I’m going to Fujian, in southeast China. In particular Wuyishan, a quarter to a half a million people call this city home. Likely much closer to a quarter million, but China isn’t very open with it’s stats. Wuyishan sits at the base of the Wuyi Mountains on the southwestern end of 36 peaks, some over 2,000 meters high. From Wuyishan it’s about 1,800 km east from Yunnan’s eastern border. This is almost exactly the distance from Seattle to LA. Yunnan is a large and climatically diverse province, but is often subject to large and sudden precipitation from monsoon weather with dry patches in between. Wuyishan of the Fujian province is in the rain shadow of the Wuyi Mountains and receives consistent moderate rain events adding up to even more rainfall than the PNW.
Wuyishan is known for famous daoist poets, ancient temples, beautiful scenery, and its unique tea. While tea from Yunnan is puer, tea of the Wuyi mountain range was once called bohea, now simply Wuyi tea.
This tea is known for its high mineral content and considerable Qi. The minerals come from the rocky soil through which C. sinensis grows. The strong Qi component, to me, indicates a possibly higher caffeine content or unique biochemical profile one or either of which provides the drinker with increased Qi, when compared to teas grown elsewhere.
I currently view Qi as a smooth, as opposed to jittery, energy when it comes to the effects of tea. This may change as I get to know the culture, plants, geographc areas, and myself a little better.