Boiling water, rinsing cups, washing tea leaves, brewing… Amidst the steaming mist, waves of refreshing fragrance invigorate the senses. This effortlessly smooth Gongfu tea was not prepared by Chaoshan people, but by Associate Professor Shaukat Ali from Pakistan at South China Agricultural University.
Since 2020, Shaukat Ali and his team have been conducting projects on green pest control for tea plants and restoration of rare ancient tea trees in Fenghuang Town, Chao'an District, Chaozhou City. The tea farmers, who initially did not understand their work, have now come to rely on them. He has become known among the locals as the "foreign doctor" for tea trees.
Shaukat Ali conducts experiments in the laboratory.
In 2006, Shaukat Ali came to China to study and obtain permanent residency status after graduation, allowing him to stay and work there. He has visited villages in Guangdong, Guangxi, Hubei, Hunan, and other regions multiple times to inspect and carry out agricultural projects.
"When I first went to Yangjiang, it took more than six hours with half the journey on the highway and half on national roads. Three years ago, the Shenyang-Haikou Expressway was expanded to eight lanes in both directions, and it felt like it could even land aeroplanes! Now it only takes two hours to get to Yangjiang," Shaukat Ali often marvels at the rapid changes in rural Guangdong.
On October 23, Shaukat Ali and his team drove over 400 kilometres to revisit the tea field of a tea farmer named Ke Yunying in Fenghuang Town, Chaozhou City. As soon as they got out of the car, they were greeted with warmth.
Shaukat Ali and his team inspect a tea field in Fenghuang Town, Chao'an District, Chaozhou City.
Lin Shaohui, 69 years old, feels distressed seeing the wilted tea branches.
Shaukat Ali guides students in conducting experiments.
Shaukat Ali and teacher Wang Xingmin inspect a tea field in Fenghuang Town, Chao'an District, Chaozhou City.
Planning | Huang Can
Coordination | Luo Yanjun, Cao Si, Hu Nianfei, Wang Haijun
Text | He Dayuan, Yang Qiong, Wu Qing
Photography | Dong Tianjian
Video Editing | Wan Wenlong, Ou Nanying
Editor | Liao Ying, Huang Qini, Che Zhenqing, James, Shen He
