What are the differences between traditional Dianhong (Yunnan black tea), ancient tree Dianhong, sun-dried ancient tree Dianhong, and wild sun-dried Dianhong?

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What are the differences between traditional Dianhong, ancient-tree Dianhong, ancient-tree sun-dried Dianhong, and wild sun-dried Dianhong?
You’ve surely heard of Dianhong tea, but you may not know its rich history; you may have drunk Dianhong to some extent, but you don’t know its mysterious side; you might have heard of sun-dried, ancient-tree sun-dried, and wild sun-dried teas, yet still feel confused.
This article answers questions about “traditional Dianhong, ancient-tree Dianhong, ancient-tree sun-dried Dianhong, and wild sun-dried Dianhong” in detail under three main points.

• Traditional Dianhong
  

Before 1938, Yunnan did not produce or sell black tea. The formal history of black tea in Yunnan began in the autumn of 1938.
In 1938, the China Tea Company sent commissioner Zheng Hechun and technician Feng Shaoqiu to Yunnan to investigate tea production and marketing. They arrived in Fengqing in early November and were then ordered to set up the Fengqing Tea Factory (then called the Shunning Experimental Tea Factory).
Thanks to Mr. Feng’s efforts, the first batch of kungfu black tea (Gongfu red tea) — 16.7 tons — was successfully trial-produced in 1939. By 1941, within three years the Fengqing Tea Factory had produced 110 tons of black tea.
Mr. Feng initially named the produced black tea “Yunhong” (Yunnan red), because other black teas such as Qihong, Huhong, Chuanhong, etc., were named after their regions. The name “Dianhong” (Dian = Yunnan) officially became the name for Yunnan black tea in 1940, and “Dianhong” has been used ever since.
Dianhong was originally produced mainly as kungfu black tea and broken black tea for both export and domestic sale, and this is referred to as traditional Dianhong. Broken black tea appeared somewhat later than kungfu black tea, first produced in Menghai.
Later, China Tea Factory, Menghai Tea Factory, and Fengqing Tea Factory began trial-producing broken black tea. Broken black tea also became an important component of Dianhong.
The production process of traditional Dianhong includes withering, rolling, fermentation, and drying. Broken black tea adds an extra cutting/shredding step to this process.

• Ancient-tree Dianhong, ancient-tree sun-dried Dianhong, wild sun-dried Dianhong
  

With continuous changes in the tea market and increasingly diverse consumer demand, Dianhong has undergone multiple transformations since its trial production in 1939.
The era of traditional Dianhong focused on kungfu black tea and broken black tea. As demand evolved, Dianhong began to innovate; today, with the emergence of ancient-tree red, wild red, and sun-dried red, Dianhong has entered a new era.
Sun-dried (shaihong) literally means tea dried under sunlight. It’s an innovation added to traditional drying techniques, giving the tea a natural scent developed in sunlight.
Some say sun-drying was inspired by the sun-drying used in Pu’er tea, which is reasonable. When Pu’er tea became very popular, it once became synonymous with Yunnan tea.
At that time the Dianhong market shifted: it stopped exporting and was sold only domestically. But because Pu’er’s momentum was so strong, Dianhong drinkers dwindled, and Dianhong entered a period of temporary rest and recovery.
When Pu’er surged in popularity, attention turned to the importance of time for Pu’er: high-quality raw materials, such as leaves from ancient trees and trees growing in good ecological environments; preserving the tea’s internal components well during the process from fresh leaf to sun-dried maocha; and placing finished tea in good storage conditions to allow natural transformation.
Thus, new-era Dianhong began to try following Pu’er’s path. This led to stricter control of raw materials and the emergence of ancient-tree red and wild red teas; and innovations in processing gave rise to sun-dried red.
Since 2013, Dianhong has undergone a revolution in raw material selection, primary processing (the stage from fresh leaf to maocha), and post-fermentation.

• Similarities and differences among the four
  

Similarities:
Traditional Dianhong, ancient-tree sun-dried Dianhong, ancient-tree Dianhong, and wild sun-dried Dianhong all use Yunnan large-leaf sun-dried maocha from within Yunnan as raw material and fall within the Dianhong category.
Differences:
Traditional Dianhong: includes both kungfu black tea and broken black tea, so the raw materials are more varied. There are premium pure bud tips, one-bud-one-leaf plucks, and one-bud-one-leaf that has been shredded.
Its production process includes: fresh-leaf picking, withering, rolling, fermentation, and drying.
Ancient-tree Dianhong: uses fresh leaves from tea trees over a hundred years old as raw material and is produced through the processes of picking, withering, rolling, fermentation, and drying.
Ancient-tree Dianhong can be classified as kungfu black tea and belongs to the traditional Dianhong category.