A cup of fine tea passed down through six generations
F.T.L. 豐泰隆 and Dayatang 大雅堂 are our two brands —rooted together, bound by a single lineage.
Since 1851, Feng Tai Long is a long-established national brand. A fine cup of tea, six generations of dedication and inheritance. Feng Tai Long is the most complete and clearly defined brand in the lineage of the "Tanyang Gongfu Tea Making Technique." From the Xianfeng to the Guangxu periods, Feng Tai Long employed approximately 300 workers, exporting 20,000 boxes and producing about 3,000 dan (a unit of weight) of refined tea annually, establishing its position in the global black tea trade. Its refined tea became a special supplier to the British Royal Family and was auctioned as an oriental luxury item in major auction houses in more than ten countries, writing a legendary chapter of oriental tea culture in the Victorian-era European courts. Textual Research >
The first generation of Shi Guangling (September 9, 1827 – April 4, 1893)
Statue of Shi Guangling
Founder of Fung Tai Loong
and One of the Founders of Tan Yang Congou Black Tea
Shi Guangling was the founder of "Fengtailong" and one of the founders of Tanyang Gongfu black tea, a pioneer of modern Chinese tea industry. He opened up the maritime tea route for Fujian black tea.
It pioneered the double-smoking method and, due to its superior quality, became a supplier of tea to Queen Victoria's royal family. It entered auction houses as an oriental luxury item. Textual Research >
Special Congou
from Fung Tai Loong (Fukien)
processed with double smoking technique,
200 chests
for Jubilee banquet service.
The original text of the 1888 entry in the "Royal Procurement Record" reads: "Double-smoked Congou from Fuhkien, mark FTL-DS, 30 chests for Windsor Castle, retained in the Annual Provision List." 30 chests: approximately 1.5-1.8 tons. Textual Research >
"Fengtailong" smoked black tea, as an oriental luxury item, has entered the world's top auction houses.
The second generation Shi Changying and Shi Changxun; the third generation Shi Shoujun and Shi Shoutang.
Inheriting the glory of our ancestors, we have innovated the "Maritime Silk Road Grading System," promoting the standardized grading of Chinese black tea to the international stage. This has made Feng Tai Long renowned worldwide.
The technical standards of the "Maritime Silk Road Grading System" (Special Grade/Grade 1/Grade 2) were later incorporated into the "London Tea Trade Code" of 1883.
Global footprint: A network of agents in 21 international ports. Fengtailong's smoked black tea, as an oriental luxury item, has entered top auction houses in over a dozen countries worldwide. Global trade is conducted in countries including the UK, France, Singapore, the Netherlands, Australia, Russia, the US, Germany, and Japan. Textual Research >
The 1889 LS 4/132 British National Archives records of the Lord Steward's Office show:
"Expenditure on purchasing Fengtailong double-smoked black tea accounts for 17% of Oriental Tea's budget."
Its unit price was 2.3 times that of ordinary black tea at the same time.
The fourth generation, Shi Zuofan (courtesy name Fulong) (1895-1972)
The tea-making workshop of Fung Tai Loong.
It is of great significance in the history of tea-making.
And it has now been listed as a national-level cultural relic in China.
Shi Zuofan (style name: Fulong), great-grandson of Shi Guangling, was a founder of modern China's tea industry and the first Chief Tea Evaluator of the state-run Fu'an Tea Refining Factory.
He systematically established the modern black tea evaluation system, trained the first group of Chinese tea experts to go abroad, and authored Essentials of Minhong Black Tea Refining, still a classic textbook in tea science.
Key contributions:
He formulated industry standards for China's black tea sector;
Innovated the “stepwise fermentation method”;
During a difficult period, he risked his life to preserve traditional tea-making techniques.
In 2021, the Tanyang Congou Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center posthumously recognized him as the “Founder of the Modern Black Tea Refining System.”
The fifth generation, Shi Jikang (1928-2015)
Shi Jikang was a tea engineer who served as the head of the technical section of the state-owned Tanyang Tea Factory. During a special period, due to his family background, he was sent to the countryside for labor reform.
At that time, the traditional Chinese black tea making technique was on the verge of being lost. Shi Jikang packed his ancestral "Secret Essentials of Scenting" in fertilizer bags and buried it under the foundation of his old house. Every year after the plum rain season, he would dig it out to dry and prevent moisture. In the winter of 1969, Shi Jikang used an oxcart to hide six boxes of old tools engraved with the words "Fengtailong" in an abandoned kiln on the north slope of Baiyun Mountain.
In 1980, Shi Jikang handed over 27 sets of tea-making tools, which are now on display at the Tanyang Gongfu Intangible Cultural Heritage Museum. In 2017, experts discovered a hand-drawn "treasure map" from 1969 and a book titled "Secrets of Scenting Tea" among his belongings. Shi Jikang protected these tools with his life, ensuring that the Gongfu tea culture could be passed down from generation to generation. Textual Research >
Sixth generation Shi Liqiang
Shi Liqiang is a representative inheritor of the traditional techniques for making Tanyang Gongfu black tea and an innovator in the tea industry in the 21st century.
Over the course of 20 years, he cultivated a new tea variety called Dayatang Red Rose (Guanxianghong) with independent intellectual property rights, which was awarded the Plant Variety Rights Certificate by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People's Republic of China, with the right number CNA20184364.8 and certificate number 2023026927.
The intangible cultural heritage tea products supervised by Shi Liqiang set a record for contemporary black tea at a charity auction held by the Soong Ching Ling Foundation, fetching 450,000 yuan per box. CCTV's "Science and Education Channel" and "Discovery" programs featured the product in special reports.
Crown Fragrance Red and Double Smoking Method – The Oriental Flavor Code Flowing in Our Genes
Six generations have safeguarded the heritage of tea flavor through a double-smoking process (0.8% theaflavins) and the use of the "Crown Fragrance Red" variety (85% purple buds). Royal tribute tea (1887 Golden Jubilee Tea List) and global evidence (a 1908 Singapore tea box) attest to 174 years of cultural depth. From premium prices at London auctions to contemporary sales of 450,000 RMB per box, this tea continues the legacy of Eastern tea culture through traditional charcoal roasting and innovative genetic engineering. [Cultural Heritage Verification]