Tiantai has been renowned for its Tea production since ancient times. It is a key national tea-producing county, as well as a Chinese tea culture and Famous Tea hometown. Currently, the total area of tea gardens in the county is 103,000 mu (approximately 7,200 hectares), with about 30,000 people engaged in the industry. The total output is over 3,000 tons, with a total value of 455 million yuan, accounting for approximately one-fifth of the county's total agricultural output. It has become a pillar industry of characteristic agriculture.

At the beginning of this year, during the full meeting of the county committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), CPPCC members Pan Xiaosheng, Xi Zhongping, and others jointly submitted proposals related to the high-quality development of the tea industry, which were listed as key proposals for the year.

In order to effectively promote the handling of these proposals, recently, the county CPPCC held a “Consultation Dialogue Meeting” focusing on the integrated development of tea cultivation, processing, and marketing and the strengthening of the tea economy. Wang Xindong, Deputy Secretary of the County Committee and County Chief, had in-depth exchanges with CPPCC members and representatives of the tea industry to jointly devise effective strategies.

“Strengthening the tea economy cannot be achieved without the support of advanced elements,” said Wang Genhua, CPPCC member and General Manager of Kangneng Food Co., Ltd. He suggested further strengthening technological support, improving the industrial standard system, enhancing talent team building, and ensuring land use and funding.

CPPCC member Chen Qiuyue, Deputy Director of the Tiantai Mountain Culture Research Institute, pays great attention to the integration of Tea culture, tourism, and education. She hopes that through the study and promotion of tea culture, publicity of tea products, and popularization of tea knowledge, the consumer base for tea can be expanded further.

CPPCC member Xi Zhongping, President of the Tiantai County Small and Medium Enterprise Chamber of Commerce, suggested accelerating the construction of the Tiantai Mountain tea regional public brand to continuously improve the reputation, prestige, and influence of Tiantai Mountain Cloudy Mist Tea, Zhonghuang No.1, and “Tiantai Qing” brands.

“Developing e-commerce and live-streaming new business models should be seen as an effective means to increase the income of tea farmers, adding cloud power to the sales of tea and related agricultural products,” said Zhu Junhua, CPPCC member and General Manager of De Yizhai Agricultural Development Co., Ltd.

“I hope that relevant preferential policies for the Tiantai Mountain Tea Market can be implemented promptly to boost the confidence of tenants,” urged Xu Xuri, CPPCC member and Chairman of Xuri Tea Industry Co., Ltd.

As an experienced tea professional, Chen Zhengming, CPPCC member and legal representative of Jindadi Ecological Agriculture Co., Ltd., suggested strengthening the management of the source of Tiantai Mountain Cloudy Mist Tea in Huading tea garden to achieve a win-win situation between tea quality and economic benefits.

“The integrated development of the three tea sectors and the fusion of primary, secondary, and tertiary industries require cross-departmental and inter-town coordination,” said Pan Xiaosheng, CPPCC member and Deputy Leader of the Tiantai County General Branch of the China Democratic League. He hopes that the county government will strengthen overall coordination and do a good job in planning the tea industry throughout the county.

CPPCC member Xu Lei, General Manager of Tiantai County Dazhi Tea Industry Co., Ltd., suggested that major tea-producing areas such as Shimu, Sanzhou, and Leifeng fully leverage their tea resource advantages to drive rural revitalization.

Pang Zhe, CPPCC member and General Manager of Daozhiyuan Agricultural Development Co., Ltd., suggested creating a highland for tea cultural creativity, deepening the integration of tea culture, tourism, and education, and fostering a diverse atmosphere for tea cultural experiences.

“Technological empowerment and talent support are important forces driving the development of the tea economy,” said Cui Zhongjie, CPPCC member and person in charge of Hopeful Fields Family Farm Co., Ltd. He said that we should make active use of the science and technology commissioner system, fully utilize the platform of university-local cooperation, and use digitalization to empower the upgrading and efficiency improvement of the tea industry.

CPPCC member Zhou Zelin, Group Leader of the Democratic Supervision Team stationed at the Department of Agriculture, Rural Affairs, and Rural Development by the county CPPCC, hopes that relevant departments will step up control of pesticides and fertilizers to ensure green and high-quality development of the tea industry.

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Responsible persons from relevant departments and townships (streets) interacted and responded, proposing measures for the next steps.

Wang Xindong, Deputy Secretary of the County Committee and County Chief, affirmed the effectiveness of the activity, requiring relevant departments to carefully study and fully absorb the insightful suggestions of the CPPCC members. He said that the current competition in the tea market is fierce. We need to have self-awareness, learn from others, and persist in our efforts. We must write a good chapter on the combination of “Harmony Culture + Tea Industry” and further promote the integrated development of the three tea sectors and the fusion of the primary, secondary, and tertiary industries.

Liu Yemin, Chair of the county CPPCC, said that the tea industry is a distinctive industry of Tiantai, bearing the dreams of prosperity for the vast majority of tea farmers and carrying the hopes for rural revitalization. The CPPCC will give full play to its role as a specialized consultative institution, making more wise suggestions and offering more practical strategies, to jointly paint a beautiful picture of the development of Tiantai's tea industry.

Authors: Sun Zixuan, Zhou Dabin