The Huangjiazhai Ancient Tea Park is located in Huangjiazhai, Mangshui Community, Mangshui Town, Changning County. It has a typical temperate climate with an average elevation of 1780 meters, an annual average temperature of 16.9°C, and an average annual rainfall of 1463 millimeters. The soil type is a typical slightly acidic red loam and yellow loam, providing ideal climatic and soil conditions for the growth of ancient tea trees. In the midst of the summer solstice, braving the drizzling rain, we followed the winding mountain road to the Huangjiazhai Ancient Tea Park. After being washed by the rain, the trees and flowers appeared particularly vibrant, and the fresh cool air swept away any signs of fatigue.

The Huangjiazhai Ancient Tea Park has a long history of tea cultivation. Here, there are the best-preserved ancient tea tree clusters and the high-quality local variety, Huangjiazhai Large-Leaf Tea (Mangshui Origin Tea). The total area of the ancient tea tree cluster is 33 hectares, with 9,338 ancient tea trees in 21 small plots and 2,026 individual trees, totaling 11,364 trees, including 3 wild-type ancient tea trees and 11,361 cultivated-type ancient tea trees. These trees produce 20 tons of dried tea annually. Relying on the ancient tea resources of Huangjiazhai, Mangshui Town actively explores and practices the “Two Mountains” theory, adopting the development concept of transforming “tea zones into tourist zones, tea gardens into parks, and tea mountains into gold mines.” Using a “three integration” model, it has achieved a comprehensive transformation from tea garden to park and from traditional tea production areas to tourist attractions, exploring a new path of “integrated tea and tourism” development that promotes both tea and tourism.

Integration of Tea and Tourism for Development. The Huangjiazhai ancient tea tree cluster is the largest, oldest, and finest densely cultivated ancient tea tree cluster in the upper reaches of the Lancang River, one of the 20 ancient tea mountains in Baoshan. Traditional tea-making techniques are widespread here, and the reputation of its tea brands extends far and wide. In recent years, a total of 100 tea workshops and 57 tea enterprises have been established. Based on industrial advantages and following the principle of “one-time planning and integrated development,” Mangshui Town completed the planning of the ancient tea park and practical Village planning based on the “one heart, one loop, five zones” layout. Focusing on tourism functions such as “eating, staying, traveling, shopping, entertainment,” facilities such as a tea square, visitor service center, countryside ecological fitness trail, some village roads, walking paths, and tourist toilets were built within the core area of the ancient tea park. By integrating the surrounding tea enterprises for collaborative development, the unique teas have become tourist products. Under the influence of industry cultivation and enterprise promotion, the atmosphere of everyone talking about tea, every household growing tea, and every household making tea has become very strong, significantly enhancing product competitiveness and market share.

Integration of Culture and Tourism to Promote Cultural Heritage. Tea enterprises have been introduced to the Huangjiazhai Ancient Tea Park to explore a new model of integrated tea and tourism that combines ancient tea tree sightseeing, picking, processing, tasting, and sales. Since 2025, the park has received over 100,000 visitors. In 2025, the Huangjiazhai Tea House became the first four-star tea house in Changning County, and the Huangjiazhai Ancient Tea Park was awarded the title of “Charming Ancient Tea Garden” of Yunnan's Plateau Characteristic Modern Agriculture and rated as a 3A scenic area. Using tea as a medium, the park enriches the connotations of rural tourism. Activities such as tea picking, Tea processing competitions, tea art performances, tea appraisals, and tea king auctions are organized around themes like visiting tea mountains, paying homage to tea rituals, enjoying tea meals, appreciating tea arts, observing tea history, and strolling through tea streets. The essence of Changning's ancient Tea culture, folk tea customs, tea planting and processing experiences, and the casual enjoyment of tea tasting and sightseeing are all integrated into the park, allowing visitors to understand and carry forward tea culture. This constructs a green industrial system that deeply integrates tourism, ecology, health, services, and culture. At the same time, activities such as reading classes, poetry seminars, tea culture sharing, and tea art training are regularly held around the theme of tea, creating a comprehensive atmosphere where the local community understands, talks about, makes, and tastes tea, fostering cultural consensus and development consensus.

Integration of Business and Tourism to Boost Income. Following the approach of using scenic spots as platforms, tourists as the main body, and the public as the foundation, and considering the current trend of diversified, personalized, and convenient consumer purchasing channels, marketing training has been strengthened. Enterprises are encouraged to develop chain stores and online sales, cooperating with e-commerce platforms like JD.com and Tmall, actively participating in the creation of the “Cloud-based Changning” regional public brand, and increasing efforts to promote online sales. Through full-channel marketing, markets are vigorously developed. In 2025, the value of ancient tree tea production reached 15 million yuan, driving employment for over 600 workers, and 57 tea enterprises directly facilitated work for over 500 people in the natural villages and surrounding areas, achieving an average annual income increase of over 10,000 yuan per person from work-related activities. Meanwhile, events such as the Rice Flower Fish Culture Festival, Tea Culture Festival, and Rhododendron Culture Festival are held, adopting a model that combines agriculture and tourism, centered on Huangjiazhai and radiating to places like Mangshui Town, Laozhai Village, and Jiangqiao Wharf, forming the Mangshui Town's Lancang River Tea Source Rural Revitalization Demonstration Belt, achieving integration of business and tourism.

Reported by Yang Jinghao