Why Is It Called "Duck Shit" Tea? (Ya Shi Xiang Dancong)
Short answer
Ya Shi Xiang (鸭屎香, "duck shit aroma") is a popular Phoenix Dancong oolong whose name comes from local folklore, most often told as a farmer naming his prized bush after the yellow "duck shit soil" it grew in, so no one would want to steal it. The tea itself smells floral, and the name is officially accepted as a conventional name in Chaozhou.
By D² Tea Lab, Burnaby · Updated
It's the name every tea lover remembers. 鸭屎香 (yā shǐ xiāng) translates, quite literally, as "duck shit aroma". Yet it is one of the most loved Phoenix Dancong oolongs, floral, sweet and long-lasting in the cup.
The story behind the name
The most widely told version comes from Chinese writing on Phoenix Dancong, retold by the business magazine Jiemian in 2017:
A farmer surnamed Wei brought a tea bush down from Wudong, the high tea area of Phoenix Mountain, and planted it in a plot of yellowish soil that locals called "duck shit soil". When neighbours praised the tea's fragrance and asked what it was, he told them it was "duck shit aroma", so that nobody would think it worth stealing. Cuttings spread, and the name went with them.
This one story holds two explanations, the soil and the anti-theft trick, and they are usually told together. There is no earlier written record that confirms either. It is best understood as folklore, and charming folklore at that.
Other explanations circulate too. One links the name to the leaf's resemblance to the "duck-foot tree" (鸭脚木, schefflera). Jiemian itself notes that there is no agreed origin.
Was it renamed "honeysuckle aroma"?
You may read that the tea was renamed 银花香 (yín huā xiāng, honeysuckle aroma). This is what can be verified:
- In 2014, dancong expert 黄柏梓 and farmers in Pingkengtou village were reported to have proposed the name, because the aroma resembles the wild honeysuckle on the mountain.
- Even that report hedges its wording.
- Chaozhou's 2021 naming standard for dancong still lists 鸭屎香 as an accepted popular name.
So "honeysuckle aroma" is a proposed alternative, not an official reclassification. Shops use either name, and plenty still prefer the memorable one.
Is Ya Shi Xiang one of the ten aroma types?
No. Phoenix Dancong is traditionally sorted into ten aroma types, such as gardenia, orchid, honey orchid and almond (see What are the Phoenix Dancong aroma types?). Ya Shi Xiang is a named line outside those ten categories. The Chaozhou naming standard places it among the names that stuck by popular use, alongside 东方红 and 岭头白叶.
Why it became famous
Two things took Ya Shi Xiang from local curiosity to household name in China:
- Competition success. Ya Shi Xiang dancong took "tea king" titles at the 6th Guangdong Chaozhou Fenghuang Dancong tea contest in 2024, according to the Chaozhou city government.
- Lemon tea. In recent years "duck shit aroma lemon tea" became a hit drink across Chinese tea shops, which introduced the name to millions of people who had never brewed a dancong.
What does it taste like?
Nothing like the name. Drinkers usually describe a bright floral aroma (the honeysuckle comparison is apt) with a sweet, lingering finish and the slightly mineral, lively character dancong is known for. Like all dancong, it can turn sharp if over-steeped, so short infusions work best.
Tasting dancong at D²
Our Phoenix Oolong Lemon Tea is made with dancong oolong and fresh lemon, the same pairing that made Ya Shi Xiang lemon tea famous in China. If the name has ever made you hesitate, this is the gentlest place to start.
Sources
- Jiemian (界面新闻), on the origin of the name 鸭屎香 and the proposed rename to 银花香, 2017-08-11: jiemian.com
- Jiemian, on competing explanations of the name: jiemian.com
- 《凤凰单丛（枞）茶命名规则》 T/CZTTBZ 002—2021, Chaozhou: chaozhou.gov.cn (PDF)
- Chaozhou government news on the 6th Fenghuang Dancong contest (2024): chaozhou.gov.cn