Redefining the humble leaf

Tea has come a long way from a medicine in ancient times to modern tourism attraction, Yang Feiyue reports.

Steeped in the roots of China's history and culture, tea has long been considered the national drink.

It is held on par with silk and china, and was mainly used for medicinal purposes in the ancient times.

The Classic of Tea written by Lu Yu during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) expatiated on the history, production and ceremony of tea. This helped refine tea brewing and drinking rituals, and initiated the transition of tea from medicine to popular drink.

As time went on, tea began to boost the development of bronze and porcelain wares. Places like Jingdezhen city in Jiangxi province and Xuyang county in Hebei province have been engaged in the mass production of increasingly fine tea ware, which in turn became an important part of tea culture.

Over the years, tea has been representative of China's values and philosophy, and has also made its presence at many significant events.

In 1972, when the United States President Richard Nixon visited China, Chairman Mao Zedong presented him with 200 grams of dahongpao tea. Dahongpao means big red robe, and it is the most famous oolong tea in China.

Sensing Nixon's doubt, Premier Zhou Enlai explained to him that the annual yield of six dahongpao mother trees, which have survived hundreds of years, was a mere 400 grams. Zhou joked that the chairman had given Nixon "half of the country".

In modern times, tea plantations and tea themed tourism have played an effective role in enriching travelers' experiences while increasing local incomes.

Most of the economically underdeveloped and impoverished areas in China are hidden in the depths of the mountains. Some of these areas are not suitable for growing grains, but are great for cultivating tea leaves.

At the southern tip of Gansu province, Wenxian county's moderately acidic soil and misty rainy climate are ideal for tea cultivation.

The vast range of territory in China has also nurtured rich varieties of tea, each carrying a distinct local flavor. Experts say a great number of tea production areas have fostered profound tea culture over the years, which paved the way for the incorporation of leisure and tourism experiences into the tea industry.

To date, the provinces of Gansu, Hubei, Hunan, Sichuan, Guizhou and Yunnan have all explored the successful path of tea production and its related tourism development.

In Jianzhong town of Guizhou, tea trees have become a spectacular sight.

At a tea plantation 1,300 meters above sea level, bursts of laughter can be heard from time to time amid lush tea trees in early April.

They were from the local tea workers.

"I'm now picking my third basket of tea today," says villager Lan Jinqin.

Lan is happy that she does not have to leave her hometown to work and can make a living near home.

Her income from tea picking can cover her family's daily expenses.

The plantation where Lan works covers an area of more than 12,600 mu (840 hectares) and is home to a variety of tea. It is one of nine major tea plantations in Jianzhong. The tea industry has provided job opportunities to 10,000 locals in the neighboring area.

"We are committed to making tea a medium in the creation of a beautiful rural themed pastoral complex," says Huang Hongying, who is in charge of running the tea plantation.

Since the town began building a provincial white tea park in 2014, tea has played a predominant role in uplifting Jianzhong's economy. Jianzhong then initiated the development of its tea tourism in 2016.

The integration of tourism elements has injected vitality into the local tea industry and increased villagers' incomes.

"We take advantage of the mountains, ecology and rural leisure tourism ... to provide a way for locals to increase their incomes and become rich," says Liu Feng, Party secretary of Jianzhong.

Liu says the goal is to transform the town into a tea tourism destination featuring green development.

The town covers an area of 232 square kilometers and is 1,350 meters above sea level.

"The high mountain landscape, mild temperature and plentiful rainfall are very suitable for tea growth," says Liu, adding that Jianzhong has a long history of tea cultivation.

The close proximity to downtown Guiyang, highway networks and local tea industry have helped pack the town with tourists from neighboring areas.

Tourists can now experience fruit and tea leaf picking, fishing, hiking, and living at rural homestays in Jianzhong.

Many other places have escaped poverty through development of their tea industries.

Tan Rongbing, an official with Naxi district of Sichuan's Luzhou city, says more than 19,000 locals who were below the country's poverty line had all gotten back on their feet through tea and related tourism development in 2019.

Ecological tourism, organic tea plantation and processing have brought benefits to more than 10,000 locals in the once poverty-stricken Jiazhuyuan town of Shaanxi province and turned the town into a popular tourism zone.

Increasing public interest in tea has been the driving force of the tea tourism boom.

"We have found the public is not satisfied with just scratching the surface, but they are increasingly fond of immersive experiences," says Zhu Yang, an officer with the China National Tea Museum in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, about tea culture.

Before the pandemic, the museum received about 600,000 visitors every year, with foreign tourists accounting for 20 percent of all visitors.

Zhu says interaction with local tea farmers and artists, tea performances and do-it-yourself tea making experiences have been especially favored among the museum's visitors.

The museum also holds regular tea related programs for the public, so as to encourage more enthusiasm for tea tourism and cultural experiences.

According to the China Tea Marketing Association, the economic benefits brought by tea gardens have encouraged tea plantation. In 2019, the area of tea gardens in 18 major tea production provinces reached 3 million hectares.

Experts say mass production is imperative to raising the value of tea products and develop tea tourism so as to open new sales channels in the consumer market.

Contact the writer at yangfeiyue@chinadaily.com.cn