How Did Dongfang Hong Get Its Name?
The East is Red
Dongfang Hong, often referred to in English as “The East is Red” tea, is a Dancong Wulong tea that stands out — not for its aroma but for the unusual story behind its name. Most Dancongs are named after their distinctive floral fragrances, with names like “Gardenia Aroma” and “Honey Orchid Aroma”. Dongfang Hong, however, breaks the pattern by carrying a name that evokes an era of Chinese history. Behind this unusual name lies the original producer, Wen Yongji (文永集), who sought to honor Chairman Mao Zedong with a tea gift from the Fenghuang Mountains.
To understand this name, let’s look beyond the tea world and into the cultural landscape of mid-century China. Let’s start with the characters themselves:
- 东方 (Dongfang) - The East
- 红 (Hong) - Red
You may recognize 东方 from other teas, such as Taiwan’s bug-bitten Dong Fang Mei Ren. 红 may be familiar too — think of Hong Cha (Red Tea), which most English speakers call “Black Tea”. Here, however, the “Red” is gesturing towards the Communist revolution and the leadership of Mao Zedong — think of “Red” as a shorthand for socialism, and the meaning becomes clear.
The phrase “The East is Red” was the title of a song that gained popularity in the 1940s. Set to the tune of an old folk song, “Sesame Oil” (and “White Horse Tune”), its rewritten lyrics were an ode to Mao. Decades later, the song would become an anthem of the Cultural Revolution, filling public spaces and heard daily on the radio.
东方红
Here is a translation of the song lyrics:
东方红，太阳升，
The East is red, the sun rises,
中国出了个毛泽东。
China has made a Mao Zedong.
他为人民谋幸福，
He works for the happiness for the people,
呼尔嗨哟，他是人民大救星！
Hooray, he is the great savior of the people!
毛主席，爱人民，
Chairman Mao loves the people,
他是我们的带路人，
He is our guide,
为了建设新中国，
For building a new China,
呼尔嗨哟，领导我们向前进！
Hooray, he leads us forward!
共产党，像太阳，
The Communist Party, like the sun,
照到哪里哪里亮。
Shines wherever it goes.
哪里有了共产党，
Wherever the Communist Party is,
呼尔嗨哟，哪里人民得解放！
Hooray, there, the people are liberated!
Now, let’s step back to 1955. During this period, China was reshaping its agricultural strategies, transitioning from small mutual aid teams—typically groups of 3-5 households sharing resources—into larger producer cooperatives that could encompass anywhere from 20 to 150 households. Wen Yongji (文永集), a respected tea producer who lived on Wudong Mountain, led a cooperative of farmers in crafting an exceptional batch of Huang Zhi Xiang Dancong, which he sent as a gift to Chairman Mao.
Later that year, Wen received a response from the Secretariat of the Central Committee’s General Office. While the letter expressed appreciation for the gesture, it also stated that the Central Committee had a strict policy against accepting gifts from the public. Politely, they asked that Wen not send anything again.
In honor of this moment, Wen renamed the original Huang Zhi Xiang tea tree Dongfang Hong, a name that now designates all trees propagated from cuttings of this original bush. The tea is unique in a world of teas named primarily after physical attributes and mythic origins. To my knowledge, this is one of the only teas named in commemoration of an event that took place in the 20th century that is still commonly enjoyed today. It’s a tea that captures not just the essence of its terroir but a bygone moment in history not far behind us.