Photography by Donghua Huang
China Tea Capital – Anxi
Upon entering the China Tea Capital in Anxi, one is greeted by rows of tea shops, the air filled with the aroma of tea, and a dazzling array of teas including Tieguanyin, Dahongpao, Pu'er, Longjing, white tea, dark tea, and more—making it a true “Capital of a Hundred Teas Trade.”
Anxi, the birthplace of Chinese Oolong tea and the origin of the world-famous Tieguanyin, has leveraged its strengths to develop its tea industry, setting national records for tea plantation area, tea production, and per capita tea income, shedding its title as the “largest state-designated impoverished county.”
Photography by Guoping Chen
However, this major tea-producing county once lacked a large-scale trading market, preventing farmers from directly connecting with domestic and overseas buyers, making it difficult to sell their tea.
Photography by Donghua Huang
In 2000, with the assistance of the provincial government, Anxi County raised 120 million RMB through auctions and leases, primarily from domestic and overseas sources, to build the China Tea Capital – Anxi National Tea Wholesale Market. After the market was established, transactions became active, and farmers' incomes increased.
Photography by Ying Lin
On the evening of October 15, 2002, Xi Jinping accepted an interview for the CCTV program “Chronicles of China,” which aired at that time, after his transfer to Zhejiang. In the program, he not only shared personal experiences related to tea but also endorsed Fujianese tea on the spot. He also engaged in a conversation with Anxi tea farmer Yirong Wang about the industrialization of tea in Fujian.
“In the past, our officials were accustomed to urging farming and sowing, then they were busy studying what to plant and how to plant it.” Xi Jinping said, “The key to industrialization, I believe, is still marketization – where to go when there is an abundance of products, and how to make them suitable for the market. What can the government do? It's about providing a market platform.”
(Source: “Renewed Splendor of Fujian Mountains and Waters – Xi Jinping's Fujian Footprints” (Volume 1), pages 80 and 81)
Photography by Fangbin Zhuo
Moving in this direction, Anxi not only built the China Tea Capital but also constructed other national and regional wholesale markets and trading hubs such as the China Specialty City and the China Tea Expo.
These markets have been designated as “Key Markets” by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and awarded titles such as “National Key Tea Market” and “Capital of a Hundred Teas Trade” by the China Tea Marketing Association.
Photography by Qinfa Liu
Photography by Dasui Chen
With the development of the internet, Anxi promoted the sales model of “online store + physical store + third-party supervision” and vigorously developed e-commerce markets. Currently, the county's e-commerce sales exceed 10 billion RMB, accounting for one-fourth of the nation's tea e-commerce sales, making it the largest county-level tea e-commerce base in the country.
Photography by Yan Yan
Quality assurance means market assurance. Anxi constructed 200,000 mu of ecological tea gardens and pioneered a platform for agricultural supply regulation and logistics tracking nationwide. They built a quality safety system and traceability system for tea, ensuring quality management throughout every link of the tea industry.
Technology empowers the development of the tea industry. Anxi launched the “Anxi Tieguanyin No.1 and No.2” satellites and created a series of intelligent platforms like “Digital Tea Industry” to better ensure the quality of tea.
Launch site of the “Anxi Tieguanyin No.2” satellite
Strong quality leads to strong Brand power. The brand value of Anxi Tieguanyin, at 143.244 billion RMB, has ranked first among China's regional brands for four consecutive years and first among tea-related regional brands for eight consecutive years.
The Tea culture-themed play “Tieguanyin”
Buying and selling a hundred types of tea, buying and selling across the nation – today's China Tea Capital is not only a significant distribution center for Anxi Tieguanyin but also a hub for various tea categories from around the country. Every year, 300,000 tons of various tea types are sold from Anxi, accounting for one-tenth of the total national tea production and ranking first in county-level tea trade volume.
From the “single leaf” to the “bloom of a hundred teas,” the China Tea Capital has transformed.
Photography by Youxue Wang
In this process, the Anxi County Discipline Inspection Commission and Supervisory Committee practiced the concept of “integrating tea culture, tea industry, and tea science” and closely monitored the implementation of tea industry policies, financial subsidies, industrial chains, and farmers' urgent needs, establishing a “combined division” supervisory mechanism. They conducted layered and regional supervisions, process-oriented and penetrating supervisions, promoting the high-quality development of the tea industry through collaboration.
Photography by Weibin Lin
One industry thrives, and a hundred industries flourish. Driven by the tea industry, industries such as wicker Iron crafts, photovoltaic electronics, digital media, and high-end equipment have emerged and developed. Traditional industries are rejuvenated, while emerging industries are thriving. Anxi has forged a path to high-quality economic development with distinct local characteristics, known as the “Anxi Model.”