Diverse measures promote Zhucheng tea as a path to prosperity

Women pick tea leaves. [Photo by Zhang Minmin for chinadaily.com.cn]

Zhucheng in Weifang, Shandong province recently held a spring tea garden opening event, with over 30,000 mu (about 2,000 hectares) of local tea gardens entering picking season. 

Zhucheng green tea is known as the "northernmost famous tea" in China, with a relatively late picking time. It was selected for the second National List of Famous, Special, and Excellent New Agricultural Products in 2023. 

Zhucheng black tea was included on the list of special agricultural product raw material bases in Shandong, and the influence and reputation of brands like "Zhucheng green tea" continue to grow.

To further enhance the comprehensive efficiency of the tea industry, Zhucheng has introduced the innovative "Half-mu Tea Garden" claiming model, creating "small and beautiful" tea culture experience bases and developing boutique routes along the way. 

Large tea gardens in Zhucheng. [Photo by Zhang Minmin for chinadaily.com.cn]

The city aims to promote its tea industry through tourism festivals, tea events, brand showrooms, and increased promotion efforts. 

Additionally, efforts are being made to expand the sales channels of Zhucheng green tea through e-commerce and live streaming, as well as launching activities to secure orders for enterprises, leading to a breakthrough in Shandong's matcha exports. 

The construction of a matcha cultural center and the introduction of the Hongyu project, which has an annual production capacity of 50 metric tons of deep-processed matcha, are aimed at increasing the added value of the industry. (Edited by Huang Junyao)