In Guizhou, tea culture rises

The tea industry in Meitan county, Guizhou province, has boosted local economic development through a mechanism that connects enterprises, cooperatives and tea farmers.

Tang Shijiang, a tea-making master at Guizhou Yangchun Baixue Tea Industry Co said this year is the 31st year he has engaged in tea production and processing. He usually works 12 hours a day with other experts and tea artisans.

Meitan has developed a high-quality brand of tea culture tourism, attracting tourists from within and outside Guizhou to the resort and providing job opportunities for local people. For residents of the county, annual per capita disposable income has reached 21,300 yuan ($2,911).

Qi Chenglie, a resident in Longfeng village in Meitan, said the price of Meitan cuiya, a kind of tea, ranges from around 1,360 to more than 1,400 yuan per kilogram. The price of the highest-quality tea can be more than 2,000 yuan per kg.

"Without tea, Meitan will not have today's happy life," Qi said.

Wang Jin and Luo Siyang contributed to this story.