In the scorching summer heat, the mountains of the Qiannan Buyi and Miao Autonomous Prefecture in Guizhou Province are filled with verdant Tea gardens. Tea farmers bend over, their hands moving swiftly as they pick the fresh shoots, soon filling their baskets with the tender green leaves that emit a refreshing aroma. These small green leaves have become a golden source of income for the tea farmers.
A set of figures demonstrates the power of these green leaves: Currently, all 12 counties (cities) in Qiannan Prefecture produce tea, with a total tea garden area of 1.618 million mu and an annual output exceeding 10 billion RMB. There are 31 townships (towns, subdistricts) with more than 10,000 mu of tea gardens and 19 villages with more than 10,000 mu. The tea industry employs 426,600 people, and the average annual income per tea farmer is 17,500 RMB.
High mountains and mist produce fine tea. As one of Guizhou's key tea-producing areas, in recent years, Qiannan Prefecture has developed its Tea culture, tea industry, and tea technology based on local conditions, paving a green development path that is both ecologically beautiful and economically prosperous.
Strengthening Specialized Industries through Standardization and Branding
Picking tea, weighing it, and loading it onto vehicles… In the Luo's Shell tea mountain in Maotian Town, Duyun City, vast tea gardens stretch out, with tea farmers bustling about, carrying baskets.
“Every day we pick fresh tea leaves, manage the tea gardens, and trim the tea trees, earning 180 RMB per day. The work is stable and close to home, so everyone is eager to do it,” says Tang Xiangang, a member of the Maotian Town Shareholding Economic Cooperative. Many farmers are also learning while working, becoming local experts.
In February this year, seven villages in Maotian Town established a cooperative joint venture, promoting standardized and professional tea picking and management services, employing villagers as professional tea workers. Now the cooperative joint venture has gained a reputation, with many nearby towns seeking its services. Currently, over 60 tea workers serve a total of 3,900 mu of tea gardens.
“Previously, the annual maintenance fee for one mu was between 1,000 and 1,200 RMB, with an income of 3,000 RMB. Now, using a combination of machinery and manual labor, the maintenance fee has dropped to four or five hundred RMB,” says Zhang Yin, head of the cooperative joint venture.
In recent years, Qiannan Prefecture has focused on high-quality development in the tea industry, nurturing local premium tea companies and collaborating with well-known tea companies from other regions. This has led to the creation of renowned brands such as “Gui Tianxia” and “Huang Hongying,” and the introduction of local specialty brands like “Yunwu Tribute Tea” and “Guizhou Golden Flower tea.” They have also launched co-branded products under names like “Zhongcha,” “Bamboo Horse,” and “Yuanzu.”
“Regarding tea garden management, tea leaf picking, and processing, seven prefectural-level local standards have been issued. We have prepared 132 sets of physical standard samples of Duyun Maojian tea and distributed them to tea companies, guiding them to produce and sell according to these standards,” says Zheng Song, director of the Qiannan Prefecture Tea Industry Development Center. Currently, 20 efficient demonstration tea gardens have been built across the prefecture, demonstrating the construction of high-standard tea gardens covering 220,000 mu and improving the quality of 191,100 mu of tea gardens. The standardization, scale, and branding of the tea industry have significantly improved.
Enhancing Scientific Research and Technical Support, Cultivating Cultural Heritage
A handful of fresh tea leaves thrown into the pan makes a crackling sound, the result of the young shoots colliding with the hot pan. Quickly scooping them up and spreading them evenly, the process is repeated for five minutes until the fresh green color fades. Chen Ziyuan then focuses intently on kneading the tea leaves, shaping them into hook-like forms with rhythmic movements.
“Friends in the live stream, this is Duyun Maojian, curled in shape, covered in fine down. Once brewed, the tea has a clear liquor and a long-lasting delicate fragrance…” As a provincial inheritor of the national intangible cultural heritage of Duyun Maojian tea-making techniques, Chen Ziyuan was born, raised, and works on the tea mountains. He provides planting, picking, and processing techniques to his fellow villagers and uses short video platforms to showcase the ancient tea-making skills and rich tea-drinking culture to the world.
The high altitude, low sunlight, and frequent mists, combined with an excellent ecological environment, make Qiannan Prefecture the birthplace of high-quality teas, nurturing a unique tea culture.
“There is an ancient tea tree cluster in Bajin Town, Huishui County, where one wild ancient tea tree is over 800 years old, bearing witness to the profound cultural heritage of tea in Qiannan Prefecture,” explains Zhang Lijuan, director of the Tea Research Institute at the Qiannan Academy of Agricultural Sciences and senior agronomist. Based on local tea tree germplasm resources, the region is actively cultivating tea varieties with local characteristics. “We have preliminarily screened 20 superior individual plants and are conducting comparative trials. Currently, three new varieties have been selected.”
By promptly popularizing integrated technologies resulting from new research, the high-quality development of the tea industry in Qiannan Prefecture has accelerated. In 2025 alone, the Qiannan Academy of Agricultural Sciences collaborated with seven local enterprises to jointly build demonstration tea gardens covering 26,000 mu, which influenced 128,000 mu of surrounding tea gardens. The application of new technologies increased the yield of tea gardens from 89.43 kilograms per mu in 2025 to 140.64 kilograms, cumulatively increasing the value of production by 43.98 million RMB for the seven enterprises.
Persisting in the Integration of Industry and Ecology, Exploring Diverse Development
Green mountains and clear waters, with the fragrance of tea. On his first visit to the Luo's Shell tea mountain, tourist Wang Yong found himself enchanted. “To integrate industrial development and ecological protection so well, it's challenging but remarkable!”
The tea industry is a traditional special industry in Qiannan Prefecture. In recent years, Qiannan Prefecture has persisted in the green ecological concept of tea gardens, focusing on the construction of standard tea gardens and building green ecological demonstration parks, laying a solid foundation for exploring diverse development.
“We attach great importance to tea garden management. For pest control, we promote comprehensive agricultural pest control and physical control methods for tea gardens; for weed control, we use ecological methods. These measures protect the ecological environment of tea development, ensuring the production of healthy, clean, and ecological tea from the source,” says Pan Jianhui, director of the Qiannan Prefecture Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. By introducing a team of academicians from Guizhou University for the construction of Green Tea gardens, as well as scientific achievements in green pest control from the provincial academy of agricultural sciences and within the province, these technologies have been promoted and implemented in various demonstration points. Consequently, 382,600 mu of tea gardens have achieved green pest control, and 52,200 mu of tea gardens have been certified organic.
From growing tea to selling scenery, from selling tea to creating spaces, from talking about tea to promoting culture, relying on a good ecological environment and rich cultural heritage, Qiannan Prefecture has found a new direction for tourism industrialization.
“On the Luo's Shell tea mountain, you can participate in tea culture study tours, tea garden sightseeing, tea tasting, tea-related labor, and tea art performances. You can also experience the tea culture of the Bouyei and Miao ethnic minorities up close. It's incredibly enjoyable, especially for the kids,” says Wang Yong.
To promote the integration of tea and tourism and extend the industrial chain, Qiannan Prefecture has formulated a work plan to drive the integrated development of tea, culture, and tourism. Six high-quality tea tourism routes have been planned and launched, including the Gold Duyun Maojian Experience Tour and the Yunwu Tribute Tea Discovery Tour. These routes connect key tea tourism resources such as the Duyun Tea Culture Film Town, the Tea Expo Garden, Luo