Luoshuidong, Gaoshanzhai, and Manxiu
Heading northeast from Yiwu Old Street, the township road passes Manxiu, then Luoshuidong, then Mahei. These villages are only a few kilometers apart with connected gardens, and their tea used to be sold together as "Mahei tea." Only around 2008, when mountains began to be subdivided, did Luoshuidong, Gaoshanzhai, and Manxiu each get their own names, and each has since won awards at Yiwu's tea competitions.
How These Villages Relate to Mahei
Administratively, Luoshuidong and Manxiu both belong to the Mahei village committee of Yiwu Town, natural villages under the same administrative village as Mahei, Guafengzhai, and Daqishu. Gaoshanzhai is north of Yiwu, facing Manxiu across a mountain, and the tea world customarily discusses it together with Mahei and Luoshuidong as part of the same "Yiwu honey-fragrance belt."
Geographically, Luoshuidong's and Mahei's ancient gardens are practically stuck together: a road runs through the middle of the gardens, with Luoshuidong to the west and Mahei to the east. Before 2008, when the market didn't yet distinguish villages, this whole connected stretch of gardens, including Luoshuidong and Manxiu, was often sold under the "Mahei" name. So older "Mahei tea" may well have come from these villages. Mahei itself is introduced in The Villages of Yiwu: Mahei, Guafengzhai, Dingjiazhai, and Wangong.
Where Is Luoshuidong?
Luoshuidong (落水洞) lies to the west of Yiwu Town, about 8 kilometers from town and about 2 kilometers from the Mahei village committee. Local sources record its altitude as about 1,460 meters, with an average annual temperature of about 17°C and mist much of the year. The village is small; one account says just over 20 households and fewer than 100 people.
The origin of the name is vivid: the village is surrounded by mountains, shaped like a wok, and in the center of the village is a large hole that runs all the way to a distant river. Even in heavy rainy-season downpours, the water drains away through the hole and the village doesn't flood, hence "Luoshuidong" (the hole where water falls). The village's old name is said to have been Manluo.
There are two accounts of Luoshuidong's ethnicity: local-gazetteer-style introductions say it's a Yi village, while some tea-world articles describe it as a Han village. The safest understanding is that various ethnic groups have long lived intermingled in this area, and the village's makeup may have changed over time.
Luoshuidong once had a cultivated ancient tea tree regarded as Yiwu's pride, generally said to be over 800 years old; sadly, it died around 2017. The current ancient gardens are said to total about 2,000 mu, mostly ancient trees that have been pruned down.
Characteristics of Luoshuidong tea: Plump, dark green, downy leaves; a golden, clear liquor; honey notes with floral-fruity aromas, the aroma slightly deeper than Mahei's; a thick, glutinous, soft liquor with little harshness, clean and sweet on entry, with a fine, lively texture. Tea drinkers often compare them in one line: Luoshuidong is like a young girl, Mahei like a mature woman, one lively, the other gently soft. Luoshuidong has won the village category at several Yiwu tea competitions, including in 2013.
What Sets Gaoshanzhai Tea Apart?
Gaoshanzhai (高山寨) is north of Yiwu, about 9 kilometers from town. Its name ("high mountain village") comes from being built on a mountaintop wrapped in mist, but its actual altitude is said to be about 1,200 meters, not as high as the name suggests. The village is said to have about 140 households and over 430 people, Xiangtang people, a branch of the Yi; it's an entirely Yi village.
Gaoshanzhai's greatest distinction is its many unpruned ancient tea trees. Local lore has it that in the 1970s many villages cut down their tea trees to plant grain, but Gaoshanzhai's people left their gardens abandoned and went up the mountain to hunt, which ended up preserving the big trees; today, picking still means putting up ladders and climbing. The village's most famous plot is Bajiaolin, located in state-owned forest, with small output; even within Gaoshanzhai, ancient trees near the houses and ancient trees in the Bajiaolin state forest differ considerably in price.
Every spring, Gaoshanzhai's Yi elders carry offerings up the mountain and pay homage beneath the oldest tea king tree, praying for good weather and a smooth harvest.
The style of Gaoshanzhai tea: Dark, glossy dry leaves, thick and fleshy; a faint floral aroma and a bright yellow, clear liquor; sweet, mellow, and smooth on entry, with more cha qi than Mahei, quick salivation and huigan, and a lingering cup-bottom aroma. It combines Yiwu's softness with the strength of tall ancient trees.
Which Ethnic Group Lives in Manxiu?
Manxiu (曼秀) is a Han village under the Mahei village committee, in the northeast of Yiwu Town, about 3 kilometers from town and about 6 kilometers from Mahei, the closest of these villages to town. One account says it has over 50 households and about 200 people, at about 1,310 meters.
Manxiu's history is inseparable from the flourishing Qing tea trade: during the Qianlong reign, as demand for tribute tea from the Six Tea Mountains grew, merchants and tea people from Sichuan, Jiangxi, Shiping, and elsewhere came to Yiwu, and Manxiu took shape at that time. The Republican-era tea house "Tailaixiang" is said to have come from Manxiu. In the 1980s, Manxiu's old gardens were reworked into terraces and most trees were pruned down, but tea-making there still keeps traditional methods. In 2019, Manxiu won a gold award at a tea competition in the Yiwu area and drew renewed attention.
The style of Manxiu tea: Classic large-leaf, with grayish-brown, downy leaves; a golden liquor, a rich honey aroma often with floral-fruity notes; a fine, silky texture, almost no bitterness, slight astringency, and a lasting huigan. Tea drinkers say Manxiu "lives up to its name" (xiu, graceful): gentle and sweet.
How to Taste the Differences Between These Villages
These villages have similar styles, so they're clearest side by side: 6 grams each in a 110 ml gaiwan, boiling water, pouring off the first 3 infusions after 10 seconds. Pay attention to three things: whether the aroma lifts off the surface of the cup or sinks into the liquor (Luoshuidong leans deeper), how glutinous and thick the liquor is (most noticeable in Luoshuidong and Mahei), and how strong the cha qi and how fast the salivation (Gaoshanzhai is fuller). Basic gaiwan technique is covered in Brewing Pu'er in a Gaiwan: Leaf Amount, Water Temperature, and Steep Times.
FAQ
Where is Luoshuidong? In Yiwu Town, Mengla County, Yunnan, under the Mahei village committee, about 8 kilometers from town, with gardens separated from Mahei's by a road, at about 1,460 meters.
Which tastes better, Luoshuidong or Mahei? Their styles are similar, both of the Yiwu honey-fragrance type. Luoshuidong's aroma is slightly deeper and its liquor more glutinous; Mahei is sweet, smooth, and gently soft with a more lifting aroma. It comes down to personal taste.
Is Gaoshanzhai really that high? The name comes from being built on a mountaintop, but the village is said to sit at about 1,200 meters. What's special about it is its many unpruned ancient trees, not its altitude.
Which ethnic group lives in Manxiu? Manxiu is a Han village; most of its ancestors were tea people from elsewhere who came to Yiwu in the Qing dynasty to grow and make tea. Gaoshanzhai, by contrast, is home to the Xiangtang, a branch of the Yi.