It was not long before four young girls wearing ultra-short cheongsam came in carrying a pure gold tea tray with a set of purple clay tea sets.
The old woman raised her eyes slightly to look at the tea set in the tea tray, and said, "Is this... a squirrel grape ten-head purple clay teapot?"
Zhen Junyi smiled and nodded and said, "You must know the goods! You are here, and I even took out the teapot from the bottom of the box."
The old woman glanced at Zhen Junyi and said, "I guess you are interested."
Many people may not know about this Squirrel Grape ten-head tea set, so I think it is necessary to say more here.
The Squirrel Grape Ten-Head Tea Set is the most expensive purple clay teapot set currently known. It was created by the purple clay master Gu Jingzhou in 1959. The final transaction price was 92,000,000 RMB at the Beijing Dongzheng 2005 Autumn Art Auction.
In 1955, in response to the customization requirements of the Great Hall of the People, Gu Jingzhou made this squirrel grape tea set as a gift to New China.
The body of the work is huge, with a volume of 1400cc. It has a pot, a sugar bowl, four cups, and four trays, a total of ten pieces. The cups and saucers are in a set. The sugar bowl with a Western-style shape has become another highlight. .
The pots, jars and cups are unified in shape and decoration style, creating a comfortable and natural scene, full of vitality. When sipping tea, appreciate the movement in the stillness, which is a unique pleasure.
This is one of Mr. Gu's few flower products, and it is also the best among the best. The cups and saucers are in a set, with full and thick shapes, and the craftsmanship is exquisite and experienced. The lid, handle and flowing branches are also made with great style. The squirrel grape pattern is delicate and full of life, and the layout is appropriate, creating a comfortable and natural environment. The picture of companionship is full of vitality.
The complete set of ten heads is even more rare, and it can be regarded as the leader among Gu Jingzhou's pots.
The old woman reached out and took the tea cup in her hand. She didn't say anything, but just looked at it for a long time before slowly putting it back on the tea tray.
At this time, a woman wearing a white cheongsam slowly walked into the room. This woman was extremely beautiful. At first glance, she looked just like Liu Yifei.
After she walked into the house, she knelt down in front of the old woman and carefully opened the purple clay pot. At the same time, she broke off a piece of Pumpkin Gong Chacha and put it into the pot.
Her movements are very slow and extremely elegant, and there is always a feeling in her movements that makes people travel back to ancient times.
The water is not ordinary Guangquan water, but rootless water taken from Nanshan Temple in the south of the city.
The so-called rootless water is actually rainwater. It is said that only when brewing with rootless water can the purest taste of Pumpkin Gongcha be brought out.
The tea was almost ready in no time. As the first tea water was poured out, a refreshing aroma of tea spread throughout the room in an instant.
Many people may not know much about Pumpkin Gongcha.
It is the best among the existing aged Pu'er teas. Note that I am talking about the best here, not the best.
Jingua Tribute Tea is known as the "Pu'er Tea Emperor" in the Chinese tea industry.
There are only two authentic pieces of Jingua Tribute Tea, one of which is preserved in the Tea Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences in Hangzhou and the Palace Museum in Beijing. The so-called golden melon tribute tea currently available is just a copycat of some later tea factories, which is not trustworthy.
The other piece was originally in the hands of Chiang Kai-shek, but disappeared in 1948. Unexpectedly, it fell into the hands of the Zhen family in Zhenpinzhai, the capital.
If you trace the history of Jingua Tribute Tea, it began in the seventh year of Yongzheng reign in the Qing Dynasty, which is what we now call 1729.
At that time, Ertai, the governor of Yunnan, established a tribute tea factory in Ning'er County, Pu'er Prefecture, now Ning'er Town, and selected the best Nv'er tea in Xishuangbanna to make group tea, loose tea and tea paste as tribute to the imperial court.
Zhao Xuemin of the Qing Dynasty said in "Compendium of Materia Medica Supplements": "Pu'er tea comes in three types: large, medium and small. The big one weighs five kilograms in a lump, shaped like a human head, and is called human head tea. It is paid tribute every year and is not easy to obtain among the people." It is said that the tea leaves used to make Ren Tou Gong tea are all picked by unmarried girls, and they are all first-class bud tea. The picked bud tea is usually placed in the girl's arms first, and when it accumulates to a certain amount, it is taken out and placed in a bamboo basket. This kind of bud tea will turn golden yellow after long-term storage, so Rentou Gongcha is also called "Pingua Rentou Gongcha" or "Pingua Rentou Gongcha".
In 1963, the Forbidden City in Beijing processed the tribute tea from the Qing Dynasty, totaling more than two tons. Some of them are pumpkin tribute tea.
According to the article "Pu'er Tea and the Qing Dynasty" by Mr. Wang Yufeng, deputy secretary-general of the Chinese Tea People's Association and senior economist: "In the early 1960s, the tea warehouse of the Forbidden City in Beijing still contained a number of tribute teas that the Qing palace had not finished. tons, including pumpkin tribute tea, daughter tea, and tea paste. In 1963, the Forbidden City processed more than 2 tons of Qing palace tribute tea. On October 23, 1963, by chance, I saw these aged tribute tea objects at the Beijing Tea Factory The golden melon tea is as big as a watermelon and as small as a tennis or table tennis ball. It is brown and black in color, not moldy or bad, and well preserved. There are marks of tightening cloth on the surface of the tea balls, which shows that the tea making process at that time was wrapped in cloth and kneaded tightly. , dried and formed. I once chose a large Pu'er tea group and weighed it on a scale. It weighed 5.5 jin, which was considered to be a 5-jin group tea in the Qing Dynasty... In the early 1960s, tea production was reduced and the domestic market was in short supply. , this batch of Pu'er tea from the Forbidden City was broken and sieved, mixed into loose tea and sold. On November 13, 1992, I met Mr. Shan Shiyuan, an old expert in the Forbidden City, at the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Auditorium. I asked him about the tea tribute from the Forbidden City. According to reports There are still samples of Pumpkin Tribute Tea, tea paste, etc.” It is said that some experts once took some of these Pumpkin Tribute Teas for test brewing, and their comments were: “The soup is colored, but the tea leaves are aged and thin.” This also just confirms what Mr. Deng Shihai said: "Most of the experts who drink Pumpkin Tribute Tea agree that it is tasteless and is the best Pumpkin Tribute Tea."
According to expert research, the existing physical objects of Jingua Tribute Tea have a history of more than 200 years.
The tea manufacturer or finished product processor is Pu'er Gong Tea Factory, and the raw materials and preliminary production are from Yibang Tea Mountain in Xishuangbanna.
The tea aroma of Pumpkin Gongcha is rich, especially when it is cold, it will always have a refreshing and sweet feeling. This is where the name of Pumpkin Gongcha comes from.
After going through several processes, the girl in white cheongsam slowly brought the purple sand cup in her hand to the old woman.
The old woman took the cup, smelled it first, and then took a sip. An indescribable sweetness spread from her mouth to her whole body in an instant.
The old woman slowly closed her eyes, and after a while she opened them and said, "Good tea!"
Zhen Junyi smiled and said: "It is indeed good tea!"
The old woman did not drink the tea from the tea cup, but slowly placed it behind the tea tray. Then she looked at Zhen Junyi and said: "Boss Zhen, you have gone to such great lengths to find me and made such a big scene." Arrangement, what do you mean?"
Zhen Junyi smiled and said: "I mainly want to have someone with you."
The old woman was stunned, frowned slightly and said, "Do you want someone with me?"
Zhen Junyi said: "That's right! This person may not be important to you, but it is indeed important to me. If you agree, this tea set, including this golden melon tribute tea cup, will be yours. "
The old woman looked at Zhen Junyi and said, "Who?"
Zhen Junyi said slowly: "The survivors of the Wuzi Rebellion..."
