Farmers pick tea leaves in Fuding, Fujian province. The processing of white tea starts with the harvest. Farmers should follow strict requirements such as don't pick leaves on rainy or frost days, don't pluck purple sprouts or slim tea leaves, nor pick overly mature or damaged leaves. [Photo / China Daily]

Once a tribute to emperors, it is now popular for its health benefits, Wang Jinhui reports.

The aroma of white tea fills the air. It is fresh, pure, light and mellow, intriguing tea lovers who wonder about the vast expanse of Dai-bai and Daffodil Bai tea trees that blossom in Fuding.

A center for the production of white tea, the city in the northeast of Fujian province is now marketing its precious natural gift as a luxury that evokes its past glory and brings future prosperity.

Surrounded by sea and mountains, coastal Fuding has a humid climate, fertile land and easy transport. Its white tea trade began some 1,200 years ago.

At that time, white tea was considered a royal tribute and treasure for emperors and noble lords.

In the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Fuding's silver-needle tea made from the high-quality harvest of Dai-bai tea trees was exported to some 39 countries and regions around the world.

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