Xiushui

reviewed

idxiushui

xiushui

County in northwestern Jiangxi (formerly Yiningzhou / Ningzhou), historic cradle and core production area of Ninghong Gongfu black tea.

Level: County
Within: Jiangxi

At a glance#

Garden elevation

150–900 m

Intangible Cultural Heritage network

Rainfall

1,620 mm a year

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Mean temperature

16.5 °C

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Mean relative humidity

79 %

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Fog days

150 a year

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Location

29.025 °N114.547 °E

Garden elevation: Mountain valleys along the Xiushui River between the Mufu and Jiuling ranges (150–900 m).

Altitude#

Garden elevations here and in neighbouring places, as sourced.

Picking calendar#

清明至谷雨春茶

Mar 28 – May 5

Prime spring picking for top-grade Ninghong Jinhao and Ninghong Gongfu.

Intangible Cultural Heritage network

Terroir#

Rock: Granite, metamorphic slate, and red sandstone in the Mufu and Jiuling mountain ranges of northwestern Jiangxi.
Soil: Deep, fertile acidic red and yellow-red mountain loams (红壤、黄红壤), pH 4.5–5.5.
Slope and light: Warm, misty river valleys flanked by forested 1,000 m peaks produce tender, pectin-rich shoots with golden tips ("Ninghong的金毫").

Intangible Cultural Heritage network

Cultivation#

Cultivars grown: 宁州群体种 (Ningzhou landrace)Zhuyeqi
Landraces: Ningzhou (Xiushui) medium-to-small-leaf population (宁州群体种, GS13006-1985).
Practice: Fine Congou black-tea withering, rolling, fermentation, and multi-sieve sorting into tight, glossy black cords with golden tips.

Intangible Cultural Heritage network

Local words#

工夫红茶 Congou 焙火 roast 春茶 spring harvest

Local words	Dialect
宁红 Pinyin: nínghóng	Gan (Xiushui / Ningzhou)	Traditional trade name meaning Ningzhou red tea, preserving the Qing dynasty prefectural name of Xiushui in domestic and Russian-caravan export markets. Intangible Cultural Heritage network

People#

Mufu-Jiuling Hakka and Gan tea growers and Ninghong refiners 修水幕阜九岭客赣茶农与宁红工夫茶师: Local Gan and Hakka mountain cultivators and Manjiang workshop masters established Ninghong Gongfu black tea in the nineteenth century and maintained its export reputation through Jiujiang and Hankou.
Intangible Cultural Heritage network

Market#

Primary trade channel: Mountain village primary workshops deliver red maocha to Xiushui county refiners for congou sifting and blending before shipment via Jiujiang and Nanchang to domestic and export markets.
Intangible Cultural Heritage network
Trading towns: Yining (Xiushui) · Manjiang · Jiujiang
Output: Xiushui (historic Ningzhou) between the Mufu and Jiuling ranges focuses its spring harvest on Ninghong Gongfu black tea made from the local Ningzhou population variety.
Prices of teas claiming this origin: Early-spring golden-ringed bud grades (such as Ninghong Jinhao) from high-elevation townships like Manjiang command significant premiums over standard broken or mid-season black leaf.

Intangible Cultural Heritage network

History#

1823Yiningzhou (modern Xiushui) begins manufacturing strip-style red tea for export via Jiujiang and Hankou.
Intangible Cultural Heritage network
1891Russian Crown Prince Nicholas bestows a plaque praising "Ninghong as the finest in the East" (茶盖中华，价甲天下).
Intangible Cultural Heritage network
2021Ninghong tea-making craft inscribed on China's National Intangible Cultural Heritage list.
Intangible Cultural Heritage network

Notes#

Identity and history#

Nestled between the Mufu and Jiuling mountain ranges along the Xiu River basin in northwestern Jiangxi, Xiushui County—historically known as Ningzhou—boasts deep red-yellow forest soils and abundant spring rainfall. In the nineteenth century, local workshops adapted Fujianese black-tea techniques to the native Ningzhou population bush, establishing Ninghong Gongfu as a premier export black tea famed for tight, dark cords, golden-ringed red liquor, and a sweet floral-malt aroma. Today, geographical-indication and intangible heritage protections safeguard its traditional primary fermentation and multi-stage sieve refining.

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