In vast areas of China, tea is produced from Hainan Island down in the extreme south to Shandong Province in the north, from Tibet in the southwest to Taiwan across the Straits, totaling more than 20 provinces. These may be divided into four major areas:

The Jiangnan area: It lies south of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and is the most prolific of China's tea-growing areas, such as Jiangsu,Zhejiang, Jiangxi,Hunan provinces. Most of its output is the green variety; some black tea is also produced.

The Jiangbei area: This refers to a large area north of the same river, such as including Shandong,Anhui,Henan, Shaanxi and Gansu province,where the average temperature is 2-3 Centigrade degrees lower than in the Jiangnan area. Green tea is the principal variety turned out there, but Shaanxi and Gansu provinces, which are also parts of this area that produce compressed tea for supply to the minority areas in the Northwest.

The Southwest area: This embraces Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou and Tibet, producing black, green as well as compressed teas. Pu'er tea of Yunnan Province enjoys a good sale in China and abroad.

The Lingnan area: This area, consisting of the southern provinces of Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, Hainan and Taiwan, produces Wulong tea (or oolong), which is renowned both at home and abroad. 

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