Tea brings prosperity to Fujian village

Located northwest of Fu'an's Shekou town in East China's Fujian province, Tanyang village is home to the famous Panyong Congou tea, a golden prize winner at the 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition.

The village has been growing black tea since the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Its tea has also been exported to Western Europe.

In recent years, Tanyang village has encouraged the development of ecological agriculture suited to local conditions to improve the quality of tea, and introduced a series of poverty alleviation measures to increase the incomes of local farmers. These moves have in turn greatly boosted rural revitalization and contributed to economic growth and environmental protection.

Relying on its characteristic tea industry, the village set up 17 raw material bases for the production of high-quality tea. Actions were also taken to promote mechanized production and standardize operations, as well as accelerate the efforts to build a green and ecological tea garden in the village.

The local government has also promoted the modernization of related industrial chains to encourage the quality growth and development of its leading tea enterprises. Some supporting industry projects such as tea processing factories and e-commerce centers have been built in Tanyang village, and this has led to the integrated development of local industries.

Local authorities said that advanced technologies have been widely used to build a smart tea garden, resulting in lower human costs and an improvement in work efficiency. The village has also explored ways to combine tea growing and eco-friendly tourism.

All these efforts have contributed to the development of Shekou town's tea industry. Panyong Congou tea was added to the list of the China-EU agreement on geographical indications.

Shekou town is now home to 78 tea processing enterprises and professional cooperatives, including three provincial leading ones. Statistics show that the town generated a total output value of 508 million yuan ($77.22 million) in 2019, an increase of 15.7 percent from 2018.

Xie Zhenzhen contributed to this story.