Not Just China's BBQ Capital: Also the Northernmost Tea-Producing Province!

"Small grilled pancakes with dipping sauce, the holy trinity of barbecue."

In the eyes of food enthusiasts, nothing has gone more viral online this year than Zibo barbecue.

The ingenious double-layer charcoal grill placed on the table, meat skewers sizzling with oil on the grill, the faint crackling sound of oil droplets meeting flames—amidst the lively clamor, these enticing aromas make people impatient to dig in.

Palm-sized pancakes are baked until bubbly, crispy outside and chewy inside, folded twice into small fans, dipped in sauce, then unfolded to wrap fresh scallions and piping-hot skewers. One roll and you've captured the essence of earthly delights, soothing the souls of ordinary folks.

Mouthwatering Zibo barbecue

During the May Day holiday, countless "travel commandos" raced against time to trek across landscapes, leading to the jest that "the last time Zibo was this lively was during the Qi Kingdom era."

Zibo, and indeed all of Shandong, responded with generosity and meticulousness, easing anxieties and doubling expectations.

The golden reputation of "Hospitable Shandong" is reflected in scales that never shortchange, in the warm smiles of Shandong locals, in the jaw-dropping spread of Lu cuisine when invited home for a meal, and in that pot of remarkably flavorful Shandong tea.

By Daming Lake, the world's largest tea mosaic

"Qi, bordered by mountains and seas, with fertile land stretching thousands of miles." Shandong, located along the Yellow and Bohai Seas, has been a land of abundance since ancient times.

The Yellow River carries nutrient-rich silt from upstream, forming vast fertile deltas before surging into the sea here. Meandering tributaries and the lake belt between the central-southern hills and southwestern plains create Shandong's exceptionally developed water systems.

With the ocean moderating temperature and humidity, the mild climate makes agriculture supremely favored by nature. Add to this a long, high-quality coastline where cold and warm currents meet, shallow continental shelf waters nurturing "the bounty of fish and salt," resulting in exceptionally rich aquatic resources. This greatly contributed to the prosperity of Qi during the Spring and Autumn Period.

Laoshan tea gardens along the picturesque coastline

Crabs, turtles, fish, shrimp, game, mountain delicacies, fresh fruits and vegetables, grains, and wild game—if not "inexhaustible," they're certainly countless. With such abundance, how could one waste this heaven-sent privilege?

Shandong people's ingenuity finds boundless expression in these natural treasures.

If you can imagine it, Shandong's floral steamed buns can shape it

Who would have thought that people in ancient Qi advocated "carving eggs before boiling them"—even decorating eggs before cooking.

They combine ingredients creatively and excel at transforming single ingredients into countless variations: "steaming, boiling, roasting, fermenting, pan-frying, stir-frying, simmering, braising, deep-frying, curing, salting, fermenting with beans, vinegar, sauce, wine, honey, pepper." "Each dish has its unique flavor, no two dishes alike" is no exaggeration.

After 2,500 years of refinement and innovation, even today no one can count the dazzling varieties of Lu cuisine.

But you've surely heard of, if not tasted—whether authentic or not—sweet and sour carp, stir-fried kidney flowers, four-joy meatballs, braised prawns, or yellow stewed chicken.

These classic dishes of Shandong cuisine have become well-known home-style dishes across the country, and the cooking technique of "heating oil in a wok, then stir-frying with scallions, ginger, and garlic" has filled countless household kitchens with lively warmth and laughter.

Crispy-fried Braised Intestines

Moreover, Shandong cuisine forms the foundation of northern Chinese cuisine and ranks first among the Eight Great Cuisines. It is also the only self-originated culinary school, with all others being influenced by it to varying degrees.

Originating from the homeland of Confucius and Mencius and nurtured by the Confucian principle of the "Golden Mean," Shandong cuisine emphasizes a balanced, hearty, and harmonious blend of flavors, with "salty" and "umami" as its signature tastes.

Rich and intensely flavored dishes naturally call for light and refreshing accompaniments to cut through the richness.

Thus, a cup of fragrant and refreshing tea has naturally taken an important place in the dietary habits of Shandong people.

Shandong people's love for tea dates back to the Western Zhou Dynasty.

The story of Shandong people and tea has a long history. Your love for tea might have started last week, but Shandong's tea tradition began in the Western Zhou Dynasty.

Lu Yu's *The Classic of Tea* from the Tang Dynasty states: "Tea as a beverage originated with Shennong and became known through Duke Zhou of Lu. Yan Ying of Qi... all drank it."

Duke Zhou of Lu (yes, the same Duke Zhou known for interpreting dreams) assisted King Wu in overthrowing the Shang Dynasty. When compiling *The Rites of Zhou*, he established the position of "Tea Master" ("荼" being the ancient character for "tea"), responsible for collecting tea as an essential offering in state rituals.

Yan Ying, the witty and resourceful Qi statesman famed for *Yanzi's Mission to Chu*, also became one of Shandong's earliest famous tea enthusiasts by incorporating tea into his daily meals. "Coarse rice, roasted game birds, five eggs, and tea leaves—that was a meal." This frugal practice likely laid the foundation for the Chinese tea philosophy of "using tea to cultivate integrity."

However, the tea preferences of Duke Zhou of Lu and Yan Ying of Qi are only recorded in ancient texts and cannot yet serve as definitive evidence that tea consumption in Shandong dates back to the Spring and Autumn period or earlier.

In recent years, tea residue found in primitive porcelain bowls excavated from the Western Gang Cemetery at the ancient Zhu State site in Jining, Shandong, confirmed that tea was already being consumed in Shandong during the early Warring States period. This discovery pushed back the origins of Chinese and global tea culture by at least 300 years.

An ancient, poorly ventilated porcelain bowl containing brewed tea leaves was accidentally buried upside-down in the weakly acidic loess of northern China, sealing it from air and preserving the tea residue. Meticulously unearthed by archaeologists just before China's tea culture was nominated for UNESCO heritage status, it provided crucial physical evidence. Isn’t this a stroke of romantic serendipity?

Western Gang Cemetery at the ancient Zhu State site in Jining, Shandong

Tea residue in primitive porcelain bowls rediscovered

By the Tang Dynasty, Shandong people's love for tea had reached the point where "one can go without food but not a day without tea." "Tea arrived from Jianghuai by boat and cart, piling up like mountains in abundance and variety." These words transport us back a millennium to glimpse Shandong's bustling role as a key hub for "southern tea sold north."

Against this backdrop, Huang Da Cha, a tea created in Huoshan, western Anhui, during the Ming Dynasty, was "exported to Shandong." With its thick leaves, sturdy stems, glossy appearance, clear orange liquor, rich and mellow taste, and distinctive roasted aroma, it earned a more colloquial name among Shandong locals—"Lao Gan Hong"—and became a refreshing summer drink to relieve heat and thirst.

Even today, many long-time tea drinkers in Shandong keep a humble pack of Lao Gan Hong at home, a relic of bygone years. Its deep, nostalgic roasted fragrance lingers around parks and street corners where people chat and play chess, quietly listening to tales of past glories.

Beyond this, Shandong tea lovers today often enjoy other varieties: the fresh and delicate West Lake Longjing, the lingeringly sweet Biluochun, the crisp and mellow Enshi Yulu, the tender and enduring Anji Bai Cha among green teas; the aromatic Dian Hong Gongfu and lychee-scented Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong among black teas; and the uniquely fragrant, rock-essence Da Hong Pao among oolong teas.

However, when it comes to popularity, jasmine tea still takes the crown.

"Scented to the supreme fragrance of jasmine, ranked as the finest aroma in the world" is no empty praise—its rich, vibrant scent likely holds a place in every Shandong native's childhood memories.

Perhaps its simplicity in brewing aligns perfectly with the bold and straightforward character of Shandong people, or perhaps its mellow, sweet taste pairs refreshingly with the salty and savory flavors of Shandong cuisine. Or maybe it’s just because jasmine tea... is simply irresistible. Whether strong or mild, it offers varied tastes but the same comfort.

Jasmine tea, the "finest aroma in the world."

And if you find yourself in Jinan, you’re in for an even greater treat.

Jinan, the "Spring City" famed for its "lotus on four sides, willows on three, a city of mountain hues and half a city of lakes," boasts tea-friendly water described as "clear, lively, light, sweet, and crisp." Loving tea here feels almost like an innate gift from nature.

Vast underground water from the southern mountains flows along limestone strata, only to be blocked by dense igneous rocks in the northern suburbs of Jinan, accumulating relentlessly. Eventually, the pressurized groundwater bursts through cracks and pores in the limestone, creating frothy white waves that shimmer like silver blossoms.

In Baotu Spring, the "No. 1 Spring Under Heaven" personally endorsed by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty, aside from tourists coming to admire the surging waves, you’ll find locals filling plastic buckets with the spring water.

Take a sip first, letting the crisp, sweet freshness wash away the stifling heat of summer. Then carry it home, boil it, pour it into a stout, deep teapot, and let it steep briefly until the tea’s aroma fills the air—this is Jinan’s indispensable summer delight. Even old friends meeting with their large tea mugs will revive the ancient Jinan literati tradition of "tea competitions," comparing whose brew tastes better.

Shandong people grow tea north of latitude 36°N.

Despite such a love for tea, self-sufficiency remained elusive for millennia. Shandong relied on laborious shipments of southern tea, often missing the freshest picks and facing shortages, forcing locals to "split one packet of tea into two."

In the 1950s, despite material shortages, the state allocated 40,000 dan (1 dan = 50 kg) of tea annually from the south to meet Shandong’s demand.

The cold, dry north was initially unfit for tea cultivation.

With glaring supply-demand imbalances and Shandong’s need for its own cash crop, tea seedlings and seeds from Anhui and Zhejiang embarked on an arduous journey to Shandong in the late 1950s, marking the start of the miraculous "Southern Tea Transplanted North" project.

The "miracle" traces back to Lu Yu’s *The Classic of Tea*.

"Tea is the finest tree of the south." The misty, warm climate of the south provides an ideal environment for tea plants, which thrive in shade, warmth, humidity, and acidic soil. Over eons of natural selection, this tiny leaf survived in the south, where ancient Chinese discovered, utilized, and cultivated it.

Tea plants prefer warm, moist environments.

The cold, dry north left little record of tea production in ancient texts, save for legends like a Song Dynasty princess and Laoshan Taoists attempting to transplant tea from Jiangnan—all ending in failure.

Yet heaven did not forsake the relentless tea lovers of this land.

With its coastal geography, hilly terrain, excellent water quality, acidic soil, and warm temperate monsoon climate, Shandong is, in theory, suitable for growing tea.

The Mount Tai tea plantation where "high mountains and mist produce fine tea"

But when it came to actual trial planting, specific problems arose—

After all, no matter how warm and humid Shandong is compared to other inland northern provinces, it still can't match the temperature and humidity of the south. Frost resistance and drought tolerance became major hurdles for tea tree growth.

In addition to selecting sheltered, sunny, and acidic mountainous areas with ample rainfall, tea farmers and researchers used their ingenuity—building shade shelters, windbreaks, and applying winter fertilizers—to help delicate tea seedlings survive the winter safely.

Warm greenhouses aid tea seedlings in overwintering

Successful trial plantings in Qingdao and Linyi provided valuable experience for the "Southern Tea Transplanted North" project. After the 1970s, tea cultivation in Shandong expanded significantly, and by 1978, it was officially recognized as part of the Jiangbei tea region at the National Tea Zoning Conference, breaking the notion that "tea cannot be grown north of 30°N latitude."

Over sixty years later, tea trees have firmly taken root in Qilu (Shandong), forming three major tea-producing regions: the southeastern coast, south-central Shandong, and the Jiaodong Peninsula. The province now boasts over 600,000 mu of tea plantations with an annual output of nearly 30,000 tons.

The unique high-latitude growing environment and longer overwintering period compared to southern teas allow Shandong tea to accumulate rich and excellent internal substances through seasonal changes, developing qualities like "thick leaves, durability in brewing, strong flavor, fine texture, and high aroma." Much like the people of Qilu, the tea is simple yet passionate, bold and generous—as if all the best things are packed into these small leaves.

The chestnut-flavored "new star of Chinese green tea," Rizhao Green, and the pea-scented "top green tea of Jiangbei," Laoshan Green, are now sources of pride for Shandong tea lovers—

"Our local tea connoisseurs swear by them!"

Fresh tea leaves can be made into mellow Rizhao Green

These teas are protected geographical indication products, yet their prices remain affordable, embodying the same hearty and hospitable spirit as Shandong cuisine—generous and welcoming to the core.

Shandong's spring tea also arrives later than southern varieties, making its appearance around Grain Rain (April 20), avoiding the rush for pre-Qingming southern teas, as if offering tea chasers a leisurely, unhurried spring.

Yimeng Green, Zhucheng Green, Yantai Green, Changqing Tea, Mount Tai Tea… More and more teas nurtured in Shandong's high mountains and mist are filling local teacups and traveling beyond the province, infusing cups with the majestic mountain vistas and ever-changing sea of clouds, warmly shared with tea lovers everywhere.

After touring Shandong, savoring Lu cuisine, and experiencing the lively atmosphere of Zibo barbecue, why not soothe your senses with a cup of Shandong tea?

With so many excellent teas in Shandong, any one will delight you.

Editor | Ou Hantian, Qiu Fengfeng

Planning & Review | Ou Hantian

Header Photo | Visual China

Cover Photo | Visual China

This article is the original content of ["Authentic Tea Journey"]