Oral History of Baojing Huangjincha Culture

Objective To trace the development of Baojing Huangjincha culture, which was designated in 2020 as a treasured national inheritance, interviewing narrators who were involved with the history of the tea culture was conducted.

Method In-depth interviews, recording, archiving, and literature search were carried out for the study. Thirteen individuals who personally work presently or had worked with Baojing Huangjincha in the past were interviewed. Evolution of the tea culture was analyzed with respect to system naming, selective breeding, processing technique, and cultural affinity to arrive at the final rendition.

Result Rooted from the legendary "An Ounce of Gold for An Ounce of Tea", Huangjincha was named literally to mean the Golden Tea from Baojing and passed down to become a prestigious brand. From early on, to continuously maintain the superior quality, cultivars were bred by applying the traditional “group variety” or “population species” methods. The effort has gradually transitioned to the tech-facilitated approaches in modern times. On tea processing, mentors handing down the skills to apprentices was practiced from generation to generation. Such operation mode invariably is challenged by the changed social and work conditions. On the other hand, the progressing economic development and evolving consumer preference in recent years have fostered the cultural identity of Baojing Huangjincha through festival activities and events such as the designation of national important agricultural heritage system of the culture on account of the publication of Ancient Tea Plantation and Tea Culture System of Baojing Huangjin Village in Hunan Province.

Conclusion By interviewing people familiar with the development of Baojing Huangjincha, the evolving history of the tea culture was recounted. It has transitioned from material- to people-driven. Looking forward, as economic, cultural, and institutional interactions propel the future social development, these factors would invariably steer the path of the tea and associated culture activities to shift from a product- into an icon-centered orientation.