Thanks to the unique physical geographic environment, Anxi has a long history of tea trees cultivation and tea making process. Indeed, Anxi has more than 1,000 years’ history of tea planting including the discovery of Tieguanyin plant 300 years ago and the creation of Oolong tea making techniques. Anxi Tieguanyin belongs to Dark Green Tea (also known as Oolong Tea), and it is categorized as semi-fermented tea.

During the long course of tea planting and making, Anxi has formed a complex agricultural system that focuses on the variety breeding and cultivation of Tieguanyin, pest/disease control, eco-system management of tea gardens, tealeaves plucking and making process, and relevant culture, etc. The System also owns ecosystem functions, for example, conserving water and soil, retaining water sources, accelerating nutrient cycling, and adjusting microclimates, etc.

In the construction and management courses of Anxi Tieguanyin Tea Culture System, thanks to the implementation of Tea Trees—Forest—Green Manure compound cultivation method, the rational construction of water conservancy facilities and transportation facilities, an organic combination of trees, herbs, fertilizers, water, and road was realized. Therefore, Anxi is a unique example of tea garden model with stable terrace wall, orderly terraces, and good capability of water and soil conservation.