The last is drying. Leaves with a silver or golden color are placed in a bamboo container heated by charcoal fire. It is also very strict in techniques. The temperature needs to be mild, around 30 C to 40 C in the most traditional drying method for white tea.[Photo / China Daily]
The tea business
Chen said in addition to the health effects that make white tea popular, the development of the industry is also a boon for the local market.
The city's tea cultivation area covers 210,000 mu, or 142,00 hectares. It is now home to more than 40 large-scale tea enterprises and five leading provincial-level enterprises.
Some 380,000 people work in the tea industry, accounting for 65 percent of the city's total employment.
This year, revenues for tea farmers in Fuding are up 30 percent.