When the journalist arrived in Xingcun Town, Wuyishan City, on the 13th, the town's mayor, Wu Wang, warmly greeted us and invited us to taste some tea. Boiling water was poured into a cup, and as the leaves unfurled in the water, the tea broth gradually turned amber, emitting a rich aroma.
“This is the main venue for professional tea competitions that have been held here for 800 years. As they say, ‘Tea doesn't truly emit its fragrance until it reaches Xingcun.' We are a significant hub along the ancient Tea Road and the birthplace of black tea in the world.” Mayor Wu said with a smile.
Photo by Shi Chenjing, Fujian Daily – Swallows' Nest Ecological Tea Garden
A short distance away lies the Swallows' Nest Ecological Tea Garden. Although the tea-picking season had passed, there were still five or six tea farmers moving about deep within the garden, pruning the tea plants to lay the groundwork for an increased yield in the coming year.
Tea farmer Yang Wen Chun bent down and pointed to the soybeans planted among the tea plants: “Professor Liao Hong from Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University proposed an intercropping model of planting soybeans in summer and rape Seed in winter, guiding us to rotate and intercrop leguminous plants. Now, the Swallows' Nest Ecological Tea Garden has become a high-quality, efficient ecological tea garden, with the percentage of premium tea increasing by 30% compared to before.”
Further ahead, the journalists arrived at the newly opened Wuyishan “Three Teas” Experience Hall, which had been open for less than three months. The tour guide explained the new ideas for green and high-quality development of Wuyishan's tea culture, tea industry, and tea science under the “Three Teas” initiative. The experience hall features a public teahouse, a new Chinese-style tea-drinking area, tea music, tea books, tea aromatherapy, a “Three Teas” product area, and a tea derivative products section, with a wide variety of cultural and creative products catching the eye.
Xingcun Town is a vivid representation of Wuyishan City's “Three Teas” initiative and green development approach.
In recent years, Wuyishan has focused on “livening up tea culture, expanding the tea industry, and strengthening tea science,” striving to build tea tourism projects, excavate the cultural connotations of tea, and extend the reach of tea culture. They continue to enhance the brand of Wuyi tea and strengthen leading tea enterprises, while consistently implementing the system of science and technology commissioners, conducting green ecological tea plantation construction, accelerating the development of tea germplasm resource nurseries, and actively researching and promoting tea derivative products. These efforts have consolidated the market position of rock tea brands and laid a solid foundation for rural revitalization through the tea industry.
In 2023, Wuyishan had a total tea plantation area of 148,000 mu (approximately 9,866 hectares) and a population of 120,000 people involved in the tea industry.
Why does Wuyishan produce fine tea? According to the tea sage Lu Yu, “The best tea grows on broken rocks, the medium on gravelly Soil, and the worst on yellow earth.” The diverse Danxia landforms of Wuyishan, after weathering, are rich in minerals, forming the rare “broken rock” that tea plants thrive on, giving rise to the name “rock tea.”
The rock character imparted by rock tea complements the gentle flow of streams beneath the mountains and clouds. The beauty of Wuyi's waters dances alongside its teas, creating picturesque landscapes where tea fragrance lingers, transforming Wuyishan's tourism industry.
In May this year, a scenic route totaling approximately 251 kilometers within the Wuyishan National Park was launched, featuring 46 scenic spots and two travel routes. Driving along the scenic route of the Wuyishan National Park, one encounters waterfalls shaped like crescent moons, dense forests and gorges where one can observe plant communities, study birds and butterflies, as well as the Wuyishan National Park Interpretation Center. This scenic line showcases the most important natural ecosystems, unique natural landscapes, finest natural heritage, and richest biodiversity of the Wuyishan National Park, as well as the cultural landscapes of Zhu Xi culture, tea culture, Minyue culture, Jian ware, Jian books, and Song Ci culture.
It is reported that the Wuyishan National Park Scenic Route No. 1 is an integral part of the province's overall layout for building a world-renowned tourist destination, known as “11537.” Focusing on the goal of “building a world-class tourist destination and a meeting hall for Fujian,” Nanping City has systematically planned the Ring Wuyishan National Park Protection and Development Belt, covering 4,252 square kilometers, encompassing four counties (cities, districts), 31 towns (subdistricts), and 203 villages outside the 1,001.41 square kilometers of the Fujian section of the Wuyishan National Park. This belt serves as a buffer zone for ecological protection, a support zone for green development, and a radiation zone for improving people's livelihoods around the Wuyishan National Park.
As we were about to leave the Wuyishan National Park, we encountered a group of Assam macaques living there; they are a protected species under national second-level protection. On a stone bridge, they were seen in groups playing and resting in the grass and on tree branches, providing quite a bit of entertainment.
What a fragrant tea city, what a picturesque landscape with “mountains circling and water embracing the peaks,” and what a vibrant scene!