9 Dragons Tea
The Drink That Changed The World
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About the Film
This 90-minute film documents the untold story of tea’s epic journey, from her ancient Chinese origins to her trek to Europe and America.
Centered on the legendary tea-making district of Wuyi Shan, our story traces the accidental invention of the celebrated Lapsang Souchong, the world’s origin of Black teas, such as English Breakfast, Earl Grey, and Darjeeling/Assam Black tea.
For over 300 years, Chinese tea set hearts on fire in the West. It became a symbol for America’s quest for independence from the British crown, as the Boston Tea Party ignited the Revolutionary War.
In the mid-1800s, the English addiction to tea and its riches drove them to wage two wars against China, culminating in a fascinating true story of industrial espionage.
Steeped for thousands of years, 9 DRAGONS TEA unveils the mystery of how this extraordinary drink changed world history.
Similar to wine-making, tea is a highly specialized work of art, with different regions in China known for producing special types of tea. This is attributed to the notion of terroir, as the French call it.
Terroir in tea gives the drink its unique flavor profile and fragrance structure. For example, Wuyi Rock tea is famous for its terroir known as “Yen Yuen,” meaning “rhythm of the rock.”
Meet The Crew
Christy Hui
Director, Writer and Producer
Award-winning storyteller, Christy Hui is known as the creator of XIAOLIN SHOWDOWN and XIAOLIN CHRONICLES. Her latest film 9 DRAGONS TEA is a documentary feature about how tea changed the world. A tea aficionado, Christy takes great pleasure in narrating the film. She looks forward to sharing her love for tea with all the tea drinkers in the world. Follow Christy on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @ChristyHuiChat
Marco Solorio
Director of Photography
Marco Solorio is an award-winning feature filmmaker, skilled in cinematography, editing, scoring and sound design. With over three decades in media creation, he enjoys sharing his experiences and knowledge with the filmmaking community as a published author and international speaker.
The Talent
Mr. Jiang Yuan-Xun 江元勋
Wuyi Heritage Tea Master “Lapsang Souchong” 24th Generation>
Mr. Huang Xian-Yi 黄贤义
Wuyi Heritage Tea Master “Da Hong Pao” 11th generation
Mr. Huang Sheng-Hui 黄圣辉
Wuyi Heritage Tea Master “Da Hong Pao” 12th generation
Linda Zhang
Tea Artist & Connoisseur
Duer Zhang
Wuyi Tea Maker
The Monks
Buddhist Monks
Evan O’Brien
Spokesperson, Boston Tea party Ships and Museum
The Studio
An award-winning studio, ActionFliks Media is known for its franchises: XIAOLIN SHOWDOWN, which is produced by Warner Brothers Animation, and XIAOLIN CHRONICLES, a co-production with Genao in France. The first TV series ran on Cartoon Network worldwide for four seasons from 2007 to 2011, earning two Emmy Awards.
Xiaolin Chronicles aired on Disney XD, Netflix and Cartoon Network International, winning a Telly Award for best children’s programming in 2018. This 26-episode series is currently available via streaming on Amazon Prime.
Shot in 4K, 9 DRAGONS TEA is a feature-length documentary film. We are currently seeking distribution for the film. If your company is interested in exploring distribution for the film, please contact us. We’d love to hear from you.
"A message from the director: Why I made this film”
DISCOVER THE ART OF TEA
You’ll love our new artbook! A labor of love, this artbook showcases glorious images, taking you on a journey through ancient tea rituals and how these practices bring calmness, mindfulness, and tranquility through the ages.