Thousand-liang tea has an unusual appearance. It is pressed into "logs" – in the shape of braided bamboo. Qian Liang has this name because the biggest weight of these "logs" is equal to a thousand liangs or, approximately, 37 kilograms. Their length is more than one and a half meters, and girth is 56 centimeters. Nowadays, for convenience, manufacturers cut them into tea cakes and pack them up into boxes. Traditional "logs" in bamboo braiding are now mainly used to decorate the halls of tea houses and shops.

The first time Qian Liang was produced was in the early 19th century in response to an increase in demand for black tea in the northern provinces of the country. The process of producing this tea is very laborious and takes a long time – after processing and packing into baskets, the tea leaves are kept under special conditions for fifty days. Bamboo braiding is a special art, for the braiding of one such "log" two or three people are needed.