From Shennong Bencaojing to Xinhui’s sun-drying fields, from Song Dynasty tea gatherings to today’s global shelves, Xinhui Xiao Qing Gan and Chenpi carry a continuous thread of Chinese tea culture. They may look small, but each peel is a bridge between tradition and modern life.

On this page, we won’t teach you brewing techniques or health claims. Instead, we’ll explore how Xiao Qing Gan and Chenpi sit inside the larger story of Chinese tea culture — as symbols of patience, balance and “slow living” in a fast world.

From Shennong’s Herbal Legends to Everyday Teacups

The earliest Chinese tea stories begin with Shennong, the mythical “Divine Farmer” who tasted hundreds of plants to understand their nature. In classic materia medica texts like Shennong Bencaojing and later Bencao Gangmu, citrus peels appear again and again as warming, harmonising ingredients that support digestion and balance in the body.

For centuries, people did not talk about “Chenpi tea” as a stand-alone beverage. Instead, citrus peel was quietly added to herbal decoctions and everyday tea to soften heaviness, brighten the aroma and make rich foods easier to enjoy. A few pieces of peel in the pot turned simple leaves and hot water into something deeper: a small, daily act of self-care.

If you’d like to see how this herbal tradition became a modern wellness drink, you can read our guide The Chenpi Secret: Daily Wellness in a Cup .

Song Dynasty Tea Pavilions and the Art of Blending

By the Song Dynasty, tea culture had moved from simple boiling to a refined art. Scholars and poets gathered in tea pavilions, writing, painting and debating while sharing bowls of whisked or steeped tea. Fragrance, water, utensils and setting were all carefully chosen.

In this world, citrus peel had a quiet but important role. A slice of dried peel or a spoon of aromatic herbs could tilt the entire mood of the cup — making it brighter, warmer, or more contemplative. Tea was not only about caffeine or thirst; it was about creating a moment where body, mind and surroundings briefly matched.

That same spirit lives on today when we pair Pu-erh with Xiao Qing Gan or brew Chenpi together with simple teas at home.

Xinhui: Citrus Capital in the Story of Chinese Tea

In modern Chinese tea culture, the name Xinhui has become almost inseparable from citrus and aged peel. Nestled in Guangdong’s river-rich delta, Xinhui’s climate and soil create mandarins with unusually dense oil cells and distinctive aroma. From this terroir come:

• Chenpi – sun-dried and naturally aged tangerine peel, cherished as both a tea ingredient and a traditional remedy.
• Xiao Qing Gan – young green mandarins carefully hollowed and filled with ripe Pu-erh, then dried and aged as a “one fruit, one brew” tea.

Together, they represent a uniquely Chinese way of thinking: respect the past, but keep innovating. Turning a humble kitchen herb into a beloved tea, and turning a small green citrus into a self-contained tea experience, are very modern ideas built on very old roots.

If you’d like to explore this in more depth, you can read:

• Xinhui Xiao Qing Gan: 700 Years of Citrus Heritage in a Cup
• Why Xinhui Is So Special

More Than Tea: A Small Ritual of Presence

In today’s China, Xiao Qing Gan and Chenpi appear in many quiet corners of life:

• In the kitchen – a few peels in a soup pot, or a jar on the shelf slowly darkening year by year.
• On the tea table – a whole Xiao Qing Gan resting in a gaiwan, its citrus oils slowly weaving into Pu-erh.
• In the study or office – a simple mug with a piece of peel, keeping the body warm and the mind clear during long working hours.
• In gifting – a box of aged Chenpi or Xiao Qing Gan offered not as something to consume quickly, but as something to enjoy slowly over time.

In all of these scenes, the peel is doing the same work Chinese tea has always done: inviting people to pause, breathe and return to themselves, even for a few minutes.

Bringing Chinese Tea Culture into Your Own Cup

You do not need a full tea room or antique teaware to touch this culture. One small citrus, one pot of water and a little attention are enough.

If you’d like a practical starting point, you can:

• Learn how to brew Xiao Qing Gan step by step in our guide How to Brew Xiao Qing Gan Pu-erh Tea .
• Explore aged peel for daily drinking or slow collecting in our Aged Xinhui Chenpi collection and our Xiao Qing Gan collection .

Next time you hold a cup of Xiao Qing Gan or Chenpi tea, try this: slow down. Inhale the citrus fragrance, feel the warmth in your hands, and take one unhurried sip. In that small moment, you are sharing the same quiet joy that has flowed through Chinese tea culture for centuries.