The revitalization of talent is key to rural revitalization. The provincial “first meeting of the New Year” incorporated rural talent work into the overall deployment of the “three teams” construction, and Ningbo has been continuously promoting the building of a rural talent team, attracting and cultivating a large number of modern “new farmers” to commit to the cause of rural revitalization. For this reason, we have launched a special column called “New Farmer Chronicles” to publicize local practices and achievements, showcasing the spirit of “new farmers” in Ningbo.
Haisu District is located in the western part of Ningbo City, belonging to the Ningshao Plain, with a subtropical monsoon climate. Thanks to its warm and humid environment, ample sunlight, distinct seasons, and natural resources surrounded by mountains and water, it has nurtured renowned Tea brands such as “Tashanyan” and “Wulongtan” throughout the province. Haisu District focuses on cultivating “new tea farmers” through diverse channels such as training activities, technological upgrades, e-commerce marketing, effectively enhancing the professional skills, innovation capabilities, and horizons of tea farmers and tea artists, enabling them to better adapt to market changes, driving the transformation and upgrading of the local tea industry, and further promoting the prosperity and development of the Haisu tea industry.
Vigorously Conducting Training Activities,
Building a Talent Cultivation System for the Tea Industry
In recent years, in response to the national and provincial calls to “cultivate new farmers and promote agricultural modernization,” Haisu District has hosted a series of events targeting tea industry talents, such as the “Haisu Cup” Chinese Family Tea Art Competition, the “Haisu District Tea Opening Festival,” the “Yongcheng Folk Tea Fighting Competition,” and the “International Tea Day on May 21,” with cumulative participation reaching over 300,000 people. These activities cover all aspects from planting to processing and marketing, fully demonstrating the exquisite skills and vibrant spirit of tea artists in the clinking of Teacups. By conducting competitions as a form of training, Haisu District has spread and promoted Tea culture, explored and improved the talent cultivation system for the tea industry, and cultivated a strong team of tea artists with distinctive Haisu characteristics.
Tea Scented Haisu, Cultivating Talent Through Competitions
On May 10th, the “Nantang River” Cup Ningbo Tea Artist Vocational Skills Competition was held at Ningbo Talent Building, where participants competed in theoretical knowledge and practical skills. At the competition site, the clinking sound of cups and saucers filled the air, fully showcasing the exquisite skills and vibrant spirit of tea artists. In the end, one first prize, two second prizes, and three third prizes were awarded in both the able-bodied group and the disabled group, with certificates of Level II (Technician) skills in tea artistry. The hosting of this tea art competition aimed to meet the high standards of the “three teams” construction requirements and is a measure taken by the Haisu District Agricultural and Rural Affairs Bureau to actively promote rural talent revitalization. The setting of separate tracks for able-bodied and disabled individuals demonstrates the humanitarian concern in cultivating “new farmers” and promotes the expansion of talent at multiple levels and dimensions.
In recent years, the Haisu tea industry has achieved remarkable results, with the White Tea production techniques of “Tashanyan” and the production techniques of Ningbo black tea successfully listed as intangible cultural heritages of Ningbo City, and two representatives named as inheritors of intangible cultural heritage in Ningbo.
Innovatively Utilizing Emerging Technologies,
Promoting Technological Upgrades in the Tea Industry
With technological innovations in agriculture, the demand for emerging technologies among tea farmers continues to grow. To further enhance the technical level of “new tea farmers,” Haisu District established specialized organizations for the unified prevention and control of tea plant diseases and pests, as well as the unified distribution and application of fertilizers, and increased the intensity of technical training. Tea farmers began learning to use new equipment and technologies to assist in tea production, such as using drones for pesticide and fertilizer spraying to effectively control plant diseases and pests and promote healthy growth; and through intelligent irrigation systems to monitor and adjust water supply in real-time, ensuring optimal growing conditions for tea plants. The infusion of modern technology and professional knowledge not only improved production efficiency and reduced labor costs but also led to further optimization and enhancement of tea quality.
Technology Empowers, Cultivating Fine Tea
Expert Guidance on Tea Planting Training
Ningbo Hemetea Co., Ltd. was founded in 2012 and since 2025 has leased tea gardens in Jinnlu Village, Yinzhou Town, Haisu District, covering an area of 310 acres, with all tea tree varieties being superior asexually propagated species. Since leasing, the tea garden has undergone full road surfacing, complete ditches, water and electricity facilities, and other improvements; the entire garden has adopted green pest control, environmental film weed control, spray irrigation, water-saving frost protection, and other emerging environmentally friendly technologies, successfully passing the construction of a forestry science and technology demonstration zone for ecological restoration in the Siming Mountain region. It has obtained green food certification and won the first prize in the 10th “China Tea Cup” National Famous and Quality Tea Evaluation, among other honors, and has been certified as a practice teaching base for Ningbo Tea College, setting a model for standardized planting by tea enterprises and integrating green technology development.
Actively Leveraging E-Commerce Marketing,
Expanding Market Sales Channels for the Tea Industry
In addition to traditional offline sales models, online e-commerce has become an important channel for Haisu tea farmers to expand their markets. To further encourage tea industry personnel to integrate emerging e-commerce channels for promotion, the Haisu District Agricultural and Rural Affairs Bureau has built an online “Internet+” tea industry publicity chain, utilizing video public accounts, Taobao, Douyin, and Xiaohongshu and other media platforms for live streaming and sales, expanding the influence of Haisu tea. “New tea farmers” began trying out live sales on online e-commerce platforms like Taobao and Douyin, achieving effective conversion from online traffic to sales performance, promoting high-quality teas from Haisu to all parts of the country and even overseas.
Wang Ye: A Tea Artist Devoted to Tea Culture Dissemination
Wang Ye is a tea industry worker born in the 1980s, graduated from Zhejiang University of Technology, and has been studying tea for fifteen years. Currently, she is the principal of Ningbo Yunrenfang Tea Culture Co., Ltd. She has won awards such as the Gold Prize in the 2025 “Haisu Cup” First Chinese Family Tea Art Competition, the title of Zhejiang Provincial Vocational Skill Expert in 2024, and Ningbo Outstanding Talent.
In 2025, Wang Ye formed the Yunrenfang team and opened an offline tea space. Starting from 2025, she led the team to share tea life and tea culture through online new media platforms, allowing countless people to experience the beauty of tea for the first time. In recent years, riding the wave of e-commerce development, Wang Ye started live-streamed sales, accumulating over 830,000 fans, producing and broadcasting over 1,300 short videos, with a total viewership exceeding 100 million, achieving nearly 300 million yuan in paid GMV, and successfully carving out a new track for the development of the tea industry through live-streamed tea sales achievements.
Contributed by: Haisu District Agricultural and Rural Affairs Bureau