Green tea trees on the rolling hills sprout fresh and tender buds. More than 80 tea farmers flit across the hills with baskets to collect fresh bud tips. “Our standard for tea picking is one bud for one leaf to ensure its quality and taste.”

 

As the noon approaches, farmers send baskets of tea buds to the processing plants after selection and weighing. A pleasant smell of tea greets the noses at the workshop with machines operating at full capacity. Workers process all freshly picked tea leaves through fixation, rolling and baking after which the end products will be sold all over the country. Large-scale planting has paved a green path for local people to increase the revenue.

 

 

“I’m too old to work outside but here I can earn 70 or 80 yuan a day easily, and do some exercise while climbing up to pick tea. Life is getting better and better!” He Manliang, a 73-year-old farmer, said gladly to the reporters.

 

Heye Town, home to mineral resources, once developed the coal industry at the expense of ecological environment. Since 2012, Heye Town has stepped up its efforts in transition towards tea industry. For example, Guiyang Jinxian Ecological Agriculture Development Co., Ltd. takes the unique geographical advantages by transferring over 1,000 mu (about 66.67 hectares) of idle land in the village and growing varieties of tea to build ecological tea plantations.

 

 

“Our tea plantation is located at an average altitude of more than 650 meters with plenty of sunshine, thick cloud and fog, and distinct temperature differences between day and night, so that the tea tastes fresh and sweet,” said Ouyang Zhanyi, general manager of Guiyang Jinxian Ecological Agriculture Development Co., Ltd..

 

Nowadays, tea industry has replaced coal as one of the pillar industries in Heye Town. Nearly 350 kilograms of green tea leaves can be picked every day.

 

 

The tea plantations see harvests in spring, summer and autumn with an annual output of over 7 tons of sun-dried tea, worth nearly 10 million yuan. The tea industry has created jobs for more than 100 villagers, injecting new vitality into rural revitalization.