A peasant was picking plants near the cave of the immortals and came across a bush that looked like tea. He was surprised that this bush grew in such an unsuitable place: wet and poorly lit. However, he picked leaves from this bush and brewed them. And as it turned out, not in vain. Impressed by the bright taste and aroma of the drink, the peasant named it "Water immortal" and began to grow this variety. It is interesting that sometimes this tea occurs under the names of Water Lord or Water Sprite, This is one of the translation variants of the original Chinese name.

This variety is distinguished by good yield and adaptability, therefore Shuixian bushes occupy almost half of the entire territory of tea plantations in Wuyishan. And the first bush was discovered at the end of the nineteenth century quite by accident: when preparing firewood, a tea-grower found a small bush, which outwardly resembled a tea bush, and only when he made tea from its leaves, the master realized what treasure he had found. The peculiarity of the variety is that the bushes live for many years, therefore such phenomenon as Shui Xian from the old bush is by no means a rarity.