Tea tourism integration broadens path to prosperity for farmers

Farmers pick green tea in the tea garden. [Photo by Zhang Minmin for chinadaily.com.cn]

As one of the foremost agricultural specialties of Weifang city, Shandong province, Zhucheng green tea, often hailed as "China's northernmost tea", boasts of thick and tender green leaves packed with various trace elements. 

To effectively exploit and protect this local specialty product, Zhucheng city of Weifang city in Shandong province has vigorously promoted shareholding cooperation. 

It regulates the management of tea gardens via cooperative ties with tea enterprises, provides guidance to tea farmers in cultivating and promoting quality brand awareness, introduces superior varieties, and fosters brand-focused and distinctive planting practices. 

Workers process tea. [Photo by Zhang Minmin for chinadaily.com.cn]

In recent years, Zhucheng green tea has hopped on the fast track of e-commerce and cultural tourism development. Through the development of green tea production skills, it has promoted the creative transformation and innovative development of tea culture. 

To enhance the added value of the tea products, Zhucheng city has also enriched its tea market by focusing on the deep historical link between Dongpo culture and Zhucheng tea culture to strengthen the role of local culture in developing the tea industry. 

Zhucheng green tea has successfully registered as a Chinese geographical indication trademark, and its production technique has been included in the list of representative projects of provincial intangible cultural heritage. 

It has developed over 150 processing enterprises, cooperatives, and family farms and has 2,467 hectares of tea gardens, promoting rural industrial vitalization and increasing farmers' income. (Edited by Huang Junyao)