what is the TOP 3 most widely brewed Gong Fu tea in China?

[LaybackPandas]

anyone know?

[Oni]

There are 3 main regions in china that produces oolong (nowdays it is 4 with taiwan) one is Anxi with Tie Guan Yin as most famous, Wu Yi rock oolongs with Da Hong Pao as most famous, and Guandong province, and the Chao Zhou people who consume Dancongs (over 40 diffrent variety) so I guess these are the 3.

[sp1key]

in china theres a big proportion of ppl who drinks tea without brewing it the proper gong fu style. They just brew it in a big pot

[Thirsty Daruma]

I always had the misconception that gong fu was a particular brewing style, not tailored to a certain style of tea. But I suppose Oolongs make sense for that.

Also, side question - I was at the Seattle Asian Art Museum and noticed that many statues of the Goddess of Mercy were in fact male in portrayal. Was there a shift in the gender of Guan Yin or is there just variety in his/her depiction in art?

[edkrueger]

I'd guess pu-erh is number one gong fu.

[swozt]

I always had the misconception that gong fu was a particular brewing style, not tailored to a certain style of tea. But I suppose Oolongs make sense for that.

Also, side question - I was at the Seattle Asian Art Museum and noticed that many statues of the Goddess of Mercy were in fact male in portrayal. Was there a shift in the gender of Guan Yin or is there just variety in his/her depiction in art?

Hi I am new to Tea Chat. Stumbled on to this great tea forum. I hope to expand my knowledge of tea from fellow tea drinkers.

You are right, there is only 1 "Gong Fu" tea brewing style.

The teas that are brewed gong fu style is normally Oolong, Pu-erh which are the 2 main umbrella group of chinese tea.

If you are using a Porcelain Gaiwan, then any type of tea can be done gong fu style as the porcelain does not absorb tea.

However if you are using a Zisha Teapot to brew tea, then only use it for Oolong and Pu-erh as they are stronger teas. A seasoned Zisha Teapot will enhance the taste of Oolong and Pu-erh. But brew only 1 type of tea consistently in a Zisha teapot so as not to mix flavours.

Side note: Yes, Guanyin is indeed a male but portrayed as a lady.

[Herb_Master]

well contrary to some of the ideas mentioned I believe that Gong Fu style brewing originated in ChaoZhou Guangdong and though adopted by higher quality tea drinkers all over China and other parts of the world it is (or something very similar) the common practice in ChaoZhou for every grade of tea be it DanCong, lower grades of Oolong or Black Tea in many grades. TeoChew especially comes to mind which has a large loyal following in Malaysia and other countries with large Guandong immigrant communities.

I would imagine the vast population of Guangdong would be consuming a truly huge amount of tea Gong Fu style.

[xuancheng]

Also, side question - I was at the Seattle Asian Art Museum and noticed that many statues of the Goddess of Mercy were in fact male in portrayal. Was there a shift in the gender of Guan Yin or is there just variety in his/her depiction in art?

Guanyin is generally thought to be the Chinese version of Avalokitesvara, Which is a bodhisattva originally portrayed as a male in India. After he was introduced in China, he gradually became female. There were still male versions of Guanyin in the Song dynasty in China.