Hadong, the Birthplace of Korean Tea
According to the oldest historical record in Korea, the Samguk Sagi (History of the Three Kingdoms), in the 3rd year of King Heungdeok of Silla (828 AD), a envoy named Daeryeomgong returned from the Tang Dynasty with tea seeds. King Heungdeok planted these seeds on Mt. Jiri, specifically in the Hwagae-dongcheon area. While tea has been present in Korea since the reign of Queen Seondeok, it flourished during this period when cultivated in the southern part of Mt. Jiri, leading to the establishment of Hadong's traditional tea culture.
A passage from the writings of the monk Daeseon Choe reads, "...in the Hwagae-dong area of Mt. Jiri, tea trees spread across forty to fifty li (a Chinese unit of distance). Nowhere else in Korea can you find tea fields as extensive as these. The tea trees grew in the gaps between rocks, and all the tea fields in Hwagae-dong were situated in valleys and crevices between rocks." This long-standing documentation indicates that Hadong has been a tea cultivation region for centuries, and its excellence was recognized by those who carefully observed and documented its unique qualities.
Notably, during the Goryeo and Joseon dynasties, Hadong's Hwagae-myeon, with its suitable climate and eco-friendly elements for tea tree growth, produced a significant amount of tea. Even until the late 19th century, it contributed tea to the state. Despite the challenges faced during the Japanese occupation, Hadong's tea varieties and traditional tea culture have been preserved and continued to contribute to the history and tradition of Korean tea culture.
The Value of Traditional Tea Agriculture in Hadong
Located in Hadong-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do, Hwagae-myeon is known as a representative region for the production of traditional handmade tea in Korea. Surrounded by Mt. Jiri with an elevation exceeding 1,200 meters, and blessed with the convergence of the Seomjin River and Hwagaecheon to the south, it is a picturesque and geographically privileged area.
Thanks to this topography, the people of Hwagae have cultivated a tea agriculture culture using the tea trees that naturally grow around the Hwagaecheon gorge, the slopes of the valley, and the areas around temples such as Ssanggyesa and Chilbalsa.
Hadong's traditional tea agriculture is a product of wisdom shared by generations of ancestors who, for over 1,200 years, preserved and passed down the unique local tea farming environment and culture despite the challenging natural conditions of mountainous terrain and limited flatlands.