Currently, it is the perfect season for summer and autumn tea picking. The Qinxin Tea Garden in Minzhu Town, Panzhou City, is a lush green landscape that is pleasing to the eye. As gentle breezes pass by, the refreshing aroma of tea fills the air. Farmers are seen moving in groups among the tea bushes, picking the tea leaves swiftly. Wang Shuangguo, head of the Panzhou Qinxin Ecological Tea Plantation Farmer's Professional Cooperative, stated that the company will rely on its naturally misty scenery and its thousand-acre contiguous tea plantation to build an integrated tea tourism base with the concept of “a garden in a secluded place, fragrant with tea.”
The Qinxin Tea Garden, located at an altitude of over 2,000 meters and often shrouded in fog, was once unproductive for crops due to the challenging environment. However, such conditions are ideal for tea trees, and the tea produced here has an extraction rate of 43%, showcasing excellent quality.
The development of the tea industry has addressed employment issues for some local residents. “Today, more than 30 people are weeding, and during peak times, nearly 600 people work here each day,” Wang Shuangguo explained. To ensure the quality of the tea, no pesticides or herbicides are used; instead, organic fertilizers and manual weeding are employed. This approach provides around 100,000 job opportunities annually, and this year, wages paid to workers are expected to increase by 20%.
“We mainly cultivate Longjing 43 and Fuding Dahao tea varieties. Currently, we are picking one bud with two leaves and one bud with three leaves, which have good Steeping qualities,” Wang Shuangguo said. The picking season runs from June to September, and this year, the tea will be processed into granular tea.
The quality of the tea is crucial for its success in the market. The tea produced in this region has won honors such as the title of “Tea King” at the Third Guizhou Ancient Tree Tea Competition and a silver medal at the Fourth Asia-Pacific Tea Awards.
“We manage and produce our tea according to EU standards, sending samples for testing regularly. In spring, we produce high-end custom-made handmade teas, while summer and autumn teas are processed mechanically. Last year, we achieved mass production. Regardless of the type of tea, we adhere to the principle of ‘tasty, clean, and affordable' when producing and selling our products,” said Wang Shuangguo. The demand for their tea exceeds supply, requiring orders to be placed a year in advance. Currently, nearly 90% of their customers are repeat buyers, and many new customers come through referrals. After inspections, these new customers often become regulars.
Over more than a decade of continuous expansion, the tea produced by the Qinxin Tea Garden has become popular both within and outside the province, with sales reaching 11 tons in 2023. So far this year, 12 tons of tea have been sold, and annual sales are projected to reach 16 tons.
The Qinxin Tea Garden is just one of many tea gardens in Panzhou City. It is reported that there are 59,000 acres of well-preserved tea bases spread across 53 villages in 16 towns and subdistricts in Panzhou. To date, the local tea production amounts to over 100 tons, generating approximately 100 million yuan in revenue. Panzhou City is dedicated to developing the entire tea industry chain, offering various products such as tea mountain tours, scenic tea views, tea leaf picking, Tea processing, tea tasting, and tea banquets. These initiatives enrich the tourism industry and transform the tea industry into an integrated tea tourism industry that benefits the people, turning ecological resources into ecological economy, and driving local residents towards prosperity.