黄茶：如何面对人生的起落沉浮？

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老桑说

每次喝黄茶的时候，

我一定会记得它鼓舞人心的故事。

人生总会有起起落落，

但到最后，事情都会好起来的!

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「  朋友，你好，我是老桑。」

黄茶，大多数人都未曾听说过。然而那些听说过的人可能还从未品尝过它。那些尝过的人可能并不完全理解它。但是，黄茶是中国的六大茶类之一。尽管黄茶在茶叶排行榜上占有一席之地，但对很多人来说，黄茶仍然有着一种神秘感。

中国六大茶类分别是：白茶、绿茶、黄茶、乌龙茶、红茶和黑茶。在中国，我们最熟悉的是绿茶，而在美国，人们主要喝红茶。但是，茶类介于其间的则是一种罕见的茶：黄茶。

为了能够对这种神秘的茶有更多的了解，我近期来到了黄茶的原产地：君山岛，它隶属于洞庭湖以北的湖南省岳阳市。在一个雾蒙蒙的早晨，我登上一艘小船从附近的岳阳市出发，前往这个青螺状的小岛。掩映在芦苇荡和郁郁葱葱的植被之间，君山岛让我感受到这是一个寻访茶叶的绝妙之地。

君山岛

传说在公元前22世纪，舜帝二妃在途径君山岛时留下了三颗茶籽。这些由僧侣种植的种子成为了今日岛上茶树的祖先。后来在1781年，乾隆皇帝在他下江南时品尝了君山岛的茶叶，并下诏岁贡十八斤。

君上岛上的茶园

“黄色”在中国文化中有许多积极的寓意，例如它代表着炎黄子孙，帝王的颜色以及黄金的财富。黄茶中就包含了许多这些的特点，因为它代表着卓越的茶文化，贵族的品味，以及因其产量稀有而带来的高价值。的确，喝黄茶是最好的享受。

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黄茶类似于绿茶，因为它也会经历采摘、杀青、揉捻和干燥的工序。然而，在揉捻和干燥之间还有一个额外的步骤，称为“闷黄”。在此步骤中，茶会被包在牛皮纸里然后放置在陶瓷大桶里1 - 2天。此时，树叶开始变黄。

君山岛上只有一个茶叶加工厂，它隶属于湖南君山银针茶业公司。在那里，我拜访了茶叶大师高孝祖先生，正是他将“闷黄”的秘密传承延续。他说，关于黄茶生产的报道很少，并解释了他是如何传承这一非物质文化遗产的。

老桑与高师傅 

高师傅说他自己只是历代以来众多发展精进“闷黄”工艺茶叶大师中的一员。它的历史可以追溯到十三代人以前，而高师傅现在有了自己的学生，他们将继承这一传统。

“闷黄”赋予了黄茶特有的滋味。黄茶口感柔滑，滋味甘甜，汤色明亮纯净，馥郁芬芳。而发生在最后的木炭缓慢干燥步骤之前的“闷黄”工艺， 则是一种温和的氧化过程，有助于去除掉“青草”的味道以及其他绿茶中所出现的astringency（涩味）。

在中国的茶叶界，黄茶的特点是“黄汤黄,叶甜爽醇”而黄茶的第一泡所呈现出的是一种强烈的花香，之后的几泡会从板栗香过渡到陈香。总之，有很多变化，当然只有你亲自沏泡并饮用黄茶后才能形成属于自己的感受!

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黄茶可以由芽或芽和叶混合而成。但比如君山银针的制作只采芽尖。其他的芽-叶混合茶叶则被称为黄茶毛尖，它分为两种等级：一芽一叶制成的黄小茶和一芽两叶或一芽三叶所制成的黄大茶。它们都经过了类似的生产过程，包括关键的“闷黄”工艺。

“银针”字面意思指代的是银色的针，这指的是针状芽自然地生长覆盖上的一层柔和的白色绒毛。君山银针和白毫银针是不同的，白毫银针是一种福鼎生产的白茶，它同样也只采用芽尖来制作。

并非所有的君山黄茶都来自君山岛。岳阳六县出产的任何一种黄茶都可以冠以这些黄茶的名字。中国的其他地方也生产黄茶，比如来自安徽的霍山黄芽和产自四川的蒙顶黄芽。

君山银针体验园

此外，并非所有的君山茶都是黄茶。例如，君山毛尖是绿茶。所以这就是为什么要仔细阅读标签，从可靠的供应商那里购买茶叶，了解自己买的是哪种茶，以及它实际上是在哪里采摘和加工的重要所在。

方圆1平方公里的君山岛，冬季常常为雾气所enshroud（笼罩）而夏季则为云层所遮盖，这为茶叶生长提供了独特的生态环境。岛内只有20%的面积生长着茶树，每年岛上只出产大约1000斤的君山银针。

在君山银针茶业公司欣赏黄茶

由于要买到真正的君山银针并不总是那么容易，我们只好满足于其他品种的黄茶。你可以试着喝点其他地域出产的芽茶，或是品尝例如黄茶毛尖这样的芽和叶均有的茶叶品种。黄茶也有的被制成压饼，然后进行储藏，根据生产日期的不同，这种茶的口感甚至会更加顺滑。

黄茶茶饼

“

黄茶对健康非常有益。它最有名的功效就是养胃、润肺、降糖。

”

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沏泡君山银针的最好的方式是在透明的玻璃杯里(在240ml的玻璃杯里放上3-5g茶叶)。茶叶在稳定之前会在玻璃杯里上下起伏，这就是所谓的“三起三落”。虽然不是严格限制在三次，它的沉浮起落就好像是对我们日常生活中遇到的波峰与波谷的一种隐喻。

所以黄茶可以激励我们克服困难然后走向成功。它教会我们不怕困难，积极进取。如果现在你感觉自己正在“下降”，但只要保持自己的志向，迟早就能站起来。如果你现在处于事业的巅峰，一定要做好“跌倒”的准备，因为可能早晚有一天你会经历挫折。

君山银针的黄汤

但最终，这些起落都是暂时的。它们是生活的一部分，总的来说，你依然是在进步。这是一条曲折的线，并非直线。就像股市一样。虽然股市多年来一直在增值，但在这个过程中也经历着剧烈的波动。沏泡新鲜的君山银针让我联想起了这一现象。

黄茶的发现本身就是一个奇迹。虽然君山绿茶的品质也很好，但“闷黄”的工艺将这种茶提升到了一个更高的水平，使它们区别于其他的茶叶品种。这让我想起了那句话:“办法总比困难多“。所以如果你知道自己正处于”低位“，那就应该清楚必然有一条”道路“能让你跳脱出这种处境。

君山银针与君山毛尖

在英语中，我们说“需要是发明之母“。托马斯·爱迪生(Thomas Edison)可能会同意这一点，因为他当时对市场的需求有着敏锐的感觉，而且他一生都在以发明家的身份提出帮助人们解决“困难”的“方法”。“事实上，他对现代工业综合性的创造仍然塑造着当今世界。

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茶文化有许多神奇之处，其中的一个就是茶文化反映着我们自己的生命周期。如果你情绪低落，需要激励，那就想想君山银针吧。当茶叶上下起落时，它最终会成就一杯ethereal（沁人心脾）的好茶。同样，你的起起落落也会磨练你的性格，把你带到一个更高的境界——让你成为一个更好的人。

不同的人会体会到茶叶相异的味道，这让客观的表述非常的困难。此外，我们情绪的状态也会影响我们如何感知喝到的茶。打个比方，我们的品味和情绪会影响自己看待问题的方式：那么你会把他们看作是stumble（绊）脚石还是垫脚石呢?

老桑在君山岛上的古树区

我的朋友，君山岛之旅使coveted（梦寐以求的）君山银针茶给我留下了深刻的印象。虽然我不会每天都喝这种茶，但每次喝黄茶的时候，我一定会记得它鼓舞人心的故事。人生总会有起起落落，但到最后，事情都会好起来的!

本文部分图片来源网络。

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English

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Yellow Tea: rolling with the punches

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「 Hello, my friend！

I'm John Smagula. 」

Yellow tea. Most people haven’t heard of it. And those who have probably haven’t tried it. And those who have tried it may not fully understand it. Yet yellow tea is one of the six basic types of tea. Despite its status on the tea honor roll, yellow tea remains a curiosity for many.

There are six basic kinds of tea: white, green, yellow, oolong, black, and dark. In China, we’re most familiar with green tea, whereas in the United States we drink mostly black tea. Yet tucked in the middle is a rare tea with a very limited production: yellow tea.

To learn more about this mysterious tea, I visited its place of origin: Junshan Island, located in Dongting Lake north of Changsha, Hunan. On a misty morning, I boarded a small boat from nearby Yueyang and headed to this snail-shaped island. Surrounded by extensive reed marshes and covered with lush vegetation, Junshan Island struck me as a magnificent place to find tea.

Junshan Island

Legend has it that 22nd century BC Emperor Shun’s second imperial consort was passing through Junshan and left three tea bush seeds. Cultivated by monks, these seeds gave rise to the ancestors of the island’s tea bushes today. Later in 1781, Emperor Qianlong tried Junshan tea as he was traveling through the south, and he issued an edict making it a tribute tea.

 Junshan Island Tea Field 

“Yellow” in Chinese culture has many positive references, indicating a common ancestry, imperial colors, and the wealth of gold. Many of these characteristics are embodied in yellow tea, as it is a combination of superior Chinese tea skills, noble taste, and high value due to its rarity. Indeed, to drink yellow tea is to indulge in the best.

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Yellow tea is similar to green tea, as it goes through a similar process of plucking, blanching, rolling, and heating. Yet in between rolling and heating there is an additional step, called “sealing the yellow” or menhuang. During this step, the tea is wrapped in paper and set in ceramic vats for intervals of 1-2 days. Here, the leaves start to turn yellow. 

There is one tea processing plant on Junshan Island, owned by the Hunan Junshan Yinzhen Tea Company. There, I visited with tea master Gao Xiaozu, who is the keeper of the menhuang secrets. He said that little is written about yellow tea production and explained how he is preserving this priceless intangible cultural heritage.

John and Master Gao

Master Gao said he is one of a long line of tea masters who have developed and perfected the menhuang process. Going back 13 generations, Gao now has his own students who will carry on the tradition. 

Menhuang gives yellow tea is characteristic taste. Yellow tea is smooth and aromatic with a sweet, clean, and bright taste and a medium body. The gentle oxidation that occurs during the menhuang step before the final slow charcoal drying is said to remove the “grassy” taste and astringency found in some green teas.

In Chinese tea circles, yellow tea is characterized as “yellow liquor, yellow leaf, sweet and refreshing, pure and mild”. Yellow tea’s first infusion is often intensely floral, and then can go from nutty to aged in later infusions. All in all, there are many variations, and you can only brew and drink to come up with your own descriptions! 

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Yellow tea can be made in a combination of leaves and buds. Junshan Yinzhen is made only from buds. Otherwise, bud-and-leaf teas, called Yellow Maojian, comes in two grades: “small” yellow tea made from one leaf and a bud and “large” yellow tea made from two or three leaves and a bud. They all go through a similar production process, including the key menhuang step.

Yinzhen means silver needle, which refers to the needle-shaped buds that are naturally covered with a fine, downy white hair. Junshan Yinzhen should not be confused with Baihao Yinzhen, which is a white tea from Fuding that is also made exclusively from buds.

Not all Junshan yellow teas are from Junshan Island. Yellow teas produced in any of Yueyang’s six counties can all carry these yellow tea names. And then other places in China produce yellow tea, such as Huoshan Huangya from Anhui and Mengding Huangya from Sichuan.

 Junshan Yinzhen Tea Processing Plant 

Moreover, not all Junshan tea is yellow tea. For example, Junshan Maojian is a green tea. This is why it’s important to carefully read the labels and purchase tea from reliable vendors to know what kind of tea you are buying and where it is actually harvested and processed.

The 1 km-square Junshan Island is frequently enshrouded in mist during the winter and clouds in the summer, providing a unique ecosystem for tea to grow. As only 20% of the island has tea bushes, only about 500 kg of Junshan Yinzhen is produced on the island in any year.

 Learning about Yellow Tea

As it is not always easy to access the true Junshan Yinzhen, we have to settle for other varieties. You can try all-bud versions from other regions, or try one of the bud-and-leaf versions of Junshan’s Yellow Maojian. Yellow tea can also be aged and pressed into cakes, which are noted for their even smoother flavors depending on the date of production.

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Yellow tea also has health benefits. It is perhaps best known for nourishing the stomach, moistening dry lungs, and lowering blood sugar.

”

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Junshan Yinzhen is best brewed in a clear glass (3-5 grams in a 240 mL glass). The leaves will rise and fall in the glass before settling into an equilibrium. This is described as “three rises and three falls.” Although not strictly limited to three times, these rises and falls are a metaphor for the mountains and valleys that we encounter in life.

So yellow tea can inspire us to overcome difficulties and forge head on our path to success. It teaches us to strive to rise above and not to fear difficulties. If you feel you are in a “fall” right now, just keep up your spirit, as sooner or later you will rise. And if you’re at the top of your game right now, be sure to be prepared for a “fall,” as sooner or later one will come.

Yellow and Green Tea

But in the end, these rises and falls are temporary. They are part of life, and on the whole, you are still on your way up. It’s a zigzag line and not a straight line. It’s like the stock market. Even though the stock market gains value over the years, there are wild fluctuations in the process. A fresh brew of Junshan Yinzhen reminds us of this phenomenon.

Yellow tea itself is a marvel of invention. Even though the Junshan green teas are also high quality, the menhuang process brought these teas to an even higher level, distinguishing them from all other teas. This reminded me of the expression, “there are always more ways than difficulties.” So if you’re in a “low” right now, know that there is a “way” to get out!

In English, we say “necessity is the mother of invention.” Thomas Edison would have agreed with this, as he had a keen sense of the needs of the market at the time, and he lived his life as an inventor to come up with “ways” to help people resolve their “difficulties.” Indeed, his creation of the modern industrial complex still shapes the world today.

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There are many mystical aspects of tea culture, but one is how tea culture can reflect our own cycle of life. If you’re down and need inspiration, think of Junshan Yinzhen. As the leaves float up and down, they will ultimately produce an ethereal brew. Likewise, your ups and downs will steel your character and bring you to a higher state—making you a better person.

Tea tastes differently to different people, making it difficult to describe in objective terms. Moreover, our emotional state can influence how we experience the tea we drink. By analogy, our tastes and emotions affect how we see our problems: do you see them as stumbling blocks or stepping stones?

Reed Marsh

My friend, my trip to Junshan Island gave me a fascinating peek into the highly-coveted Junshan Yinzhen tea. Even though I won’t be drinking this tea every day, I will certainly remember its inspiring story each time I drink yellow tea. Life will always have its ups and downs, but in the end, things are looking up!

{  今日英文速记卡  }

1.Astringency 

\ ə-ˈstrin-jən(t)-sē \

a)含义：n. 涩味；严酷

b)例句：

i.The gentle oxidation that occurs during the menhuang step before the final slow charcoal drying is said to remove the “grassy” taste and astringency found in some green teas.

而发生在最后的木炭缓慢干燥步骤之前的“闷黄”工艺，是一种温和的氧化过程，有助于去除掉“青草”的味道以及其他绿茶中所出现的涩味。

ii.In addition to the above several common tastes mentioned above, there is also a bitterness and astringency as well as a strange aroma.

除上述几种常见的口味外，还有与苦味紧密相连的涩味，以及与众不同的怪味等。

c)近义词： acerbic, severe, stinging

2.Enshroud 

\ in-ˈshrau̇d \

a)含义：v. 掩盖；遮蔽

b)例句：

i.The 1 km-square Junshan Island is frequently enshrouded in mist during the winter and clouds in the summer, providing a unique ecosystem for tea to grow.

方圆1平方公里的君山岛，冬季常常为雾气所笼罩而夏季则为云层所遮盖，这为茶叶生长提供了独特的生态环境。

ii.Trees surround the museum; as they grow they will enshroud it with leaves in the summer and expose it in winter.

博物馆周围绿树环绕，等这些树木生长起来，树叶在整个夏天都会将其簇拥和遮掩，等冬天来临再将其展露。

c)近义词：enclose, envelop, swathe

3.Ethereal \ i-ˈthir-ē-əl \

a)含义：adj. 优雅的，飘逸的

b)例句：

i.As the leaves float up and down, they will ultimately produce an ethereal brew.

当茶叶上下起落时，它最终会成就一杯沁人心脾的好茶。

ii.She's the prettiest, most ethereal heroine in the movie.

她是电影中最美丽、最飘逸的女主角。

c)近义词：blissful, celestial, heavenly

4.Stumble \ ˈstəm-bəl \

a)含义：v. 使…绊倒

b)例句：

i.By analogy, our tastes and emotions affect how we see our problems: do you see them as stumbling blocks or stepping stones?

打个比方，我们的品味和情绪会影响自己看待问题的方式：那么你会把他们看作是绊脚石还是垫脚石呢?

ii.If you stumble and fall then we will help you up, if your eyes cannot focus on the road ahead then we can light the way forward for you.

如果你失足并跌倒，那么我们会扶你站起来，如果你的视线无法汇聚在前方的道路上，那么我们可以为你照亮前路。

c)近义词： fall, slip, tumble

5.Coveted \ ˈkə-və-təd \

a)含义：adj. 梦寐以求的

b)例句：

i.My friend, my trip to Junshan Island gave me a fascinating peek into the highly-coveted Junshan Yinzhen tea.

我的朋友，君山岛之旅使梦寐以求的君山银针茶给我留下了深刻的印象。

ii.It was an honor he had long coveted.

这是他渴慕已久的一项荣誉。

c)近义词：crave, desire, yearn (for)

Thank you for watching me to inspire, encourage, and accompany you. 

See you next time.

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John Smagula

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