春茶
Zhenghe Dabai is a late-sprouting (晚生) cultivar, so its bud picking starts later than Fuding Dabai's; exact dates not sourced.
政和县政和縣
Zhenghe County
North Fujian county on the Zhejiang border, named after a Song reign era in 1115; makes Zhenghe white tea from Zhenghe Dabai and Zhenghe Gongfu black tea.
At a glance#
- Output
- All tea in the county (white, black and other), 2025 statistical bulletin: 15,476 t, up 5.07%.
Where it lies#
Tea places nearby, plotted by their coordinates. Only physical positions are shown, no boundaries.
1510 places shown Across the view · 641 km
95 places shown Across the view · 151 km
Picking calendar#
Terroir#
- Slope and light
- Subtropical humid monsoon climate (1991–2020 normals, station at 262 m in the lowland west). The higher east, on the Jiufeng range with peaks mostly above 1,200 m, is cooler; no station data were found for it.
Cultivation#
- Cultivars grown
- Zhenghe Dabai
- Landraces
- White tea is said to have been grown from the late Tang–early Song; growers switched to Dabai between 1851 and 1874 (zh-Wikipedia).
- Practice
- A clonal, large-leaf, late-sprouting small tree; productive and cold- and drought-hardy, but prone to leafhoppers and red spider mite.
Local words#
Market#
- Trading towns
- China White Tea City (中国白茶城), described by the county as the country's largest white-tea supply-chain base
- Output
- All tea in the county (white, black and other), 2025 statistical bulletin: 15,476 t, up 5.07%.
Misnaming to watch for: Fuding Bai Cha is on the first EU–China GI list; 'Zhenghe white tea' (a Chinese GI product) was not among the attachments checked in that list. Zhenghe and Fuding styles both use the Silver Needle and White Peony names.
History#
- 941Guanli town (关隶镇) is set up under Later Jin.
- 1000Guanli town becomes Guanli county.
- 1115Guanli county is renamed Zhenghe after Emperor Huizong's reign era; county tradition links this to tribute tea.
- 18511851–1874: growers in Zhenghe switch to the Dabai cultivar.
- 1985Zhenghe Dabaicha is approved as a national improved cultivar (GS13005-1985).
- 2025County tea output reaches 15,476 t.
Other names and written forms 4#
Chinese variants
- 政和Zhenghe
- 关隶 GuanliName before 1115 (a town from 941, a county from 1000).
- 中国白茶之乡home of Chinese white teaEpithet ('home of Chinese white tea'), shared in practice with Fuding.
Translations and trade names
- Zhenghe
Notes#
Zhenghe covers 1,745 km² at the eastern edge of Nanping, bordering Ningde's Shouning and Zhouning. The county describes a 'high-mountain / plain' two-part geography. Elevation falls from east to west, from Xianglujian (1,598 m) to 129 m at Wangshankou, with over 400 peaks above 1,000 m. Low mountains make up 82.8% of the land and valleys and basins only 7.7%. Locals speak Zhenghe dialect, a form of Northern Min. The county's name comes from Emperor Huizong's reign era Zhenghe: in 1115 the county of Guanli was renamed.
The county government ties this to tribute tea, and zh-Wikipedia says specifically Baihao Yinzhen (see the ambiguity on the Fuding entry). The Zhenghe Dabai cultivar (政和大白茶) is said to come from Tieshan town. It is a late-sprouting, large-leaf clonal small tree, planted from 1851–1874 and nationally approved in 1985 (GS13005-1985), and is used for white, black and green tea. Tieshan alone has 11,154 mu of tea and produces about 12,000 t of fresh leaf a year.
'Zhenghe white tea' is a GI product and 'Zhenghe Gongfu' is a registered trademark for black tea. en-Wikipedia describes Zhenghe-style Silver Needle as more oxidised, darker and fuller-bodied than the lighter Fuding style.
Prices of teas claiming this origin#
International retail
Show as table
| Product | Vendor | Channel | per 100 g |
|---|---|---|---|
| China Fujian 'Shou Mei' White Tea | What-Cha | International retail | $20.09 |
| Aged Zheng He Bai Mu Dan Cake | Yoshi en | International retail | $34.46 |
| White Peony | Beautiful Taiwan Tea Company | International retail | $39.99 |
| Zheng He Silver Needle | Beautiful Taiwan Tea Company | International retail | $46.65 |
| Zheng He Bai Mu Dan Pest.Free | Yoshi en | International retail | $50.19 |
| Zheng He Mu Dan Wang - King of White Peony | Tea Habitat | International retail | $137.57 |
Listings claiming this origin 6#
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
China Fujian 'Shou Mei' 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.
|
What-ChaSelected destinations |
£15.05 / 100 g | $20.09 £15.05 / 100 g |
Aged Zheng He Bai Mu Dan 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.
|
Yoshi enSelected destinations |
€79.90 / 260 g | $34.46 €30.73 / 100 g |
| White Peony | Beautiful Taiwan Tea CompanyWorldwide |
$29.99 / 75 g | $39.99 |
| Zheng He Silver Needle | Beautiful Taiwan Tea CompanyWorldwide |
$34.99 / 75 g | $46.65 |
Zheng He Bai Mu Dan Pest.Free
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 |
€17.90 / 40 g | $50.19 €44.75 / 100 g |
| Zheng He Mu Dan Wang - King of White Peony | Tea HabitatWorldwide |
$78.00 / 56.7 g | $137.57 |
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#
白茶
White tea báichá
Tea chiefly made by withering, drying and sorting, without green-tea fixation. Traditional forms are unrolled; Fuding new-craft white tea adds light rolling.
sourced
白毫银针
Silver Needle Báiháo Yínzhēn
Bud-only white tea made from Dabai or Shuixian plant material under the national product definition. Fuding and Zhenghe are important production origins.
sourced
白牡丹
White Peony Bái Mǔdān
White tea from a bud with one or two young leaves of Dabai or Shuixian cultivars, fuller than Silver Needle; named for its flower-like leaf clusters.
sourced
寿眉
Shou Mei Shòuméi
Leafy white tea made from tender shoots or leaves of Dabai, Shuixian or population-type tea plants. Sold loose or pressed; leaf grade, season and storage are separate details.
sourced
政和工夫
Zhenghe Gongfu Zhènghé Gōngfū
Gongfu black tea from Zhenghe in northern Fujian, with a documented tradition using Zhenghe Dabai leaf material.
sourced
Cultivars that originate here#
Producers based here#
福建省隆合茶业
Longhe Tea Fújiàn Shěng Lónghé Cháyè Yǒuxiàn Gōngsī
Zhenghe white and Gongfu black tea maker at Dongan, Tieshan town; founded 1993 as Xinlong Tea Factory, led by heritage bearer Yang Feng.
sourced
福建政和瑞茗茶业
Fujian Zhenghe Ruiming Tea Fújiàn Zhènghé Ruìmíng Cháyè Yǒuxiàn Gōngsī
Zhenghe white tea maker at Daoxiang with roots in a 1958 state tea farm; 政名 brand; head Yu Bugui is a provincial bearer of the Zhenghe craft.
sourced