dongting landrace)Yingshuang
- Landraces
- Dongting mountain seed population (洞庭群体小叶种) interplanted root-to-root and branch-to-branch with loquat, plum, apricot, bayberry, ginkgo, and tangerine trees.
- Practice
- Hand-picked between Chunfen and Guyu (60,000–80,000 tender shoots per 500 g of supreme dry tea) and pan-fired continuously in a single wok ("杀青、揉捻、搓团显毫、烘干一锅完成").
国家质量监督检验检疫总局 / 国家标准化管理委员会 (AQSIQ / SAC)
Local words#
| Local words | Dialect | |
|---|---|---|
| 吓煞人香 Wu IPA: hɑʔ˥ sɑʔ˥ ȵin˨˩ ɕiɑ̃˦ | Wu (Suzhou) | Historic Dongting Mountain Wu dialect name meaning frighteningly fragrant, used by Lake Tai tea pickers before the Kangxi Emperor bestowed the literary name Biluochun. |
People#
- Dongting Lake Tai orchard-and-tea Wu cultivators 洞庭东西山吴地果茶农与制茶师
- Island and peninsula villagers in Wuzhong District maintained centuries-old polycultural gardens of tea interplanted with loquat, bayberry, and citrus while hand-panning Biluochun.
Market#
- Primary trade channel
- Smallholder families and heritage workshops on Dongshan and Xishan sell GI-labelled spring Biluochun directly to Jiangnan buyers and certified Suzhou tea houses.
- Trading towns
- Dongshan (Wuzhong) · Xishan (Jinting) · Suzhou
- Output
- Output is strictly limited to the Dongting East and West Hills peninsulas/islands in Wuzhong District on Lake Tai, where smallholders intercrop tea bushes beneath fruit trees.
- Prices of teas claiming this origin
- Prices are governed by core Dongshan and Xishan orchard provenance protected under Suzhou's 2024 municipal ordinance, pre-Qingming bud minuscule size, and hand-worked spiral curl.
History#
- 1699Kangxi Emperor renames local "Scary Fragrance" (吓煞人香) from Dongting Mountain to Biluochun.
- 2002Dongtingshan Biluochun approved as a national Geographical Indication product.国家质量监督检验检疫总局 / 国家标准化管理委员会 (AQSIQ / SAC)
- 2024Suzhou Municipal Regulations on the Protection of Dongtingshan Biluochun Tea enter into force.
Notes#
Identity and history#
Occupying the alluvial plain and limestone islands of southern Jiangsu along the eastern shore of Lake Tai, Suzhou provides a lacustrine microclimate buffered by vast water bodies and misty spring mornings. Its statutory Dongting Biluochun protection zone is restricted to Dongshan and Xishan (Jinting) towns in Wuzhong District, where heirloom small-leaf tea bushes are traditionally interplanted with fruit trees whose roots and blossoms impart a signature fruity-floral aroma. Strict geographical-indication standards require early-spring hand plucking of single buds with one unfolding leaf, followed by continuous single-wok fixation, rolling, and downy spiral shaping.
Prices of teas claiming this origin#
International retail
Show as table
| Product | Vendor | Channel | per 100 g |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bi Luo Chun Green Tea | TeaVivre | International retail | $26.46 |
| Dong Ting Bi Luo Chun Green Tea | Sazen Tea | International retail | $181.68 |
Listings claiming this origin 2#
Price ranks compare recorded retail offers for the same tea, including offers outside the current delivery filter. Shipping and import charges are excluded.
Prices compared in the selected currency; unknown values appear last.
| Product | Vendor | Price | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|---|
Bi Luo Chun Green 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.
|
TeaVivreWorldwide |
$29.90 / 113 g | $26.46 |
Dong Ting Bi Luo Chun Green 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.
|
Sazen TeaWorldwide |
€16.20 / 10 g | $181.68 €162.00 / 100 g |
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.
Teas associated with this place#
Sources#
- GB/T 18957-2008 地理标志产品 洞庭山碧螺春茶 (Product of geographical indication — Dongtingshan Biluochun tea)