Three cups of tea, three colors and three aromas. Chaozhou Dancong is golden, Yingde black tea is ruby red and Zijin cicada tea is honey-orange. Together, they are the teas that best represent Guangdong's tea culture.
Fenghuang Dancong, grown on Fenghuang Mountain in Chaozhou, releases the rich aroma of its fresh leaves through repeated turning and roasting. It has even been presented to foreign leaders as a state gift.
Yinghong No. 9, produced in Yingde, Qingyuan, is a fully fermented black tea. Its fresh leaves go through withering, rolling, fermenting and drying, turning from green to red and developing their signature sweetness.
Zijin cicada tea is the most distinctive of the three: when small green leafhoppers pierce the tea buds, the plant responds by producing a floral, fruity and honeyed aroma.
These three teas, made in three different ways in three parts of Guangdong, are now finding their way across China and around the world.
From 2022 to 2025, Chaozhou exported 954.81 tonnes of tea, including Dancong, worth 448 million yuan ($67 million). In 2025, Yingde in Qingyuan produced 18,000 tonnes of dry tea, generating over 10.2 billion yuan in output value across the entire industrial chain. Zijin cicada tea plantations cover 90,000 mu (6,000 hectares), with total output exceeding 2.5 billion yuan and a brand value surpassing 3.5 billion yuan.
Many APEC member economies have deep tea-drinking traditions, and today Guangdong's "three teas" have woven their way into these diverse tea-drinking cultures.
In the spring of 2023, the leaders of China and France shared tea at Pine Garden in Guangzhou. Two tea pots sat on the table—one filled with Chaozhou Fenghuang Dancong and the other with Yingde black tea. Guangdong's tea culture was once again in the spotlight.
In November 2026, the 33rd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting will be held in Shenzhen, where Guangdong's "three teas" will greet even more guests.
Which cup would you like to taste first? Tell us in the comments.
Authors: Chen Rongwei, Guan Xiruyi, Li Qian, Gong Chunhui
Revisors: Huang Qini, Liu Lingzhi, Wei Shen
