“Organize dedicated resources, refine investigation standards, and thoroughly investigate the inventory of our region's ancient Tea trees.” “Comprehensive surveys are the foundation for the protection of ancient tea trees.” “We must continuously increase the added value and market competitiveness of tea products”… Recently, the Nanchuan District Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) organized a focused consultation activity on the protection of ancient tea trees, involving some district CPPCC members, experts, scholars, and representatives of tea farmers. Participants discussed key points, addressed challenges, and sought effective strategies together.
The Jinfoshan National Nature Reserve and its surrounding areas are home to abundant wild ancient tea tree resources. However, with the acceleration of urbanization, these ancient tea trees face multiple challenges, including deterioration of their growing environment and pest infestations. How to protect these precious ancient tea trees and promote the high-quality development of the large-tree tea industry has become an important issue for Nanchuan District.
In recent years, under the principle of “prioritizing protection while emphasizing development,” Nanchuan has established 13,000 mu (approximately 867 hectares) of large-tree tea bases through cultivation methods that mimic the original habitat. These bases produce 150 tons of dried tea annually, and the industrial chain formed around large-tree tea is taking shape. The image shows the large-tree tea base in the Village of Chashu, Delong Town, Nanchuan District. Provided by the Nanchuan District Committee of the CPPCC.
At the beginning of this year, the Nanchuan District Committee of the CPPCC included “Protection Work for Ancient Tea Trees in Jinfoshan” as a key point in its annual work plan. Following this, the Agricultural and Rural Affairs Committee of the district CPPCC organized several discussions with the Forestry Bureau and the Agricultural and Rural Affairs Commission, among other departments. It also arranged field research involving CPPCC members from agricultural and forestry fields, and solicited opinions and suggestions from relevant tea enterprises, village and community officials, and those responsible for management and protection regarding the conservation of ancient tea trees and the development of the large-tree tea industry. This led to the carefully organized consultation activity.
During the consultation, Liu Qinjin, honorary dean of the Chongqing Ancient Tea Tree Research Institute and professor at Southwest University, pointed out that the ancient tea trees of Jinfoshan, as local group varieties, preserve pure ancient tea genes and have high nutritional value. However, unscientific management and picking not only affect the yield and quality of tea leaves but also impact the normal growth and development of the tea trees.
“In recent years, there has been unprecedented attention and strengthening of protection for ancient tea tree resources across various regions. Guizhou, Yunnan, and some cities and prefectures have successively formulated ‘Regulations on the Protection of Ancient Tea Trees' to legally enforce the responsibility of governments and relevant departments in protecting ancient tea tree resources. Currently, our city lacks relevant laws and policies,” said Wang Jun, member of the Nanchuan District Committee of the CPPCC and director of the office of the Agricultural and Rural Affairs Committee, urging the formulation and implementation of guidelines for the protection of ancient tea trees to guide protection efforts.
“Promoting green development in the tea industry is one of the critical paths to protecting ancient tea trees,” suggested Yin Gang, member of the Nanchuan District Committee of the CPPCC and general manager of Chongqing Daguan Tea Co., Ltd. He recommended further strengthening cooperation with universities and research institutions and introducing advanced technologies and concepts to provide strong support for the protection and utilization of ancient tea trees.
“We need to strengthen the inheritance and promotion of Tea culture and continuously increase the added value and market competitiveness of tea products,” said Song Changming, member of the Nanchuan District Committee of the CPPCC and general manager of Chongqing Juchang Agricultural Development Co., Ltd. He believes that we should enhance connections and deepen cooperation with regions advanced in the protection and utilization of ancient tea trees, drawing on their successful experiences to comprehensively improve the overall level of ancient tea tree protection and utilization in our city.
In response to the suggestions, relevant officials from the Nanchuan District Agricultural and Rural Affairs Commission and the Forestry Bureau stated that they would continue to support the protection and utilization of ancient tea tree resources. They plan to organize professional forces from research institutes, universities, and colleges to conduct another comprehensive survey of the large-tree tea resources across the district to gain a clear understanding of the situation. They will also intensify efforts to build germplasm resource nurseries and seedling breeding bases for ancient tea trees, conduct scientific innovation research, and cultivate this scarce resource into a variety with independent intellectual property rights. Additionally, they aim to further strengthen local responsibilities for the protection of ancient and famous trees, incorporating the protection of ancient tea trees into the scope of work and supervision under the comprehensive implementation of the Forest Chief System.
“Your suggestions have provided new ideas and directions for the protection of ancient tea trees in Nanchuan and the green development of the large-tree tea industry,” said Mao Chaoyin, chairman of the Nanchuan District Committee of the CPPCC. He indicated that the district CPPCC will continue to leverage its advantages, strengthen communication and cooperation with all parties, and ensure the implementation of consultation outcomes, contributing wisdom and strength to the in-depth advancement of ancient tea tree protection work.
Written by Li Renjie