第二章：千年茶都羊樓洞

Chapter 2:er 2: Yangloudong, ong, the Tea Capital of Ancient China

萬(wàn)嶂入羊樓，雙溪繞鳳丘。

天開(kāi)珠洞曉，月旁石潭秋。

翠入梧桐秀，香來(lái)蕙草幽。

登臨一長(zhǎng)嘯，日夕紫煙浮。

A thousand peaks join at Yanglou, a pair of brooks round Phoenix Hill.

The sky opens at dawn like pearl, the moon lies next to the tea trader’s ville.

Jade joins the radiance of the phoenix tree, swaying above the holy basil’s serenity.

I ascend the butte when the wind’s howl rings out from behind the trees,

And breaks the silence of the purple haze floating in the sunset breeze.

早在100多年前，地圖上湖北最為知名的兩個(gè)地方，其一為漢口，其二是羊樓洞。在《大清皇輿全圖》上，羊樓洞的標(biāo)記與漢口、武昌是一樣的規(guī)格。

在中國(guó)茶業(yè)發(fā)展史上，羊樓洞扮演著重要角色，是著名的磚茶之鄉(xiāng)。

As early as 100 years ago, Hankou and Yangloudong were the two most famous places on the map of Hubei. The Great Qing Empire Territory Map once specified Yangloudong as being of equal importance to Hankou and Wuchang.

Yangloudong has played an important role in the history of the Chinese tea industry. It is especially famous for the production of brick tea.

羊樓洞位于湖北省赤壁市區(qū)西南26公里的羊樓洞鎮(zhèn)，是湘鄂兩省交界之要沖，歷史上是戰(zhàn)略要地，也是商賈云集的地方，素有“小漢口”之稱(chēng)。

相傳，有一對(duì)相愛(ài)的青年男女，逃婚到松峰山下，他們的白馬化作羊，山羊排泄的糞便變成茶籽，長(zhǎng)出漫山茶樹(shù)。夫婦倆在山下搭起竹樓，樓上住人，樓下養(yǎng)羊。從此，人們稱(chēng)這里為羊樓洞。動(dòng)人的傳說(shuō)寄托著當(dāng)?shù)厝藗儗?duì)美好生活的向往。

作為萬(wàn)里茶道的源頭之一，自唐太和年間（827年-835年）皇詔普種山茶起，羊樓洞就開(kāi)始培植、加工茶葉。也是自那時(shí)起，羊樓洞黑茶加入國(guó)家茶馬交易，通過(guò)大唐安西都護(hù)府翠葉城（今吉爾吉斯斯坦境內(nèi)）銷(xiāo)往西亞和歐洲。

赤壁地處幕阜山脈和江漢平原接壤的丘陵地帶，雨水充足，日照時(shí)間長(zhǎng)，土地肥沃。得天獨(dú)厚的茶葉生長(zhǎng)環(huán)境，使得該地所產(chǎn)茶葉極具特色，不僅味道純正，且兼具藥性。在古代醫(yī)療條件不太完善的時(shí)候，更是當(dāng)?shù)匕傩粘鲩T(mén)隨身攜帶的必備品。

老天非常青睞這個(gè)美麗的地方。除了優(yōu)越的地理環(huán)境，境內(nèi)東南松峰山下，還有三股天然泉水，名為觀音泉。傳說(shuō)觀音曾在松峰山上埋瓶流泉，淙淙泉水順山而下，從鎮(zhèn)中穿流而過(guò)。觀音泉水質(zhì)清澈甘醇，是歷代精制名茶的水源。用這三股泉水煉制出來(lái)的茶，成就了味道獨(dú)特、讓人回味無(wú)窮的羊樓洞茶。

Yangloudong is located in the Yangloudong Township, 26 kilometers away from the southwest of the city of Chibi in Hubei Province. It is also an important border hub for both Hunan and Hubei; it was once of strategic positioning in history, especially for business, and has always been teeming with merchants, which earned it the nickname of “Little Hankou.”

Local legend has it that a young man and woman fell in love with each other. As their marriage was severely opposed by both families, the couple ran away and lived in seclusion at the foot of Mount Songfeng. Their horses magically turned into mountain goats whose manure contained tea tree seeds. The tea trees grew well and tall, blooming all over the mountain. Therefore, the couple built a cottage out of bamboo and lived upstairs, while the goats were kept downstairs. The place was called Yangloudong, meaning the “goat building.” This moving tale naturally embodied the locals’ hope for a better life.

During the Taihe Period in the Tang Dynasty (827-835), an imperial decree of popularizing tea had been released. Ever since then, tea has been planted widely and processed in the Yangloudong area, one of the starting points for the Tea Road. At the same time, the city’s black tea was listed into the national Tea-Horse Road trade, which guaranteed the sale of tea to West Asia and Europe across Cuiye City (today’s Kyrgyzstan).

Chibi is located in a hilly area adjacent to Mufu Mountain and Jianghan Plain where there is fertile land with ample rainfall and long sunshine duration. The tea produced here is of a singular variety, which not only boasts a pure, full-bodied flavor, but also medicinal properties owing to the favorable growing conditions. During the ancient times when medical care was less than optimal, medicinal teas were a daily necessity when the locals went out for travel.

God has munificently bestowed his grace and favor upon this resplendent land. Apart from the all-around superior geographical conditions, three natural springs named the Guanyin Springs flooded up at the foot of Mount Songfeng in the southeast. Legend has it that Goddess Guanyin buried a bottle of spring water in Mount Songfeng, so water trickles from the spring and runs down through the mountain, and directly to the town. This sweet, unadulterated water has been used for making premium tea since the ancient times. Yangloudong tea brewed from these three springs has a unique flavor with a pleasant aftertaste.

為了出遠(yuǎn)門(mén)攜帶方便和延長(zhǎng)存貯時(shí)間，人們將茶葉制作成塊狀磚茶。宋代，人們?cè)欢纫源u茶作為通貨與內(nèi)蒙進(jìn)行茶馬交易。“一斤易一羊，十斤易一牛，”可見(jiàn)磚茶在當(dāng)時(shí)的珍貴與身價(jià)。

在所有的磚茶種類(lèi)中，“川字號(hào)”磚茶是羊樓洞的專(zhuān)利。當(dāng)年，羊樓洞人用觀音泉制成的青磚茶深受蒙族人民鐘愛(ài)。羊樓洞人在茶磚上凸印“川”字，寓意為觀音泉的三股泉水，彰顯觀音泉之功。這里曾建有數(shù)十個(gè)茶葉加工廠，出現(xiàn)過(guò)“長(zhǎng)盛川”、“巨盛川”、“三玉川”等數(shù)個(gè)“川”字號(hào)茶。

作為萬(wàn)里茶道上最被信任、銷(xiāo)路最好的一種品牌，“川”字茶逐漸被蒙古、西北、直至萬(wàn)里之外的俄國(guó)所認(rèn)可?！按ā笨梢苑Q(chēng)之為茶道上的“第一國(guó)際品牌”，以至后來(lái)，心急的俄國(guó)人不遠(yuǎn)萬(wàn)里來(lái)到羊樓洞開(kāi)辦茶廠。

For convenience of transportation and longer storage time, the locals compressed dried tea leaves into tea bricks. In the Song Dynasty, this kind of brick tea was once adopted as a currency, used in exchange for animals between Mongolia and China. “One pound of brick tea for one sheep, ten pounds of brick tea for one cow.”O(jiān)bviously, this old saying indicates the tremendous value of brick tea.

川 (chuān), the Chinese character standing for “river” was pressed into the brick tea, acting as a logo and patent for this time-honored brand of Yangloudong brick tea. The variety from the Guanyin Springs is particularly adored in Mongolia. To the Yangloudong locals, the three lines pressed into the top of the tea brick signifies the three streams that gush from the Guanying Springs, highlighting the springs’ importance. There were dozens of tea producing factories, including the brands of Changsheng Chuan, Jusheng Chuan, Sanyu Chuan, which all carry the same chuan character.

As the best-selling and most trusted brand on the Tea Road, the“chuan” brand of brick tea was gradually received by Mongolia, Northwest China and even Russia. It can be called the “first international brand.” Because of this, the Russians rushed to Yangloudong area to run tea-processing plants.

羊樓洞茶究竟何時(shí)走上萬(wàn)里茶道？目前比較流行的說(shuō)法是：太平天國(guó)時(shí)期，茶源地被迫轉(zhuǎn)移，導(dǎo)致晉商紛紛來(lái)到羊樓洞一帶采辦茶葉，促進(jìn)當(dāng)?shù)夭枞~資源的開(kāi)發(fā)和利用，對(duì)羊樓洞茶區(qū)的形成和發(fā)展起到極大推動(dòng)作用。

明嘉靖初時(shí)，本地制茶業(yè)已相當(dāng)發(fā)達(dá)，集鎮(zhèn)隨之而興。到了明清兩代，中國(guó)邊境城市恰克圖（今俄羅斯境內(nèi)）成為羊樓洞磚茶邊貿(mào)重鎮(zhèn)，洞茶飄香萬(wàn)里大草原。

《明史》記載，嘉靖元年（1522年）就有磚茶及松峰茶大量銷(xiāo)往海外。當(dāng)時(shí)沿海倭寇作亂，嘉靖皇帝封閉寧波、泉州港，留下來(lái)官方唯一許可港口廣州?？涨盁狒[的廣州，聚集了從世界各地來(lái)中國(guó)淘金的商人們，最早在海上進(jìn)行貿(mào)易的海外商人，在這一年采購(gòu)了來(lái)自羊樓洞的松峰綠茶、磚茶40萬(wàn)斤……

清道光年間（1821年-1851年），有英、德、日、俄等國(guó)商人競(jìng)相在羊樓洞辦廠制茶，國(guó)內(nèi)晉、津、滬茶商亦蜂擁而至，其時(shí)有茶莊200余家，主要出產(chǎn)青磚茶、米磚茶等，年出口價(jià)值白銀一千五百多萬(wàn)兩。這片面積不足0.7平方公里的土地，匯集多國(guó)精英商賈，行成一個(gè)人口逾四萬(wàn)的“中國(guó)大茶市”，譽(yù)稱(chēng)“小漢口”。

When did Yangloudong become a place for exporting tea? Conventional wisdom says it was when Shanxi merchants flocked to Yangloudong to purchase tea during the Taiping Rebellion (1850-1864). Due to the fact that the source of tea production had to be relocated because of war, merchants came to Yangloudong in unending streams with one thought in mind—the acquisition and procurement of tea—which hastened the development and utilization of tea resources in Yangloudong, thus providing a massive boost to Yangloudong’s image and development as a top tea producer.

At the beginning of Emperor Jiajing’s reign (1522-1566) during the Ming Dynasty, the tea industry was well developed, with many small townships finding prosperity right along with it. In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the Chinese border city of Kyakhta (Now Russian territory) became an important hub for trading on the frontier. And the sweet fragrance of Yangloudong tea was already wafting over the vast plains in the area.

According to the History of Ming, many brick teas and Songfeng teas were sold overseas in the year of 1522. Emperor Jiajing allowed the Canton port to stay open even after the closure of Ningbo and Quanzhou ports due to the pirates on coastal regions at that time. There were lots of merchants eager to cash in who clustered at busy Canton, and as a result, 400,000 pounds of Songfeng green tea and brick tea from Yangloudong were purchased by foreign merchants that year.

During Emperor Daoguang’s reign (1821 to 1851) in the Qing Dynasty, merchants from England, Germany, Japan, Russia and other countries competed in running tea factories at Yangloudong, as well as tea traders from Shanxi, Tianjin and Shanghai, swarming in droves. There were more than 200 tea factories during that time, mainly producing green and black brick teas, whose annual exports totaled more than 15 million silver taels. The elite from the four corners of the earth were crammed into an area of less than 0.7 square kilometers, making it a large tea market in China with a population of over 40,000, and earning it the nickname “Little Hankou.”

▲運(yùn)茶用的獨(dú)輪車(chē) One-wheeled handcart used for transporting tea

這座古鎮(zhèn)，曾經(jīng)串連起一條繁榮百年的中俄茶葉之路，現(xiàn)在卻面臨被遺忘的尷尬。

松峰山的羊樓洞鎮(zhèn)口，近年立了一塊巨石，上面醒目地寫(xiě)著“歐亞萬(wàn)里茶道源頭”幾個(gè)紅色大字，旁邊刻有以羊樓洞為起點(diǎn)直至歐亞的茶道線路圖。一條寬4米、長(zhǎng)2200米的明清古街，正從這里蜿蜒地向鎮(zhèn)深處延伸而去。這條街可稱(chēng)為中國(guó)制茶業(yè)發(fā)展的歷史縮影。

清末政府修筑京漢鐵路，原本線路設(shè)計(jì)要經(jīng)過(guò)羊樓洞，但由于羊樓洞的鄉(xiāng)紳們怕會(huì)壞了當(dāng)?shù)仫L(fēng)水，執(zhí)意不肯借道。于是，鐵路改線經(jīng)趙李橋鎮(zhèn)南下。

鐵路通車(chē)后，身處大山里的羊樓洞人，依然用獨(dú)輪“雞公車(chē)”這種原始的運(yùn)輸方式運(yùn)進(jìn)茶葉、送出茶磚。如今古街上還能看見(jiàn)寸余深槽，據(jù)說(shuō)是歷代運(yùn)送茶葉的“雞公車(chē)”碾壓而成。這些歷史遺留下的印跡，仿佛一冊(cè)塵封古書(shū)在默默訴說(shuō)古鎮(zhèn)過(guò)往。

可以想象，那些年，每年幾十萬(wàn)擔(dān)茶磚，由那些當(dāng)?shù)鼗騺?lái)自江西的精壯農(nóng)民，用吱呀作響的獨(dú)輪車(chē)，日夜不停地運(yùn)往三十里外的新店，再運(yùn)往漢口，運(yùn)往包頭和張家口，直至遙遠(yuǎn)的俄羅斯，那是怎樣繁忙的情景。

在鐵路未修前，河運(yùn)是交通運(yùn)輸主要?jiǎng)用}。許多當(dāng)年的商埠重鎮(zhèn)由于交通運(yùn)輸方式的改變而沉寂，羊樓洞便是如此。

考慮到交通不便，上世紀(jì)五十年代，政府決定將羊樓洞茶廠遷至幾里路外交通便捷的趙李橋鎮(zhèn)，羊樓洞由此繁華落盡，漸漸沉寂。古街上還保存著明清時(shí)期的老屋500余棟，倔強(qiáng)地見(jiàn)證著古鎮(zhèn)昔日的繁華。在保存較為完好的老宅院里，窗棱上精美的木雕，向我們?cè)V說(shuō)著羊樓洞人辛勤勞作之余，在建筑上蘊(yùn)含的智慧和對(duì)美的追求。如今，這條古街少了繁忙，多了靜謐。

羊樓洞的興衰史就是一部茶葉的傳奇史。雖然羊樓洞繁華的茶市一去不復(fù)返，但只要一提起“磚茶”，羊樓洞仍會(huì)被首先想起。值得慶幸的是，還有幾家老字號(hào)堅(jiān)守在羊樓洞，一直傳承著這項(xiàng)古老的事業(yè)。

青山疊翠，茶園飄香，羊樓洞就這樣淹沒(méi)在歷史，塵封于歲月。但是羊樓洞明清石板街還在，萬(wàn)里茶道的源流還在，遠(yuǎn)在萬(wàn)里的歐洲還喜歡“川”字牌青磚茶，還知道昔日號(hào)稱(chēng)“小漢口”的羊樓洞。

This ancient town, once linked to more than a century’s worth of Sino-Russo Tea Road, prosperity has now been virtually forgotten.

Now a megalith sits at the entrance of Yangloudong Town at Mount Songfeng. On it are written some Chinese characters in a deep crimson color, “The starting point of the Tea Road.” Beside it is engraved a map of the Tea Road marking the city as the starting point. From here, there is an ancient street decorated in the Ming and Qing style, 4 meters in width, and 2,200 meters in length, zigzaging its way towards the outside world. This street was a microcosm of all development of the Chinese tea industry.

Originally, the Peking-Hankow Railway, or Jinghan Railway, built in the late Qing Dynasty, was designed to cross Yangloudong. However, the locals were afraid that the construction of the railway would ruin the Feng Shui of the area, so they were strongly opposed to the railway construction plan. The railway was forced to alter its route and cross the nearby town of Zhao Liqiao instead.

After the railway was put into use, the local people of Yangloudong continued using wheelbarrows to transport tea. Even today, you can still see inch-deep grooves that were worn into the ancient street, which was allegedly caused by the constant wheeling back and forth of the “one-wheeled handcarts” used as the primary means of transporting tea for shipping. This ancient marking is like a dusty old book serving as historical records of the town’s past history.

You can imagine the spectacular scene featuring hundreds of thousands of squeaky old wheelbarrows loaded down with brick tea being transported day and night by the hands of strong and hunkish young farmers, local or from Jiangxi, to Xindian Town miles away. From there, the tea bricks were transported to Baotou and Zhang Jiakou through Hankou, and finally to the far-off Russian cities.

Before the construction of the railway, river transportation was the most important and reliable means of shipping and many once flourishing commercial towns became ghost towns, due to the change in the means of shipping; and Yangloudong was no exception.

Considering the transportation inconvenience, the government was determined to move the tea processing plants at Yangloudong Tea Factory down the road a few miles to Zhao Jiaqiao for ease of shipping, and Yangloudong has been on the decline ever since. Five hundred ancient buildings from the Ming and Qing Dynasties have been preserved in the old-town area, as proof of how prosperous it once was. The exquisitely carved wooden windows of these well-preserved old buildings bear witness to the wisdom of Yangloudong people, as well as their pursuit of beauty after all the painstaking effort was finished. Yet today, instead of all the busy hustle and bustle, the old-town area is, more often than not, quiet as a mouse.

The history of Yangloudong is a part of the legend of tea history itself. Although the bustling tea market is now gone, Yangloudong is still remembered first and foremost for its fine brick teas. Fortunately, there are still some time-honored brand tea stores that exist to this day, as the ancient art of tea has been passed down through the generations.

▲寸余深槽 Inch-deep groove worn into the ancient street

The prosperity of Yangloudong is now just a part of history, but the old-town area from the Ming and Qing Dynasties still lives on. The source of the Tea Road also lives on. The Europeans living ten thousand miles away still enjoy the “chuan” branded black brick tea, and still remember Yangloudong as“Little Hankou” to this day.