Chaozhou ( 潮州)
Chaozhou is a city in the Chaoshan region, famous for Dancong Wulong and Gongfu brewing.Â
Name
- 潮 (pronounced Chao in Mandarin): means tides or waves.
- 州 (pronounced Zhou in Mandarin): means prefecture or district.
Home of Gongfu
Gongfu Cha is at the heart of Chaozhou’s culinary culture — a brewing method that emphasizes precision, ritual, and quality. While the precise origins of Gongfu brewing are debated, conventional wisdom traces it to the Chaoshan region, where it persists as a living tradition. The local approach, called “Chaozhou Style,” features a round Cha Pan (tea tray), often made of porcelain, used to catch excess water, with tea served in three small cups. The preferred brewing vessels are small, usually at 100ml or less, to achieve a concentrated water-to-leaf ratio.
But does everyone in Chaozhou brew their tea “Chaozhou Style”? In practice, there are as many Chaozhou “Styles” as there are tea drinkers. Everyone seems to remix it in their own way according to instruments available and personal preference. For example, some shops pour into a gong dao bei (fairness pitcher) rather than directly into cups. Further, while the Chaozhou style clay pots have their devotees, porcelain gaiwans are much more common There’s even variation in how water is handled — some boil it fresh each round, while others let it cool slightly between pours. These countless tiny differences emphasize for me the flexibility within the tradition, where individual practices bend the “rules.”
Visiting Chaozhou
In Chaozhou, tea is present for almost every interaction. When we checked into our hotel, the owner welcomed us with a tea session in the lobby, where Mi Lan Xiang was paired with peanuts and tiny preserved citrus peels, the sweet and the salt mixing perfectly. Even in unassuming places, tea is present. At a remote family restaurant on a mountainside near Fenghuang, we encountered three generations hard at work cooking and plating. After our meal, they invited us to see their basement, revealing a full-scale tea production setup, complete with machines, racks, and ovens.
Here are some must-see places when you visit:
-
Chaozhou Ancient City District: The streets are lined with a mix of tea shops, each offering something distinct. You’ll find wholesale markets with rows of metal canisters holding different dancong varieties, smaller spaces where you can brew your own tea, and brightly lit gift shops selling gift boxes of Ya Shi Xiang to tourists.
-
Fenghuang Town: About an hour from Chaozhou, you’ll find the heart of dancong production. While the local green bus shuttles travelers between Chaozhou and Fenghuang, taking a Didi offers quieter, more comfortable journey along the winding roads and fields where dancong bushes thrive.
