Yinhua Xiang Dancong or How Fragrant Is “Duck Shit Aroma” Tea, Really?

Yinhua Xiang Dancong or How Fragrant Is “Duck Shit Aroma” Tea, Really?

In the Chaozhou–Shantou (潮汕) region of Guangdong, there exists a tea with one of the strangest names in the tea world: “Duck Shit Aroma” (鸭屎香 Yāshǐxiāng). Despite the oddity—and perhaps off-putting impression—of its name, this oolong is famous for having one of the most intense, high-pitched fragrances of all Chinese teas.

A Name That Misleads

First, let’s clear the air: this tea has nothing to do with ducks, or with anything unpleasant. Its proper name is Yinhua Xiang Dancong 银花香单丛—“Honeysuckle Fragrance Dancong”—a celebrated variety within the Phoenix Dancong (凤凰单丛) oolong family, grown in the mountainous north of Chao’an’s Phoenix Town (凤凰镇). Its liquor is mellow and sweet, its aroma lush and lingering, earning it the nickname “perfume among teas.”

So how did such a noble tea end up with a name like “Duck Shit Aroma”?

  • One popular story says that a farmer in Phoenix Mountain once cultivated a tea tree with an exceptionally beautiful fragrance. Fearing that others would steal it, he deliberately gave it a crude name to throw them off.

  • Another explanation points to the soil itself: the tea grows in a local yellowish chalky soil rich in minerals, nicknamed “Duck Shit Soil” (鸭屎土). When asked about the tea, farmers simply said “Duck Shit Aroma”—and the name stuck.

Whatever its origins, the curious nickname spread by word of mouth, while the more elegant “Honeysuckle Dancong” quietly faded into obscurity.


What Makes Dancong Special?

“Dancong 单丛” literally means “single bush.” In Chaozhou dialect, cong (丛) is a classifier like “plant” or “bush.” A single Dancong tea comes from one carefully cultivated tea tree, harvested and processed separately to preserve its distinctive personality. Over centuries, farmers in the Phoenix Mountain range isolated and nurtured outstanding mother trees, each with unique aromas—jasmine, orchid, almond, ginger flower, osmanthus, and more.

The result is the famous Phoenix Dancong family: a dazzling array of oolong teas celebrated for their natural floral fragrances. “Duck Shit Aroma” is among the most beloved for its bright, layered bouquet and remarkable endurance in brewing.

The Perfume of the Phoenix

Yinhua Xiang Dancong’s aroma is complex and high-rising:

  • honeysuckle blossoms,

  • light ginger flower,

  • sweet nutty notes,

  • and a clean mountain freshness.

The infusion carries a golden-yellow glow, with a mellow yet powerful body and a lingering sweetness that can last ten brews or more. This rare combination of elegance and stamina is why locals call it “tea turned perfume.” The playful contradiction between the crude name and its exquisite fragrance only makes it more memorable.

A Tea With a Long Legacy

According to the Gazetteer of Chaozhou Prefecture (潮州府志), Phoenix Dancong tea can be traced back to the late Southern Song dynasty—over 900 years of history. Today, Chaozhou still preserves more than 3,700 ancient trees over 200 years old, including a legendary “Song Dynasty Tea Tree” that has survived for over 600 years.

During the late Qing dynasty (Tongzhi and Guangxu reigns, 1875–1908), farmers refined the practice of single-bush cultivation. They identified outstanding “mother trees” and began harvesting, processing, and selling each separately—bestowing tree names that are still in use today. From these efforts arose the great Phoenix Dancong lineage, now categorized into ten main fragrance types and more than eighty sub-varieties, including Almond, Ginger Flower, Cinnamon, Honey Orchid, and of course, Honeysuckle/Duck Shit Aroma.

The Mountain Spirit of Wudong

The highest peak of the Phoenix range is Wudong Mountain (乌岽山), rising 1,391 meters and cloaked in mist year-round. Its rich organic soil and lush biodiversity make it an ideal terroir for tea. Leaves grown here have a strong “shan yun 山韵”—the “mountain charm”—and a lasting “cong yun 丛韵”, the distinctive resonance of old Dancong bushes.

Duck Shit Aroma from Wudong yields tea liquor that is clear and golden, with bright floral sweetness and a deep, lingering aftertaste that returns again and again in the throat.



From Ancient Hills to Modern Tea Shops

In recent years, Duck Shit Aroma has stepped beyond Chaozhou teahouses into modern tea drinks. Its alluring fragrance and playful name have made it a star ingredient in bubble tea and trendy infusions across China and beyond.

As the Tang poet Yuan Zhen (元稹) once wrote in his ode “Tea”:

“Tea—fragrant leaves, tender buds,
Cherished by poets, beloved by monks.
Ground like jade, sifted like silk,
Its golden liquor swirls in porcelain bowls.
By moonlight it keeps us company,
At dawn it greets the rising sun.
Timeless, never tiring the drinker—
Even after wine, it cannot be surpassed.”

Perhaps, if Yuan Zhen had lived in Chaozhou, he too might have smiled at the paradox of Duck Shit Aroma—a tea with a name humble to the point of absurdity, yet carrying within it the fragrance of flowers, the spirit of mountains, and the poetry of centuries.

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