[Well-off China] Xianfeng, Hubei: Let "tea seeds" become "golden leaves"
[Explanation] Xianfeng, Hubei, located in the eastern part of Wuling and the border of southwestern Hubei, is one of the top 100 tea counties in China. In recent years, the county has built key tea planting areas with white tea, oolong tea, and black tea as the main area, creating a "Tangya" agricultural product area Public brands have driven a third of the county's population to increase income and become rich.
[Explanation] Near noon, Qin Yicheng, a villager in Longtanba Village, Tangya Town, Xianfeng County, is still busy in his tea garden. He will enter the tea picking season in less than a month. He will come to see the growth of tea every day.
In 2020, Tan Yicheng's self-grown 7 mu of white tea will have an income of nearly 60,000 yuan.
This former poverty-stricken household who established a file and established a card has successfully escaped poverty through tea planting.
[Concurrent] Qin Yicheng, a villager of Longtanba Village, Tangya Town, Xianfeng County, Hubei Province
After replanting (tea), there have been great changes in (economic conditions) in the past few years. A new house has been built (over there). The new house is two and a half storeys and has not been renovated.
[Explanation] Qin Yicheng is an epitome of poverty alleviation in the tea industry in Xianfeng County. In order to win the fight against poverty, the county has followed the principle of "green bases, deeper processing, stronger leaders, stronger brands, smoother sales, and longer chains". The idea is to introduce oolong tea and white tea varieties while promoting the upgrading of green tea, and build village-level tea processing plants to create the entire tea industry chain.
[Concurrent] Zheng Donglai, Secretary of Xianfeng County Party Committee, Hubei Province
In the past few years, we have cultivated 35 leading enterprises above the state level, and the annual output value of the tea industry has reached 1.7 billion, which is basically achieved through processing to increase income.
[Explanation] In Zhongtang Village, Tangya Town, Xianfeng County, the white tea bases of the Fumin Agricultural and Sideline Products Cooperative in Xianfeng County are scattered.
The cooperative has more than 800 acres of white tea base and has 385 members, among which nearly 300 are from poor households. The average annual income of each poor household increases by about 8,000 yuan.
[Concurrent] Yuan Jiayou, Chairman of Fumin Agricultural and Sideline Products Cooperative in Xianfeng County, Hubei Province
(Our cooperative) By the end of 2020, the output value has reached more than 20 million yuan. This year (2021) is expected to produce about 70,000 jin of dry tea, and the output value will be about 25 million.
[Explanation] Currently, the tea area in Xianfeng County is 283,000 mu, more than one-third of the county's arable land; 142,000 people are engaged in tea industry-related work, more than one-third of the county’s population; industrial development coverage has been established. There are more than 80,000 people living in 28,000 poor households with an average tea income of more than 7,000 yuan per mu, making it a veritable income-increasing industry and poverty alleviation industry.
[Concurrent] Zhang Yuhong, a villager in Longtanba Village, Tangya Town, Xianfeng County, Hubei Province
When I didn’t grow tea, I planted some grain, fed a pig, and fed some chickens. I didn’t have much income. After developing from tea, (I) planted more than 3 mu of (tea), which can earn 30,000 to 40,000 a year. Yuan, improved life, and opened a small shop at home, and gradually became rich.
[Explanation] Xianfeng County has the world cultural heritage "Tangya Tusi City Ruins". In order to improve the market competitiveness of Xianfeng tea and improve the ability of tea to carry poverty, Xianfeng County has created the "Tangya" agricultural products regional public brand and hired professional institutions. In-depth planning of "Tangya Tea" regional public brand marketing promotion.
[Concurrent] Zheng Donglai, Secretary of Xianfeng County Party Committee, Hubei Province
We in Xianfeng used to have more than 70 small tea brands. We integrated the world cultural heritage Tangya brand to form the Tangya Red, Tangya Green and Tangya White tea series.
We have unified standards, unified logos, unified marketing, and established a traceability system, making the Tangya tea brand a product of the National Geographical Indication.
[Explanation] Today, Xianfeng County has achieved green tea, white tea, black tea, oolong tea, and dark tea, becoming the first county in Hubei Province for oolong tea and white tea.
"Tangya Tea" has also gone out of the mountains and entered Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, Hangzhou and other places. It enjoys a certain reputation throughout the country and is exported to Europe, America and Africa.
Dong Xiaobin, Li Xin, Shangfei, reporting from Xianfeng, Hubei
Editor in charge: [Ji Xiang]