Some precious ancient tea blocks will be auctioned Thursday in Guangzhou, the hometown of one of their late owners -- Xu Guangping, wife of the famous Chinese writer Lu Xun.

The square cakes of Pu'er tea, four cubic centimeters in bulk and three grams in weight, were made in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) in a way similar to manufacturing instant coffee nowadays, the Yangcheng Evening News said.

The tea, which originated in a town called Pu'er in southwest China's Yunnan Province, has long been treasured as a tea of tribute to the imperial court as well as a richly flavored, healthy beverage. It is claimed the tea can help remove toxins, cleanse the body and even reduce body fat.

Twenty-four of the blocks were intact and all blocks including some malformed ones, amounted to about 140 grams. Delicate patterns were made on the surface of the tea blocks.

An unidentified auctioneer said the starting price could be 200,000 yuan (US$24,155) to 300,000 yuan.

Some authoritative experts will inspect the blocks before the auction at the Guangdong Building. Part of the proceeds will be donated for cultural and educational undertakings.

Chen Jinyuan, a tea master in Guangzhou, tried two grams of the tea block and found it reduced to several tiny grains smaller than sesame seeds after seven infusions. He said vital energy seemed to be moving around inside his body shortly after drinking the tea.

The author, Lu, died in the 1930s and Xu died in 1968 without disclosing the tea's origin. It may have been obtained through Lu's relatives who worked for the Qing regime or, more likely, Xu's relatives who supervised porcelain production for the government, said Zhou Haiying, son of Lu whose real name was Zhou Shuren.

Zhou Haiying said his father and mother treasured the teacakes so much that few had been consumed. The tea could quickly ease discomfort after eating too much during festivals, he said.

(Shenzhen Daily February 2, 2004)