With and tea fragrance filling the air among boundless green mountains, tea produced in Guangdong, such as Yingde Black Tea, Xiao Qing Gan and Ya Shi Xiang (Duck Shit Aroma) Oolong, boast a unique charm and gained popularity domestically and internationally.
Yingde Black Tea Industrial Park
In fact, Guangdong is the main tea-producing area in China, with the highest tea consumption and circulation volume in the country. It is also an important province for tea exports. In 2022, tea production in Guangdong reached 160,800 tons, and the annual consumption of tea (including circulation) was about 250,000 tons. Among them, the export volume of Guangdong tea reached 4,000 tons, with an export value of 470 million yuan, mainly sold to countries and regions such as Japan, Malaysia, the United States, Germany, Canada, Chinese Macao and Chinese Hong Kong.
In October, the ginkgo trees in Yingde turned golden in the wind, while the autumn tea waiting to be picked is still lush green. In the tea garden of Yingde Yingzhou Black Tea Ye Co., Ltd. in Yingde City, the air is fresh and wet, and tea farmers wearing straw hats and mosquito hats are picking tea leaves non-stop beside the waist-high tea trees under the intertwined green mountains. They quickly pick two tender yellow tea buds and put them into the bamboo basket behind them. After going through various processes, the aroma of tea will be presented to be tasted.
Yingde is located in the southern part of the mountainous area of northern Guangdong. Warm and rainy, it belongs to the subtropical monsoon climate, and the land is fertile with rich organic matter, which contributes to Yingde Black Tea's unique flavor. In the 1950s, Yingde took the lead in introducing Yunda tea seeds for trial planting. After the first batch of Yingde Black Tea came out with a strong flower fragrance, it was well received by foreign customers and was exported to more than 70 countries and regions around the world, becoming an important product for export.
It is reported that Yingde Black Tea is harvested three times a year with characteristics in each season: spring tea features fresh and mellow, summer tea features rich and flavorful, and autumn tea features a unique fragrance. In winter, the tea trees generally rest for the first harvest of spring tea in the following year. From the spring to the winter, this tea garden of over 1,000 mu has become a gold mine for the local people.
According to industry statistics, the total planting area of Yingde Black Tea is currently 177,000 mu with an output of 5,598 tons, a year-on-year increase of 4.48%. The revenue reached 2.699 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 25.54%. It is estimated that the comprehensive output value will reach 7.5 billion yuan by the end of 2023.
In the Black Tea Fun Garden in Yingzhou Black Tea Ye, villager Zhong Guidi has set up her own stall. She recommends her homegrown redskin peanuts to everyone she meets, invites them to try a cup of liver-cleaning and eye-brightening fire-lowering tea, and enthusiastically introduces local bamboo shoots, dried tofu skin, and other specialties to tourists.
"The stall is free for loan. We only need to pay sanitation fees. When we are unoccupied or during the tourist season, we will stay at the stall." Zhong Guidi deplored the dual benefits of tea cultivation, which not only ensures income but also provides more opportunities to them through the stalls at tourist attractions.
The mountains are no longer desolate, the roads have become wider, and the income has increased... The continuously developing Yingde Black Tea is telling stories of individuals getting rich and industries thriving because of it. With the continuous expansion of the black tea industry and people's increasingly happy and prosperous lives, the undulating tea gardens will become the most beautiful scenery in the countryside.
Source:Yangcheng Evening News
