--- title: "Oolong tea in China: Tieguanyin, Da Hong Pao and the rest" url: https://popularinchina.com/culture/chinese-tea/oolong section: "Culture" type: answer updated: 2026-11-01 next_review: 2027-02-01 status: checked author: "The Popular in China desk" publisher: Popular in China (https://popularinchina.com) license: Quote with attribution and a link to https://popularinchina.com/culture/chinese-tea/oolong --- # Oolong tea in China: Tieguanyin, Da Hong Pao and the rest _Oolong is the tea between green and black: partly oxidised, often roasted, and brewed again and again in small pots. It is under a tenth of China’s tea output, but its names, Tieguanyin and Da Hong Pao above all, are among the most famous in Chinese tea. Here is what it is, where it comes from and what the science says._ **Verdict: Small share, big names** (乌龙茶) — A specialty of Fujian and Guangdong, drunk in small cups, many rounds at a time ## Short answer Oolong (乌龙茶, wūlóng chá, ‘black dragon tea’) is a partly oxidised tea, sitting between green and black. It comes mainly from Fujian, Guangdong and Taiwan. China’s best known are Anxi Tieguanyin and Wuyi rock teas such as Da Hong Pao. It made up 9.61% of China’s tea output in 2025. ## At a glance - **What it is:** Partly oxidised tea, one of China’s six tea categories; oxidation ranges from about 8% to 85% by style - **Chinese name:** 乌龙茶 wūlóng chá, ‘black dragon tea’ - **Share of China’s tea:** 9.61% of 3.64 million tonnes in 2025, roughly 350,000 tonnes - **Famous kinds:** Anxi Tieguanyin; Wuyi rock teas incl. Da Hong Pao; Phoenix Dancong; Taiwan high-mountain and milk oolong - **Where:** Anxi and Wuyishan in Fujian, Chaozhou in Guangdong, central Taiwan - **Caffeine:** About 4–29 mg per 200 ml in one lab study, depending on water temperature and steeping time - **How it’s drunk:** Gongfu style: small pot or gaiwan, lots of leaf, many short infusions ## What oolong tea is All true tea comes from the same plant, Camellia sinensis. What separates the categories is processing. [Green tea](/culture/chinese-tea/green-tea) is barely oxidised; [black tea](/culture/chinese-tea/black-tea) is fully oxidised. Oolong is partly oxidised and sits between them. The leaves are withered, then shaken or tossed so the edges bruise and oxidise, then heated to stop the process, rolled and dried, often over charcoal. Britannica gives oxidation of roughly one to two hours, against two to four for black tea. The result varies enormously. Depending on style, oxidation runs from about 8% to 85%: a light, green-looking Tieguanyin and a dark, roasted Da Hong Pao are both oolong. The Chinese name, 乌龙 (wūlóng), means ‘black dragon’, and nobody agrees on why; one theory is the dark, long, curled leaves. Anxi’s official description sums up the aim: the richness of black tea and the fragrance of green tea, without green tea’s bitterness or black tea’s astringency. China recognises six tea categories, green, yellow, dark, white, oolong and black. In 2025 oolong made up 9.61% of China’s 3.64 million tonnes of dry tea, roughly 350,000 tonnes by our calculation, far behind green tea at 59.03%. In 2022 the techniques and customs behind them were inscribed by UNESCO on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Sources: [1][2][3][4][5][7] ## The main kinds of oolong Four areas account for the famous names, two of them in Fujian: Anxi in the south-east and Wuyishan in the north-west. [4][6][8][10][13][14][15][16] | Tea | Chinese | Where | What it is like | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Tieguanyin (Iron Goddess of Mercy) | 铁观音 Tiěguānyīn | Anxi county, Quanzhou, Fujian | Known for ‘green leaves with red edges’ and an orchid fragrance. Comes in lighter ‘clean-aroma’ and roasted ‘heavy-flavour’ styles. | | Wuyi rock tea | 武夷岩茶 Wǔyí yánchá | Wuyishan city, northern Fujian | Charcoal-baked; leaves green in the centre and red at the edges, with a mineral ‘rock charm’ and floral fragrance. Types: Da Hong Pao, Rougui, Shuixian, famous bushes (Mingcong) and others. | | Da Hong Pao (Big Red Robe) | 大红袍 Dà Hóng Páo | Wuyishan, Fujian | The most famous Wuyi rock tea. Today’s market tea comes from propagated bushes, not the original ‘mother trees’. | | Phoenix Dancong | 凤凰单丛 Fènghuáng Dāncóng | Fenghuang town, Chao’an, Chaozhou, Guangdong | Strip-style leaves, called ‘the perfume of tea’; flavours that naturally recall orange blossom, orchid, grapefruit or almond. | | High-mountain oolong | 高山茶 gāoshān chá | Central Taiwan, above 1,000 m (Alishan, Lishan, Yushan, Dayuling) | Grown in the mountains of Nantou and Chiayi; aromas likened to jasmine, rose and geranium. | | Milk oolong (Jin Xuan) | 金萱 Jīnxuān | Taiwan; also Thailand | Cultivar No. 12 from the early 1980s with a natural milky, buttery note. Some products are flavoured instead. | Wuyi also produces Shui Jin Gui, Tieluohan and Bai Jiguan; Taiwan also makes Dong Ding, Baozhong and Oriental Beauty. ## Tieguanyin: Anxi’s ‘Iron Goddess’ Tieguanyin (铁观音), the ‘Iron Goddess of Mercy’, comes from Anxi county in southern Fujian. Its official geographical-indication specification says the tea was found in the Yongzheng era of the Qing dynasty, about 280 years ago, and that Anxi created its oolong between 1725 and 1735. ‘Anxi Tieguanyin’ has been a protected geographical-indication product since 8 July 2004, and in 2020 it was among the first products protected under the China–EU geographical-indication agreement. The leaves are picked, sunned, cooled, rocked, fixed, rolled and baked: the national intangible-heritage description counts ten steps of initial processing and six of refining, all aimed at the ‘green leaves with red edges’ look and orchid scent. In 2022 the UN Food and Agriculture Organization listed Anxi’s tea system as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System, noting more than 1,000 years of tea growing in the county. Britannica repeats the folklore that Tieguanyin was harvested by trained monkeys and kept for the emperor. Treat that as a story. Sources: [3][6][7][8][9] ## Wuyi rock tea and Da Hong Pao Wuyishan, in northwest Fujian, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and calls itself the birthplace of rock tea (岩茶, yánchá), named for the cliffs and rocky soil its bushes grow in. Fujian’s provincial government says Wuyi masters refined the craft around the 17th century and pioneered oolong-making; Anxi’s official specification makes the same claim for itself. ‘Wuyi Yan Cha’ has been a protected geographical indication since 8 March 2002, covering the whole of Wuyishan city. The prized quality is 岩骨花香 (yángǔ huāxiāng), ‘rock bone, floral fragrance’. Da Hong Pao (大红袍, ‘Big Red Robe’) is its star. Legend says a scholar was cured by the tea, came first in the imperial examination and draped his red robe over the bushes in thanks. Six so-called mother trees survive on a cliff at Jiulongyu; since 2006 picking from them has been banned. The Da Hong Pao you can buy comes from propagated bushes and is priced on quality. The technique was put on China’s first national intangible-heritage list in 2006. Sources: [10][11][12][13][21] ## How Chinese people drink oolong Oolong is the tea of [gongfu brewing](/culture/chinese-tea/gongfu-tea): a small teapot or gaiwan, a lot of leaf, and round after round of tiny cups. Chaozhou gongfu tea, with its typical set of a teapot and three cups rinsed with boiling water between rounds, is a heritage practice, and Phoenix Dancong is its indispensable tea. Across China, UNESCO notes, tea is how guests are greeted at home, at work, in teahouses, restaurants and temples, and at weddings. Sources: [5][14] ## How to brew oolong tea - **Water:** hot but not always boiling, about 80–95 °C. - **Vessel:** a small gaiwan or Yixing clay pot, with more leaf than you would use for a mug. - **Time:** short steeps, repeated many times (gongfu style), or one longer steep of 1 to 5 minutes in a Western pot. - **Caffeine control:** in a 2025 lab study, oolong was the only tea whose caffeine changed significantly with water temperature, so cooler water and shorter steeps mean less caffeine. Sources: [4][17] ## Oolong tea caffeine compared Caffeine depends on the leaf and how you brew it, so treat these as ranges, not labels. [17][18] | Drink | Caffeine | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Oolong, 200 ml, 80 °C for 2 min | About 4 mg | Ayakdaş and Ağagündüz, Foods (2025) | | Oolong, 200 ml, 100 °C for 10 min | About 29 mg | Ayakdaş and Ağagündüz, Foods (2025) | | Brewed green tea, 237 ml | 29 mg | Mayo Clinic | | Brewed black tea, 237 ml | 48 mg | Mayo Clinic | | Brewed coffee, 237 ml | 96 mg | Mayo Clinic | Mayo Clinic says up to 400 mg of caffeine a day appears safe for most adults; anyone pregnant, trying to conceive or breastfeeding should ask a health professional. > **Warning: Oolong tea benefits: what the evidence actually shows** > > Oolong contains polyphenols that change during processing, and moderate tea drinking has been linked with benefits for diabetes and obesity. But a 2022 scientific review of oolong’s health effects says the promising results come mainly from animal studies, and calls for large randomised, placebo-controlled trials in people. > > Human evidence is mostly observational. A 2022 case-control study in Fujian found oolong drinkers had lower odds of oral cancer, but such studies cannot prove cause and effect. Oolong is not a weight-loss treatment or a cure; too much caffeine can cause nervousness, insomnia and stomach upset. Sources: [3][19][20] ## Questions **What is oolong tea?** A Chinese tea made from partly oxidised Camellia sinensis leaves, between green tea (barely oxidised) and black tea (fully oxidised). It is one of China’s six tea categories and is made mainly in Fujian, Guangdong and Taiwan. The name 乌龙 (wūlóng) means ‘black dragon’. **Is oolong tea green tea?** No. Oolong and green tea come from the same plant, but green tea is barely oxidised while oolong is partly oxidised, from about 8% to 85% depending on the style. **How much caffeine is in oolong tea?** It varies with the leaf and the brew. One 2025 lab study measured about 4 mg per 200 ml for a 2-minute steep at 80 °C and about 29 mg for 10 minutes at 100 °C. For comparison, Mayo Clinic lists 29 mg for a cup of green tea, 48 mg for black tea and 96 mg for brewed coffee. **What are the benefits of oolong tea?** Oolong contains antioxidant polyphenols, and tea drinking has been linked with benefits for diabetes and obesity. But the research on oolong itself comes mostly from animal and observational studies; scientists say proper human trials are still needed. Enjoy it as a drink, not a medicine. **What is Tie Guan Yin tea?** Tieguanyin (铁观音, ‘Iron Goddess of Mercy’) is China’s best-known rolled oolong, from Anxi county in Fujian. It is famous for an orchid fragrance and ‘green leaves with red edges’, and comes in lighter fragrant and darker roasted styles. Anxi Tieguanyin is a protected geographical-indication product. **What is Da Hong Pao tea?** Da Hong Pao (大红袍, ‘Big Red Robe’) is the most famous Wuyi rock tea, a dark, charcoal-roasted oolong from the Wuyi Mountains in Fujian. The six original ‘mother trees’ on a cliff at Jiulongyu are no longer picked; the Da Hong Pao on sale comes from propagated bushes. **What is Wuyi rock tea?** Oolong grown and made in Wuyishan, northern Fujian, among cliffs and rocky soil. It is a protected geographical indication covering Da Hong Pao, Rougui, Shuixian, famous bushes and other local types, all charcoal-baked and prized for a mineral ‘rock’ character. **What is milk oolong? Does it contain milk?** Milk oolong usually means Jin Xuan (金萱), a cultivar developed in Taiwan in the early 1980s whose leaves naturally give a milky, buttery note. It contains no milk. Some products are flavoured with additives, so check whether the seller says natural or flavoured. **What is high mountain oolong?** Gaoshan (高山) tea: oolongs grown above 1,000 metres in the mountains of central Taiwan, such as Alishan, Lishan, Yushan and Dayuling. **How do you brew oolong tea?** Use water at about 80–95 °C, a small teapot or gaiwan and plenty of leaf, and pour off short infusions many times over. In a Western pot, steep for 1 to 5 minutes. Cooler water and shorter steeps give less caffeine. ## Sources 1. [Sohu, reporting the China Tea Marketing Association’s 2025 China tea production and sales report (shares of the six categories, in Chinese)](https://www.sohu.com/a/1007386459_307138) — accessed 2026-11-01 2. [Beijing News, China Tea Marketing Association 2025 report: 3.6403 million tonnes of dry tea (in Chinese)](https://www.bjnews.com.cn/detail/1787919440129036.html) — accessed 2026-11-01 3. 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(Da Hong Pao mother trees, 2006 harvest ban)](https://www.goldthread2.com/food/da-hong-pao-worlds-most-expensive-tea/article/3123090) — accessed 2026-11-01 ## Related - https://popularinchina.com/culture/chinese-tea - https://popularinchina.com/culture/chinese-tea/gongfu-tea - https://popularinchina.com/culture/chinese-tea/white-tea - https://popularinchina.com/culture/chinese-tea/green-tea - https://popularinchina.com/culture/chinese-tea/black-tea --- Canonical page: https://popularinchina.com/culture/chinese-tea/oolong