Dong Ding tea was originally from Dong Ding mountain area in central Taiwan, but in recent years Dong Ding tea has become more known because of the process by which it is made & not by the location. The tea competition for Dong Ding award-winning tea is very popular now in Taiwan, with over 5,000 entries in the recent tea harvest awards, with most of the teas submitted coming from other tea growing regions areas, but processed according to the Dong Ding processing standards, which is basically a heavier roasted Oolong than regular Taiwanese High Mountain teas.

It is said Dong Ding Oolong was brought back from Wuyi mountain, Fujian province (China) by the famous scholar Jui Ren from Lugu County, Taiwan in 1885. He brought back 36 tea plants of the Ching Xin Oolong varietal. He gave 12 tea plants to Mr. Lin Shan Xian who successfully grew these plants in the Dong Ding mountain area in Lugu County.