Fujian Tea Export Trade

Timeline

1. c. 1581–1584Wuyi Mountain · Fujian ProvinceWuyi rock tea and Anxi Tieguanyin producing areas were harvested on a large scale in the spring tea season, processed through kill-green, rolling, and charcoal roasting into semi-fermented tea bricks and loose tea, then packed by grade by tea merchants awaiting shipment.
2. c. 1584–1587Yuegang · Fujian ProvinceAfter the Longqing maritime opening, Yuegang became a legal foreign-trade port; tea was shipped alongside porcelain and silk, the Zhangzhou prefecture tax office collected ship dues in silver, and Fujian, Portuguese, and Japanese merchants negotiated and concluded deals here.
3. c. 1587–1590Nagasaki · JapanFujian tea ships reached Nagasaki to supply Toyotomi-era consumption and Kyoto tea practitioners; some was transshipped via Portuguese great ships to Manila and resold to Europe, with tea export profits feeding back into the expansion of Fujian tea gardens and processing workshops.