Situated in northern Fujian Province, the steep and rugged Wuyi mountains are home of Wuyi rock tea. 

It can be processed in many different ways, but they all have that similar "rocky charm." It's a unique aroma that can only be found in the mountains' rocky terrain and harnessed with the special brewing techniques. 

Liu Zheng is a tea craftsman and he runs the Yongle Tea Factory in the Wuyi Mountain region. His father Liu Feng inherited the intangible cultural heritage of Wuyi tea, and won many tea making awards.

Liu Zheng began to make tea 13 years ago. At first, both he and his father thought there was no chance of him inheriting the family business. 

"After leaving school at 17, I lost myself in idleness for a while, before I saw that my mother was working really hard in tea sales. I wanted to help her. So I started learning about tea," says Liu. "Father let me try anything, making and tasting, etc. And I kept improving my skills."

When Liu was 18, tea became indispensable for him. When all the other workers went home for Spring Festival, Liu was left guarding the factory. "I had tea every day, except on the very day that I was left alone in the factory. I couldn't sleep, feeling that I missed something. Then I realized that it was a cup of tea."

So, even though it was freezing and in the middle of the night, he drew water from the well made himself some tea. He fell asleep minutes after drinking it.

"A tea worker is unqualified if he/she won't pick up a fallen tea leaf." Making tea by hand requires ultimate control. Even something that seems like an insignificant error can result in a major change in the flavor of the final product. "Making tea is like cultivating talent," says Liu.

The best Wuyi tea leaves can only be picked from "Guyu (around April 20)" to "Lixia (around May 6)" in Chinese solar terms. The workers don't even have time to sleep during that period.

Tea-processing depends significantly on the weather and the condition of the leaves. Rainfall and sunlight can affect the water content of the leaves, thus affect their withering and, later, the chemical reactions which determine the flavor. Different leaves require different processing methods.

The most important part of making Wuyi tea is charcoal roasting, which has to be done at night. For outsiders, shaking and roasting the leaves manually all night long is very tedious. Yet, for Liu, it has become an essential part of his life.

"You have to do it yourself if you want to do it right," he says. Although the tea-process usually takes only 20-to-30 days a year, the factory is always busy planting their next crop and breeding new tea trees. They keep in touch with their customers while working to improve the flavor. The calluses on Liu's hands speak for themselves.

Inhering his father’s job made Liu feel "pretty stressed," he said. "We inherited such solid foundations and valuable resources from the older generation. If we didn't work hard to improve ourselves, we'd become laughing stocks who lost everything their families had built."

Although he is a businessman, Liu spends most of his time in the tea field. He even learned to use a smartphone and social apps in recent years so he could multitask. His plans for the future are all about tea. He wants to become a great tea craftsman like his father. For him, "People are like tea leaves. Only by undergoing the toughest process can you gain unparalleled charm.”