The regional specialisations
Zhejiang and Anhui for pan-fired greens — Longjing, Huangshan Maofeng, Taiping Houkui. Fujian for white tea, for rolled Anxi oolong and for roasted Wuyi rock tea, which is an unusual concentration in one province. Guangdong for Phoenix Dan Cong. Yunnan for pu-erh and for Dian Hong black tea from the same large-leaf material. Hunan, Guangxi and Sichuan for the dark teas that are not pu-erh.
A route through it
Longjing first — approachable, sweet, and the reference Chinese green. Then Bai Mudan for white tea, which is more forgiving and better value than Silver Needle. Then Tie Guan Yin for rolled oolong. Then a rested Rou Gui for roasted Wuyi tea, which is where the category gets unfamiliar. Then shou pu-erh, then sheng. Dan Cong last, because it is the least forgiving thing in the country.
What to be sceptical about
The famous-tea lists carry real history and are also a marketing structure — several trace their standing to imperial tribute status rather than to anything checkable today. West Lake Longjing, Da Hong Pao, Jin Jun Mei and genuine old-tree pu-erh are all sold in quantities the protected areas cannot produce. Tea from the wider region under a broader name is legitimate and frequently very good.
The brewing shift worth making
Chinese tea rewards gongfu brewing more than any other tradition, and it needs no special equipment to try — any small vessel you can pour off completely will do. Rolled oolong and compressed dark tea in particular give six to twenty distinct infusions that a single western steep flattens into one.