The sixth-generation direct descendant of Shi Guangling, the founder of Congou Black Tea
Shi Liqiang
Every type of Chinese tea carries cultural significance, but few teas encapsulate the vicissitudes of modern Chinese history like Shijia Gongfu Black Tea…
It once crossed the ocean to become a favorite of the British royal family, adorning the brilliant afternoon sun of Western Europe! It also suffered many calamities, nearly being lost, and was disrupted and destroyed during the War of Resistance against Japan; the Land Revolution also met its fate of being burned…
In those turbulent years, in those bleak days, Chinese Gongfu black tea—the world's most advanced tea-making technique, an unparalleled skill—was hidden away in the gaps of time...
The tea had a sweet aftertaste.
Life will eventually turn from bitterness to sweetness.
Shi Family Old Tea House: Fengtailong, a time-honored brand of black tea dating back to the Xianfeng era.
One of the Shi family's old residences
The following is an oral account by Hui Lan, daughter of Shi Liqiang, the sixth-generation direct descendant of Shi Guangling:
My grandfather's name is Shi Jikang. He is the fifth-generation inheritor of our Shi family's black tea. He learned about tea from my great-grandfather Shi Fulong (the chief judge of Chinese Gongfu black tea) when he was a child.
Our Shi family was classified as landlords. That year, my grandfather accepted his fate, accepted returning to his hometown for labor reform, accepted a child bride, and had to take care of my great-grandfather who was on his sickbed!
He had received a modern school education, and in an era when most people were illiterate, he was one of the few people with independent thought and awareness. That child bride was my grandmother, the daughter of the impoverished tea merchant Wang family in Tanyang Village.
My grandfather had a girlfriend in school. One was a young woman with whom he had shared a deep connection and progress, and the other was a girl with bound feet from a marriage between two wealthy tea merchant families. My grandfather's stubborn personality, coupled with the arrogance of an intellectual, naturally led him to despise such backward feudal ideas and look down on child brides.
But the great-grandfather was surprisingly fond of this daughter-in-law, thinking she was sensible, shrewd, and capable, and would definitely be able to help his son in his career in the future...
But that was a long time ago. The person who used a pen to write has now taken up tea leaves, and the proud intellectual has become a loving and devoted husband. Perhaps it was Grandma's virtue and kindness that gradually made Grandpa find his heart flutter.
Grandpa loved making and drinking tea. He drank it in the morning, at noon, whenever he was thirsty, and even before bed… In my memory, Grandpa never seemed to drink plain water. Once I asked him, “Why do you love drinking tea so much?”
"Because your grandma loves to drink it, I have to drink it with her." It turns out that the "I love you" that Grandpa never said in his life had long been kneaded into the tea leaves...
Bamboo boards used for withering tea leaves
My grandfather grew up studying and was physically weak. The hand that held a pen naturally struggled to lift a heavy hoe.
The family's food supply was never enough, and Great-Grandma often had to beg for rice from the neighbors. The intellectual, who held himself to high ideals and refused handouts, was spurred on by Great-Grandma's act of humbling herself to beg for food. This made Grandpa hate himself for being so useless, for not being able to cook his own food after all those years of studying… “As long as I have breath, why should my mother, a perfectly healthy person, have to beg for food?!”
In the days that followed, Grandpa got up very early every day, earlier than everyone else, to work in the fields. After finishing his farm work, he would rush home to start making tea, selecting the leaves, kneading them, fermenting them himself... doing everything by himself. "Hold on tight, rely on my own two hands, and things will surely turn out well after all this hardship..." I still remember Grandpa's words from that time.
Tea engineer Shi Jikang
These same hands, once used for writing poetry, toiled day and night in the fields and teahouses. It was thanks to these hands that the family was supported, until later, when the hands were hired as engineers at the black tea factory, allowing the family business to flourish once more…
Thanks to my grandfather for holding his breath and persevering through that most bleak era, he preserved Chinese Kung Fu Black Tea—the most advanced tea-making technique in the world, and the lifeblood of the Shi family's tea-making skills!
My grandfather's love for tea was the same as his love for my grandmother and great-grandmother; he dedicated his entire life to it, never saying much. When he passed away, our whole family offered three cups of fragrant, pure Shijia Hong tea at his grave…
A cup of Shijia black tea,
Six generations of perseverance and inheritance
Tanyang Shi Family Old Cannon Tower
One of the Shi family's old residences
My grandfather loved tea since he was a child, and his later studies were also in tea science. My father assisted my grandfather when he was young, and he was a latecomer to the field. He originally wanted to study medicine, but later my grandfather's health couldn't keep up, so he took over the art of tea making from my grandfather...
Huilan recounts how her father and grandfather made tea—
My grandfather and father are very similar in personality; they are both too stubborn. As a result, the father and son inevitably have some disagreements when it comes to tea making.
Once, some problems arose with the fermenting black tea, and Grandpa and Dad argued about whether to abandon the batch. Dad thought it could be salvaged, while Grandpa believed it should be discarded as tea dregs…
Grandpa got angry and said he didn't care about Dad anymore, "Do whatever you want," and went back to his room. But Grandpa couldn't really let go of his worries. He quietly slipped away to the tea factory, pointed out to Dad that his technique was wrong and his steps were incorrect, and then took over the operation himself, relieving Dad so he could go back and rest.
Later, this tea, imbued with the skills of two stubborn tea masters, finally made amends! Dad said he kept some of that tea for himself, so he could brew some when he missed Grandpa…
Grandpa and Dad also selected wild varieties with red hearts, red buds and red leaves from the wild population and cultivated a small tea garden called Red Rose!
This is a unique variety in the world; it has only been cultivated in the few acres of tea fields behind my house.
The world's only Shi family "Red Rose" tea garden
When you brew Red Rose tea, it lives up to its name, with a rich aroma. After drinking it, you feel as if your soul has been captivated by this bowl of Red Rose. Such a subtle taste can only be found in our Shi family...
Wine and meat pass through the intestines
Only tea transforms into the fragrance of the soul.
My great-grandfather, Shi Guangling, was one of the founders of Gongfu black tea and a national capitalist. He pioneered a path for black tea to be exported to Britain.
The aroma of Shi Family Black Tea wafted across the European continent, reaching even the British royal family and nobility. From then on, the morning glow of the mountain village illuminated the western afternoon sun!
Our small mountain village is famous all over the world because of our black tea!
At that time, the village had a population of 40,000 to 50,000, and the prosperity of the city was happening here at the same time!
The whole village is prosperous and kind-hearted. Even beggars come to our village to ask for money. I heard that they usually use tea tree branches, string some copper coins on them and tie them to the branches. It is said that they will make auspicious and pleasant sounds!
My ancestor, Shi Guangling, built a beggar's pavilion for them, giving them shelter from the sun and rain. Though it didn't provide countless mansions, it still brought joy to all the beggars of the vast ocean...
Unlike those wealthy people who indulge in debauchery, the wealthy people here are all tea lovers who cultivate their character and have a kind and gentle spirit in their souls!
Wine and meat pass through the intestines, but tea becomes the fragrance of the soul!
Our family's traditional black tea, passed down through generations, is the highest quality black tea still existing in the world to this day...
The Shi family has long since integrated this black tea into the blood and soul of every generation!
Shi Family Red Rose Tea Garden
