Follow Hong Kong Immigration and Hong Kong Life: What can 70,000 HKD buy? Perhaps a domestic compact car, two or three designer handbags, or maybe a crystal-clear diamond ring. However, on November 3rd, at a charity auction held in the banquet hall on the 27th floor of the Park Lane Hotel in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong, a tea brick weighing only 2.5 kilograms was auctioned for 70,000 HKD. Amidst the gasps of the crowd, white tea unveiled its mysterious veil and entered the public eye.
It is understood that this tea brick, sold at an exorbitant price, was crafted by tea master Fang Shoulong. Reporters observed that the white tea brick was square, approximately 20 cm on each side and 5 cm thick. After the auction, the buyer, Ms. Zeng Shaohua, was overjoyed, and in her conversation with reporters, the story behind this tea brick gradually surfaced.
As everyone knows, Fuding, Fujian is the famous hometown of white tea, and its unique natural conditions make the white tea here world-renowned. As a recognized authority and master tea maker in the industry, Master Fang Shoulong has been immersed in the art of tea for nearly half a century, and all who know him praise his simple and honest character. It is understood that Master Fang is also a devout Buddhist, and his tea-making philosophy is quite simple: original ecology and truly organic. He stubbornly believes that the best white tea must be the most natural and pure, without a trace of impurities. Therefore, it is not surprising that this small tea brick at the auction was purchased by a tea lover for as much as 70,000 HKD.
Ms. Zeng told reporters that during the tea-making process, Master Fang insists on using wild-raised goat manure as fertilizer for the tea garden, fearing that chemical fertilizers would destroy the pure organic standard of the tea leaves. At the same time, he adopts a purely biological "natural enemy" method for pest control, leaving a large number of old tea trees in the garden for birds to inhabit and control pests. The birds' droppings are then recycled to provide natural fertilizer for the white tea trees. All his efforts are aimed at realizing one dream: to produce the most original and high-quality white tea in the country and even the world. Therefore, being fortunate enough to win the fruit of Master Fang's hard work today is truly exciting.
While the mountains offer the chirping of birds and a tranquil life, the market below is full of changing competition. Last year, Lay Buddhist Huang Chenyang, a disciple of the highly respected Moza Rinpoche, traveled across the country to collect offerings. Through an introduction, he visited the white tea mountains, tasted tea and discussed Zen with Master Fang Shoulong, and decided to have the premium white tea made by Master Fang pressed into bricks in batches, with the six-character mantra molded onto them as offerings to be presented to Moza Rinpoche. To support the charity event at this Hong Kong auction, Moza Rinpoche specially took out one piece and personally signed it with the words "Tashi Delek" for the auction.
Ms. Zeng Shaohua also quietly revealed that the value of this tea brick is actually far higher than 70,000 HKD. If this auction had not been held in Hong Kong but in mainland China, it might have been impossible to secure this prized possession at today's winning bid.
