The Link Between Qing Ming Festival and Mingqian Tea

The Qing Ming Festival, also known as Tomb-Sweeping Day, is a traditional Chinese festival that falls on either April 4th or 5th each year. It is a time for families to honor their ancestors by visiting and cleaning their gravesites, offering food, and burning paper money as a symbolic tribute.

Besides being a cultural festival and an official holiday in China, it is also an important date for the tea industry. For tea farmers, it is one of the busiest and most important periods for harvesting tea.

In the world of green tea, a special harvest happens right before Qing Ming. This tea is called Mingqian tea, which means "tea picked before the spring festival." Mingqian tea is highly valued because it is considered to be of much higher quality than tea picked later in the season. In this article, we'll explore the legend behind this holiday and the significance of Mingqian tea.

Beautiful leaves of Pre-Qing Ming Xing Yang Mao Jian green tea.

Legends About Qing Ming Festival

Qing Ming Jie (清明节, lit. Clean and Bright festival) is deeply rooted in Chinese culture, with several legends surrounding its origins. One well-known story is about Jie Zitui, a loyal official of the Duke of Jin. According to the tale, Jie once saved the Duke’s life by offering his own flesh for sustenance when they were in exile. Later, when the Duke regained his power, he forgot about Jie’s sacrifice. Upon realizing his mistake, he searched for Jie, who had gone into hiding in the mountains. To force Jie out, the Duke set fire to the forest, but tragically, Jie perished in the flames. In his memory, the Duke declared a period of mourning, during which no fire was to be used for cooking—this led to the Cold Food Festival (Hanshi Jie, 寒食节), which later merged into Qing Ming Jie.

Tender Bi Luo Chun green tea.

Typical Activities During Qing Ming Festival

Today, Qing Ming Festival is observed with various customs that emphasize remembrance and respect for ancestors:

Tomb Sweeping: Families clean their ancestors’ graves, remove weeds, and place fresh flowers or willow branches on the site.

Offerings: Food, tea, and paper money are burned as symbolic gifts for the deceased.

Outings and Picnics: Many people take the opportunity to enjoy the spring weather by visiting parks or taking walks in nature.

Flying Kites: A more modern tradition, flying kites during Qing Ming is believed to bring good luck and help ward off bad spirits. 

Planting Trees: As Qing Ming coincides with the arrival of spring, it is also seen as a time to appreciate nature. Planting trees has become a widespread tradition, symbolizing life and growth. This practice is particularly encouraged in China as part of nationwide reforestation efforts.

Eating Seasonal Food: Qing Ming is associated with cold foods, a reference to its historical connection to the Cold Food Festival. Some popular dishes include:

• Qingtuan (青团): Green rice balls made from glutinous rice and mugwort, giving them a distinctive green color and a chewy texture. They are usually filled with sweet red bean paste.
• Sanzi (馓子): A deep-fried twisted dough snack, crispy on the outside and light inside, commonly eaten in northern China. Cold Dishes: Some regions prepare cold dishes, such as marinated vegetables, cold noodles, or pickled foods, as a nod to the festival's history.
• Thin pancakes (薄饼): In Xiamen, Fujian, thin pancakes filled with dried seaweed, omelet, fresh vegetables, and chili sauce are popular during Qing Ming Jie.
  

The Importance of Qing Ming in Farming

The steamed Enshi Yulu green tea.

Qing Ming isn’t just a festival day. The term also refers to one of the 24 solar terms in the Chinese lunar calendar, which plays a vital role in agriculture. Each solar term lasts 15 days, with specific activities to carry out during each term. Qing Ming signals the ideal time for spring plowing and sowing, influencing the agricultural rhythm, particularly in tea farming.

For tea farmers, this period is crucial, as it marks the deadline for harvesting Mingqian tea, or “pre-Qing Ming tea.” The cooler weather before Qing Ming causes the tea leaves to grow slowly, resulting in a delicate and refined flavor. After Qing Ming, as the temperatures rose and sunlight increased, the tea leaves grew faster, producing bolder flavors. This makes the time before Qing Ming especially important for high-quality tea production. Our fresh butches of green tea are all Mingqian, featuring fresh, mellow taste.

But What is Mingqian Tea?

Mingqian tea refers to tea leaves harvested before the Qingming Festival, which falls on April 4th or 5th each year. This means the harvesting period typically takes place from mid-March to early April, depending on regional climate conditions. Due to the cool early spring weather, tea plants grow more slowly, leading to smaller, more delicate leaves with a refined and nuanced flavor.

Characteristics of Mingqian Tea

Mingqian tea is known for its tender, small buds and leaves, which result in a bright green color and a light, floral fragrance. The tea liquor is typically clear and bright, with a smooth, sweet taste and a lingering aftertaste. Because the early spring climate is still cool, tea leaves grow more slowly, accumulating a higher concentration of amino acids while developing lower levels of catechins and polyphenols. This balance enhances the tea’s umami sweetness and reduces its bitterness, making it especially sought after by tea enthusiasts.

Why is Mingqian Tea Good? And Is It Really the Best Tea?

Huang Shan Mao Feng buds.

Mingqian tea is valued for its fresh, smooth taste and nutritional richness. The slower growth during early spring enhances the tea’s amino acid content, giving it a mellow and naturally sweet flavor. Additionally, since the temperatures remain low and insects are less active, there is minimal need for pesticides, resulting in a purer tea.

However, Mingqian tea is not the only high-quality early spring tea. Another category, Yu Qian tea, refers to tea harvested after the Qingming Festival but before Guyu (Grain Rain), which falls around April 20th. While Yu Qian tea grows under slightly warmer conditions, allowing the leaves to develop more polyphenols, it still retains much of the freshness of early spring tea.

The choice between Mingqian and Yu Qian tea depends on personal preference—Mingqian tea is known for its delicate and subtle flavors, while Yu Qian tea tends to have a fuller, more robust taste. In a previous article, we discussed more about the difference between Mingqian, Yuqian, and Sheqian tea, which is the earliest tea harvested, usually in early March. We suggest that you read it if you want better to understand the difference between these types of tea.

Qing Ming Festival is more than just a time for honoring ancestors; it also plays a vital role in the agricultural.