With Hangzhou experiencing continuous hot and sunny weather, many citizens are concerned about how the West Lake Longjing tea is faring.
Today, reporters learned from the West Lake Scenic Area that overall, the Tea villages and tea fields are holding up well. Although temperatures are high, yesterday's thunderstorm helped alleviate some of the drought conditions in the tea fields. Currently, various tea villages have started implementing measures to protect their tea trees from the sun and provide them with sufficient water. Through a range of actions, they aim to ensure the tea trees can survive the summer safely.
“During this period of continuous high temperatures and drought, tea farmers are taking great care in nurturing their tea trees. Starting from July, flat tea fields without shade, such as parts of Shuangfeng Village, began laying down agricultural sunshades. Tea fields with irrigation facilities are being watered by farmers every morning and evening to ensure the tea trees receive adequate moisture,” explained Lu Yiqing, a staff member of the Agricultural Technology Service Station of the West Lake Subdistrict. “Laying down sunshades requires attention to detail; they should not be placed directly on top of the tea trees but should leave enough space to facilitate watering and shading.”
Recently, protecting the tea fields has become the most important farming task for tea farmers. In Wengjiashan Village, the farmers have banded together to set up sunshades on the tea mountains and connect water pipes to water the tea trees and keep them hydrated. Due to the severe water situation, the village committee of Wengjiashan Village recently submitted an application to the Hangzhou Water Supply Group requesting permission to use firefighting water, enabling farmers to fight the drought independently, ensuring that reservoirs do not run dry, and storing water to cope with potential emergencies, thereby strengthening Forest fire prevention. At the same time, to prevent heatstroke among farmers, the village committee has thoughtfully prepared heatstroke prevention medicines in the pavilion at Dashantou for the villagers' convenience.
A relevant official from the West Lake Subdistrict stated that they will continue to monitor the weather conditions to ensure that the tea villages and tea fields can successfully navigate through this heatwave. “If the tea trees experience dehydration or sunburn, there's no need to worry too much. Once the high temperatures and drought pass, damaged parts can be pruned and fertilizers replenished, which can effectively mitigate the ‘ailments' caused by the heat,” said Lu Yiqing.