The settlement of Qian Jia Zhai is located adjacent to the high-mountain nature reserve of Zhenyuan. Here, among evergreen broadleaf forests, lies the natural habitat of a large number of wild tea trees. One of these is the oldest wild tea tree discovered to date, estimated to be approximately 2,800 years old.
The reserve is strictly protected. For many years, only scientists with special permits have been allowed access, although there are some exceptions.

Traditionally, every spring, the local authorities permit poor villagers from the small ethnic groups of Yi and Lahu to harvest leaves from ancient wild tea trees (excluding those older than 1,500 years). The villagers sell this leaf to several local tea masters, thus gaining an opportunity to earn some income. This practice helps maintain a relative balance within the local social ecosystem.
Master Zhou is an integral part of this ecosystem and has worked with raw materials from the reserve for many years.

This bud white tea was harvested in March 2024 from wild tea trees aged 500 to 1000 years, located in the forests of the Zhenyuan Nature Reserve near the settlement of Qian Jia Zhai. Despite the highest quality of raw material, it is very challenging to process.
The master spent several years refining the technique to extract the maximum potential from these wild buds. A crucial balance between withering (Wei Diao) and drying is maintained, which is adjusted each time depending on the size of the buds and varies every year due to the slow and complex harvesting process from large ancient trees.